Disembarking the Royal Princess in Vancouver

We were surprised last night at the number of passengers we talked to who just couldn't wait to get off the ship. (Or, as some called it, the "boat".) Unfortunately in many cases it was first time cruisers making those comments. I know cruising isn't for everyone, and this ship isn't for everyone, but it's unfortunate so many felt this cruise didn't meet their expectations. 

There were several things we heard. They:

• couldn't find anything because the ship was too big.
• didn't get the amazing Alaskan seafood onboard they were expecting.
• thought the excursions were too expensive.
• didn't see whales jumping all around the ship like they thought they would.
• didn't see bears or moose.
• found they pools weren't warm enough to swim in.
• felt the land tours were too rushed.
• thought the lines were too long to get on and off the ship.
• were hurried from the train to the ship in Whittier.
• said the seas were too rough. 
• couldn't find food 24 hours a day.

Some of the concerns were valid ones, but with some of the others a little research could have gone a long way.

Is Alaska amazing? Absolutely! 

Is cruising amazing? Absolutely! 

Will you be able to see and do everything you wanted - and everything you heard about - in just one week's time? Absolutely not! 

If you're planning on a cruise to Alaska, keep those expectations in check. And talk to people who have been again and again and again and again. Trust the experienced Alaskan cruisers, not the one or two time Caribbean cruisers. Not that those who cruise elsewhere aren't full of useful knowledge, but Alaska is just a different beast - and that's what makes it unique. For us, uniqueness is good (at least when in comes to Alaska). For others it isn't.

Lucky for us today that the disembarkation schedule was pretty generous with time. We didn't have to be off the ship until 11:20 am. Gave us time to get through the super-fast Canadian customs...

We had a new question this year on the Canadian customs form.

Gave us a much appreciate couple of extra hours to enjoy the ship. Then we had plenty of time to stand in that 45 minute taxi line...

and plenty of time to have one last drink once at the Seattle airport before our last flight home.

Thanks for joining me as we cruised these two weeks on the Royal. Like I said yesterday, I have lots more cruising content coming up, including some more cruises. For those not familiar with my blogging schedule when I'm home, it goes like this:

*Tutorial Tuesdays are the days I post the sewing, crafting, and food tutorials.

*The Friday 15s are my downsizing days. For the past year and a half I've been donating or discarding at least 15 items every Friday and I'm still finding stuff to send out the door.

*Cruise Ship Saturdays are when you'll find all my cruising related posts, well, posted.

*Sewing for Good Sundays are when I share the projects I'm working on for charity.

If you have any interest in any of those things, feel free to stop by and check them out. Otherwise, I hope to see you on a ship soon.

D

If you want to take a look at the disembarkation times from today you can find them here. You can also find the Patters from the full two cruises there as well.