(All GOTG cruises temporarily on hold due to pandemic)
Grans On The Go’s travel group is taking a Princess Alaska Cruise! We’re just six months away from setting sail, and many of us are cruising for the first time. The information can be overwhelming, so I hope to point you in the direction to find what you’re looking for on the Princess.com website.
Navigating the Princess Alaska Cruise Website
1. Set Up A “My Princess” Login
If you haven’t already, establish your Princess.com login. After the initial setup, the Welcome Page will come up with your name and the Cruise Option you’ve already reserved. Booking Details with a confirmation number, stateroom type, dining time are displayed.
2. Complete Guest Information & Check-In Page
Most everyone will have already completed the Passage Contract Acknowledgment, filled out upon reserving your trip and making a deposit. Next Step: Fill out the Guest Information Form.
3. Print Your Travel Summary for Princess Alaska Cruise
Print your travel summary for a detailed itinerary. You will need to keep a copy with you on the trip. If you’re taking a land Cruisetour prior to the seven-day cruise on the ship, that itinerary is listed in the Travel Summary.
An itemized statement of costs comes separately from the travel agent, Pam Cheek, with Globe Getaways, via Email, and is called a “Booking Confirmation.” As some of us have taken advantage of new promotions as they came up, be sure and look for your latest Booking Confirmation in Email.
Making payments prior to the trip can be made simply through our Globe Getaways travel agent here.
4. Print Boarding Passes, Luggage Tags
Come back to Princess.com and print your Boarding Pass & Luggage Tags. They’re available 75 days prior to sailing.
5. Personalize Your Voyage
While you’re still on the GUEST CHECK-In Page, below the Print Travel Summary Button, see Personalize Your Voyage. Enter your details, such as flight schedule and dietary requests. Flights made through Princess EZair automatically populate. If you purchased airfare independently enter it under Provide Independent Air Information.
6. Select Excursions on Your Princess Alaska Cruise
Now on to the fun part…start looking at excursions, and select those you think you’ll like best. Excursions range in price and duration, so peruse the list in each port of call on the cruise: Skagway, Juneau, and Ketchikan.
Select excursions you’re interested in and View Details — which shows excursion times, prices, and the number of tickets remaining. Some excursions have an allocation of 20 tickets, and they will start selling out. So we recommend making a decision as soon as you can. Make a Wishlist first, then come back if you’re undecided.
It is possible to take multiple excursions on one day, just allow 60 minutes between the end of one and the beginning of the next. All excursions begin and end at the port, where the ship is docked.
If you’re taking a Princess Alaska Cruisetour prior to the ship cruise, optional land excursions are available, in addition to the package you’ve selected through Pam Cheek. Be sure and look at the Booking Confirmation Email and the Booking Itinerary to see what is already included in the package plan you signed up for.
7. Use the Help Button to Prepare For Your Princess Alaska Cruise
The Help Button at the top of the Welcome Page and most all website pages are your friend! Read Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s) for answers to all of your questions from what to pack to what to expect.
Clothing Recommendations
For daytime wear, you will be casual with comfortable clothes and shoes suitable for seeing a beautiful, but sometimes rugged environment. Plan to wear layers, from lightweight to a warm jacket. In July, you might want a bathing suit on the ship, possibly shorts on the warmest days, needing a hat and gloves, and a coat while visiting glaciers.
For dinner and evenings on the ship, there are two dress codes: Smart Casual and Formal. Per the website, two evenings in the Traditional Dining Room are considered formal. Our travel agent advises the Alaska Cruise is relaxed even on the Formal nights. Women can wear dresses or slacks, and men can wear nice pants, shoes and a button-down shirt, or a dinner jacket and tie.
Luggage for an Alaskan Cruise
Be sure to consider these things when packing and selecting your suitcases: Airlines often charge for checked baggage and any bag weighing over 50 lbs. Princess Alaska Cruises do not have specific luggage restrictions for the cruise ship. We recommend a maximum of three bags.
If your Alaskan cruise includes a land Cruisetour before or after the ship cruise, be sure to read the luggage guidelines. They are typically limited to one carry-on size suitcase and one personal tote or backpack. Larger bags will be stored by Princess during the Cruisetour portion of your trip and delivered to you onboard ship.
Pack all daily necessities, such as medicine, travel documents, phone, camera, and valuables in a separate bag that you keep with you. Plan to have a day bag for excursions, such as a tote or backpack.
If you are looking for the original article with all the details about the cruise, you can find it here.
Happy planning, ya’ll! It will be a blast!