This was my first cruise since retiring from the Navy 20 years ago. It was an amazing experience. The port calls were great, the ship was beautiful, the food was plentiful and great and there was plenty to do. To me though, most impressive was the crew. I mentioned Harrold, Antonio and Noel, but every crew member I encountered seemed genuinely happy to be there and working for Princess. Everywhere I went, there was someone waiting to help me out and provide whatever I needed, with a smile and a great attitude. Nobody ever passed without saying hello and if I needed something, nobody ever seemed inconvenienced when I asked. Even in longer conversations with those we got to know, none ever had a bad thing to say about their work or their employer (because in all honesty, I asked). Their ship and their service is a reflection of their attitudes and in my mind, that's what made our cruise such an enjoyable experience. I cannot compare Princess with any other cruise line, but the people we travelled with were veterans of 25 cruises and this was their first with Princess. They said that by far, this was their best ever. I will cruise again and if Princess offers the itinerary we want, it will be with them. If not, any other cruise line will have a tough act to follow. Thanks for an experience we'll never forget.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Very smooth and efficient. First cruise and crew was very helpful.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
We ate our evening meals in the Juneau Dining Room. We had a reservation for the same time, at the same table every night. The food was excellent and there was a good enough choice each evening. The dining room is well appointed as classy as any high quality restaurant. But what made the experience there so great was the service and the people who provided it. Our guys, Antonio and his able assistant Noel were superb. They were professional and provided the best of service. But more than that, they made us feel "special" and welcome. We feel like we have new friends. They are not only the best at what they do, but they are also just great human beings. The buffets were excellent with a selection to meet anyone's expectations, and more. They were clean and well (but not overly) stocked. The wait staff in the World Market was also excellent. We never wanted for anything.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
There was plenty to do for sure. We did not engage in a ton of the activities as we chose to spend our time relaxing. However, it would have been pretty easy to stay really busy most of the time.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
Rock Opera was fabulous. The diversified entertainment on the Piazza was also excellent. It was nice to be able to wander down there almost anytime and find quality music or other entertainment.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
I'm going to mention Antonio and Noel in the Juneau Dining Room again because they were such a big part of why we enjoyed our cruise. However, Harrold, our cabin Steward, in our opinions, went way beyond what we were expecting for that kind of service. As soon as we arrived at our cabin, he was there to introduce himself and to ensure we knew he would be available if we needed anything. Like Antonio and Noel, he quickly became a friend. It wasn't long after we got underway that I jokingly wrote on the Crew Chat that my wife wanted to bring Harrold home with us. Our cabin was spotless all the time. It seemed like whenever came back, he had been there to freshen things up. He was always up in the passageway or one of the cabins working to make things better for us and other passengers. He was always willing to take a minute to chat and answer any questions we had. He was professional, courteous, friendly and just a great human being. We really felt like he did whatever he could to make us feel welcome and at home. Harrold, Antonio and Noel are all wonderful people and Princess Cruises if fortunate to have them in their employ.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
About the only issue I had was the elevators. There didn't seem to be enough. Of course, after spending 33 years in the U.S. Navy, even having elevators was a bonus. :-) I thought the ship was amazing. It didn't take long to learn to navigate our way around. Discovery is a beautiful ship and if she is maintained the way we saw her, she will stay beautiful for a long time. She sparkled throughout and it is obvious the crew takes a lot of pride in how she presents herself. She's amazing.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
LOL! Now this is funny. Compared to what I had in the Navy, this was like heaven. I chose this cabin with purpose for its location up forward. It was quiet and a great location for viewing the sites. It wasn't huge, but didn't need to be. There was plenty of room, closet space and storage. I'm a pretty big person and there was plenty of room in the shower and bathroom for me to do what I needed to do. The bed was pretty comfortable and I slept well. With everything there was to do on the ship, we still spent a lot of time in our cabin and it was comfortable. Balcony is small, but adequate.
Ship tip
DuVaul's daily "Awake" program was excellent and a good source of info about what to do on the ship for the day. I would make a point of watching that before leaving the cabin in the morning. Also, use the Medallion and the App that goes with it. Sure makes like easy. You are never far from anything you want using that and also the handiest source of info on the go. Finally, if you fly into Seattle, use the Princess Transfer Service when you leave the ship. It's worth the little that it costs and I promise, will make life a lot easier for you at the end.
Spectacular. Three hours of looking at the Earth the way God intended it to be. I was particularly amazed at the handling of Discovery Princess when we reached the end of the fjord. The Captain was able to turn the ship on a dime to give everyone the opportunity to see the glacier. I never saw ship handling like that when I was in the Navy. :-)
We did go up to the top of Mount Roberts on the Tram. It was raining some so it wasn't an ideal day for walking around. However, the view was spectacular. The city is quaint and if you want to shop for jewelry, that's the place to do it. Like every place else we visited, the area around Juneau was spectacular just to look at.
This is the one port we did take an excursion which was a bus trip into the Canadian Yukon. It was worth the price of admission. Our host was knowledgeable and entertaining. He was an Irishman with a strong accent who lived in Tucson. He knew a lot about the history of the area. It was a great excursion with frequent stops for photo ops of the great scenery and was perfectly timed to get us back to the ship before departure. Although we enjoyed the excursion, I wish there was more time to explore Skagway itself. We were inconvenienced just a little by a rockslide which occurred there a while back, so we actually had to take water shuttles from the ship to land. That said, it was well organized and got everyone that wanted to go off and back to the ship quickly.
There's just no way to explain how well this all went. Our bags were picked up the night before departure and we never saw them again until we arrived back in Jacksonville, FL. We got detailed directions for leaving the ship with a group, got through customs quickly, got on our bus and were taken to the airport. It was all so quick and easy. Use everything Princess has to offer getting off the ship. It will be worth it.
Thank you for your review. We are going to be on the Discovery next week. And as a Navy vet myself, I definitely understand your comments that the cruise is a giant step up in quality of accommodations, food, etc…😉. Glad you had a great trip!👍
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