Post-cruise reflections
All in all, the trip was exactly what I thought it would be, exactly what I bargained for, and thus entirely satisfactory and rewarding. Given the right destination and a future opportunity, I would opt to take a cruise again (and as I mentioned, my friend D and I have even put down [refundable] deposits on a future cruise to Scandinavia and Russia with a target date of 2012 -- though of course a lot can happen between now and then to alter that).
Heretofore I've always been a bit snotty about cruises: I considered them a low-brow, middle-America, bourgeois mode of travel, meant for The Masses rather than lovers of "real" travel and of other cultures. Uh, well, yeah, they can be that, all right. In fact, as near as I can tell, that's what the Princess cruise line excels at: i.e., putting shipboard travel financially and logistically within the reach of middle-class America. For those with more money and a greater range of options, there are Crystal, Cunard, and the smaller ships belonging to luxury travel companies -- for the rest of us, there are the Princesses of the world.
And who, exactly, do I think I am, anyway? I am a bourgeois middle-class American with an unexotic income, and so, ultimately, I quite enjoyed the cruise. Yes, D and I were a bit younger than the average folks who cruise to Alaska on Princess (we're in our late 40s; the average age is 50-65 according to Princess -- though most folks seemed a little older than that), and yet we both found it to be a pretty pleasurable, relaxing experience. I might shoot for a different cruise line next time, if I can afford it, simply to experience a different option, but on the other hand, I might not: Princess does what it does quite well, it fills its niche and meets the expectations of its market appropriately and so -- good for them! There's no use or point in being a snob about it or about cruising generally -- as I freely admit I have been in the past.
In no particular oder, I note that:
- The physical space of the ship itself (in terms of both design and decor) was significantly more pleasing than I'd anticipated: the public rooms were attractive, I never had a sense of crowding or even of the presence of nearly 2,000 other passengers, and as for our own stateroom (i.e., a mini-suite with a small sitting area and a private veranda), it was great and definitely the right choice for a scenic sailing.
- The food was plentiful, albeit uneven in quality (sometimes excellent, sometimes not so good). What I liked best, frankly, were the club sandwiches we'd order through room service and have delivered to our stateroom at 1 a.m. They were delicious!
- The onboard service and the staff were generally very pleasant and accommodating all round.
- The day spa was enjoyable (don't even ask what treatments I opted for -- I was totally self-indulgent). And pricey. But I knew they would be and I'd planned accordingly.
- The ease and convenience of "cashless cruising" (identical in principle to cashless gambling) makes it ever so easy to part with one's money during the cruise itself! They take your credit card information prior to embarkation, issue you a credit-card sized identity card that doubles as your room key during the voyage, and all you have to do is present that when you buy something on board. Ka-ching! I wrote everything down as I bought it so that I could avoid being nastily surprised by my total at the end of the trip -- but I bet a lot of folks end up with bills that are way higher than they'd planned on!
- The embarkation and disembarkation processes in ports were remarkably efficient. Wow.
My one real complaint is that the coffee was absolutely execrable. Foul. Impossible. Weak. Flavorless. And yes, I feel very provincial for being so dependent upon my beverage of choice and my conviction that there's only one way to drink it (i.e., strong), but there you have it. If I were do opt for a cruise on Princess again, I'd pack my own coffee maker at the very least, and possibly my own espresso machine. Okay, I know -- get over it. And I did -- once we'd disembarked in Vancouver and were back in the land of reasonable caffeine options.
(The best espresso beverage I had while in Vancouver was at the Granville Island Public Market, and the most psycho thing I saw on one of the main streets in Vancouver itself was two Starbucks opposite each other at the same intersection. Huh??? Starbucks has taken over, although Blenz seemed like a competitor, and there are still quite a few independent coffee houses as well.)
I haven't officially weighed in since my return -- that happens tomorrow morning -- but it looks as if I gained 5 pounds on this trip. That doesn't make me happy, but it doesn't surprise me, either. Those pounds are coming off in the next couple of weeks, that's all I have to say!
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