Thursday, September 19, 2019

5 Weeks of Cruising Alaska on the Royal Princess: Trip Wrap-Up

5 weeks cruising Alaska on the Royal Princess cruise ship

Today I'm sharing the summary of the five weeks I spent this summer cruising the Royal Princess in Alaska. I made a video of the wrap-up right here:


I started writing a blog post for those who prefer reading about it, but I realized it was going to be A LOT of text with no visuals. So to get the complete picture (literally!) of the experience, a video it will have to be.

I do have some links of things mentioned in the video.:

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Cruise Port Presentations by Vickie Bowne

If you are a cruiser and haven't checked out vickieandbernietravel.blogspot.com, you need to! Vickie blogs all about Princess Cruises but also has a TON of port information for cruisers. She was also the South America destination expert for the Royal Princess, will be a Port Lecturer for a South American sailing on the Celebrity Eclipse, and then a Port Lecturer on a Mediterranean sailing on the Island Princess. She is a busy lady! 

Vickie has also started adding her ship lectures to her blog and YouTube. Check them out!


Thanks for sharing your talents with the world, Vickie!

Sunday, September 8, 2019

How to Get to the Promenade Deck on the Royal Princess

If you're considering a cruise on the Royal Princess but are concerned there is no Promenade Deck, don't worry. There is! You'll find six doors leading to outside seating. But those doors are a bit hidden. Take a look at my video where I'll show you how to find those somewhat-secret doors!


If you want to know anything else about the Royal Princess or have any questions about cruising or Princess Cruises, just ask. 

How to Get from Anchorage, Alaska to the Whittier, Alaska Cruise Port


Looking for your transportation options when cruising Alaska with Princess Cruises? If you are doing a northbound or southbound Alaskan cruise with Princess, take a look at this video of how to get to and from the Whittier, Alaska cruise port.

Saturday, September 7, 2019

Handicap Accessible Balcony Cruise Ship Cabin on the Royal Princess

Handicapped accessible balcony cabin on Princess Cruises Royal Princess cruise ship

We recently stayed in a handicap accessible balcony cabin on the Royal Princess. For those wanting to know what these cabins look like, I've got plenty of photos for you. This particular cabin is A303 on the starboard side of the ship and is designated as a BB cabin. We've also stayed in A302 on the port side and the cabin set up is exactly the same. These cabins can accommodate up to four passengers with upper berths. The bunk beds are fully recessed into the ceiling and cause no obstruction at all.

I've added a couple notes about some of the features of the cabin with corresponding pictures.
Handicapped accessible balcony cabin on Princess Cruises Royal Princess cruise ship
Handicapped accessible balcony cabin bed on Princess Cruises Royal Princess cruise ship
Handicapped accessible balcony cabin on Princess Cruises Royal Princess cruise ship
 Both sides of the bed have double drawers so there is plenty of storage within reach.
Handicapped accessible balcony cabin nightstand on Princess Cruises Royal Princess cruise ship
 Two chairs and a table are in the cabin but can be moved out of the way, if needed.
Handicapped accessible balcony cabin desk area on Princess Cruises Royal Princess cruise ship
Handicapped accessible balcony cabin closet space on Princess Cruises Royal Princess cruise ship
There is a nice sized enclosed closet. In one of our cabins we found the ladder to the bunk bed in the closet. The ladder kept falling towards our clothes quite often. In our other cabin, the steward had removed the ladder so it didn't get in our way.
Handicapped accessible balcony cabin storage closets on Princess Cruises Royal Princess cruise ship
Next to the enclosed closet is a cabinet with shelves and the safe. As we had plenty of drawer storage easily accessible next to the bed we found we rarely used these shelves.
Handicapped accessible balcony cabin shelving on Princess Cruises Royal Princess cruise ship
  Just like with all Princess cabins, the small refrigerator was within a cabinet.
Handicapped accessible balcony cabin refrigerator on Princess Cruises Royal Princess cruise ship
The bathroom was spacious and having plenty of grab bars was a big plus.
Handicapped accessible balcony cabin bathroom on Princess Cruises Royal Princess cruise ship
The sink was a bit smaller than what we've come to expect on the Royal Princess and the storage space wasn't ideal as the shelves were high and smaller.
Handicapped accessible balcony cabin bathroom sink on Princess Cruises Royal Princess cruise ship
The bar separating the toilet from the shower could be lowered and raised as needed.
Handicapped accessible balcony cabin toilet on Princess Cruises Royal Princess cruise ship
The shower had a bench that could be raised or lowered as well. 
Handicapped accessible balcony cabin shower on Princess Cruises Royal Princess cruise ship
Handicapped accessible balcony cabin shower bench on Princess Cruises Royal Princess cruise ship
Even the shower head height was adjustable.
Handicapped accessible balcony cabin shower head on Princess Cruises Royal Princess cruise ship
The back of the bathroom door had a grab bar and there were knobs for hanging clothes at two different heights.
Handicapped accessible balcony cabin bathroom door on Princess Cruises Royal Princess cruise ship
As this was a balcony cabin they had made adjustments to make it accessible.
Handicapped accessible balcony cabin's balcony on Princess Cruises Royal Princess cruise ship
 First, the carpeted area just inside the cabin had a gradual slope to it.
 With a ramp to the balcony.
Handicapped accessible balcony cabin balcony ramp on Princess Cruises Royal Princess cruise ship
The ramp is only down when the door is completely opened. There is a piece at the bottom of the balcony door that, when closed, moves the ramp up.
Handicapped accessible balcony cabin balcony door on Princess Cruises Royal Princess cruise ship
 When the balcony door is completely closed, the ramp's edge is folded up against the door.
While narrow like the other balconies on Royal Class ships, the balcony for this accessible BB cabin is longer than most.
Handicapped accessible balcony cabin's balcony on Princess Cruises Royal Princess cruise ship
The railing has a second railing attached to it. This closer railing was narrower and made it much easier to grab when trying to get up out of the balcony chairs.
The balcony is completely covered but you can see the Skywalk and the Bridge from the edge.
We were happy with the accommodations this cabin provided. Remember, if you are booking an accessible cabin with Princess you will be required to fill out paperwork to show your need for such a cabin.

Because of hubby's cerebral palsy and difficulty with mobility and the steps into the bathroom and shower in the standard cabins, we probably could have been requesting accessible cabins for all our past cruises. We never once have, wanting to leave them for someone who needs them more than he does. Even these accessible cabins in the photos were not requested by us. (We booked guarantee cabins at the very last minute and these were the cabins we were assigned to us.) However, for the first time ever we have asked for an accessible cabin for an upcoming mini suite booking. (As an FYI on minisuites - they have a tub/shower combo. As hubby's unable to climb over a tub to get into a shower, an accessible cabin was our only option.) I will be posting photos of that cabin next month.

Handicapped accessible balcony cabin on Princess Cruises Royal Princess cruise ship