Rave Review: Princess Cruise to Alaska

Elaine and Bruce in Alaska

"Cathy Robinson put together a FABULOUS Alaskan experience for Elaine and me (Bruce).
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We did the 11 day Alaskan tour, with four days on land and a seven day Inland Passage cruise on the Coral Princess. Upon arrival in Fairbanks, we were greeted by Princess staff and received our welcome packet. We were surprised by the “Meet Me Onboard” request to send a suitcase ahead to the ship. We did NOT pack a separate bag for this, so we spent a lot of time ‘repacking’ one of our suitcases. That was a minor inconvenience, as the remainder of the trip was trouble free! Our luggage was delivered to our rooms by the time we arrived at the hotels/ship.

​The Discovery III riverboat cruise was the best excursion of the trip.     The ship was equipped with a great sound system and video monitors, so all onboard could see and hear all narration. There were fascinating bits of information. Iditarod training camp and fishing village info was easy to hear and see.  We really enjoyed that.

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Bruce and a spectacular view of Alaska

Elaine enjoying the view from the Coral Princess.

The Tundra Wilderness Tour was awe inspiring! The vastness of Alaska was prominently displayed and we got to see several species of wildlife – from afar. We also got to see all of Mt. Denali. We joined the 30% club of visitors that got to see the entire mountain top.

The two Princess lodges were beautiful. They were rustic looking and very accommodating. We purchased the on land food package and certainly got our money’s worth. We could order anything on the menus, with no exceptions. All the food tasted great. The bus drivers for excursions were all courteous and explained in detail what we were seeing and some history of the area.​ Despite the rain, the train ride to Whittier was entertaining and visually stunning. 

Mendenhall Glacier

​The Coral Princess was clean and the staff was VERY friendly and again, the food was really delicious.  We did purchase the ‘all beverage’ package on the ship and that worked out well. We had no questions on any drink we could order including call drinks.

There was a lot of notice of invo-virus and signs to wash hands frequently. There were Purell hand sanitizers by all restaurants, shops, elevator lobbies and stairwells. However, they were not ‘forcing’ you to sanitize before entering restaurants – especially the buffet (sanitizing was mandatory on other cruise lines we have sailed).  We recommend sanitizing hands before and after dining

​They brought naturalists on board to discuss what we were seeing in Glacier Bay and as we entered and cruised the Inland Waterway. They were very informative and helped all to view humpback whales, sea otters and Orca killer whales during our journey.

Thumbs up to the "all-beverage" package offered on a Princess Cruise.

Elaine with the Coral Princess in the background.

The shore excursion disembarkments were well coordinated. We had no delays leaving or re-entering the ship. The meeting points on shore were well marked. Bus drivers to and from the excursions were informative and very helpful with participants with disabilities, or problems getting on/off the buses.

Our three shore excursions were:

1. Skagway - helicopter to a glacier
2. Juneau – Mendenhall Glacier lake float and whitewater rafting
3. Ketchikan – Rain forest walking tour

ALL were breathtaking, informative and the guides were educational and very friendly.

This was our first trip to Alaska and our first time on Princess Cruise Line. We will not hesitate to recommend Brentwood Travel to our friends and we will have them coordinate our next major travel event."

​-Bruce B.

​Start planning your Alaska adventure by emailing Cathy or contact her at ​314-439-5700 Ext. 114.

Thank you Bruce and Elaine for sharing your memories!