12 Night Alaska Inside Passage With Glacier Bay (Los Angeles Roundtrip)
Sail date: September 11, 2018
Ship:
Golden Princess
Cabin type: Balcony
Cabin number: L214
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 5 years ago
Review summary
This is our 4th cruise to Alaska, 2nd with Princess. This was the best, overall. The weather was phenomenal. The only inclement weather was in Victoria where we encountered light rain.
We selected this itinerary as we live near the Port in San Pedro and got to enjoy 6 sea days!
This was our first time on the Golden Princess, however, we have been on the Star Princess, which has a similar Deck configuration. We really only had three complaints:
1. No Gelato in the International Café.
2. No restrooms in the Deck 6 Aft Main Dining Room. (Canaletto)
3. One of the two elevators leading to the Dining Room was out of order for the entire cruise. There were plenty of unhappy passengers with mobility issues.
Other than that, after having been on the Ruby Princess for a majority of cruises, we noticed how stately many of the areas of this ship was. Especially evident in the Casino on Deck 7 and mid-ship on Deck 6 by the Shore Excursions Desk, Future Cruises and Crown Grill.
We were very impressed with Horizon Court. The new carpet, tables and chairs really brightened up the area compared to the Star, Ruby and Crown. Overall, I think we liked Horizon Court layout on this class ship over Ruby / Crown.
Glacier Bay was spectacular, however, not as impressive as anticipated. Gorgeous day! Of our other Alaskan Itineraries, Tracy Arm Fjord / South Sawyer Glacier tops our list. We were able to see some calving but nothing extraordinary.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Embarkation was a breeze. Although Princess suggests a staggered arrival time based on Cabin location, we always try to show up first thing, especially since we have a higher loyalty status. We arrived around 10:30 AM as opposed to the suggest 1:30 PM arrival. (FYI… We had friends that arrived at 1:30 PM and found a line that went outside of the building… Just sayin’). We were onboard within an hour of being dropped off.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
We always choose Traditional, Second Seating. Much less crowded and allows for more time in port. We like to develop a relationship with our wait staff so they can get to know our preferences, so we choose Tradition over Anytime dining. Some menus are better than others and for a break, we’ll do the dinner buffet in Horizon Court. We did not do any specialty dining this trip.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
As for onboard activities, I did go to see Kaitlyn’s (Asst. CD) talk on Stargazing. Learn a lot. Other than that, just chilled.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
Entertainment was good. Of all of the performers, Sean O’Shea’s first show was one of the best we’ve seen on a cruise ship. His second show wasn’t as enjoyable. Cheaza did a really respectful tribute to Whitney Houston. Not an impersonation, just her rendition of the hits. She even brought her daughter, Marie, out who has just as good a voice.
Overall, the most memorable entertainment staff. We were on a Hawaiian cruise when John Loney was the Asst. CD. He was great then and even better now. We saw the Hollywood Hiccups show where the staff would “act” out a scene from a movie. HILARIOUS!
Of the Production shows, we enjoyed Born To Dance. It was nice to feature some of the talent by name and hear a bit of their stories.
Children's Programs
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
All of the staff we encountered were very pleasant and accommodating. Our room steward, Glenn, had a great work ethic and did an exceptional job.
We also got to know Gani and Stephanie of the bar staff in the Casino. Always happy to see us and provide great service.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
Overall quality of the ship is great for the age. It’s not a new ship and does show it’s age in areas. There were some condensation issues with the HVAC system. We found one table in Horizon Court where water was dripping from the ceiling.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Ship tip
Not really about this ship... Find a cruise line to be loyal to and if they offer a credit card, get it! We got a Princess Visa and use it for our normal expenses. For major purchases, we save up for it, charge it for points, then pay it off. We redeem for Onboard credits. This pays our tips, shore excursions and onboard spending. What we don't use gets refunded.
About 60 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. We just did our normal walk through Creek Street, up to the salmon ladder than meandered back to the ship through downtown and checked out all the end of season sales.
Took a floatplane over the Juneau Ice Fields. Another perfect day. In fact, the pilot, Bruce said it was the best day this season. He was able to take us to an area he can’t always get to due to clouds. Such a great experience to take off and land on the water. So smooth.
Took a city Highlight tour with a stop at Craigdarroch Castle. Our first port that didn’t have perfect weather. It was a bit rainy but more of a heavy drizzle.
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