My Thoughts About My Princess Alaska Cruise

 

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.

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.

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

 

Exploring Ketchikan, Alaska

 

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.

Discovering Skagway with Princess Cruises

Our first day in Alaska was special, but I thought about the one we were going to have as the Royal Princess pulled into the waters of Skagway early in the morning.

We had coffee, breakfast sandwiches, and pastries at the International Café. Brittany was heading out early for her Animal Planet Exclusive Kroschel Wildlife Refuge excursion. I had a few hours and was anxiously waiting to see if my scooter could be repaired in time for me to go. The one the ship had let me borrow was too big to go on the tender.

I did use the loaner to take a ride in the scooter to the upper deck pool area.  It gave me a stunning view of Skagway despite the cloudy day.

I was told the scooter was ready and I took the tender to town. I knew it would be close and I did just miss my bus tour, however, a contingency plan was worked out. I would drive the scooter into town and spend the time looking around—and shopping for souvenirs—while I waited to catch up with my tour group.

Skagway is picturesque, with mountains peaking throughout the city. It also offers a lot to do just in the downtown, with small museums, many kinds of shops, and restaurants, including the infamous Red Onion Saloon. It was crowded and I didn’t have a lot of time to wait since I was going to meet my tour at the Days of 98 show.

I met the group at the theater downtown. The Days of 98 show was so much fun! There was a lot of comedy and some audience participation. Even the songs were hysterical. I could see why this show has been around since 1923.

When it was over, I got on the bus with my scooter and we took a short tour of Skagway on our way back to the port. 

                      

I took the tender back to the ship and rested for a bit. Brittany had been on a completely different Princess excursion. She took a boat to Mosquito Lake and then a bus to Haines, Alaska, to visit the Kroschel Films Wildlife Center.

At the refuge, Steve Kroschel homes orphaned wildlife, most of which are indigenous to Alaska and Canada. Creatures there include a snowy owl, silver and red foxes, a brown bear, and a lynx. They are accessible for guests to get up close with in small groups, while Kroschel tells them about each one.

She had stopped for lunch and a tasting at the Skagway Brewing company and some shopping before coming back to the ship. We arrived at about the same time.

We weren’t back on the ship long before it was time for a fun Princess Cruise exclusive, Puppies in the Piazza. A trainer comes onboard to explain mushing, which is more commonly known as dog sledding. He brought some of the puppies in training with him. Passengers were able to pet the dogs as they learned more about them.

As soon as the puppies left, the Royal Princess pulled out of Skagway. It was a short day and there was so much more that we didn’t get to do there, including the White Pass Railroad ride (Brittany got a  photo of it going by while she was in town) and Klondike Gold Rush National Historic Park. I would definitely want to go back there on another trip to Alaska.

We were hungry and early for a special dinner. I had heard a lot of good things about Sabatini’s, the specialty  Italian restaurant on the Royal Princess, but it went beyond my expectations. Every dish was perfection, and that comes from a woman who is very particular about her Italian food.

We started with some bruschetta and cheese, arancini, and fresh warm rolls and focaccia, with glasses of Prosecco.  Then we went on to a four-course meal.

Antipasti
I had the Burrata and Brittany had Calamari and Shrimp

First Course
I had the Pappardelle Bolognese and Brittany had Lobster Tortelloni

Second Course
I had the Osso Bucco Milanese and Brittany had Lasagna Bolognese

Dessert
I had the Chocolate Bomb and Brittany chose an after-dinner drink

After we left Sabatini’s we spent a little time in the casino. There were no big wins, but we were too tired to play long. We were back to the cabin to crash early once again. We were both excited for our upcoming day going through Glacier Bay National Park. It was going to start bright and early, at 6:00 am. 

*Specialty restaurants are an extra charge unless you have the Premier Package, which includes two specialty restaurants per cruise.

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I was hosted on this trip, but opinions are my own.