Cruising the Celebrity Millennium across the Bering Sea to Japan

In 2014 my family went on the Celebrity Millennium sailing from Yokohama to Vancouver (read about it here). This year we decided to go back to Japan by taking the Celebrity Millennium again but doing the reverse route (from Vancouver to Yokohama).
I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of food and the re-introduction of arts and crafts activities as part of the Celebrity Life activities. There were only four ports on this 15 night cruise but the many sea days were easily passed with participation in different lectures, fitness classes, Celebrity Life activities and enjoying the food on-board the ship.
The ports were Dutch Harbor (Alaska), Otaru, Hakodate and Tokyo with the cruise docking in Yokohama on the last day.

Sailing away from Vancouver

Dutch Harbor, Alaska
This town of about 4000 people did their best to provide cruise ship passengers (and crew) with the best possible experience in their small town.
Complimentary school buses were provided to shuttle passengers to/from the port to the Safeway parking lot. The Safeway is located within a so-called downtown area with the Grand Aleutian Hotel, shops and museums within walking distance. The school bus takes approximately 10 minutes to shuttle between the port and Safeway, but you could also walk along the shoulder of the road for 45 minutes if you didn't feel like waiting for the school bus.
The landscape and scenery reminded me of New Zealand and the Maritime provinces of Canada, it was really quite beautiful!

Photo taken on our walk back to the ship

Otaru, Japan
The ship docked at Katsunai Wharf. An information booth manned with volunteers and helpful maps provided assistance to those with questions. A few souvenir booths and a free WiFi area were set up right outside the ship as well.
Using the map we got at the information booth it took us about 15 minutes of walking from the port to get to the Sakaimachidori Shopping Street. There were plenty of souvenir shops, restaurants and also the Music Box Museum situated on this popular street. We spent hours going inside the different shops selling specialty Hokaido snacks (like dried squid and confectionary like biscuits or ice-cream). There were so many samples provided inside these shops that I can honestly say Otaru is the city to go to if you want to sample the food before making a purchase.
We went inside the Music Box Museum (free admission) which was 3 levels high. There were hundreds of varieties of music boxes ranging in style from stuffed animals to plastic sushi that you could buy. 
A 5 minute walk from the end of Sakaimachidori Street is Otaru Canal; it is Otaru's most visited tourist destination and also a very popular photo spot. We went up the "lighthouse-style" building on Denuki-koji where we were able to get a good birds' eye view of Otaru Canal from the platform balcony.

View of the canal from the "lighthouse-style" building

 

Photo of the canal from the street

Hakodate, Japan
The ship docked at Minato-cho Wharf and complimentary shuttles were provided to/from the downtown area. It takes approximately 20 minutes to get from the pier to JR Hakodate Station.
We explored the Motomachi/Ekimae area just like we did two years ago when the Celebrity Millennium docked in Hakodate. This included the Hakodate Morning Market, the Kanemori Red Brick Warehouse, Hachiman-zaka slope and Motomachi Park. All the places we visited are walk-able from the shuttle drop-off location at JR Hakodate Station.

Top of the Hachiman-zaka slope

Tokyo, Japan
The ship docked at Oi Pier and complimentary shuttles were provided to/from Shinagawa Metro Station. Shuttles would depart every 15 minutes and the ride was about 10 minutes long.
From Shinagawa Metro Station we took a train to Asakusa Station. We walked to Kamimarimon Gate, explored the sights/sounds of Nakamise Dori and saw Sensoji Temple. On Nakamise Dori we bought a mixed fruit flavoured shaved ice and it was the softest/flakiest shaved ice I had ever eaten (very delicious!).
When we were done exploring Asakusa we took the train to Odaiba (an artificial, man-made island in Tokyo). We took pictures of the Rainbow Bridge from the wooden deck in front of Aquacity Odaiba and Decks. We also took pictures of the imitation Statue of Liberty. 

The imitation Statue of Liberty (foreground) and Rainbow Bridge (background)

We ate lunch at the Ramen Food Theme Park on the 5th floor of Aquacity Odaiba. After lunch, we discovered a Mexican festival happening just outside the mall. I was able to experience my first live Lucha Libre wrestling match which was very funny and entertaining.

Who would have thought my first Lucha Libre experience would be in Japan?

We finished off our day by visiting the Fuji TV Building (the headquarters of Fuji Television). They had a souvenir shop filled with items from popular shows in Japan, among other attractions like a restaurant and more.


Disembarking the ship
After disembarking the ship we had planned a 5 night stay in Kyoto where we would explore the surrounding cities of Osaka and Nara as well (read about it here). 

Appreciation for Glaciers, Fjords and more in Alaska

The more I go back to Alaska the greater my appreciation grows for the natural beauty of this state. Seeing how much the glaciers retreat year by year I now realize just how special it is to be able to experience Alaska's glaciers and fjords.

Having done a few different Alaska cruise itineraries (i.e. roundtrip out of Seattle, roundtrip out of San Francisco), my favourite would have to be the one I experienced most recently from Vancouver to Whittier on the Coral Princess. 

It was my first time in Whittier and although it is a small town it is also very picturesque.

One of the first views I had of Whittier

Gorgeous day in Whittier to sit and stare at the scenery

Tip: Not too far from the port in Whittier is a waterfall you can walk to. Make a left upon exiting the port and walk until you see the area where all the shops and restaurants are located.

You will see a sign like this...

...and a sign like this

Walk through the pedestrian tunnel to downtown Whittier.

The tunnel

You will be at the corner of Whittier Street and Glacier Avenue upon exiting the tunnel

Walk in the direction of the mountains to be greeted by the sight and sounds of waterfalls and gushing rivers.

Bottom of a waterfall

Amazing place to take a photo

I had the wonderful opportunity to go on five excursions during my time aboard the Coral Princess and I was able to experience a couple of "firsts" which was exciting!

Ketchikan

• Wilderness Cruise & Silverking Lodge Seafood Feast
• Rainforest Wildlife Sanctuary Walk & Crab Feast (I did this tour last year and the Dungeness crab is so amazing I had to do it again this year; on the Sanctuary Walk it was my first time seeing black bears up close catching salmon from the river)

Juneau

• Town Tour, Tram & Timberline Trek
• Mendenhall Glacier, Salmon Hatchery & Salmon Bake (my first time seeing salmon spawn)

Skagway

• Horseback Riding Adventure (my first time horseback riding!)

Photo stop on our way back to the ship from our Horseback Riding Adventure

Awestruck in Alaska

After spending 11 weeks last summer cruising Southeast Alaska I spent 10 weeks this summer aboard the Ruby Princess doing the same itinerary (with the minor change of cruising through Tracy Arm Fjord instead of Glacier Bay National Park).

I wanted to make the most of my second summer in Alaska in a row so I made a commitment to try new things, explore more, and to go on new adventures this time around.


Ketchikan
I found out about The Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show from a coworker last summer. Since I didn't get a chance to go to the show last summer I made up for it by going two times this year. It was entertaining to watch and you can even take a group photo with the lumberjacks after the show.

Lumberjacks in action

Ketchikan is one of my favourite ports when it comes to shore excursions. The two excursions I did at this port this summer did not disappoint!

Rainforest Wildlife Sanctuary Walk & Crab Feast
Besides walking through the Alaska Rainforest Sanctuary we also got to see bald eagles and owls at the Alaska Raptor Center and reindeers at the Alaska Wilderness Reindeer Pen. As educational as the walk through the rainforest with the tour guide was I would be lying if I didn't say how much I was looking forward to the crab feast at George Inlet Lodge.
The first drink is on the house so I got the raspberry iced tea. They start you off with a salad and then you can dive right into the all-you-can-eat Dungeness crab. It was some seriously delicious crab! The best crab I have ever eaten, without a doubt. We finished off the meal with a slice of cheesecake for dessert.

Reindeer!

Discovery Exclusive: Alaska Wilderness Survival
As I have mentioned in this blog before I am a big fan of the reality TV show Survivor. Princess Cruises recently partnered with Discovery and Animal Planet and with that collaboration came new excursions this summer. When I saw the title of this excursion I knew I had to do it.
We started the tour by taking a catamaran to a secluded island called Blank Island. On the way there we spotted bald eagles and seals. Aside from our tour guide/wilderness skills instructor there were only five of us on this tour which made the experience feel more authentic. We learned the 7 survival skills (recognition, inventory, shelter, water, food, playfulness, signalling) and how to use them while walking around Blank Island. Our shelter making skills were put to the test after learning how to choose a good location and materials for a shelter. My favourite part of the tour was the fire-making "challenge". We were each given a pan, a piece of cotton, some petroleum jelly in the form of lip balm, flint and a pocket knife. It took a while but eventually I was able to start a fire on my own - necessary life skill accomplished! We all enjoyed some campfire snacks and refreshments after making fire. On the catamaran ride back to downtown Ketchikan we were given a 6-in-1 survival whistle as a souvenir.


Tracy Arm Fjord
I got up bright and early at 5:30am to go on the crew deck to observe the ship sailing through Tracy Arm Fjord. It was chilly but so worth it to see the natural Alaskan beauty.

Natural beauty of Tracy Arm Fjord

Juneau
A classic tourist thing to do in Juneau is to take the tram up Mount Roberts. For some reason I never went on the tram last summer so I told myself this was the year to go. That was until my coworker mentioned she was going to hike up the Mount Roberts Trail (5 km) then take the tram back down. It took us about 2.5 hours to hike up to the top but it was adventurous and I was all about that this summer.

View at the end of our hike up Mount Roberts

Another classic tourist attraction in Juneau is the Mendenhall Glacier. Once again, I didn't get an opportunity to see it last summer so I made sure I saw it this summer.

Mendenhall Glacier Explorer

I went on the Mendenhall Glacier Explorer excursion which provided a narrated shuttle bus ride to Mendenhall Glacier from the pier. There is a short walk from where the bus drops you off until you can get close to the glacier and massive waterfall. Surprisingly, my favourite part of this tour was seeing a giant iceberg floating in the water.

A massive waterfall to the right of Mendenhall Glacier

Skagway
This summer I went on my favourite Alaskan shore excursion of all time: Ocean Raft Adventure.

Ocean Raft Adventure
Before we could board the boat we had to put on a protective suit to keep us warm and dry. While walking towards the boat after donning the protective suit I felt like an astronaut walking towards a spacecraft. The boat was a motorized raft and rides much like a jet-ski able to do quick turns. If there is one thing I love it is being a speed demon in the water. Whenever the captain cranked the speed on the boat or did donuts in the water I was overjoyed!
The weather was nice and sunny which just made the breathtaking scenery even more awe-inspiring. The boat traveled along Lynn Canal which is the longest and deepest fjord in North America and we were able to see the gorgeous Chilkat mountains in the distance. No Alaskan adventure is complete without spotting bald eagles and harbour seals and this excursion was no exception. As if the sights weren't impressive enough the captain maneuvered the boat close enough to a waterfall for us to feel the mist splashing on our face.

Chilkat mountains in the distance. Pictures don't do it justice.

Tip: Since Skagway is such a tiny town if you aren't doing an excursion or if you have been to Skagway before you might be at a lost as to what to do. Besides going on a hike (which I did last summer) I asked my coworker for some suggestions and was able to find two new things to do. One was to see the Days of '98 Show which is a musical about the history of Skagway. The other was to go to the waterfalls.

The waterfalls called Lower Reid Falls is worth the 1 hour walk from the pier to see. You will have to walk along State street or Main Street in the direction towards Gold Rush Cemetery, walk through the cemetery and up a short trail to reach the waterfalls.

Lower Reid Falls

Victoria, BC
I was fortunate enough to go on two excursions in Victoria this summer.

Olive the Senses Tasting & City Highlights Tour
The city highlights tour on this excursion was the best one I have been on in Victoria. I went on two city highlights tour in Victoria last summer but this one was more extensive and informative. At Olive the Senses Gourmet Foods we were able to sample a variety of olive oils and balsamic vinegars. I'm not a big fan of olive oil or balsamic vinegar but the liquid nitrogen olive oil ice cream with aged balsamic vinegar "caviar" pearls was so good! They said to help yourself to as many ice cream samples as you would like so I had three. Yes, they were that good. At the end of the tour the guide surprised everyone by giving out a bottle of balsamic vinegar to every passenger as a parting gift.

Enchanting Butchart Gardens
As a born and raised British Columbian I have never been to the famous Butchart Gardens in Victoria. After the excursion I went on this summer I can finally say I have been to Butchart Gardens! Since we were there on a Saturday evening we were also able to watch the fireworks display which was top-notch.

The dock in Victoria 

On the days I didn't get an excursion in Victoria I would head downtown. Downtown Victoria is always nice to go to for the scenery, shopping and food. It's about a 45 minute walk from the pier to downtown where the Parliament Building and Empress Hotel are located. Shuttle buses and taxis are available as well but when I am not pressed for time I enjoy the walk.


By seeking out new adventures so I could get a different experience in Alaska this summer it kept Alaska fresh and new for me. It just goes to show you that no matter how many times you visit the same port you can always create new adventures and memories there.

Adventures in Alaska

One of the best benefits of working on a cruise ship is the opportunity to travel for free. Another perk of being a crew member is the heavily discounted shore excursions we can go on.

Of the 11 weeks I spent working aboard the ship this summer in Alaska I was able to go on 9 different excursions. I was able to experience zip-lining and kayaking for the first time in my life and in Alaska of all places! I also got the opportunity to go on a scenic train ride which is something I have always wanted to do.

Kayaking in Ketchikan

Below is a list of excursions I did for each port as well as a description provided by Princess Cruises on their website.

Juneau

• Alaska Salmon Bake
  Enjoy an original outdoor salmon bake with wild Alaska salmon grilled over an open alder wood flame, situated in the lush rainforest. Dine with live entertainment, and participate in activities including gold panning, roasting marshmallows over a campfire, and getting your picture taken in a life-sized gold rush mural - on this 1.5-hour excursion.

Skagway

• White Pass Scenic Railway
  Take an unforgettable journey aboard "The Scenic Railway of the World" to the White Pass summit. Carved through some of the North's most rugged terrain in 1898, this engineering marvel climbs nearly 3,000 feet, offering spectacular views, breathtaking scenery and a passenger agent to narrate the experience. All Aboard! 
• Adventure Park & Ziplines
  Take part in an immersive activity amongst truly breathtaking beauty! Join our expert guides on an approximately 3 1/4-hour exhilarating experience in an Alaskan adventure park. Traverse a suspension bridge, maneuver along a raised balance beam and propel through the air on a series of ziplines - it's an experience you won't forget! 
• Musher's Camp & Sled Dog Experience
  Complete your Alaskan adventure by experiencing Alaska's state sport! This easy half-day tour features a dog sled ride in the Tongass National Forest. And there's a "Kennel Talk" with mushers at an authentic summer training camp, puppy play time, a crackling fire, and time to browse the gift shop!

Tip: If you are looking for something to do in Skagway but are not interested in a tour there is a hike located not too far from the port. Just be sure to bring some mosquito repellent.

View from the Lower Lake hike in Skagway

Ketchikan

• Bering Sea Crab Fishermen's Tour
  This 3-hour cruise aboard the Aleutian Ballad from season two of the TV series "Deadliest Catch" reveals the world of commercial fisherman. Get up close with crabs and octopus and view abundant wildlife amid stunning scenery. It's fun for the whole family as you explore in calm, sheltered waters.
• Misty Fjords & Wilderness Explorer Cruise
  Explore Misty Fjords, one of nature's most spectacular creations, while cruising in luxury aboard one of the fastest sightseeing vessels in Alaska. 
• Eagle Islands Sea Kayaking
  Embark on a kayak adventure in Tongass National Forest while learning of the area's natural environment and colorful history. 

Victoria, BC

• Victoria by Horse-Drawn Trolley
  Experience the beauty of Victoria by horse-drawn trolley, a timeless tradition and wonderful way to view this historic city. Your fully narrated tour winds its way through the charming streets of Victoria, revealing stunning architectural monuments, gracious homes, exquisite gardens and cultural points of interest. 
• Victoria Amphibious Hippo Tour
  See both sides of Victoria from inside an amphibious hippo! It's splashtastic fun for the whole family! Take in the historic and charming sights of the capital city, then splash into the Pacific Ocean and soak up the mountain and ocean views aboard the 'bus that floats.'

New Eddystone Rock, a volcanic spire, in Misty Fjords (Ketchikan)

A Log Of Completed Cruises

As a passenger:
1. August 2008 - 7 night Alaska cruise on the Celebrity Mercury
Roundtrip Vancouver
Ports: Ketchikan; Hubbard Glacier (scenic cruising); Juneau; Sitka

2. August 2009 - 7 night Western Caribbean cruise on the Liberty of the Seas (RCCL)
Roundtrip Miami
Ports: Labadee, Haiti (private island); Ocho Rios, Jamaica; Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands; Cozumel, Mexico

3. May 2010 - 7 night Eastern Caribbean cruise on the Celebrity Solstice
Roundtrip Fort Lauderdale
Ports: San Juan, Puerto Rico; St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands; St. Maarten

4. October 2011 - 4 night Bahamas cruise on the Norwegian Sky
Roundtrip Miami
Ports: Nassau; Great Stirrup Cay

5. May  2012 - 14 night Hawaii cruise on the Celebrity Century Read about it here
Roundtrip San Diego
Ports: Honolulu (Oahu); Lahaina (Maui); Kona; Hilo; Ensenada, Mexico

6. May 2014 - 14 night Japan (Transpacific) cruise on the Celebrity Millennium Read about it here
Yokohama to Vancouver
Ports: Tokyo (Yokohama), Japan; Hakodate, Japan; Sapporo (Muroran), Japan; Petropavlovsk, Russia

7. February/March 2015 - 14 night Southeast Asia cruise on the Celebrity Century Read about it here
Roundtrip Singapore
Ports: Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei; Nha Trang, Vietnam; Ho Chi Minh (Phu My), Vietnam; Bangkok (Laemchabang), Thailand

8. September 2016 - 15 night Bering Sea and Japan cruise on the Celebrity Millennium Read about it here
Read about my 5 day post-cruise experience in Japan here
Vancouver to Yokohama
Ports: Dutch Harbor, Alaska; Otaru, Japan; Hakodate, Japan; Tokyo, Japan

**Non-cruise trip**
1. September 2017 - 10 day East Coast Canada bus tour Read about it here
Provinces: Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island


As a crew member:
1. December 2012/January 2013 - 2 weeks on the Ruby Princess
(2x 7 night Eastern Caribbean cruise roundtrip Fort Lauderdale)
Ports: Princess Cays, Bahamas (private island); St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands; St. Maarten; Grand Turk, Turk & Caicos

2. June/July/August 2014 - 11 weeks on the Golden Princess Read about it here
(11x 7 night Alaska cruise roundtrip Seattle)
Ports: Juneau; Skagway; Glacier Bay (scenic cruising); Ketchikan; Victoria, BC

3. November 2014 - 1 week on the Crown Princess Read about it here
7 night Mexico cruise roundtrip Los Angeles
Ports: Puerto Vallarta; Mazatlan; Cabo San Lucas

4. December 2014/January 2015 - 7 weeks on the Sun Princess
(1x 7 night Tasmania cruise roundtrip Sydney) Read about it here
Ports: Hobart; Port Arthur; Burnie; Melbourne
(1x 13 night Fiji and South Pacific cruise roundtrip Sydney) Read about it here
Ports: Noumea, New Caledonia; Port Denarau, Fiji; Suva, Fiji; Savusavu, Fiji; Dravuni Island, Fiji; Lifou, New Caledonia
(2x 13 night New Zealand cruise roundtrip Sydney) Read about it here
Ports: Fjordland National Park (scenic cruising); Port Chalmers; Akaroa; Wellington; Napier; Tauranga; Auckland; Bay of Islands

5. March/April 2015 - 4 weeks on the Regal Princess Read about it here
(4x 7 night Eastern Caribbean cruise roundtrip Fort Lauderdale)
Ports: Princess Cays, Bahamas (private island); St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands; St. Maarten

6. June/July/August 2015 - 10 weeks on the Ruby Princess Read about it here
(10x 7 night Alaska cruise roundtrip Seattle)
Ports: Ketchikan; Tracy Arm Fjord (scenic cruising); Juneau; Skagway; Victoria, BC

7. November 2015 - 9 days on the Star Princess Read about it here
(1x 5 night Baja Peninsula cruise roundtrip Los Angeles)
Ports: Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
(1x 4 night West Coast cruise roundtrip Los Angeles)
Ports: Santa Barbara, California; Ensenda, Mexico

8. December 2015/January 2016 - 5 weeks on the Sea Princess
(1x 11 night New Caledonia and Vanuatu cruise roundtrip Brisbane) Read about it here
Ports: Port Vila, Vanuatu; Mystery Island, Vanuatu; Champagne Bay, Vanuatu; Noumea, New Caledonia
(1x 14 night New Zealand cruise roundtrip Brisbane) Read about it here
Ports: Auckland; Tauranga; Napier; Wellington; Akaroa; Port Chalmers
(1x 10 night New Caledonia and Vanuatu cruise roundtrip Brisbane) Read about it here
Ports: Champagne Bay, Vanuatu; Port Vila, Vanuatu; Lifou, New Caledonia; Noumea, New Caledonia

9. March 2016 - 2 weeks on the Grand Princess Read about it here
(2x 7 night California Coast cruise roundtrip San Francisco)
Ports: Santa Barbara, California; Long Beach, California; San Diego, California; Ensenada, Mexico

10. June 2016 - 10 days on the Grand Princess
(1x 10 night Alaska Inside Passage cruise roundtrip San Francisco) 
Ports: Ketchikan; Juneau; Icy Strait Point; Tracy Arm Fjord (scenic cruising); Victoria, BC

11. June/July 2016 - 3 weeks on the Coral Princess
(2x 7 night Alaska Voyage of the Glaciers cruise Vancouver to Whittier) Read about it here
Ports: Ketchikan; Juneau; Skagway; Glacier Bay (scenic cruising); College Fjord (scenic cruising)
(1x 7 night Alaska Voyage of the Glaciers cruise Whittier to Vancouver) 
Ports: Hubbard Glacier (scenic cruising); Glacier Bay (scenic cruising); Skagway; Juneau; Ketchikan 

12. August 2016 - 25 days on the Sapphire Princess (Chinese Chartered Cruises) Read about it here
(6x 4/5 Night Japan & South Korea cruise roundtrip Shanghai)
Ports: Jeju, South Korea; Nagasaki, Japan; Hakata (Fukuoka), Japan; Kagoshima, Japan; Busan, South Korea

13. December 2016/January 2017- 7 weeks on the Emerald Princess
(1x 7 night Tasmania cruise roundtrip Sydney) Read about it here
Ports: Melbourne; Wineglass Bay (scenic cruising); Great Oyster Bay (scenic cruising); Hobart; Port Arthur 
(1x 14 night New Zealand cruise roundtrip Sydney) Read about it here
Ports: Bay of Islands; Auckland; Tauranga; Picton; Wellington; Akaroa; Port Chalmers; Fjordland National Park (scenic crusing)
(1x 8 night Tasmania cruise roundtrip Sydney) Read about it here
Ports: Port Arthur; Hobart; Wineglass Bay (scenic cruising); Great Oyster Bay (scenic cruising); Melbourne (overnight)
(1x 11 night New Zealand cruise roundtrip Sydney) Read about it here
Ports: Fjordland National Park (scenic cruising); Port Chalmers; Akaroa; Picton; Wellington
(1x 11 night New Caledonia and Vanuatu cruise roundtrip Sydney) Read about it here
Ports: Noumea, New Caledonia; Lifou, New Caledonia; Mystery Island, Vanuatu; Port Vila, Vanuatu; Champagne Bay, Vanuatua

14. June 2017 - 20 days on the Grand Princess
(2x 10 night Alaska Inside Passage cruise roundtrip San Francisco) Read about it here
Ports: Ketchikan; Juneau; Icy Strait Point; Tracy Arm Fjord (scenic cruising); Victoria, BC

15. July 2017 - 3 weeks on the Royal Princess
(1x 7 night Greek Isles cruise roundtrip Athens [Port of Piraeus]) Read about it here
Ports: Katakolon (Olympia), Greece; Kotor, Montenegro; Mykonos, Greece; Rhodes, Greece; Chios, Greece
(1x 7 night Mediterranean and Adriatic cruise from Athens [Port of Piraeus] to Barcelona) Read about it here
Ports: Santorini, Greece; Kotor, Montenegro; Messina, Italy; Naples, Italy
(1x 7 night Mediterranean cruise from Barcelona to Civitavecchia [Rome]) Read about it here
Ports: Cartagena, Spain; Gibraltar, UK; Marseille, France; Genoa, Italy; Livorno, Italy

16. August 2017 - 10 days on the Grand Princess
(1x 10 night Alaska Inside Passage cruise roundtrip San Francisco) 
Ports: Ketchikan; Juneau; Icy Strait Point; Tracy Arm Fjord (scenic cruising); Victoria, BC

17. August/September 2017 - 7 days on the Sapphire Princess (Chinese Chartered Cruises) Read about it here
(1x 3 night Japan's Ryukuu Islands and 1x 4 night Japan's Ryukuu Islands roundtrip Taiwan)
Ports: Okinawa; Miyakojima; Ishigaki

18. November/December 2017 - 4 weeks on the Ruby Princess Read about it here
(2x 7 night Mexican Riviera cruise roundtrip Los Angeles)
Ports: Puerto Vallarta; Mazatlan; Cabo San Lucas
(1x 4 night West Coast Getaway with Catalina Island cruise roundtrip Los Angeles)
Ports: Catalina Island, California; Ensenada
(1x 10 night Baja Peninsula and Sea of Cortez cruise roundtrip Los Angeles)
Ports: San Diego, California; Cabo San Lucas; La Paz; Loreto; Puerto Vallarta

19. December 2017/January 2018 - 30 days on the Royal Princess Read about it here
(1x 10 night Eastern Caribbean Voyager cruise roundtrip Fort Lauderdale)
Ports: Amber Cove, Dominican Republic; Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas; Basseterre, St. Kitts & Nevis; Bridgetown, Barbados; Fort de France, Martinique; St. John's, Antigua & Barbuda
(1x 10 night Southern Caribbean Medley cruise roundtrip Fort Lauderdale)
Ports: Princess Cays, Bahamas; Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas; Fort de France, Martinique; St. George's, Grenada; Kralendijk, Bonaire; Willemstad, Curacao
(1x 10 night Eastern Caribbean Voyager cruise roundtrip Fort Lauderdale)
Ports: Princess Cays, Bahamas; Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas; Basseterre, St. Kitts & Nevis; Castries, St. Lucia; Bridgetown, Barbados; St. John's, Antigua & Barbuda

20. June 2018 - 2 weeks on the Golden Princess
(1x 7 night Alaska Voyage of the Glaciers cruise Vancouver to Whittier)
Ports: Ketchikan; Juneau; Skagway; Glacier Bay (scenic cruising); College Fjord (scenic cruising)
(1x 7 night Alaska Voyage of the Glaciers cruise Whittier to Vancouver)
Ports: Hubbard Glacier (scenic cruising); Glacier Bay (scenic cruising); Skagway; Juneau; Ketchikan 

21. July 2018 - 1 week on the Sun Princess See photos here
(1x 7 night Asia cruise Singapore to Taiwan)
Ports: Phu My, Vietnam; Nha Trang, Vietnam; Hong Kong (overnight)

22. July 2018 - 1 week on the Golden Princess
(1x 7 night Alaska Voyage of the Glaciers cruise Vancouver to Whittier)
Ports: Ketchikan; Juneau; Skagway; Glacier Bay (scenic cruising); College Fjord (scenic cruising)

23. July/August 2018 - 3 weeks on the Sapphire Princess
(1x 14 night Mediterranean cruise roundtrip Southampton) See photos here
Ports: Barcelona, Spain; Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy; Livorno, Italy; Genoa, Italy; Marseilles, France; Gibraltar, UK
(1x 7 night Norwegian Fjords cruise roundtrip Southampton) See photos here
Ports: Stavanger; Olden; Geiranger; Bergen