This was my first trip outside Australia since Covid and I didn’t want to go too far away. I’d booked this cruise nearly 2 years ago when Princess offered ‘bargains” to use up those FCC’s. Originally advertised for Nov ’21 but moved forward to Nov ’22 as we were still in lockdown previously. There were no balconies left so I got a mini-suite for less than what a balcony would normally ...
Apologies for the lengthy diatribe but context is all.
Booked for this trip two years ago but was cancelled due to covid. Had the option for refund, cruise credit or go on same trip Melb to Melb on the 4th of November. Chose to go on same trip as birthday was on 3rd November. A choice we came to regret bitterly. Should have opted for cruise credit.
Today’s date is Monday the "14th ...
Post Covid we missed cruising after 30 plus cruises with a bit more than half with our preferred cruise company Princess. We did a short cruise in Queensland on the Coral in late June and making allowances for post-Covid adjustments the cruise was overall a good enjoyable experience. We also had credits from Covid cancellations to use.
Now the Grand (far-from-grand) experience.
Pre ...
We chose this repositioning cruise because we needed to catch up with friends in Australia that decided to fly and the dates matched.
It's an old ship, renovated about 10 years ago, and considering that it's in great shape. The service attitude of the staff is impressive, the food is hovering between good and great, with the buffet having essentially been sacrificed on the altar of Covid. ...
Took friends on a 12 day of Alaska to show them the advantages of ocean cruising and show off Alaska.
Ship was in good shape, staff was excellent, food ok, entertainment ok with a couple of excellent people. Mechanical issues caused us to leave in the middle of the night causing us to miss Icy Strait Point, our whale watching port. The Endicott Arm scenic cruising was a fabulous day. ...
We had taken the Inner Passage cruise in Alaska many years ago and always regretted not having gone to the interior, so this time we took the 7 day land tour before getting aboard the Grand Princess for the 7 day cruise back to Vancouver.
The Land Tour:
We started out in Fairbanks, where we enjoyed a train excursion to a gold dredge, where we panned for gold and I got enough gold to put ...
We had taken an Alaskan cruise on Princess back in 2019 and wanted to take our grown children and their spouses on one because it was so wonderful. I had shared all my excitement with our kids and talked them into trying a Princess Cruise. I was embarrassed as to how this cruise came nowhere near lining up in any way with what I had promised them based on our previous one. Don't know if I'll take ...
Wanted to do the Alaskan itinerary and chose Princess because they have such a huge stake in Alaska. This was also our 4th cruise with Princess and had a pretty good experience in the past. We stayed in 4 different properties over the 5 day land tour, which was a little tiring, but we knew that going into the trip. All of the coach drivers were amazing! The pre-arranged land excursions were ...
My wife and I really enjoy cruising. We have done this itinerary in 2008 and joined friends again. We did 4 days into Alaska staying at the Princess lodges around Denali which are very nice.
Take the train (Princess sightseeing car) from Denali to Whitter and board the ship. The ship is older and dated, worn. the service is very good , food is very good, dining offerings are very ...
We chose a Princess cruise thinking we were selecting a top shelf experience. Sadly, the cruise experience was less than we were hoping for.
On a positive note, the highlight of the cruise was the on-board staff. They were kind and gracious at every interaction.
The ship itself was mostly tired and showing its age despite a recent retrofit. A bright spot was the fitness center. it ...