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Name: Jim Linsley
Email: Jelinsley@yahoo.com
Age: 58
Occupation: Computer Specialist
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Princess-Dawn
SailingDate: 6/27/98
Itinerary: Alaska, Voyage of the Glaciers -Southbound
FoodDiningRoom: 95
CruiseDirector: 97
CabinComfort: 98
FoodRoomService: 92
CruiseStaff: 97
CabinAmenities: 98
FoodLidoDeck: 90
DiningRoomService: 98
CabinQuietness: 99
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 98
ShoreExcVariety: 95
FoodVariety: 95
DeckService: 98
ShoreExcValue: 95
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff: 90
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 97
TenderService:
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 95
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 95
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities: 97
Casino: 90
AirSeaProgram: 95
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 99
EmbarkDisembark: 100
DiscoNightclubs: 90
DeckSpace: 100
Stabilization: 95
ShopsOnBoard: 92
SpaceRatio: 100
OverallCruiseValue: 98
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 10 Jul 1998
Time: 13:08:30
Remote Name: 199.173.224.2
Remote User:
Comments
This cruise was the culmination of a combination Alaskan land and cruise tour from
Princess. I would strongly suggest that anyone wishing to
combine a land tour with a ‘Cruise of the Glaciers’ take the land tour before
cruising. The land tour was well managed and enjoyable, but it was
rather intense, so it was nice to unwind on the cruise. We took the Princess Air Sea
package, and it worked flawlessly. A Princess representative
met our plane and guided us to the bus, Princess employees took care of all luggage
handling. Princess took the luggage we had packed
specifically for the ship, stored it, and delivered it to the ship. We did not have to
take it on the land tour. From Anchorage, it is a 3 hour bus trip
to the docks at Seward to board the ship, but the scenery was spectacular, and included
viewing some wildlife. All the documentation needed for
checking in on the ship was included in the cruise package Princess sent us, and it took
only a few minutes to check in. There were Princess
representatives at the top of the gangplank, and on each deck, to point us to our room.
The cabin was not large, but there were three closets,
and adequate storage for all our clothes. The suitcases fit easily under the bed. The room
had a small refrigerator, with an insulated ice bucket.
It was full when we arrived and was routinely refilled in the morning and evening.
Considering that the ship sailed full, with over 2000 passengers, it never seemed to be
crowded. There were never any significant lines in the
shops, or for the shows or for meals in the dining room,. The Horizon Court, which has a
buffet breakfast and lunch, tended to be more crowded
but it still handled the traffic well. There were adequate elevators to serve all decks,
and many times we just walked up and down the stairs, as
the distance between decks was not great. Princess also does a nice job of suggesting
which days a particular dinner seating should attend
which show, so that helps alleviate crowding at the shows.
Initially our preference was for the early dinner seating, but after talking with people
who had been on the same cruise, we changed it to the late
(8:15) seating. This was a good choice, because it gave us extra time to unwind and
freshen up after taking an afternoon tour or walking
around town. The service was superb, both the waiter and assistant waiter were very
professional and knew after the first day our preferences.
They were also very eager to make adjustments in the menu. For example, I did not care for
any of the appetizers one evening, but there was a
main course on the vegetarian menu, which I wanted to sample as an appetizer. Dom, our
waiter, brought me a small plate of this item as an
appetizer. Another time, I wished to sample the special pasta of the day, and he brought
me a sample. We had special pasta each day, since
the Dawn Princess has an Italian chef. The menu also included both a vegetarian menu and a
healthy choice menu for every dinner.
We ate breakfast exclusively in the Horizon Court on the Lido Deck. This was a buffet,
with a wide variety of food. While not having the same
ambiance as the dining room, it did have the advantage of being open for breakfast from
6:00 to 11:00 a.m. There were also some tables
outside on deck which was nice when the weather was warm. It was generally easy to find a
table right away. There were a large number of staff
available to clear tables, or bring extra coffee or juice if needed. The only thing I
would fault would be the lack of availability of any juices other
than orange juice.
We had lunch in the Horizon Court, the Dining Room and on deck at the grill near the pool.
The dining room never seemed to be crowded for
lunch, more people seemed to go the Horizon Court. There was a large variety of both hot
and cold foods as well as many salads. The menu
seemed to change daily. Again, the wait staff was there to take drink orders or provide
whatever service was needed. The burgers from the grill
were excellent, and it was a quick way to get a bite to eat and not miss any of the
scenery.
Entertainment on the ship was generally good. The three production number shows, Odyssea,
Pirates, and America’s Music were held in the
Princess Theatre. Odyssea was the least enjoyable of the shows. It had some very
interesting acrobats, but the dance numbers were too long
and a bit boring for my taste. Pirates was more lively, with a number of special effects
and a bit more plot. America’s music was the best of the
three, and presented a history of American music down through the years. We also attended
a pub comedy and music show featuring the cruise
director and his staff, and a big band show in the Vista Lounge. The main difference in
the two large show venues, is that the Princess Theatre
does not serve drinks. Both, however, were large enough to accommodate all the people from
a dinner seating and had good sight lines and
sound. In addition, there was a very good pianist in the Atrium lounge as well as
entertainment in other bars, and the disco.
We took tours in each of the ports we visited. In Skagway we took the White Pass RR to the
top of White Pass. The track actually goes to the
dock, so it was easy to board the train. This was a good trip and it gave a good chance to
get a good view of the mountains, as the train climbed
over 2800 feet in 20 miles. It was only a 3 ½ hour trip so it gave some time to walk
around Skagway. While there are a number of guided tours
of Skagway, the town is very small, and the free, 45 minute, walking tour conducted by the
U.S Park Ranger, covered the history of the town very
well. We walked into the visitor’s center and there was a tour starting. The tours
were at 10:00,and 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. In Juneau we took
the Helicopter Expedition, and walked on a glacier. We also took the Wild Life Cruise,
which was very good. We saw whales, eagles, harbor
seals, and sea lions. This tour was well worth the price, and they even provided
binoculars, drinks, and snacks. In Ketchikan we took a trip to
Totem Bight Park so see examples of totem poles. This was a short tour and left enough
time to walk around the town a bit.
While there are a number of tours offered at each port, the procedure for signing up for
the tours on the ship leaves a bit to be desired. The
sign up for tours started in the Vista Lounge at 7:00 a.m. on the morning after we sailed.
Since I am an early riser I walked by the Vista Lounge
about 6:30 on my way to walk around the promenade deck. There was already a long line.
They were able to accommodate 10 people at a time
to book tours. I was in the 5th group, being number 41. By the time I left, a few tours
had already booked up, and some others had the most
popular departure times taken. My guess would be that anyone going in to book a tour later
in the day might not have much a chance of getting
what they wanted. It seems that there should be a better way to book tours, or at least
make the time to reserve tours a bit later. After all, the
ship sailed at 10:00 the night before, and everyone may not want to get up at the crack of
dawn to sign up for a tour.
The ship docked in Vancouver at 7:30 a.m. The dining room and Horizon Court opened for
breakfast earlier than usual, so it was possible to get
a full breakfast before leaving the ship. Disembarkation was extremely smooth. With 2000
people on the ship, we had envisioned a real problem
locating our luggage. Princess gave out different color tags for the luggage, the colors
relating to the time of the passenger’s departing flight, or
if whether were staying over in Vancouver. We easily found our luggage, and clearing
Canadian customs was only a formality. For passengers
traveling with Northwest, Canadian, or American Airlines, the check in was accomplished
right at the terminal. Buses were waiting right outside.
Once at the airport, we were met by a Princess representative who escorted us right to
U.S. immigration and customs. The process was very
smooth.
We would have no difficulty taking a Princess cruise again. Outside of signing up for
tours on the ship, the entire experience was positive, both
on land and on the ship. Princess is to be commended for the overall smoothness of their
operation. There was a Princess representative at
every point of transfer and they were helpful and courteous.
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