I have to say straight away that the natural beauty of Alaska is GREAT, and reading the following review should not deter anyone from going to see such a wonderful place. Looking over the side of the ship to see Pacific White-Sided dolphins and Orca whales playing in the ship's wake is a real thrill. The train ride in Skagway is Great - The Glaciers are AWESOME.
So for the Natural Beauty ...
Our travel agent recommended Princess and we chose it because the travel dates worked the best for our schedules. This was our first cruise. We took a train from Denali to Whittier where we boarded the ship. The train ride was long but comfortable and scenic. Embarkation went smoothly. The muster drill was delayed so we had to eat a hurried supper at the buffet. The ship seemed old and outdated. ...
This was our first cruise and it was a little disappointing. My expectations were sorely not met.
The embarkation was very confusing. We were not given any direction upon boarding and were handed papers without any explanation. When we asked what we were given the crew stared at us like we were crazy. We had to find our cabin on our own as the crew just pointed to the elevator and said "go up ...
We always wanted to try Princess...when friends asked us to join them on Princess we jumped at the chance.
First the good:
Itinerary was great...especially the Hubbard glacier and Glacier Bay Park. Really great close up views of glaciers with park rangers giving commentary.
The bed was really comfortable.
Unfortunately, those are the only good comments I have.
Now the not so ...
The itinerary and stops were great but the ship seems to be a little tired overall and maybe not the best value for the buck.
So my vacation started with three days in Anchorage on my own.At this time the wildfires were pretty strong and every day there is a hazy smoke that you can smell and see that obscured the mountains. It was summertime and the highs are almost in the 80s which was unusual ...
Price at booking was inflated, service was lackluster and the cruise facilities were average but a bit dated. Every little thing was an additional fee. Steak at dinner? $30 extra. Fitness classes? $12-$20 extra. Internet? $60 extra per person. A nicer glass of wine, even though we already had the all-inclusive drink package? Extra! We gladly paid more for the items that were worth it to us, but ...
Five travelers ages 58,57,56,22,21. Enjoyed the ports in Alaska and the accommodations were perfect (balcony/suite). There were few activities during the day (unless you like trivia) and the evening entertainment did not meet our expectations; no karoke, no dance club, productions were less than average and the comedy shows are not offered nightly and not very good either. Cruise ship seemed ...
I am glad we were booked on a small ship and were able to cruise Glacier Bay, but we will never cruise with Princess again. The ship is in desperate need of a complete overhaul. Everything was old and outdated. Princess also needs to overhaul the food and entertainment onboard. I have never had such bad food on a cruise ship. Not only was the quality and execution bad, the portions were very ...
Horrible smell in the bathroom. We had to close the door to the bathroom so we would not smell it at night. Got very sick last day of cruise. One woman was in the hallway with a mask on and no one knew if she was sick or did not want to get sick. Glasses in bar area filthy. VERY DISAPPOINTED!!!!! Sheets were not changed daily. We came back to our room early one day and found a bag in front of ...
Unable to see anything of Anchorage as we had to board a bus by 11 a.m. to take us to the ship, which departed at 8.50 p.m.. Embarkation was handled very well. Our cabin was adequate, but the shower was very small and with a curtain that permitted water to get all over the floor.
Although we had anytime dining, we were told that the first night we had to go to dinner a 5 p.m.. They had two ...