What It's REALLY Like on a Princess Alaska Cruise in 2023!

We are back from a Princess Alaska Cruise. Is this really the best cruise line in Alaska? Well, we give you our honest take on this Princess Alaska Cruise review.
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WE JUST RETURNED FROM A PRINCESS ALASKA CRUISE
0:00 Introduction
1:00 Main Dining Room
2:50 Specialty Restaurants
5:00 North to Alaska Enrichment
6:00 Onboard Activities
7:17 Nighttime Entertainment
9:30 Outdoor Decks
11:08 Service
12:45 Staterooms
14:52 Casual Eats
16:40 Bars and Lounges
19:02 Glacier Viewing
19:47 Icy Strait Point
20:42 Juneau
21:34 Ketchikan
PRINCESS CRUISES TO ALASKA
Princess Cruises is routinely rated as one of the top cruise lines in Alaska. Several ships in the region offer various itineraries, so we wanted to see if the cruise line holds up to this reputation.
We first sailed with Princess Cruises back in 2021. As the first sailing back from the cruise restart, we were not impressed with the ship's food quality. Happily, the MDR menus and food quality had improved for this Princess Cruises review. We particularly liked the new Alaska offerings, like fresh salmon every night.
While they are an up-charge, the specialty restaurants on Princess Cruises Majestic Princess were also fantastic, especially considering they are a fraction of the cost of competitor offerings. Among them is the new seafood-centric restaurant, The Catch by Rudi. This venue was a perfect fit for our Alaska itinerary.
Although, Princess Cruises does lack a variety of casual eats. Heidi and I are fans of the International Café and the pizza. But, the buffet and other quick service options lack in comparison to other cruise lines like Holland America Line or Carnival Cruise Line.
The same is true when it comes to the bars and lounges. There is not much variety, with many of the venues offering the same menus. Plus, many lack theming. Our favorite go-to bars were the Good Spirits bar with its signature cocktails and the Crown Grill bar for some espresso martinis in the evenings.
The North to Alaska programming is another benefit of taking an Alaska cruise with Princess Cruises. Princess Cruises offers some of the best enrichment at sea, especially in Alaska. These talks are fun and informative, with guest speakers and resident naturalists.
Besides the enrichment though, we were disappointed in the onboard activities and entertainment for this Princess Alaska cruise review. The cruise line hosted events like trivia, game shows, and live music, along with signature productions in the main theater. While we enjoyed the shows in Princess Live, the theater entertainment does not live up to the likes of brands like Celebrity Cruises or Royal Caribbean.
While we can't speak for other Princess Cruises' ships, we can confirm that Majestic Princess offers plenty of outdoor space. There was ample space for glacier viewing and wildlife sightings, along with pools and whirlpools. So, don't forget to pack your bathing suit. Plus, the ship has an indoor solarium and a thermal suite to help you unwind after a long day ashore.
For this Princess Cruises review, we sailed on the Voyage of the Glaciers itinerary. This 7 night one-way trip left Whittier, Alaska bound for Vancouver, BC. Along the way, we stopped at the Hubbard Glacier and Glacier Bay National Park. The ship also spent a full day in Juneau and Ketchikan, as well as Icy Strait point. This itinerary and time spent in port were some of the biggest draws for us!
With more time in port, visits to Glacier Bay National Park, and the cruise line's extensive Alaska programming, we now realize how Princess Cruises has earned this reputation as best in Alaska. Just don't expect too much in terms of activities or nightly entertainment.
READ OUR PRINCESS CRUISES ALASKA CRUISE REVIEW ON THE BLOG:
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[@Eatsleepcruise1]

Have you cruised to Alaska? Do you think Princess Cruises is really the best in the region?

[@hobnobkitkat]

No, Holland America is :)

[@monabiehl6213]

I've gone Holland American, which was good. A friend of mine and I went to book an Alaska Cruise and the travel consultant decided we were going to go on Princess Cruises--we had no choice. I had a hard time convincing her we didn't want to take a cruise to Anchorage. Royal Princess is a beautiful ship, but our view was obstructed. We had an inside room, but we just slept there. When we are on the deck or in a lounge we expect to be able to see views, but in this case our view was obstructed. Most cruise ships are interested in selling you drinks and getting you to gamble and spend money instead of enjoying the scenery and the views. The best way to see Alaska is to go on one of the Alaska Ferries--the Alaska Marine Highway. You have to pay for your meals and rent a stateroom--maybe even get be waitlisted, but you can pitch a tent or sleep in a sleep bag on deck--the way to really see Alaska.

[@LRB9498]

This was so helpful! Planning an Alaska cruise for 2024 and was considering the Princess line because of its long history sailing in Alaska. Very helpful information about the food on the ship and details of the cabin size.

[@Eatsleepcruise1]

Glad it was helpful!

[@MomDocTravels]

As always- great review! We are sailing discovery princess in June and found your insight very helpful!

[@Eatsleepcruise1]

Glad it was helpful!

[@meadsummer6547]

I found this review to be extremely thorough and accurate, except that we had excellent weather throughout our 10-day cruise at the end of June 2023. We cruised roundtrip to Alaska on the Ruby Princess out of San Francisco (the trip that ended by hitting the pier in San Francisco, if you heard about that), which also included Glacier Bay. As Don mentions, the Alaska enrichment was a highlight. For glacier enthusiasts, I strongly recommend taking a helicopter out of Juneau to do a walk on the glacier. I stopped down to drink from one of the streams running through the glacier to see what real glacier water tastes like. We also did a tour of an oyster farm, which included a sampling of oysters. Our group was only four people, so it wound up being like a private tour. Cole, our New Zealand-based cruise director, was very personable and very visible. As Don said, the weak links in the trip were the buffet, which ranked between bad and terrible, and the evening entertainment -- although the show I had most looked forward to was cancelled due to one of the performers being injured.

[@Eatsleepcruise1]

Thanks for the review. Sounds like you had a great time. Happy cruising.

[@dowcollins4201]

We came back from 7 days round trip from Seattle the first week on June. It was our first time on Cruise and we were on Royal Princess! Royal Princess, she is a gorgeous ship and all the service are awesome! The ship was clean and buffet was good too. I will sail with Cruise again! We love Princess Live as well. It was fun and we laughed all night.

[@Eatsleepcruise1]

Glad you had a fun cruising. Happy sailing.

[@andrewerdei6274]

Great Review DB

[@Eatsleepcruise1]

Thank. Glad you enjoyed the review.

[@MrJAEllis]

We were on this cruise with you & had a great time. They do a fantastic job once you are on the ship.

[@Eatsleepcruise1]

Great to hear!

[@listenup3955]

Dope video!! Please do a Caribbean Princess review

[@harrywatt6452]

I cruised to Alaska in 2022 and had a wonderful time! I was aboard the Discovery Princess ship and the crew made me feel like I was the only person on board, and my room attendant was at the top of his game. I read that another person’s trip didn’t go as planned but that life, I always hope for the best and plan for the worst but in any case I always try and make the best of things! If anyone thinks that life will be perfect from birth to death they are delusional stuff happens, life happens, so deal with it and make the best of it. There’s a reason why Princess is the best in Alaska and that is because of there high standards, and also because of there Medallion Class. If you want to cruise to Alaska go Princess cruise line. Harry.

[@derekbrown6832]

Hi, from the UK. I'm a little late to the party, ha. Did my Alaska cruise on Golden Princess, way back in sept 2012, round trip, Seattle, inc Glacier Bay. Had a fantastic time, a real bucket list trip for me. Did the helicopter onto glacier, in Skagway, Seaplane over the Misty Fjords, in Ketchikan, White Pass Senic Railroad, whale watching, and Mendenhall Glacier, out of Juneau. Couldn't fault it, even had good weather for mid september. I would go back in a hearbeat, if i could afford it again, ha.

[@wendingourway]

Wonderful! Hopefully one day I too will be on an Alaska cruise. Bruce and Otis

[@Eatsleepcruise1]

We hope so too. Alaska is an amazing place to visit. Happy cruising.

[@leondaniels4033]

We enjoyed your presentation which allowed us to realize we would not be taking a Princess because of the need to pay for many items food items. We much prefer Viking Ocean Cruises because food items have no out of pocket coast and beer and wine are also free at lunch and dinner. The assumption by many is that Viking Ocean Cruise are very expenses but they are so worth the cost.

[@TruckingWifeTruckingLife]

You guys are my absolute favorite vloggers! Would you recommend Princess or HAL for Alaska? We especially love your food reviews!!

[@bluhammer06]

We just got back from the same Princess ship cruise, but we went all the way up to Skagway, all of our favorite port of call. Our inside passage cruise had great weather nearly all 7 days the end of May 2024. Our experience was mostly the same as yours including a very great upscale dining experience at the Catch restaurant. This being our first ever cruise we definitely recommend it. My only wish is that the ship got closer to the glaciers in Glacier Bay.

[@Vanessa2775]

I’m going in June from Vancouver to Alaska by princess cruises. Looking forward to see. It’s will be my first time seeing Vancouver and Alaska from Toronto. Please share your tips what to take and clothes. It is really cold in Alaska when we reach there?

[@scottlenyo8579]

We were on the Crown Princess last year from Seattle, the inside passage. We were actually pretty disappointed in the food on Princess. This was our first time on Princess. We have previously cruised with Holland America and Carnival. We found the MDR to be better on both Holland America and Carnival versus Princesses , the buffet on Princess was also not that great. However the worst part about the cruise was that technology, the Princess app was a source of major frustration for a lot of the people on my cruise. It was a standard topic of conversation of how bad the app was. To Princesses credit, the enrichment lectures given on that cruise were some of the best we have ever see.

[@Eatsleepcruise1]

Thanks for your feedback. We feel the MDR has gotten better on Princess, but agree HAL is better. Happy cruising.

[@ballsstrikespythons7579]

We sailed on Discovery Princess to Alaska last week of June 2023 and it was AMAZING! You easily could've been reviewing our own experiences with the exception of our shore excursion on Ketchikan (UTV off-road adventure) which was the BEST excursion we did in Alaska. I completely agree that Princess is SERIOUSLY lacking in the entertainment area as far as shows are concerned. VERY mediocre review shows at best. Our dining experience on Discovery was a 10 out of 10 with the 360 experience and the Crown Grill be head and shoulders above any other venues on any other cruise line we have been on so far. Alfredos(Gigi's) pizza is fantastic as well. Great video! We absolutely LOVED Alaska and will definitely return there and will sail with Princess again

[@Eatsleepcruise1]

Thanks for your review. Glad you had an amazing Alaska cruise. Happy cruising.

[@pattisdelle7630]

Kindly please share details (company, costs, times, etc.) for your UTV off-road adventure in Ketchikan. Thank you in advance.

[@ballsstrikespythons7579]

@@pattisdelle7630 the excursion was booked through Princess and was called UTV and Crab Feast/Beer Tasting (or something like that)

[@pattisdelle7630]

@@ballsstrikespythons7579 found it. thank you!

[@CA09]

Im going in july really really exited

[@Eatsleepcruise1]

Have a great trip; which ship?

[@CA09]

Not totally sure but just pumped my first cruise. We also get to ride a 9 hour train before the cruise

[@sonicdash1358]

I was on this cruise I saw you guys

[@Eatsleepcruise1]

Very cool. Perhaps we will run into you on another cruise!

[@dennisclark8766]

Go back in forty years and I think you two will enjoy it much more. Princess is a cruise for Old People, 60 and up.

[@dr.cheryls.vanatti8367]

Been watching your awesome cruise videos for a long time and am finally ready to book an Alaskan cruise (balcony & Glacier Bay being my "musts"). I too like big, new ships (live in Florida with the biggest ones), but I want to Alaska cruise tight up next to the shore as much as possible. The bigger ships don't show the 'tight to the shore' itineraries the smaller ships show. For Princess, I see Grand and Sapphire for 2024. Do you have any added insight about these ships vs. Majestic/Discovery? Thanks in advance!

[@Eatsleepcruise1]

Thanks for the kind words. We are glad the videos have been helpful. We haven’t sailed on smaller Princess ships so tough to compare. We would assume the food quality would be about the same. Likewise the entertainment and North to Alaska programs. So, it would probably come down to itineraries. If you prefer big ships Discovery is the newest ship in the fleet so we would lean there over majestic.

[@jaywoods378]

Princess is a nice line.

[@robertk4552]

We will be trying our first Princess cruise in June 2024 for 14 days in Alaska on the Royal Princess. Premier Package. We have booked the balcony breakfast and dinner as a treat. Reviews seem to be mixed so looking forward to forming our own opinions on the experience.

[@harrywatt6452]

I’ve been on Princess cruises to Alaska and I personally would not recommend any other cruise line but Princess cruises. You will be having the time of your life. Harry.

[@eddiehardin33]

Just finished our 3rd Alaska trip (2 cruises and 1 cruisetour) used Princess and Holland twice and we prefer Holland

[@mahmudxalilov4795]

How much does it cost overall?

[@DexNeptune-fg2uf]

What were the live bands like? Were they playing danceable music?

[@pattisdelle7630]

Please elaborate/provide details (ie. company, costs, times, etc.) on the "dog sled mushing" excursion. Thank you in advance 😃

[@Eatsleepcruise1]

We booked it through the cruise line. It was through Temsco temscoair.com/dog-sledding-on-the-mendenhall-glacier/

[@MilkyGamesOfficial]

Ayo crazy I was on that one a few weeks ago bruv

[@Eatsleepcruise1]

Hope you enjoyed the cruise!

[@Jjhornet]

Very informative video thanks. Been watching Alaska cruise video definitely going in 2024,our first cruise was this year on Norwegian Escapes to Caribbean great ship and crew but food was very disappointing and we are not picky eaters. Can’t decide between NCL and Princess any input would be appreciated. Thanks

[@Eatsleepcruise1]

For Alaska , Princess does a great job. They also have better itineraries and preferred docking in most ports. Look for an itinerary that goes to Glacier Bay National park. We actually think the food is better on NCL. So, depends what you are looking for on the cruise. Hope that helps.

[@Jjhornet]

@@Eatsleepcruise1 ok thanks, we’ll check it out

[@michaelbegley8388]

When we cruised Princess to Alaska about ten years ago, they were excellent. In 2022 it was another story altogether. Itinerary changes due to “propulsion problems”. Service was poor to fair - they were obviously understaffed. Food was mediocre. The entertainment was not entertaining. The cruise was so bad the whole cruise gave us a 50 percent future cruise credit, only good for 2023; since we plan cruises over a year in advance it did us no good. It will take me a while to go back to Princess, despite Platinum level loyalty.

[@Eatsleepcruise1]

Sorry to hear that. We still Princess does an amazing job in Alaska !

[@wanderdutts4584]

Is the indoor pool area heated, so can walk around with a t-shirt on and shorts. I have done a few Celebrity and they are heated so it is nice even in poor weather.

[@jaywoods378]

Princess AND Holland America.

[@dianephelon6981]

I have never been on a princess cruise. It does look very nice. However I have to say that your balcony cabin, which I believe you said was a premiere cabin or something similar to that description, doesn't look any bigger than a regular veranda cabin on Holland America. Can you comment on that? Thanks

[@hobnobkitkat]

I was thinking exactly the same thing, except the balcony is a little bigger)

[@Eatsleepcruise1]

The room we had was deluxe premiere and it was bigger than the typical room in Princess and the balcony was a lot bigger, much longer than the typical balconies on Princess ships. Hope this helps.

[@imalltheway]

I’m planing for an Alaska crisis with family (including a 8 yr old) and initially set my mind for Norwegian, but my cousin and family just came back from majestic princess to Alaska and highly recommend it. So now I am torn between the two cruise lines. Do you have any experience in comparing them?

[@lh8372]

Never did an Alaska cruise but have looked into it pretty well for a future cruise. We have sailed NCL twice now and enjoyed them. For having kids going to Alaska, I would look into a ship with an indoor pool and/or heated pool! The two best lines for Alaska are Holland & Princess with NCL being third due to access to Glacier Bay. Those three lines have best access! Princess & Holland are more for older people and adults without kids, whereas NCL is probably best for kids out of the three. There are families with kids on Princess & Holland but not as many like NCL. I’m pretty sure most Princess & NCL pools are heated.

[@Eatsleepcruise1]

We sailed Norwegian Encore in Alaska this year as well as Princess. You can find out Encore review here on KZbin. Princess does a better job with Alaska programming, and they have better docking spots and stays in port. NCL ships are more fun and has better food. Depends what you are looking for in the trip.

[@imalltheway]

@@Eatsleepcruise1 thanks for the tip and quick response! Let me look for your other video.

[@LRB9498]

A lot of cruise blogs say NCL is really good for families. They have a go-cart, arcades, laser tag and lots of entertainment for kids

[@bhavyashah8847]

Do they serve Jain Food? Vegetarian food without roots like onion, carrot, garlic, potatoes etc.

[@lindahughes6318]

What cruise line is recommended for first time cruiser and destination Alaska?? Round trip or one way? Seattle or Vancouver??Should I use a travel agent?

[@Eatsleepcruise1]

Lots of great questions. For first timers we would suggest a round trip Seattle that visits glacier bay national park. Princess does a great job, but the ships are a tad boring and food is good, not great. other cruise lines that visit glacier bay include Norwegian Cruise Line and Holland America Line. If you are an experienced traveler one way cruises let you see more, but then you have to deal with flying from different ports. Hope that helps.

[@lindahughes6318]

@@Eatsleepcruise1 thank you so much! Do u think I need a travel agent or just book myself??

[@tcbtcb]

I have to agree. Well seasoned traveler but first cruse for me. Don’t think I could waste 2 hours for dinner. I would have FOMO. People have different wants in a cruise. Personally to me it’s just a means to travel from port to port. I’m the first person off the ship and last on….lol

[@BCPOMY]

We were on Crown Princess last summer, i think it is a beautiful but boring ship, and many people were coughing the last 5 days (including me and my son), when we back home and find out it's Covid. 😕

[@ssd1453]

Hi would you recommend this cruise for a 5 year old? Thanks

[@Eatsleepcruise1]

We love Alaska and think it is great for families. It really depends on what your child likes to do. We would lean toward NCL or RCI if you have little kids. But make sure you get an itinerary with Glacier Bay that is a must.

[@zoioilazoi]

All dinning included or add on

[@Eatsleepcruise1]

The main dining room, buffet, pool deck grill and International Cafe is included. All other dining is an up charge. What ship were you thinking of going on?

[@woodsofthewoods]

The main restaurant looks very plain.

[@Werewolf0216]

"On a lunch break" sounds like an excuse they always give for the artist not really being there -- I heard another review say the same thing. Shouldn't even say that's part of it.

[@Eatsleepcruise1]

lol. Yes. Nothing the cruise line could do about it, but the tour was just so-so.

[@GamerNxUSN]

Well it's not polite to say "He had to go the can with spmethin' fierce!"

[@kittyone600]

Which princess ship? Not so helpful to stay at high level

[@marielang9552]

I found the Alaska princess cruise majestic was nothing but a tourist trap. The food is OK. The service was terrible.

[@stevesafety6743]

Nope it’s Uncruise.

[@weixp386]

Look outdated

[@dickpet]

WHAT IS THE NAME OF THIS PRINCESS SHIP.....??? OOPPS YOUY NEVER MENTIONED IT!

[@Eatsleepcruise1]

Majestic Princess. Thanks for watching.