Island Princess Review

Family Alaska Cruise

Review for Alaska Cruise on Island Princess
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katisdale
First Time Cruiser • Age 2020s

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Sail Date: Sep 2008
Cabin: Balcony
Traveled with children

Our cruisetour began on September 9, 2008 with our flights to Anchorage, Alaska from Charlotte, NC by way of Dallas/Fort Worth Airlines. Upon arrival in Anchorage we were met at baggage claim by a Princess representative for our transfer to the Captain Cook Hotel. This hotel was fine for the one night we were in Anchorage. Princess had all transfers to hotels and lodges well planned. While still on the bus or train we were given our room keys and never had to wait in line to get a key with all the other guests. This was very well done. On the land portion of the tour we stayed at McKinley Princess, Denali Princess and Copper River Princess Lodges. All the lodges were clean with comfortable and good food. Of particular interest to me was the ease of getting around the resorts as I have trouble walking and use a scooter for distance. The two best lodges for handicapped access were McKinley which had accessible shuttles and Copper River which is small and all rooms are in one building. The Denali Lodge is quite large but the shuttles are not accessible which would have been a problem if I had not been able to walk at all. Also the seating at the dinner theater at Denali was less than adequate being at picnic tables with very low benches. We had a catamaran transfer from Valdez to Whittier at the end of the land portion of the tour. This transfer is correctly marked as being inappropriate for those with mobility problems. If you cannot walk you cannot board this catamaran and this should be figured in your choice of cruise tour. All bathrooms in the lodges were accessible with orthopedic height toilets.Our embarkation was handled smoothly and we were quickly in our cabin Caribe 633, an accessible cabin. Our daughter and grandchildren were across the hall in cabin C635. Of interest to us, the cabin, bathroom and ramped balcony door in C633 were 33 inches wide. Our daughter's entry door was 22 inches, the bathroom door was 21 inches and the step into their bath was 4 inches high. Our bath did not have a step and the 4 inch step to the balcony was ramped. I have a TravelScoot scooter and it is 24 inches between the wheels. I would not have been able to use the scooter in their room. Our cruise itinerary included College Fjord, Glacier Bay, Skagway, Juneau, Ketchikan, and a sea day before debarking in Vancouver. The ship itself was clean and easy to navigate. We found the food to be very good. We had anytime dining in the Bordeaux Room where we never had to wait for a seat. We did find the horizon court to be somewhat chaotic the three times we ate there. This is especially noticeable when in a scooter as I do not like being bumped. We found it to our benefit to use the dining room. We traveled with our grandchildren. There were very few children on this cruise and they were the only children using the Fun Zone. They had a great time and became Junior Rangers during our time at Glacier Bay. Even though there were only two of them a ranger still came to the Fun Zone and did a presentation. Both College Fjord and Glacier Bay were outstanding experiences. The captain spins the boat and both sides get to see the glaciers. For the full effect however it is best to be on the open decks no matter how cold it feels as the ability to move from side to side makes the experience much better. We did no excursions at McKinley Lodge. At Denali Lodge we took the Tundra Wilderness Tour which was very enjoyable. We saw a bear, porcupine, moose, and several Willow Ptarmigans. We also attended the sled dog demonstration at the national park. It was excellent and FREE. At Copper River we took the Natural History tour sponsored by WISE (Wrangel Institute for Science and Ecology)where we saw the pipeline and took a short hike (not me) finding animal tracks and skat. In Skagway we did two tours. We took the White Pass and Yukon Railroad to the summit. This was in an accessible train car. This worked well for the seated person but if you accompany your partner you need to watch your head on exiting the lift. The scenery on this tour is fabulous. We also did the Evening Wildlife Excursion. I was told by the tour desk that this was a poor choice as I would have to walk about 1/2 mile to the viewing deck to see the bears. This was totally wrong as the viewing was done from inside the bus. We saw 4 bears, lots of harbor seals, and innumerable bald eagles. The excursion was in Haines so we took a boat from Skagway there before the tour began. In Haines I was met by a golf cart and taken up the ramp from the boat to the bus. In Skagway I had to walk down the long pier from the ship and then down two steep ramps to the transfer boat. Princess should consider providing a golf cart for this. This tour would be excellent if their were transfer assistance in Skagway. It could be marketed for the handicapped if their was accessible transport in Haines. The school bus used had the typical steep steps. In Juneau we went on a whale watch cruise and saw about 15 humpback whales. This cruise is marketed as appropriate for handicapped individuals (not through the cruise line)and is just so. We were picked up by a van with lift and then transferred to the boat by wheelchair. In Ketchikan we took a ship's tour "Lighthouses, Eagles, and Totems". I was also told this was not an appropriate selection. Again the tour desk was wrong. This tour is OK for a slow walker if you can do the steep step into the transfer bus. After that wheelchair assistance is supplied. We saw many eagles, Stellar Sea Lions and one lighthouse and several totems. It was an enjoyable tour. We had a problem with debarkation. We arrived at the appointed handicapped lounge at the time for our color luggage tags. We were supposed to be at the casino no later than 8:30 AM. There was insufficient staff to push the wheelchairs and also too few wheelchairs. Some individuals claimed wheelchairs by sitting in or filling them with luggage. Even after you were supposed to leave you could either not have a wheelchair or there was no one to push it. We left at 9:15 with me using my rollator so we could meet our scheduled "Quick Shuttle" at 9:45. This was very difficult but we made it just in time. I would suggest that Princess rethink their debarkation procedures.

Cabin Review

Balcony

Cabin BA

Our accessible cabin was safe for me given my limitations. The bath had lots of grab bars which I greatly appreciated. The shower has a seat. There is sufficient room to store a scooter in the room. The bathroom floor does get wet when you use the shower. The shower can be hand held.

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