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With top deck dining venues, Slice Pizzeria, The Mix, Salty Dog Grill and Coffee & Cones you’ll have even more options to choose from during your stay on board Grand Princess. Relax at The Sanctuary, a tranquil haven reserved for adults, enjoy Movies Under the Stars® poolside or see an award-winning Broadway-style production show in the Princess Theatre, showcasing an even more immersive audio experience.
We did the 7-day cruise first followed by the 7-day land tour second (PA7). Some would say to do it the other way around, but we wanted to see College Fjord on the cruise which necessitated doing the cruise first. We didn’t feel that doing the cruise first was problematic. We went June 27 – July 11. Should have gone July 11 – 25 or July 25 – August 7 to see the salmon running. We did not get to see the salmon running, which was a major disappointment to us. Our weather was perfect; it rained only 1 out of 14 days which is amazing by Alaska standards. We would grade the cruise portion of the tour 9 out of 10. We rode on the Grand Princess and took a state room with a covered balcony on the starboard side which you want to do when heading north from Vancouver to Whittier. We did the Premier package. The food, drinks, entertainment and service were outstanding. Our only complaint about the cruise was that Captain John Foster was unwilling to allow bridge tours. We were celebrating our 40th wedding anniversary but that carried no weight. We felt this was lousy guest relations. We were told that the next Captain taking the ship back to Vancouver would have accommodated our request for a bridge tour. One other small complaint was that there was no BOTTLED water available even though it was published that Princess Premier includes BOTTLED water. Water out of an aluminum can is horrible. Travel Advisor reviews as follows. These excursions were NOT Princess related comments: White Pass Scenic Railroad: Save your money and do a wildlife tour instead. Unless you have never seen mountains, trees, water, or you are a major train buff. We felt this was basically a waste of time and money. Whale Watching / Mendenhall Glacier Tour: We did see several whales doing tail flips, no breaches. The whales were a modest distance away from the boat, so it was not spectacular. The Mendenhall Glacier portion of the tour was a waste of time and money. The Glacier was like a mile away; it is a dirty retreating patch of ice. We would grade the land portion of the tour a 3 out of 10. We should have rented an SUV and done the land portion independently, not through the Princess package. There was way too much down time waiting around and riding prisoner of war buses with old, broken, slow-moving people aboard. We felt like we wasted nearly 4 days out of 7. We spent a good 14 hours on those buses. We feel like we wasted $3000 due to all the down time. You are only allowed 2 pieces of luggage for 2 people for 7 days. Our other 2 pieces of luggage were sent ahead to Fairbanks, and we were without them for all 7 days. We lived out of 2 suitcases for 7 days and they had to be repacked 5 times. Luggage must be packed up and set outside your room by 7:00 or 8:00am each day and is unavailable until late in the day. You must have everything you might need or want during the day in your personal backpack. The Princess lodges have no Wi-Fi in the rooms, no small refrigerator, and there are no fitness rooms whatsoever. The Denali Princess room was like a dormitory room; there was no room to unpack your suitcases whatsoever. Here are some specifics day by day from the Land portion of the tour: Day 1 – this day was a total waste. We were the very last people to be allowed to disembark the ship at 10:30am. We sat in a lounge for 3 hours like prisoners waiting to get off the ship. Had we done the land portion independently, we would have been allowed to disembark at 7:30am. We then faced a 2 plus hour bus ride to Kenai where there was nothing to do besides a cheesy 4th of July parade. Day 2 – this day was not bad although we did face another 2 hours on buses to and from our Kenai Fjords Aialik Glacier excursion which involved a 6-hour boat ride. The Glacier was spectacular. Day 3 – this day was a total waste. We faced another 6-hour bus ride plus a 2 hour stop in Anchorage to kill time. We went to 49th State Brewhouse for lunch but that was not an Alaskan experience. When the bus finally arrived at McKinley Princess, Mount Denali was visible. The lady from the lodge went on and on about the facilities while we were itching to get off the bus to see Mount Denali, which luckily we were able to do. Just let us off the damn bus, we are not prisoners! Mt. McKinley Princess Lodge had well below average food for dinner and for breakfast. I had the worst pork chop I have ever eaten (couldn’t even finish it). The service was also horrible (at one point I went and found my own coffee and creamer). Day 4 – this day was a total waste and the most irritating day of all. We had to have our luggage put out at 7:00am and it was not even picked up until 8:30am. Then we had to sit in the lobby for 5.5 hours until another prisoner of war bus arrived at 1:30pm. More down time and with no luggage available. Then, yet another 2-hour bus ride to Denali. Day 7 – this day was a near total waste. The morning featured yet another prisoner of war bus to the Gold Dredge excursion which was just so-so. But then, our bus would not start, and the decision was made to send a mechanic instead of another bus. We stood in the parking lot for over 1 hour and were then taken for another 1-hour drive around Fairbanks to kill time. At 1:48pm we were waived off the 2:15pm Riverboat portion of the excursion, so we got screwed out of 1 hour of 2 hours on the Riverboat on a beautiful day. It was an unacceptable error in judgement by not immediately sending another bus instead of first TRYING a mechanic who could not get the bus started. It was also an unacceptable error in judgement by waiving us off the first leg of the Riverboat with 27 minutes to get 40 people boarded. This whole situation really soured our last day on the Land portion of our tour.
I thought this cruise was a great value. Food was way better than our expectations. Service from every crew member was phenomenal. We enjoyed each port and obviously the glaciers were breathtaking. I know it's an old ship but I don't feel like you feel it unless you are purposely seeking the imperfections. The ship never felt crowded, disembarkation and embarkation were both a breeze. Even tendering in Skagway was relatively painless. Glacier viewing without a balcony on the outside decks was manageable due to the the relatively lower number of passengers. Ship was smaller so got pretty close to the glaciers. Some cons were that the fitness center gets crowded on sea days, pools while are a plenty still get filled with kids. Hot tubs are always taken, especially by kids. The entertainment skews retirement feeling like a lot of game shows and trivia but even we in our early 30s still partook with pleasure. The shows were not bad, considering it's just 45 min and free. Comedians were funny enough and nice mature change of pace.
We had a great time on the Cruise/Land Tour to Alaska out of Vancouver. Vancouver was beautiful and everyone was helpful and friendly. We had great accommodations on the Grand Princess. We had two adjoining ocean view cabins with other family, that had the best location although we did not spend much time in it. The International Cafe was just down the hall and was always well stocked. The food was great at the dining rooms including the buffet. We had a great cabin steward that kept everything tidy and replenished towels daily. We had children in our company and used the pools and the ice cream stand regularly. They also had a game and entertainment afternoon in the Piazza for the kids. All the staff, waiters, bar tenders were pleasant and very accommodating. We also enjoyed the ABBA performer and entertainment at one of the bars. After the cruise we did the land tour which was like being on two separate trips. We did not have any problems with our luggage being transported, all arriving at each lodge timely. A lot of beautiful scenery on the train ride and river boat. Went on a couple of unscheduled bus trips at Denali including visiting the the Park sled dogs which was really fun. The last day we rented a vehicle and visited the countryside in Fairbanks and North Pole. I would definitely cruise on the Grand Princess again! It maybe an older ship but was still nice!
From the moment you step aboard, we want you to feel welcomed and right at home. And with attentive service from a friendly staff that knows what hospitality means, you’ll find your Princess® ship truly is your home away from home.
Photos, floor plan diagrams, amenities, and furnishings represent typical arrangements and may vary by ship and stateroom.
Indulge your appetite whenever you wish on board Princess®. Every hour, our chefs are busy baking, grilling and sautéing great-tasting fare from scratch. Princess offers unparalleled inclusive dining options throughout the ship with a wide range of culinary delights to suit any palate, from endless buffet choice to gourmet pizza, frosty treats, decadent desserts and much more.
Speciality Dining
Dining on board a Princess® cruise ship is a joyful celebration and our speciality restaurants always deliver an extraordinary experience. They are among the best at sea – or anywhere. We serve dishes made with the freshest ingredients, and our menus reflect regional flavours from around the world. You'll find our speciality restaurants are the perfect place to celebrate any occasion.
From relaxing pursuits and enriching activities to world-class entertainment and gourmet cuisine, when you step aboard, you are setting a course for a world of wonderful new discoveries.
A wealth of diversions for nearly every interest – and mood
On every Princess ship, you'll find so many ways to play, day or night. Explore The Shops of Princess, celebrate cultures at our Festivals of the World or learn a new talent — our onboard activities will keep you engaged every moment of your cruise vacation.
Original musicals, dazzling magic shows, feature films, top comedians and nightclubs that get your feet movin’ and groovin’. There’s something happening around every corner; luckily, you have a whole cruise of days and nights to experience it all.
The many activities on-board our ships are designed to stimulate, educate, entertain, inspire and sweat - not necessarily in that order. But, guests can be sure crew onboard will do their best to cover all the bases. From art auctions to The Sanctuary Spa, this ship is loaded with fun things to do.
From family-friendly stateroom options to enriching youth and family programmes, quality time is time well spent. Onboard activities spark curiosity and fuel creativity while excursions ashore engage and inspire!
