I’ve done a CI
Living TV segment, three stories, and nine blogs on my Princess cruise and
there are a few more articles to come, but I wanted to put together a summary
for all of those thinking about going on a cruise to Alaska.
Here’s a breakdown of my opinions:
The Ship
I have always preferred small ships and my previous two cruises on American Cruise Lines and Seabourn were just that. Alaska didn’t work out with those, and I was anxious to give Princess a try. A mega ship was out of the question, but the Royal Princess, a mid-sized ship with about 3,500 guests, seemed doable.
It turned out to be just that. The ship was spread out enough that I never felt crowded, and we didn’t really wait for much (except at the Gelato Shop where there was always a big line). The only times I wished I was on a smaller boat was when we were waiting a long time for an elevator.
The embarkation and debarkation went better than any of the
other large ships I have been on.
The Cabin
We had cabin D302, and it was an accessible balcony cabin. It
was much bigger than I expected, with plenty of room for me to get around it my
scooter. The bathroom was also fully accessible. I did not get to tour any of
the other cabins so I can’t compare.
My only complaint is a common one: a huge shortage of
outlets. There is nothing to use in the bathroom and only two outlets (one
European) by the desk. There are no outlets by the beds. I had brought a power
strip (without surge protection) so that helped. (See more of my tips on what
to bring here.)
The Food
We only went to the buffet once and found the cold food warm
and the warm food cold. In my opinion, they had way too many options to keep up
with all the food. We didn’t go back and there was no need to because food in
every other dining option was great.
Most of our meals were in the main dining room, though we loved the International Café for a quick morning breakfast. We ate at Sabatini’s once and everything was absolutely fantastic. We also loved Alfredo’s and ate there twice. We were lucky enough to be invited to the Chef’s Table and that is an experience you must do if you can get in.
The Nightlife
I can’t tell you much about the nightlife because we didn’t
get to experience much. This cruise had us up very early in the mornings and we
were just too worn out to go to any shows.
The Itinerary
If you are going to Alaska for the first time, I highly
recommend the Inside Passage itinerary. It gave us a nice sampling of the state.
The biggest draw for me was the day sailing around Glacier Bay National Park.
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My only issue with the itinerary was that we didn’t get into Victoria, Canada, until 9:00 pm and were only there until just before midnight. I know there was an issue with slowing down after Ketchikan because of the whales, but I hope Princess is able to adjust the cruise for more time in this beautiful British Columbia city.
Wheelchair accessibility
I did not have any issues with accessibility on the Royal
Princess. They could use some more automatic doors—the ones they had worked
well---but opening some doors was the only issue. I loved the Medallion app to use
the bracelet to open my cabin door and to be able to order room service
anywhere on the ship.
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There was an area in the main dining room to put scooters and wheelchairs if you wanted to sit in a chair (I was able to at the time), and tables were accommodated for those who pulled their chairs in. I saw a good selection of handicapped bathrooms. There were also accessible tours at every port.
Final Thoughts
Would I do this cruise again? Probably not for a few years,
but I would certainly do another itinerary on the Royal Princess.
Blogs on my trip on the Royal Princess to Alaska
(from first day to last)
Visiting
Seattle Before Going Aboard My First Princess Cruise
All
Aboard the Royal Princess to Alaska
A
Day on the Pacific Ocean with Royal Princess
Finally
in Alaska: A Day in Juneau
Discovering
Skagway with Princess Cruises
Royal
Princess Sails Through Glacier Bay National Park
Victoria
is the Last Stop on the Royal Princess
Leaving
Our Princess Cruise and Back in Seattle
A big thank you to Princess Cruises
for hosting us on this adventure.
Brittany and I had an unforgettable time.
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