Overall, this was a very good cruise to Alaska. I enjoyed meeting new people, seeing some beautiful scenery, and learning a lot! I would recommend Princess to anyone looking to cruise to Alaska, as an affordable choice.
Embarkation
3 out of 5
Embarkation is always a hectic and unpleasant experience, but the staff were friendly and helpful, and the wait to get onto the ship was minimal (about 20 minutes in "holding" area).
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
I chose the typical cruise line dining, where I ate each evening at the same table with the same companions at the same time. I've had friendlier servers, but ours was good and kept our glasses filled and food delivered. The food was good quality, presented well. No complaints!
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
I enjoyed our days at sea, and found enough to do to keep myself busy. Some nights were full and choices had to be made. Some days offered less to do, but I enjoyed wandering the ship and hanging out in the public spaces meeting people. It was too cold for the outdoor pool, but I used the indoor pool and it was pleasant. I had a massage at the spa, which was great, but the "hard sell" for products was off-setting.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
I enjoyed the shows, and especially enjoyed the comedian (Joe V???) and The Voice of the Ocean! The string quartet in the Atrium was another favorite.
Children's Programs
Solo trip this time.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
Service was good, but not spectacular. The exceptional service I had came from Ray, the bartender at The Patissarie bar, and from Danielo, my cabin steward. There were some friendly faces, but many of the staff were more business like.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
I thought the Island Princess was easy to navigate, and beautiful. She is an older ship, and starting to show her age, but charming!
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Very comfortable, and everything worked well. It is listed a Limited Oceanview, but there was zero view, due to the size of the lifeboat outside the window. Still preferable to an inside cabin, in my opinion. The shower had some cracks in the floor, but worked fine.
Ship tip
Make use of the public spaces. The Library, the hallway beside the Wheelhouse bar and the hallway beside the Voyagers Lounge are wonderfully comfortable indoor seats with ocean views. Pick a favorite bar and hang out there, if you have nothing else to do. I met great people and enjoyed getting to know the bartender who recognized me my second time by.
My favorite port. Charming, friendly, and Creek Street was beautiful early in the morning before the shops opened! I did the Rainforest Walk and Crab Feast, which I would recommend highly!!! We saw a bear, lots of bald eagles, and salmon spawning! Plus lots more. The crab feast was delicious and so much crab!!!!
I enjoyed Juneau, and my excursion was a hike to view Mendenhall Glacier (very interesting!) and then whale watching! I was excited to see the whales (four in total) for a long time and got some nice photos of them!
I did the "Best of Skagway" excursion, and it was the best!!! We took a bus tour of town, then up White Pass to Fraser, British Columbia (take your passport!), then caught the scenic train back down to Skagway. Picked up by our bus again in Skagway and taken to a salmon bake (fantastic), a show and panning for gold, then back into town to the Red Onion Saloon and Brothel for a tour. This was a fun day and I took some fantastic photos.
I did the 26 Glacier Tour and transfer to Anchorage. The tour boat was overcrowded and the passengers were not super polite. The crew had a hard time managing the crowd, and I had a very hard time getting outside to see the sights. The salmon chowder served at lunch was delicious! It was a fine way to spend the time waiting to transfer to the airport for my flight.
I was with the last group to disembark. I ended up waiting 2 hours in the Princess theater all alone! I was concerned I was in the right place, but eventually people showed up and we left when we were supposed to.
Found this very useful since I am considering embarking on my first solo cruise. I do like to engage with other people whilst on holiday and wondered if this would be the right choice of cruise /ship. Any helpful tips and information would be welcome.
Sounds like you had a great cruise with princess we have booked her next May cruising from Sydney to Honolulu then onto Vancouver then onto Alaska so should be amazing great to hear princess was good .. countdown ð¹
*Cruiseline.com is not a booking agent or travel agency,
and does not charge any service fees to users of our site. Our partners
(travel agencies and cruise lines) provide prices, which we list for our
users' convenience. Cruiseline.com does not guarantee any specific rates or
prices. While prices are updated daily, please check with the booking site
for the exact amount. Cruiseline.com is not responsible for content on
external web sites.
Contact us
Submitting...
Need help from a personal vacation planner?
Loading...
Find the perfect cruise with weekly tips and cruise deals for as little as $30/night!
Sign up for weekly cruise deals
Join other subscribers and get the best
cruise deals of the week in your inbox every Thursday.
