Pacific Princess Review
Rating by category
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We have previously cruised on Norwegian (twice), and have always enjoyed their "freestyle" cruising, so were uneasy when our travel agent booked us with Princess for the first leg of our 3-week trip to Alaska (two cruises, north and south, the latter with Norwegian, and one land tour of Denali National Park with Norwegian). However, our concerns were unfounded, as we really enjoyed ourselves and didn't find the "traditional" dining on Pacific Princess too cumbersome (although we chose to use the buffet for two nights to avoid the formal dinners). The entertainment was quite good; the rooms were comfortable and well maintained; our room steward was extremely kind and friendly; our waiter in the dining room was friendly and funny; the smaller size of the Pacific Princess made it easy to get around. Their library was awesome (best we've ever seen, where we checked out books on the honor system and could read quietly there or take the book back to our stateroom). We especially enjoyed the talks by the rangers, the Iditarod champion's talk, and the wine-tasting event. We enjoyed each of the three shore excursions we took, but found the one in Ketchikan especially rewarding: a boat tour called Lightouse, Totems and Eagles, with Capt. Rob Holston. He and his crew of two, plus his adorable dog (Greta? Gretchen?) were just great, and they served up humor, history, and a delicious salmon spread on crackers.
Cabin Review
Balcony
Well appointed and well maintained.
Port Reviews
Vancouver
Vancouver BC is a beautiful port, and their facility (called Canada Place) is really awesome, except for the way the parking facility is operated by Vinci Parking. We paid on-line, and were to use the bar code on the receipt they emailed. It didn't work. Their office was poorly marked, and the Canada Place "ambassador" was a young man who was friendly but singularly unhelpful in helping us locate the office. We had easily found the porters who took our luggage, but feared we'd never make the ship as we searched for that parking office. We weren't the only ones in the predicament, so it wasn't that we're too old to travel! A young couple with three children trying to get to the Disney cruise was having the same problem with their on-line parking ticket, so we think it can't have been a fluke. Once we got the parking situation resolved, however, embarkation was a breeze, with lots of helpful people directing us every step of the way, from computerized customs to boarding the ship.