Back from Golden Princess - July 18-25

[KAWS]

:DFirst of all let me say this was a wonderful trip. Alaska is everything that everyone has said it would be. Nothing dampened our spirits - not even the rainy days.

 

Seattle

 

We left home (Toronto) on July 17 to go to Seattle. Transportation to the Seattle Westin was with the Transporter ($11 pp). The buses run every half hour and if you see that bus there and think you won't have time to stand in line for a ticket, then just go straight to the bus. He took cash there as well as tickets. The ride to the hotel took about 45 minutes but it seemed to go fast. It gave us a chance to see the other hotels too. We found out that Princess usually uses the Westin or the Doubletree as their hotels when they are booking.

 

Got ourselves a wonderful upgrade to the 43rd floor when they realized we were Starwood card carriers plus it was our anniversary. We wound up with a view of the water and we watched our ship come in the next morning. That was great!

 

We tossed our stuff in our room and went exploring. Seattle was sunny and hot - really hot that day. Pike Market was our destination as well as the local fire station to get a t-shirt for our firefighter son. They were very gracious there. Pike Market was so big! I live in an area that grows fruit locally and is very tasty but it didn't even come close to that nectarine that I had there. It truly was a OMG moment. Also went shopping and managed to do some damage at Victoria's Secret when I found a wonderful sale! :D

 

Dinner that night (for our anniversary) was at the Icon Grill. It was recommended to me here on CC and I was told to try their famous Mac and Cheese. It was on the menu as an appy but that would have to be for about 4 people! The portions were so large that you really could split a salad (which we did) and one entree (which we didn't). That mac and cheese was to die for. It was so rich and creamy with a ton of cheeses in it. They served it with a little jug of extra cheese and before I knew it the server had carved a hole out of the middle, poured the cheese in and replaced the lid. Try as I might I couldn't get through more than 1/4 of it.

 

The next morning we just got a coffee and pastry from the cafe downstairs at Westin. Not a bad deal for that $2.50. A full breakfast would have been expensive but after the night before I didn't want more than that.

 

We left the hotel around 11 am and there were a ton of taxis right outside. We got in one and he took us to the pier for $12.50. Sure a whole lot cheaper than what a town car was telling us! Along the way we talked to him about returning to the pier and he told us that even a metered taxi would cost far less than the town car and that there's a special waiting spot for those that you have to walk to with all of your luggage where if you just grab a porter he'll take your bags and breeze you through everything (which was totally true) and then you'd be on your way. Needless to say we cancelled our reservation for a town car before we even got on the ship.

 

Embarkation

This could NOT have been any easier! They are so organized it blew my mind. When we got our sign/sail cards and got on the ship, they had two lines, depending on where your cabin is located. We were in the aft (C753) so were directed to the aft line and then we were able to go directly to our clean cabin to drop our things off. I was impressed by this because a lot of the time you can't go to your cabin right away.

 

Of course after dropping things off we went to check out the buffet. There was a smaller buffet being offered than what would normally be offered, but this was actually welcomed by us. Too much too soon tends to overwhelm, so this was just a nice way to start things off.

 

We bought ourselves a coffee card ($27 includes tax) and enjoyed specialty coffees and fresh brewed coffees all week. This card is a definite for us.

 

When we went back to our cabin after lunch and a quick ship exploration, to our surprise our bags were already in our room. We were out on our balcony when our room steward arrived to say hi to us. This guy, Inri, was an absolute gem! We totally loved him and in the end filled out a "You made a difference" card for him because he really did!

 

We had chosen 2nd seating for dining and when we got there we found that we were at a table for 2. I know we requested "small" but that was a little small for us and we asked the maitre'd if we could move the next night to join some others. He said he'd see what he could do and in fact, did switch us, but it was to a table with one other couple that couldn't speak English very well and it was a big struggle for both couples. We switched over to anytime dining after that and totally fell in love with that concept. From now on, that's the way we'll go.

 

I'll my review in segments, so you don't fall asleep reading my story. In the meantime, if you have any questions as I go, please feel free to ask.

[KAWS]

Oh - on embarkation day we also went to the Welcome Aboard Show at night and the comedian Derrick Cameron was on too. Very funny man!

 

Day one - Sea Day

This was a nice, lazy sea day. We didn't really do much and missed a lot because we were just tired and wanted to relax. We did go to the special pub lunch in the Crown Grill. We figured this was a good way to eat there since we knew we weren't planning a dinner there. The cottage pie was delicious!

 

The Captain's Champagne Waterfall was that night around 7:30. We missed that too but I've seen these before and they are a lot of fun. The pictures looked like it was as well. I was suprised they held this at this point of the cruise. Last Princess cruise we went on it was later in the cruise and at midnight.

 

There was one entertainer that we totally fell in love with and when ever he was scheduled to play in the Piazza we would go. His name is Oleksandr Karpenko and he was equally gifted in the guitar and the violin. I actually stopped dead in my tracks with my jaw slacked just to listen to him.

 

Dinner was in the Canaletto Dining room (the traditional) as I mentioned before and this would be our last night in traditional dining.

 

Day 2 - Juneau

We woke up to light rain and fog. It didn't bother us but considering the excursions we had planned we hoped it wouldn't interfere.

 

We got off the ship as soon as we could so that we could have a chance to check out the shops before our excursion. Our first excursion was whale watching with Orca Enterprises. Someone on CC kindly posted a picture of where we'd find these guys so it was simple and we had no problem. We had booked ahead but did see peoplel buying tickets there for that day. Not sure I'd want to take that chance in case they were sold out but it is doable.

 

We had Captain Larry and Captains Jeff and Jim for our excursion. Larry drove the boat and Jeff/Jim kept us entertained and informed. We saw TONS of whales. There were humbacks that were "bubble net" feeding which means a lot of them came up all at once, and then later we saw them breaching (jumping up and falling back into the water). We also saw orca whales later in the excursion. We wanted to get closer to all the whales that we saw but Orca is very environmentally observant and will not disturb the whales in their natural habitat. If the whales come to the boat on their own, fine, but otherwise they observe a 100 yd distance. We did see some other boats that got lucky with a suprise whale visit, and I'm sure that was an awesome experience! Larry did drive around after these guys though so I think we had a lot more opportunities than some of the other tours did. It was a great day and the guys were all a lot of fun. BTW the rain stopped for us on our excursion so we had clear viewing (fog was above us).

 

When we finished our excursion they were going to drop us off at Wings for the floatplane and Taku Lodge excursion we had planned, but told us that it had been cancelled because of the fog. The rain continued back in town - just had stopped out on the water where we had been for the whale watching. Can't argue with a safety thing, unfortunately. They did drop us off there anyway though so we could make sure that we got our credit back for the cancelled excursion. The second we got in there, Wings handed us our credit that had already been processed. Great customer service we thought.

 

So that left us with lots of exploration time. We picked up a couple of those fantastic rain jackets that everyone has talked about. They come in every conceivable colour and look like great quality andddddddd they are reversible to fleece! All for $20 each. Wasn't walking away from that and from the looks of things hardly anyone did either!

 

Back on board there was a naturalist giving a talk on "Sled Dogs and Adventure". She was an Iditarod Champion. We missed that one too. Getting to be a pattern!;)

 

Had dinner in the Anytime Dining (table for 6). Great time and met some really interesting people. Afterwards we went to Cinematastic in the theatre. Great dancing but not something any of the younger people seemed to be interested in.

 

Made our nightly deposit at the Casino........Oh - btw on the first night I was sitting next to this woman that won a jackpot of $1,200 on the penny machine. I swear the slots were the loosest that first night. Anyway, that was fun to watch - more fun if I won it but.....:p

[KAWS]

Day 3 - Skagway

Our excursion didn't start until 10 am so we had breakfast in the dining room and then were off the ship by 9:15. Our excursion this day was Princess sponsored: Glacier Point Wilderness Safari.

 

This excursion in one word was UNBELIEVABLE.

 

We were told we were going first on a catamaran. This was more than a catamaran. This boat was huge, clean and held a lot of people. We had about 30 people from our excursion (plus the Princess Videographer) and then an additional 20 for the whitewater rafting excursion that we dropped off in Haines.

 

Once we got to our destination, we met our Chilkat guides (every single one of them was so knowledgeable and friendly - truly a pleasure). We took a school bus to the outfitting area. They gave us raincoats, boots and life vests and even made the safety talk fun! Then it was a short walk through the woods to the water where we found 10 person canoes (fitted with motors) on them. Off we went, paddling at first (easy paddling) and then Jen, our guide, would tell us to take a break, and she'd motor in for a while. It was so peaceful and beautiful there. We went to the Davidson Glacier and along the way there were these huge icebergs that we paddled around and even had a chunk of one of them to pass around and inspect. The glacier itself it surreal. It looked like it was fake! The glacier part looked like blue styrofoam and the edging where the dirt and rock was looked like sponge. And it felt like you had instantly stepped into a full deep freezer. Incredible. We spent a while there paddling around it and around the area and by the time we left we actually were all ready to go. Nothing rushed about the day.

 

On the way back they gave us some delicious boxed lunches. I thought "boxed lunch??" but they were really good and we were hungry. They took us back to the pier where we started (around 5 pm) and then we had a couple of good shopping hours left. For me, this was our best day and the weather was sunny and pleasant to cooperate!

 

Dinner was anytime dining - another pleasant meal. We missed the "Words & Music" show in the theatre because we were just so tired. Just a little casino deposit time and then bed.

[KAWS]

Day 4 - Sea Day

This was supposed to be our Tracy Arm viewing day, but the Captain decided to go to Endicott Arm instead. Apparently it was a good decision since another ship tried to go to TA and couldn't see anything.

 

Endicott Arm was like a piece of heaven. We woke up to see ice chunks floating everywhere of all sizes, shapes and even colours. Some were white, some dark with the dirt still on them and some were so blue they were "windex" blue and almost translucent. It was soundless and it took your breath away.

 

After a while we turned the tv on to hear the naturalist talk about what we were seeing. We didn't go up to the Lido or any viewing decks because as I mentioned before we were in a full aft cabin and on the corner so we saw the spectacular views right there.

 

When we rounded one corner, the Star Princess was making its way back from the Glacier so we passed each other. I knew those glaciers were big but when you see another ship go by and see their size compared to the rest of the scene it put it all into perspective. Once they rounded another bend (or we did) and we couldn't see them anymore, it was like we were the only people that existed again in our world. Unbelievable experience.

 

When we got up to the glacier the captain turned the ship around so that everyone got a view. For us, the views were great but not as superb as what we'd seen at Davidson so for us, the experience was more the fjord and the "getting there".

 

Super super day though.

 

That afternoon we were tired from getting up early to see everything and of course from doing absolutely nothing, so we took the luxury of napping. Ahhh heaven again! LOL After nap we had a special coffee in the piazza and listened to Oleksandr again. What a talent he has!!

 

That night after dinner we went to see the magician, Gaetano. I'm not a big fan of magicians but hubby wanted to go. I'm so glad we did! He was really good. Very entertaining.

[KAWS]

Day 5 - Ketchikan

This was the day that hubby was waiting for. We were booked on the Bering Sea Crab Fisherman's Tour. This tour consistently receives fab reviews and now I know why. These guys are so down to earth with incredible stories to tell. They went out and hauled back in some king crabs, shrimp, small sharks, rock crabs and even an octopus. We got to touch and or hold everything except that octopus and I didn't want to touch it - UGLY!!!! Lots of photo opportunities and VERY hands on. After an hour with these guys you totally forgot you were on an excursion and just felt like you were hanging out with these guys. The Captain, David, told some very moving stories and you could feel his passion for his boat and his experiences. This day was my husband's favourite day. I loved it too and it was over all too soon.

 

When we got back it was just pouring rain. We had to go straight back to the incredibly long line up to get back on the ship. All aboard was 11:45 and we finished at 11:30. We wound up standing in the pouring rain (it truly was nasty) for about 1/2 hr. to get back on. We were all soaked and freezing. A good hot shower and a stiff one took care of that once we were back on board.

 

The rest of the day was a sea day. I didn't feel like going anywhere for lunch so just ordered room service. Good choice! Hubby went to the buffet (which I was starting to get tired of) for the Alaskan Fish BBQ so I had some nice, quiet time to myself that yes, wound up in a nap again! :o

 

Dinner was to be formal that night and we just didn't want that. So it was to hubby's ever lovin' buffet for dinner (surprisingly a lot of people there) and then afterwards to the Vista Lounge to see Motor City - a singing/dancing show with the songs from Motown. Good show.

[KAWS]

Day 6 - Victoria

For all the world this was another sea day since we didn't get into Victoria until 7 pm. We had originally booked Butchart but then changed our minds (see first posting) and wound up with a pleasant evening in Victoria. I would have liked more time and opportunity for an excursion but I guess in hindsight, it being our last evening, it was nice to finish it up sitting in the Piazza relaxing.

 

There were shows going on: Princess Pop Star Final and Adult Talent Show but neither of them interested us.

 

Debarkation

We had an early flight (12:20 pm) so wound up with tags to get us off the ship by 8:30. Had our final breakfast in the dining room and then on the stroke of 8:30 they called our colour and we were off the ship in no time.

 

We snagged a porter as our original taxi driver told us to do. Best $10 we ever spent. He helped us find our bags, steered us out of there and grabbed us a cab and by 8:45 am we were on our way to the airport! With tip our cab was $50 (would have been $72 with tip for the town car) and we had plenty of time before our flight. I think you COULD have easily gotten an 11:30 am flight out, but having that extra buffer time in there for grabbing some plane food, bathroom breaks, etc. was a good idea, so I wouldn't recommend anything before noon.

 

Our driver was waiting for us back in Toronto after we landed and we were in the door by 9:30 pm with our kids waiting and telling us that pizza was on its way. We had a pleasant evening with them chatting about our experiences and then it was off to bed - MY bed!!! Ahhhhhh

 

It was a wonderful trip!!

 

Feel free to ask questions; I'm sure I left a lot out. I do have the patters with me in case you want me to check any details.

[CoolChile]

I'm always in awe of people like you who get a review written before most people have done their second load of laundry. :p

 

Anyway, Kim, my cruisin' bud (even though you're a "Princess" and I'm a "HAL"er), I feel like I just saved a waknoodle of money because your write-up is so good that now I don't have to book another cruise to Alaska. ;) :D

 

Keep in touch, we've just gotta get on the same ship at the same time one of these years. Wouldn't THAT be just too :eek: !

 

[gippy]

Thanks for the great review! We leave on the Golden this coming Saturday and can't wait!

[christee52]

6 of us are leaving on the Island Princess 24 August and if you don't mind I have some questions :)

 

The coffee card is it for anywhere on the ship even if you order room service?

 

Is water and ice tea or hot tea free or is there a card for that? Do you remember how much an alcohol card is?

 

Where do you buy and what is the name of the rain jackets you talked about?

 

Your review was so informative and written so well. Thank you for sitting down and taking the time to write it.

[KAWS]

6 of us are leaving on the Island Princess 24 August and if you don't mind I have some questions :)

 

The coffee card is it for anywhere on the ship even if you order room service?

The coffee card is good at the little bar right beside the International Cafe (ours was on Deck 5 where the Piazza was located). It can also be used in the dining room. Those are the only two places.

 

Is water and ice tea or hot tea free or is there a card for that? Do you remember how much an alcohol card is?

Water, ice tea, hot tea, lemonade, and coffee (but made with syrup not fresh brewed - still not too bad) are free. Milk is also available for meals.

There is no such thing as an alcohol card on Princess. Carnival has a "drink of the day" card that you can buy but not so on Princess.

 

Where do you buy and what is the name of the rain jackets you talked about?

The rain jackets are in all the ports. Just go to any store that sells the tshirts and clothing and you'll see them. No matter what port they are all $20 so you can get them in whatever port you want to have that "logo" on them. Very nicely embroidered on the left side of the chest and that's it. I got a red one that reverses to a navy fleece. It was in Ketchikan that hubby found one that was like a windbreaker (not reversible). He intends to use it for golfing.

 

Your review was so informative and written so well. Thank you for sitting down and taking the time to write it.

 

Hope this helps!

[KAWS]

I'm always in awe of people like you who get a review written before most people have done their second load of laundry. :p

 

 

That's because I haven't DONE any laundry yet. You think I'd rush home just to do that? :eek: I don't think so. Since I overpacked AND didn't use my summer clothes, I can go another week before I need to contend with that! LOL

[ohio beach girl]

On the Island Princess the coffee bar is called the Patisserie and it is on deck 5 Plaza deck. My nephew had one, I don't believe he tried to use it anyplace else.

I liked the Island. I was on Caribe, c222, and used the forward deck frequently. I used our balcony rarely.

 

Great review, I enjoyed Glacier point as well.

[christee52]

Thanks Kim for all the answers, we are so excited about our cruise.

[TracieABD]

KAWS-

Great post. We were on the Golden a week before you, and had a terrific time as well.

Thanks.

TL

[boboraji]

Any idea what the proper attire is in the dining room for breakfast and lunch.........are jeans and a sweatshirt good enough?

[KAWS]

Any idea what the proper attire is in the dining room for breakfast and lunch.........are jeans and a sweatshirt good enough?

 

Yes that would work just fine for breakfast and lunch. For dinner it is best to wear some dress pants and a shirt though, although I also saw nice jeans and a shirt for dinner but that was definitely in the minority.

 

Breakfast and lunch are a lot more lax and no one will say anything about jeans and a tshirt or a sweatshirt then.

[emmysmom]

Thanks so much for posting your review ~ glad you had a great cruise. We cannot wait for our turn on the Golden! :D Really looking forward to the Bering Sea Crab Fishermen excursion!

[AmazingJourneys]

 

Keep in touch, we've just gotta get on the same ship at the same time one of these years. Wouldn't THAT be just too :eek: !

 

 

One of you would have to give in or HAL and Princess would have to merge. Of course they are both owned by Carnival.:mad:

[Dana'sDaughters]

Thank you for such a wonderful review! We are really considering a Golden Princess Seattle cruise with a group of 10 ages 5-68!:eek:

 

Would you recommend this cruise for all the age ranges we have?

 

and...

 

I am concerned with motion sickness for myself and my oldest dd...Was this the "inside passage" on the princess website and how was the movement on the boat? (I know that depends on weather, but just wondering for your trip!) Again...Thank you for a great review! :) Dana

[hollon]

I always heard a roundtrip from seattle isn't the best choice for alaska because you may be missing glacier bay or other places - do you feel like you have? I want to go to alaska and roundtrip seattle is so much cheaper than one way. That's just what a TA said - Any suggestions from anyone? Thanks - great review - thanks for taking the time out for all our us! :)

[dreams_of_travel]

We picked up a couple of those fantastic rain jackets that everyone has talked about. They come in every conceivable colour and look like great quality andddddddd they are reversible to fleece! All for $20 each.

is there a "name brand" on the jackets or anything specific one could ask for in the shop? just curious. thanks.

 

Would you recommend this cruise for all the age ranges we have?

 

and...

 

I am concerned with motion sickness for myself and my oldest dd...Was this the "inside passage" on the princess website and how was the movement on the boat? (I know that depends on weather' date=' but just wondering for your trip!) Again...Thank you for a great review! :) Dana[/quote']

 

the teen program on the Golden Princess is quite good. we went last year and my teens ages at the time, 14 and 16 loved it. we hardly saw them b/c they made friends and hung out the whole time. the staff was quite good with the group of teens too.

 

as for motion sickness, there was only one day on our cruise in June last year that was rough. they had closed off the decks to passengers, barring the doors to access them. the seas were rolling but the motion inside was barely noticeable. but it was definitely more than the other days. the ships are so big that the motion of the normal sailing days are not much more than a car ride. IMO. the rough sea day was more like a winding road car ride. i guess it all depends on how much motion bothers you.

 

I always heard a roundtrip from seattle isn't the best choice for alaska because you may be missing glacier bay or other places - do you feel like you have? I want to go to alaska and roundtrip seattle is so much cheaper than one way. That's just what a TA said - Any suggestions from anyone? Thanks - great review - thanks for taking the time out for all our us! :)

 

i did the RT to/from Seattle last year. it was lovely and gives you a great overview of Alaska. i am taking a different cruise this year (Whittier to Vancouver). we are still stopping in the same ports so we have the chance to do different things and try something new. i dont think either choice RT or one way is a bad one. there is so much to see of Alaska that one trip won't get you to every place worth seeing.

[gottagoacruzn]

Hi, glad you had a great time in Alaska, was there last Sept and I wanna go back so bad, but maybe the next time will be in May on one of the first cruises up there.

[KAWS]

Thank you for such a wonderful review! We are really considering a Golden Princess Seattle cruise with a group of 10 ages 5-68!:eek:

 

Would you recommend this cruise for all the age ranges we have?

 

We saw all ages on the ship. I didn't see too many kids (admittedly there are less kids on an Alaskan cruise that you'd find on a Caribbean cruise) but they could also have been in the kids club that's on board. But yes' date=' this would be a good cruise. The ship is easy to maneuver around on, and the 40+ crowd would consider it classy looking (it was a beauty). Also having the anytime dining is great because people could eat when they chose to which works for younger and older folk.[/color']

 

and...

 

I am concerned with motion sickness for myself and my oldest dd...Was this the "inside passage" on the princess website and how was the movement on the boat? (I know that depends on weather, but just wondering for your trip!) Again...Thank you for a great review! :) Dana

 

There was a bit of motion the first day coming out of Seattle, but honestly it wasn't nasty (just don't look at the water line as the ship is moving - that could be upsetting to the tummy). The Inside Passage of Alaska is calm and like a mirror. When we were sailing in the fjord (Endicott Arm) you couldn't even see the remnants of the wake and we were on the full aft - it was that calm. The ships have stabilizers on them, so it shouldn't be a problem. If you do anticipate that you might, then take something at night before bed starting a day or two before you sail and then just stop once you reach the first port. You definitely won't need anything after that, if at all.

[KAWS]

is there a "name brand" on the jackets or anything specific one could ask for in the shop? just curious. thanks.

 

No name brand, but honestly you cannot miss them. You'll see them starting in the very first store you see in Juneau right up to the last store in Ketchikan. All colours and if you don't see the colour you want immediately, just try another store. You'll find it. I saw beige, black, green, red, blue, brown....

[KAWS]

I always heard a roundtrip from seattle isn't the best choice for alaska because you may be missing glacier bay or other places - do you feel like you have? I want to go to alaska and roundtrip seattle is so much cheaper than one way. That's just what a TA said - Any suggestions from anyone? Thanks - great review - thanks for taking the time out for all our us! :)

 

Well you can't miss what you haven't seen can you? I don 't know what going to Glacier Bay would have been like, but I do know that what we saw was jaw dropping at times. I will never forget Endicott Arms day nor will I forget the Glacier Point Wilderness Safari where we got right up to the Davidson Glacier - "right in the glacier's business" as I described it to my friend. It was truly awesome.

 

I'm sure there's always "something" a person could miss on any cruise. I loved this cruise and so did everyone we came in contact with on the ship. We took this cruise because round trip was cheaper too. The other cruises go to the same ports and if the sole reason for taking the much higher priced fares is just to go to Glacier Bay, well all I can say it that must be one heck of a place to see, because I can't imagine a place anymore heavenlike than the calm and tranquil fjord that we sailed through. We really had some "OMG" moments that day.