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Note - this page contains multiple reviews.
Name: William and Sally Gibson
Email: gibsonws@bigfoot.com
Age: 53
Occupation: engineer and teacher
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Princess-Sun
SailingDate: June 7,1999
Itinerary: 10A Alaska
FoodDiningRoom: 95
CruiseDirector: 95
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService: 90
CruiseStaff: 95
CabinAmenities: 95
FoodLidoDeck: 90
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 95
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 95
ShoreExcVariety: 95
FoodVariety: 95
DeckService: 95
ShoreExcValue: 95
GoodForHoneymoon: 95
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 95
LoungeService: 90
TenderService:
GoodForSeniors: 90
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 90
WheelchairAccess: 70
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 90
OverallPortsofCall: 100
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities: 100
Casino:
AirSeaProgram: 80
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 100
EmbarkDisembark: 95
DiscoNightclubs: 100
DeckSpace: 100
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio: 100
OverallCruiseValue: 95
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 21 Jun 1999
Time: 20:11:58
Remote Name: user-38lcd07.dialup.mindspring.com
Remote User:
Comments
This was our first cruise. Tip: if this is your first cruise - pace yourself! We wanted a
ship with variety of
activities and think we made a good choice. This ship is so big you will not feel crowded.
Contrary to some
of the comments that other folks have made, we enjoyed the food and the entertainment. The
crew was
always helpful and the service was great too. I think that part of the reason the crew is
so nice is that the
company treats them well and expects things to run smoothly. At the end of a week you feel
like you know
them pretty well and they are just nice people! Alaska is mostly a wilderness so expect
and enjoy what you
cannot see anywhere else! Keep your camera loaded and your eyes open to see the wildlife!
Our cruise
number was 10A starting June 2, 1999.
Am glad we took: 1. Pocketbook from Rack Room with 4 open large pockets and one zipped
pocket in
middle for storing stuff I needed to carry with us. Zipped pocket I put medicine,
passports, billfold. One
pocket I put the 'documents folder from Princess' which contained airline tickets, travel
vouchers, itinerary,
one pocket I put info collected along tours, one pocket I put makeup. 2. Backpack from
Walmart which had
a see thru net on outside pocket. We carried jackets in sack, cameras, binoculars, and put
tickets we
would need for that day in see thru pocket. 3. Dramamine pills for plane rides. The
patches made for fuzzy
brains. 4. Lots of $5. Bills for tipping tour guides. 5. Two wooden clothespins to clip
the blinds shut at
night. 20+ hours of daylight! 6. Overnight bag that folded away so when we had to put the
big bags out the
night before we had a light one to put dirty clothes and sleepwear in the next morning 7.
A pair of
binoculars for each of us. It would have been tough to share when viewing grizzly bears,
eagles, caribou,
etc. 8. A video camera- the calving of glaciers would not have been nearly as spectacular
with snapshots
plus the zoom on it was great for viewing the distant wildlife. 9. Formal clothes - felt
very comfortable in tux
for hubby and black short and long dress for me,-were quite a few men in suits though so
not a biggy.
There were two formal nights, one semi formal, and four casual nights. The land portion is
strictly casual.
10. Slacks with pockets-Onboard everything from opening your stateroom door to getting off
ship to
buying anything can be done with a credit card that you are issued when you check in with
purser on
arrival at the dock to board the ship. (When people talked about 'going to the purser's
office ' when you
first arrived I had envisioned standing in line for hours. At the dock they must have had
20 booths where
you queued up in lines of only 3 or 4 to show your passport and credit card to get the
credit card to board.
It had to be used not only for charges and room key but also to check on and off boat as
embark or
disembark. 11. Spent about three days packing. This included reading all the information
and comments
from previous travelers. This made the trip so much easier because we had pretty much
anything we
needed. We did not have to go shopping for stuff we forgot. I would include in that
organizing one 'boat
bag' which was sent to the ship from Fairbanks (our first stop). 12. Never had a problem
with bags, but
probably should have a carry on 'what if bag'.
Wish I had :
1. Taken a few more warm weather clothes. Layering worked great, but since I am hot
natured was glad I
had taken a couple of pairs of shorts. Wore all my short sleeve shirts twice. Never needed
the wool pair of
slacks I had taken. The nylon parka, sweaters and jackets were plenty heavy on cooler
days. Not well
publicized but there are passenger washers and dryers on each deck of the ship. 2. Gotten
a room on the
ship that was on the landside, left going South and right going North trips. The Captain
was very good
about turning the boat around, but overall if we had not been ready to run whenever we
heard the
announcement that there were sites to see on deck, we would have not seen as much. The
trip was so
perfect however, that we may never go again thinking that it cannot be equaled! 3. Known
food is more
expensive in Alaska. Breakfasts and lunches seemed to be around $10-$12 minimum and
dinners $20-25.
Somehow in all our preparation we missed that food was not included in the land cruise
package. 4.
Known Salmon are not spawning this early in the year. 5. Known that Fred Mayer grocery
near Sophie's
Station Hotel had food.
Glad we did: 1. Made wonderful friends and great memories. Lots of opportunities on land.
2. Studied
brochures of side trips of land and cruise stops and ordered the video of side tours for
$15.00 and
ordered our extra trips before we left. Am not sure of availability of trips once on ship
but we were so busy
doing all stuff on ship that we just would not have had time to study, pick, and choose.
3. Adjusted our
body clocks from EST (four hours difference) before traveling to Fairbanks. 4. Asked about
cost of things
once on board -wine tasting was $5 each, afternoon teas were free. Pizzas were free at
pizza restaurant,
ice cream cost money at Haagen-Dazs booth. 5. We received 2 gift packages from friends as
anniversary
gifts onboard. Our steward gave us a 'check when you want this' room service form from the
Deluxe
Anniversary gift we received. A day later we found out it contained many other things.
Then we questioned
the gift of wine and I was glad we did when we found out it had been messed up, too. It
was part of a
package that also should have included flowers. Princess offered to credit our bill for
the cost of the
flowers since at that point in the cruise they had no flowers. Also we could now thank our
friends for the
correct gifts. 6. I am normally a big drinker of water. Not only did I not want to drink
coke, I didn't want to
pay for something I didn't want. So lots of times after the first ginger ale of $1.50 I
would just order a glass
of water. I tried not to do it too much. 7. Northern Lights show in Ester was complicated
to do
(transportation to and from) but a great a trip we took from Fairbanks one night when we
were really tired.
8. Picked a trip that stayed at McKinley Princess Lodge (much better views) instead of
Denali Princess
Lodge. Take the hill trail for an even better view of the mountain. 9. Picked a trip that
had the land trip first
and the cruise part second due to land being much more hurry and move. 10. Stayed 2 nights
rather than
one in places. One night just let you sleep there, I think, not see anything much. 11. We
ate on the domed
train twice and that was both very good and not overpriced. 12. Read and study the daily
ship's
newspaper. It will help you plan your day. Most events are not repeated and you just can't
do everything.
Hints:
1. In Fairbanks we were busy. Both the riverboat and gold mine tours were great. They
should rename the
town as Binkleyville. (You'll know why after your visit.) 2. At the Denali lodge we did
the flightseeing of Mt.
McKinley. We had clear weather and hope you have 1/2 the view. Many took the floating raft
tour and all
really liked it (not the white water rafting one). 3. In Anchorage we did not have enough
time at the
Heritage Center but you can go back for free that day. IN ANCHORAGE YOU NEED RESERVATIONS
TO
EAT OUT. Snow Goose Restaurant was great. 4. On the bus ride to Seward, sit on the left
side of the bus.
5. Glacier Bay we saw a double calving of the Margerie Glacier. You can't top that! 6. In
Skagway took the
Streetcar tour and the pilot's choice helicopter landing to the Meade glacier. The
helicopter ride was our
favorite trip of all. Many liked the train trip to White Pass. 7. In Juneau we took the
morning wildlife cruise
and, as before, with super clear weather. Saw humpback and killer whales! We did the
salmon bake but
did not realize that by this time we would have had plenty of salmon! Also, did the gold
panning but the
gold mine tour in Fairbanks was better and I would not do both. 8. Ketchikan was just
shopping and a tour
of the fish hatchery. The hatchery has two bald eagles. These birds are great for photos.
Name: Ann & Ralph Woldt
Email: a_woldt@hotmail.com
Age: 52 & 58
Occupation: both retired
NumberOfCruises: one
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Princess-Sun
SailingDate: June 16-27, 1999
Itinerary: Alaska
FoodDiningRoom: 95
CruiseDirector: 60
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService: 90
CruiseStaff: 95
CabinAmenities: 90
FoodLidoDeck:
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 95
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 100
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 95
DeckService: 80
ShoreExcValue: 90
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 95
TenderService:
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges:
WheelchairAccess: 95
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge:
OverallPortsofCall: 90
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities: 80
Casino:
AirSeaProgram: 60
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 95
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 95
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard: 85
SpaceRatio: 95
OverallCruiseValue: 95
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 30 Jun 1999
Time: 07:48:33
Remote Name: 4.19.101.83
Remote User:
Comments
This was a wonderful cruise! We had several reservations when we first considered this,
primarily because I use a
wheelchair full-time, and we had concerns not only about accessibility on the ship, but
also on land excursions (we did a
5-day land portion, followed by 7 days on the ship).
We shoud not have had any concerns at all! Everyone associated with the Princess line was
helpful, courteous, and
gracious. We had lots of opportunity to examine excursions and pick those we thought most
accessible, and then got a
call from a Princess representative to confirm our choices, and answer questions we had.
All rooms in various
hotels/motels on the land portion were fully accessible, with grab bars in the bathroom,
bath seats or shower stalls that
were roll-in, wide door ways, etc. All tours came with buses with wheelchair lifts, (and
in one case a private van with lift, and
our own driver!). The cabin on the ship was fully accessible, with grab bars in the bath,
a roll-in shower with drop-down bath
seat, and even lowered bars in the closet so I could manage my clothes.
Embarkation to the ship went flawlessly. I showed up in my wheelchair, was met by a
Princess representative, escorted to
a counter where there was no one else in line, and moved quickly onto the ship. They have
a contraption that is like a small
tank that actually crawls up stairs that is used for people in wheelchairs -- it slides
under the chair, you get strapped in,
tipped back, and up you go. It is slow and seems cumbersome, but the staff were always
helpful and gracious, and after
the first time I never felt nervous about their work. Once on the ship I was escorted to
our cabin, met the Steward, and was
offered assistance to unpack! Once my husband and I stowed our stuff, we went off the ship
again, (and again with help and
much graciousness from the staff), and had several hours of fun in Seward.
We chose not to participate in many of the on-board activities, as there was so much to
see just from the deck. Alaska is
wonderful, and the scenery so breathtaking, the on-board shows couldn't do it justice. So
we spent much of our time on
deck, binoculars glued to our faces, or on the Horizon deck with its tall windows, just
watching out.
The food was fabulous. And again, the staff in the dining room very helpful and gracious
about helping me get through the
dining room to our designated table, moving chairs out of the way, and assisting in
whatever way was necessary. We ate
mostly in the dining room when we weren't off the ship -- the food was so good, why risk
going elsewhere onboard? We did
get pizza once, when we were late getting back for lunch, and found it delicious.
Although there were tons of notices about the art auctions, we found it easy to avoid the
areas of the ship where that was
going on, as well as other areas where things were happening which we weren't interested
in. We never felt pressured to
participate in anything, or get food or liquor. We would often sit in lounges and use the
windows for viewing, without being
hassled more than once by any of the staff.
We are particularly interested in museums and cultural centers, so when these weren't
offered as part of any of the
excursions, we went by ourselves. We were pleasantly surprised by the availablity and
relatively low cost of taxis -- the
most we paid was $20, for a fairly long trip from the ship to the Native Heritage Center.
More often the fare was $5 - $8, with
the cab driver being very helpful about loading and unloading the wheelchair, and
providing commentary and sight-seeing
along the way.
All in all, this was a wonderful experience, and we are already planning our second
cruise. We hope to get back to the Sun
Princess, but feel confident that any Princess experience will be as good.
I would be happy to answer any questions anyone might have, particularly about the
accessibility of the ship.
Name: Michael and Tina Vershel
Email: mjeffv@aol.com
Age: 33and 34
Occupation: Programmer and Technical recruiter
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Princess-Sun
SailingDate: 06/28/99
Itinerary: Alaska
Cabin: A616
FoodDiningRoom: 92
CruiseDirector: 88
CabinComfort: 98
FoodRoomService: 95
CruiseStaff: 93
CabinAmenities: 96
FoodLidoDeck: 89
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 98
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 95
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 92
DeckService:
ShoreExcValue: 90
GoodForHoneymoon: 95
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 85
LoungeService:
TenderService:
GoodForSeniors: 95
BeautySalonStaff: 85
EntertainmentLounges: 92
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 88
OverallPortsofCall: 92
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities: 88
Casino: 88
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities: 88
ShipCleanliness: 94
EmbarkDisembark: 98
DiscoNightclubs: 90
DeckSpace: 95
Stabilization: 94
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio: 88
OverallCruiseValue: 92
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 20 Jul 1999
Time: 21:58:14
Remote Name: abd58fe8.ipt.aol.com
Remote User:
Comments
This was my wife's first cruise and my second (the other being on Carnival Celebration).
We took this cruise for
our honeymoon and decided to do a 3-day land vacation both before and after the cruise in
Vancouver and the
Kenai Peninsula. We did both independently as we aren't to high on buses and really like
to do things at our own
speed. For the record, our cruise documents came about 4-5 weeks before, but our agent sat
on them for a week
or so before sending them to us.
We began by flying into Seattle and rented a car. We toured Seattle in the rain (The Space
Needle, etc.) before
visiting with a relative nearby and then heading up to Vancouver, BC. While a little
crowded, we had no problem at
the border. We didn't even have to show our proof of citizenship. I would still bring it
just in case. The exchange
rate at the border was just slightly below the hotel's, mostly because of an exchange fee.
In Vancouver, we stayed
at the Sylvia Hotel. My wife and I don't spend that much time in a hotel room while on
vacation, so we pretty much
just wanted a clean room. The Sylvia Hotel gave us that and more. The Sylvia is in a
perfect location just outside
of the Stanley Park exit and about 50 feet from the beach off Beach Drive. From here, we
were within walking
distance of numerous restaurants and of course, one must visit Death by Chocolate at least
once We chose the
restaurant at the Sylvia for breakfast 2 of our 3 days because it had a great view of the
beach and was absolutely
perfect, in service and in food quality (try the eggs benedict!!!).
While in Vancouver, our weather was downright dismal (clouds and rain constantly). It
didn't stop us from going to
the Aquarium at Stanley Park. The park is absolutely gorgeous and the aquarium, while
small, was very
interesting. We really enjoyed the Beluga Whale presentation. Other places we visited were
the Capilano
Suspension Bridge, China Town, Gas Town, lots of shopping, and Planet Hollywood. One thing
to keep in mind in
Vancouver is that parking is basically always coin operated so hold onto a few of those $1
Canadian coins.
One other must do if you have the time is to take the ferry over to Victoria (1 1/2 hours
each way). The Butchart
Gardens are breathtaking. Don't forget to take the easy drive into downtown Victoria. We
were only downtown
long enough to take a carriage ride which we really enjoyed, but wished we had arranged
for more time. One
other thing, on weekends, don't try to catch either of the last 2 ferries back and show up
only 30 minutes ahead.
This ferry is in such high demand that you must be there much earlier or be smart enough
to had paid extra for a
reservation.
Onto cruising...
We dropped our luggage off at the Canada Place terminal around 11:45 without checking in.
We then returned
the car and took a cab back to town (Airport to town was C$25). We walked around town for
awhile and by the
time we got back to the ship to check in, there was no line and we were aboard within 5
minutes. The bonus was
that our bags were already in our room.
The Sun Princess has a remarkable first impression from the first step into the atrium.
What surprised us was that
this impression lasted the entire week, even after we got off in Seward (She is after all
the tallest building in
Seward when docked there!!). I am not going to go into too much detail about the Sun as
most of the reviews we
read were very accurate. Thanks very much to www.cruiseopinion.com and
www.stutt.com/wheel/home.htm aka
The Wheelhouse. One surprise was that the swimming pools are heated and were used by many
throughout the
trip. The crew was constantly cleaning and painting the ship and we saw no sign of wear.
We moved into Aloha 616 for the week, an outside stateroom. Like most cruisers, we
overpacked (partly because
of the unknown weather and partly because we are still new at it). The room was large
enough that we didn't feel
cramped but had very little draw space. Of course, we didn't bring many hangars but our
steward Carllitto was
happy to provide us with about 30 hangars. He kept the room exceptionally clean (such as
towel changes 2x a
day), made our bed while we were at breakfast, and turned down the bed (with chocolate)
during dinner and we
never really saw him unless we needed something. We did have 3 problems while onboard, the
AC broke during
the day, then the heater broke that night, and then the commode got stopped up. Each time,
a crew member was
there swiftly to fix the problem. By the way, our hairdryer worked but wasn't quite as
good as the one at home.
Other notable things were there was plenty of room under the bed for luggage, the
refrigerator always had an ice
bucket full of ice, and the bathroom had lots of shelf space so we didn't have to live out
of our travel cosmetic
bags the whole week.
We really liked our cabin location for several reasons. First, our balcony worked out
better than expected. There
was plenty of room and we ate room service breakfast 3 out of the 7 mornings. We read lots
of remarks the port or
left side on a northbound cruise was not the best side but most of the wildlife seemed to
pass on the left side.
Second, the Aloha deck had access to lounge chairs on the deck in the back so we didn't
need to go up or down
just to go sit out on deck. This quick access was helpful during surprise wildlife
viewing. Third, although we were
just a few doors away from the elevators, these elevators didn't go to all floors and
thus, were less busy than the
ones amidship. One other thing about the elevators. Sometimes they would stop at a floor
but not open. This was
pretty scary but if you went to another floor, you could usually get out. The only other
really negative thing at this
point was there was only one self service laundry per floor all the way toward the front
of the ship. This is where
the iron was and it was a haul for us. On top of that, the iron was not a steam iron and
didn't work very well.
We dined for breakfast at the Horizon Court or in our cabin everyday but debarkation day.
The Horizon Court food
was very good as buffet food goes and had a huge variety. We only ate lunch 4 times: twice
in the Horizon Court,
once at the Terrace grill, and once at Verdi Pizza. The other days, we were just too full.
Again, the food was good
as buffet food goes but we were more impressed with the variety. The Terrace grill was a
bit of a disappointment.
For dinners, we selected the late seating, mostly to maximize the time in port. In
addition, there is pressure to
finish quickly during the 1st seating as the wait staff needs to prepare for the 2nd. The
only thing we would
change about the dining process would be to move the process up 15 minutes so we could
have a chance to walk
off a few calories before attending a show. We sat at a table for 8. This was strictly on
the advice of our agent as
he indicated that there was a greater chance of finding a couple you liked with 3 as
opposed to only 1. He was
right as we ended up hanging out with 2 sisters at our table most of the after dinner
activities. Our waiter Antonio
and his assistant Jose were great. I learned on my last cruise its okay to order 2
appetizers, entrees, or desserts
as desired. They took it all in stride and no one at the table spent more than a minute or
two without food in front
of them. We took full advantage of this and found the food to be as good as any we've had
(except maybe the
steaks). We especially liked the lobster and crab legs. The desserts were especially good
which included items
such as banana's flambe, baked Alaska, and cherries jubilee. As an added bonus, we asked
for copies of all the
menus during our debarkation breakfast and they were happy to oblige. I won't list
everything, but if anyone wants
more info on the menu selections, email me directly.
On board activities are varied. The main reason most of us were on the cruise was for the
scenery and wildlife so
we spent alot of time on deck peering through binoculars. There are movies shown daily on
a big screen in the
Princess Theater which are different from those shown on the movie channel in the cabin.
Both were basically the
movies currently coming available on pay per view or new video releases. For example, our
cruise played movies
like Patch Adams, You've Got Mail, Enemy of the State, and Analyze This in the theater.
Cabin movies involved
4-6 different movies repeated throughout the day and included Antz and Deep Impact.
There are alot of commercial activities. There was gambling including horseracing, bingo
twice a day at sea, and
the casino usually opened about 1-2 hours after departure from port. You can also pay
extra for virtual golf,
Internet service, and participate in art auctions (You do not get the art as it must be
shipped, no pun intended,
home). Everyday, they put fliers in the Princess Patter announcing sales at the shops
on-board. We just ignored
them and got our retail therapy in port. By the way, they do have on-board next day film
developing at $7, $10,
and $14 for 12, 24, and 36 exposures. This price included a free 12 exposure roll. We also
thought many of the
lectures like the 'learn how to give a massage' were more an opportunity to sell cream and
oils than an education
on techniques.
There were things to do that didn't involve extra money. Such things include paddle ball,
golf putting contests,
shuffleboard, basketball, ping pong ball, table games, trivia contests, and lots of
lectures about wildlife and the
ports we were visiting. There was also 5-6 different types of music almost constantly
through the evenings. We
really enjoyed the piano player in the Atrium lounge and the Wheelhouse Bar trio. We found
the shows on board
entertaining but not exactly the highlight of the cruise. They seemed to be targeted
toward an older crowd (which
made sense as we were among the younger cruise passengers). We did think the show Pirates
was very
entertaining.
We did have one dealing with the doctor as my wife got a touch of sea sickness on day 5.
The doctor gave a shot
which, although painful, corrected the problem. It wasn't any more expensive than an
office visit at home. While
the doctor and nurse didn't have much of a bed side manner, we found most of the crew were
very sociable and
pleasant to be with. For the first couple of days, we mentioned it was our honeymoon to a
few of the crew. They all
surprised us by remembering us even days later. Special recognition to Susan of the cruise
staff. We saw her
many times throughout the cruise, day and night, and she always stopped to talk and join
in the fun. While she
hosted many events, she seemed to really be enjoying herself and never seemed to be just
go through the
motions.
Ports included Ketchikan, Juneau, and Skagway. We pre-booked all our excursions through
Princess because we
didn't want to take a chance on being late. In Ketchikan, it was rainy and foggy while we
were there. We booked
the Misty Fjords fly-in and cruise-out excursion. Because of the weather, we did the
cruise part first. The weather
never cleared enough for planes to fly so we ended up doing a cruise in-cruise out (we
received a credit from
Princess). While the cruise getting to the fjords was pretty dull, the fjords themselves
was worthwhile. The
waterfalls were incredible. We could only imagine how stunning they would have been on a
clear day. On the way
back, they served a great seafood chowder for lunch. While we were disappointed with the
weather and the
canceled flightseeing, we were glad we got to see Misty Fjords. It was a good thing we
booked through Princess
because the boat ran late returning to Ketchikan and they had to wait. Only real regret
here was we didn't see
much of Ketchikan and didn't get any retail therapy in.
At last, in Juneau, we woke up to see the Sun (again, no pun intended). At this point, it
had been over the week
without sunshine and we were getting a bit depressed. We did 3 things while here since we
had 16 hours. First, a
wildlife watching cruise. I don't know if we were just lucky but we saw alot of wildlife
(lots of eagles, sea lions, seals,
a pod of orca's, and a humpback whale). After that, we were on the heli-hiking excursion
on the Taku glacier. This
was truly and incredible experience and even though it was expensive, it was worth every
penny. All equipment
was provided and we were out on the glacier about 2 hours or so. We had total peace and
never heard a single
helicopter like you hear constantly on Mendenhall. After that, we did the Mount Roberts
Tramway. If we had to do
it all over again, we would skip the tram. It was nice and there were lots of trails (if
you go up, bring mosquito
repellent). We were pretty tired by then though and would have liked to spend more time
exploring the city. We did
manage some retail therapy before heading to the ship for dinner.
Skagway was our last stop. We did the obligatory White Pass Train ride. It was a nice ride
but was rather boring
on the return trip. In hindsight, we would have done a van up and train down type
excursion. We did a lot of retail
therapy here and there were some really good deals. We also did a carriage ride with a
less than enthusiastic
guide. After departing Skagway, the Captain diverted the ship to hang out in an area where
humpbacks were
feeding. What a treat it was. We saw a family of humpbacks.
Other stops enroute to Seward were Glacier Bay and College Fjord. We saw alot of calving
in Glacier Bay but
none in College Fjord. Visibility was poor in College Fjord as there were forest fires in
Alaska and the wind blew
alot of smoke in. We did see alot of wildlife (seals, etc.) on the icebergs there.
Debarkation went smoothly. Those with plans booked with Princess had to get off first by
7:30am or so. We had
independent plans so we were one of the last to get off around 10:00am. That gave us time
to have a leisurely
breakfast. Once off, Hertz is about a 1/2 mile walk. You can take a cab if you walk to the
front-middle of the main
port building. If you wait right by the ship where the buses are, you will wait awhile as
the cabs stop in front first.
Princess actually stopped us from getting a cab to Hertz and told me to walk as it would
be faster. We later found
out from some locals that Princess has been doing this alot and they have even had a
strike against them
because of it.
Once in the car, we went to the Sealife Center. This is a small aquarium dedicated toward
the recovery of oil spill
marine life. It was well worth the time and money. We also took in a whale watching
excursion in Resurrection Bay.
We saw another humpback but the water was very choppy which subtracted from the
experience. Our last stop in
Seward was Exit Glacier. We highly recommend this 20 minute hike in to see the glacier. It
is only about a 10 mile
drive from town.
We stopped at the Alaskan Sourdough B & B in Coopers Landing overnight. Our hosts
Lovey and Willie were
great as was the breakfast the next day. We would definitely stay here again and it was
here that we saw our first
moose. Actually, it was a mother and 2 calves that had nested near one of the cottage
buildings. The next day, we
set off to the Great Alaska Bear Camp. After a scenic ride to Soldotna airport, we took
off in a small airplane for a
45 minute ride to Lake Clark National Park and landed on a beach airstrip. The Great
Alaska Bear Camp is a
series of 5 fixed tents (with cots, carpeting, and heat) with guides that carry shotguns
and 1 wolf-like guard dog
named Dee. Dee kept the bears away from the tents at night. We spent 1 night here and saw
about 25 different
bear including some new cubs. We were never any closer than 150 yards and believe me,
thats close enough to
scare you. One other note of interest for you football fans was that Larry Czonka, a
former Superbowl MVP, was
leaving as we were arriving, a bonus photo op. Aside from the bears, the scenery alone was
incredible and worth
the trip.
After arriving back in Soldotna the next day, we had to head to Anchorage to catch our
plane home. The drive
from the Kenai Peninsula was very scenic. We stopped at the Portage Glacier for one last
photo op. This is a
glacier with lots of icebergs and you drive right up to it.
Well, that concludes our adventure on our Alaskan cruise. We would gladly do it all over
again and hope to
someday. The Sun Princess is worthy of all the acclaim it has received.
Feel free to email us with any questions.
Name: James E. Boyd
Email: jimb1@erols.com
Age: 72
Occupation: Retired Engineering Management
NumberOfCruises: 3
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Princess-Sun
SailingDate: 12 July 1999
Itinerary: Alaska Inland Passage
Cabin: C-338 Outisde Cabin
FoodDiningRoom: 95
CruiseDirector: 100
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 93
CabinAmenities: 95
FoodLidoDeck: 93
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 95
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 94
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 90
DeckService:
ShoreExcValue: 90
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 90
LoungeService:
TenderService:
GoodForSeniors: 95
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges:
WheelchairAccess: 95
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 90
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino:
AirSeaProgram: 90
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 95
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 90
Stabilization: 95
ShopsOnBoard: 95
SpaceRatio: 93
OverallCruiseValue: 95
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 24 Jul 1999
Time: 11:08:10
Remote Name: 207-172-131-191.s191.tnt4.col.md.dialup.rcn.com
Remote User:
Comments
We took the Sun Pri ncess from Vancouver to Seward on the Inland Passage. Princess was up
to their usual
excellent standard and efficiency. You are taken care of from the moment you leave the
aircraft to the time you
once again board the aircraft.
The food was plentiful and excellent. Our waiters amply met our needs and desires. We ran
across a former waiter
(now a head waiter) we had on the Dawn Princess Alaska tour a couple years ago. It was
nice renewing old
friendships. The young lady repairing our room each day was friendly and efficient. She
did her job without being
visible most of the time.
The Cruise Director was without the best we have ever had the pleasure of experiencing. He
did a magnificent job
the entire time we were aboard. We met him ashore in Skagway and he directed us to a very
good ice cream
shop.
The train ride to the summit was interesting but we ended up not seeing any wild life,
unless you count a spider, fly
and several butterflies!
Weather wise the trip was very nice. It was of course cool to cold at times, especially in
the glacier areas. So dress
warmly for those two days at least.
The week prior to ours was loaded with rain and the shop people were glad to see us come
along with dry
weather.
We managed to see several Otters, a few whales, eagles etc.
We had the train ride from Anchorage to Fairbanks (stopping at Denali). While along the
way, we were fortunate
enough to see one Moose.
We took a Nature Tour at the Denali Princess Hotel. Unfortunately, it was raining and cool
and we never even got
a glimpse of Mt McKinley. While there we were greeted with the first day of winter. It
snowed fresh snow that
morning (7/21/99).
In the afternoon, we took a powerboat ride to a mining camp and panned for gold. This is a
good tour and is
recommended. The boat ride is exciting and fast. The gold panning is interesting. I got
zylched but my wife found
several flakes of gold in her pan.
Princess did an excellent job throughout the entire cruise/tour.
Name: Kevin + Danna Walter
Email: kwalter@ctlnet.com
Age: 49
Occupation: teacher + nurse
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Princess-Sun
SailingDate: June 21, 1999
Itinerary: southbound Alaskan inside passage
Cabin: FF - outside double
FoodDiningRoom: 97
CruiseDirector: 95
CabinComfort: 98
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 100
CabinAmenities: 98
FoodLidoDeck: 98
DiningRoomService: 97
CabinQuietness: 97
FoodMidnightBuffets: 80
CabinSteward: 98
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 98
DeckService: 97
ShoreExcValue: 90
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff: 96
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 97
TenderService:
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff: 97
EntertainmentLounges: 97
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 98
EntertShowLounge: 96
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon: 97
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities: 98
Casino: 95
AirSeaProgram: 96
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 98
EmbarkDisembark: 98
DiscoNightclubs: 96
DeckSpace: 97
Stabilization: 97
ShopsOnBoard: 94
SpaceRatio: 98
OverallCruiseValue: 98
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 28 Jul 1999
Time: 09:28:48
Remote Name: max-1-65.northmanchester.ctlnet.com
Remote User:
Comments
Alaska is a vast wilderness. The Sun Princess provides lush luxury and pampered care.
This was our first cruise. After reading many reviews we settled on doing a land tour of
Denali first and then
cruising south down the inland passage. This was a good choice after listening to people
who had sailed north
and then took land tours. They found the early departures and constant packing were more
than they wanted.
The cruise had ruined them for this abuse.
It seemed like a long flight to Anchorage, but it was uneventful. As the man who met us at
the airport said, we were
on vacation so let others take care of you. It was very true. Our Anchorage hotel was nice
and within walking
distance to the city. Good restaurants require a reservation, but the concierge arranged
this and the restaurant
provided a shuttle to the restaurant. We went to Sourdough Bill’s Gold Mine. It was
good with a free show of
Alaskan lore and singing. Plus a jam and candy store was across the street with a 50 foot
chocolate waterfall.
Anchorage has over 1/2 of the entire population of the entire state. It has almost
everything of any modern city.
Most souvenir stands offered some of the best prices were located in one main area. The
historical museum was
excellent for giving a background of life and people of Alaska.
We took a bus to Denali. It was picturesque and informative way of traveling. We made
stops at any wildlife
sightings and a stop at Mary Carey’s for an interesting visit in sight of Mount
McKinley. At Denali we stayed in the
Denali River Cabins which have just been completed. They were great with the wilderness
trails and nature all
around. The next day our tour of Denali was by old school buses. We took the shorter tour
of 3 1/2 hours and saw
limited wildlife. I believe they would be more plentiful in later June or July when the
salmon run would be in full
swing. After this tour we boarded the Alaskan Railroad for the return trip to Anchorage.
It was the only sour time of
the trip. It took over 9 hours as the train travels only 30 mph.
The next day we boarded a bus for a tour of Anchorage and the trip to Seward. Our driver
showed us the float
plane air strip, an early salmon running river, the historical museum, along with
informative talk along the way.
Alaska is overwhelming with beautiful venues around every curve, but the trip from
Anchorage to Seward has to
be one of the best for mountains, water, and wildlife.
The ship loading in Seward could not have been better. We walked from our bus to one of
20+ desks. We showed
our tickets and papers and walked on board with only a quick stop for a picture. Our
stateroom had an outside
window which I would recommend. It was large with a refrigerator, two desks, TV, 6
drawers, 2 large hanging
closet, one shelved closet, and a functional shower and sink arrangement. I locked my
wallet away in the in room
safe until we got to a port of call. On ship all costs for drinks, ice cream, store
purchases, beauty salon, and
gambling are signed for with your room key.
The first two nights were at sea which gave us a chance to sample the ship activities. My
wife enjoyed the gym
activities of stretches, relaxation, aerobics, machines, walking, and line dancing. The
instructor was energized and
knowledgeable, but aware of the participants’ abilities. My wife earned $.50 coupons
for each activity that were
good for ship merchandise at the end of the cruise. I participated in trivia games, nature
talks, art auctions,
gambling and demonstrations of ice sculpture, cooking, wines, and cooking. I also took
tours of the bridge and
kitchen. Each activity was headed by a knowledgeable person and was very interesting. The
movies were ones
that have been in the theaters for awhile, but were worth the time. During this time the
ship sailed into College
Fjord and Glacier Bay. The captain took us very close to the calving ice bergs and the
naturalist announced the
humpback whales. Beyond these public announcements the front path of the ship with the
naturalist’s comments
were telecast on the ship board TV station. It was both informative and help in spotting
the wildlife.
My wife described each night as a prom night. There was one formal dress night, two
semi-formal and the rest
casual. Each night you could tell that everyone took time to clean up. The seating was
assigned in two different
large dining rooms that were adorned with extra balloons, flags, flowers, or etc. Our
round table of six allowed us
to talk and share experiences every night. The staff’s and crew’s upbeat, warm,
and festive air, it transferred to
the passengers that were easy to talk to and greet with a smile. The biggest decisions of
the day occurred when
you had to choose an appetizer, salad/soup, pasta, entree, and dessert. Three to five
choices in each area or you
could choose multiple servings. All of the pastas and baked goods each night were
fantastic. I never had any food
all week that was not equal or better than any food I have had in good restaurants. We
tried the formal dining for
breakfast and lunch, but we preferred the buffets that offered a large selection all day.
My wife enjoyed it even
more without prices on the menu, so she would order things based on their description
rather than price. After
dinner we went to a show in one of the two theaters. The song and dance presentations,
violinist, and comedian
were excellent entertainment. The ventrilogist and singer of Happy Days theme needed much
better material. After
the show we would go to hear a very good piano player in one lounge. Or, go to two other
areas where good
groups performed to hear or dance to. It was truthful an unforgettable prom each night.
The first port was Skagway. We took the White Pass Scenic Railway. It was a 3 1/5 hour
train trip following the
gold miners’ trail of ‘98. It was scenic and historically informative. But there
is so much scenery everywhere, I’m not
sure it justifies the cost. The town itself is a collection of souvenir stores of about 3
blocks.
We awakened the next day in Juneau. It is a more modern city. We passed on the land tours
and choice the $1.25
city bus to take us to see the Glacier Gardens. They were a temperate rain forest gardens
that border Tongass
National Forest. It was an interesting view of the environment. While walking around at a
bus stop, we saw a bear.
Next we went out to the Mendenhall Glacier and enjoyed the Visitor Center. Fellow
passengers recommended the
Wildlife Sightseeing Tour and the Glacier Tour for seeing wildlife and experiencing the
glacier.
Ketchikan was our next port. We visited the hatchery and totem pole attractions as we
walked in town. Each was
interesting and informative. The town was picturesque with interesting shops along the
gold miners’ red light
district.
The final day found us tied up in Vancouver. Luggage needed to be put out by 9 p.m the
night before. All
passengers needed to be ready to disembark by 8 a.m. We left our room and gathered in the
public areas. Then
when our color was called we left the ship and Princess took us to our next destination.
Sadly ours was the airport.
We picked our bags that were set out in our colors area and boarded a bus to the airport.
Name: Sandy Richardson
Email: sandrich@esn.net
Age: 54
Occupation: itinerant programmer
NumberOfCruises: 5
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Princess-Sun
SailingDate: 10/24/98
Itinerary: Panama Canal
Cabin: K
FoodDiningRoom: 94
CruiseDirector: 90
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService: 99
CruiseStaff: 100
CabinAmenities: 95
FoodLidoDeck:
DiningRoomService: 100
CabinQuietness: 100
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 100
ShoreExcVariety: 95
FoodVariety: 93
DeckService: 94
ShoreExcValue: 85
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 96
TenderService:
GoodForSeniors: 96
BeautySalonStaff: 50
EntertainmentLounges: 88
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 90
EntertShowLounge: 90
OverallPortsofCall: 60
BeautySalon: 80
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities: 70
Casino:
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 96
EmbarkDisembark: 90
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 96
Stabilization: 95
ShopsOnBoard: 80
SpaceRatio: 90
OverallCruiseValue: 94
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 03 Sep 1999
Time: 12:41:07
Remote Name: 207.14.238.113
Remote User:
Comments
Four couples from our family met in Alcapulco for this cruise. We had a wonderful time. We
each did our own air
and used Princess's transfers with mixed results. Three of the couples arrived on time and
were whisked to the
ship without incident. We had two back-to-back mechanical delays on Continental and very
nearly did not make
the sailing. The young woman who was trying to reticket us after the missed connection
gave us a voucher for
Aero-Mexico and sent us on to Mexico City. (She could not get her computer to issue the
tickets. Turned out that
the ticket would not issue because the flight was already very overbooked.) The folks at
Aero-Mexico kindly
cleaned up the problems from Continental and got us on the very last flight of the day. (I
wish my travel agent had
warned me to travel a day early or that the final leg of our trip was Continental's last
flight from Dallas to
Alcapulco.)
Our arrival in Alcapulco was greeted by the Princess staff with the same calm pleasant
helpfulness as if we were
on time. Obviously our embarcation was very smooth - we were the last folks aboard. We
were shown to our
cabin, and despite the hour, greeted in minutes by Federico, our steward. Full marks to
this young man for his
cheerful, unobtrusive efficiency that was to last for the entire voyage.
We had a late dinner in the Horizon Court(great food, excellent service), enjoyed the
sailing and unpacked.
Since we had late seating, each evening the family met in one of the staterooms for a
pre-dinner drink and a
review of the day. The stewardess for that cabin soon had our plans down and provided
little munchies to keep us
from starvation each evening.
Our waiter and jr waiter were from Rumania and very accomplished. In only one evening,
they had observed each
dinners preferences and accommodated us each evening thereafter. The food was quite good
and had enough
variety to tempt us all. Our head waiter and my uncle Henry did some planning and we were
served a special
risotto dish one evening. Each of us had received wine as a gift from our travel agent, so
we were treated to wine
every evening as well.
The cruise activities were one of the few areas where I would not give Princess top marks.
The trivia games were
fun, and the handwriting analyst was neat. But we would have enjoyed other informative
things as well. The port
lectures seemed to spend more effort touting shore excursions than actually informing us
about history, culture
etc. (of course, that may be due to the itinerary. The other short coming was the daily
drumming up of of business
for Steiner under the guise of classes. The beauticians were pushy and the treatments were
very expensive. I has
not been exposed to this on prior cruises and now have learned a lesson. There was one
demonstration of ice
carving. It that was very well attended, but the men who did it spoke not a word and
completed their work in less
than 10 minutes and so most of us felt short changed.
The evening entertainmant was pretty good, we all enjoyed them. The cruise line staff was
unfailingly polite and
helpful. We did not do much in the way of shore excursions. The ship discribed by so many
previously was
immaculate from stem to stern. There were lots of places to get off by yourself and watch
the sea roll by. Amazing
on vessel carrying so many people.
The worst thing about this cruise was that it ended. And even then, the disembarkation
ritual was made as
painless as possible by the ship's crew. We took an excursion tour of San Juan on our way
to the airport. A very
nice guide, who was very informative made us want to visit San Juan again. A good flight
home - Continental was
right on time each leg of the journey.
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