Royal Princess Alaska Review - Reserve Collection
We’ve recently returned from a (spoiler) fantastic trip aboard the Royal Princess sailing from Vancouver to Seattle via the Alaska inside passage route.
Dates: May 2-9, 2026
Fast Facts: two 30s adults who enjoy a mix of relaxation, activities, and adventure. We booked all excursions third party, with no issues.
Disclaimer - you will be on sacred native land. I highly suggest going to the talks given by indigenous members the ships bring onboard to learn about their history and ancestral ties to the land we are guests on.
Stateroom
We booked a Reserve class mini-suite and, oh boy, was this a good choice for us. We took cabin M107 which is quite a unique one. Situated on deck 15, this forward cabin sits directly on top of the bridge. This means the room itself is quite spacious with a separate sitting area, bedroom, and bathroom with a tub - but the real star is the balcony. It is HUGE. It wraps around so you have roughly 270 degrees of visibility including directly ahead of the ship, as well as the entire starboard side.
Pros: large room, very very comfy bed, unbeatable views from the balcony, felt fancy.
Cons: The (gigantic) balcony is “obstructed view” due to the walls being metal versus glass on others. This did not really bother us at all.
When the ship was really cruising, the balcony was nearly unusable due to the wind. The room has huge windows though, so we were not bothered. For scenic cruising in Glacier Bay the ship moves slowly enough that wind was a non-issue, and we were able to enjoy the views privately and comfortably.
Deck 15 forward is not kind when it comes to motion. One sea day we had rough seas and it was really rocking up there. Nothing Bonine couldn’t fix for us.
Rating: 9/10 would absolutely book this room again.
Reserve Class
Overall we were really pleased with our experience. We did not use the priority embarkation/debarkation so I can’t speak to that, but we did use many other perks.
Our favorite was the flexibility with dining. Reserve Class passengers have a dedicated section of the main dining room with no reservations needed. We loved this so much. Being able to go to dinner whenever we wanted and skip to the front of the line made our trip feel so much more relaxed. Reserve Class is also able to eat in the main dining rooms for breakfast and lunch (sea days only), which was great. We only went to the buffet once on our trip.
Other perks included a bottle of wine in our room when we boarded, canapés nightly, and reserved seating for the shows.
Rating: 8.5/10 we loved it but don’t stress if you don’t do it
Ports/Excursions:
Juneau - pretty underwhelming to be honest. Overrun with the same tourist shops you see in the Caribbean and everywhere. Get away from the main drag to see the good stuff.
We wandered to the capitol building, then to a cool hippy grocery store before meeting our excursion.
Excursion: helicopter ride to Mendenhall Glacier and hike
WOW talk about amazing. This was the highlight of our trip. We were outfitted with gear before a teenager (okay, 24 yo) took us on a breathtaking ~20 minute helicopter ride through mountains, over ice fields, eventually landing on the Mendenhall Glacier where three guides were waiting to take us around. The operation was professional and informative. We felt super safe.
The hike was relaxed and more of a walkabout but the guides were friendly and fun, and took us to some cool photo spots. They also found a stream for us to drink the water from. Yummy. I found out I could FaceTime up there, which was a silly treat for my parents back home. (Sweetie, the kids are on a glacier!)
We booped around the glacier for about an hour before being picked back up for our ride back. It felt like being in an IMAX movie. I will relive this excursion forever I think.
Rating: 10/10 expensive, but a must-do for us
Skagway - cuter town, super tiny. Very beautiful scenery. Friendly folks and good coffee shops! Make sure you go see the giant snow plow train. It’s impressive.
Excursion: we did the railway and for us, it was just okay. Snow had obstructed part of the track so our ride was cute 30 minutes short. They refunded each of us $30, so that was nice.
Being so early in the season, I think the forest was lacking the vibrancy it has later in the year. It was pretty, but if you’ve been in woods before, this won’t blow you away. We did really like the tour guide and the info bits she shared along the way. Fascinating history, slightly boring train ride.
Rating: 6.5/10 it’s kinda the only thing to do there but I found it pricy for what it was
Ketchikan - my favorite port. Yes, the immediate area is very touristy but the town is colorful and inviting and really neat once you move past the shopping by the docks.
Excursion: snorkeling! Yes, for real!
It was amazing. We booked with Snorkel Alaska, a mom and pop run by Scuba Fred who has been doing this for 26 years. Fred was extremely personable and made the whole thing so fun. (It was actually my second time doing this. So fun that I came back!)
You get all set up with a very thick wetsuit, fins, and a mask before walking down a rocky beach and into a bay (inlet? Who knows). From there you stick your face in to discover an aquatic world you had no idea was there. Colorful starfish, sea urchins, huge sea cucumbers, rockfish, crab, and kelp forests galore. Plus bald eagles all around.
No, it’s not tropical but it is COOL. Fred and the other guides would dive down to retrieve specimens for us to see/hold before responsibly returning them where they were found. They shared lots of local history and let us know what we *might* see (otters, seals, whales). We had a blast and were the last ones out.
The wetsuit keeps you super warm so even though we were very early in the season (we were the first day of tours actually), we were comfortable the whole time. Plus once you get out Fred provides you with the Alaska Hot Tub aka a cooler of hot water to pour into your wetsuit. Feels amazing.
Rating: 11/10 reasonably priced, super unique, and you get to hang out with Fred
Glacier Bay - speaks for itself really. We had a pretty bad weather day with rain and chilly temps and still it was stunning. Our balcony came in handy because we could pop in and out to stay comfy while taking in the landscapes. I highly recommend seeking out the park rangers they bring onboard. Those folks are so knowledgeable and eager to share their passion for Glacier Bay. We loved hearing from them, as well as the indigenous speakers. I would describe this day as reverent. It was peaceful and powerful all at once. A highlight for sure. We saw tons of otters, seals, porpoises, and whales, which was so cool.
The Ship/Service
We had no complaints here! We got exactly what we expected: a traditional cruise ship with traditional entertainment and amenities. The Royal Princess is classic, perhaps a bit past her prime but I hear she’s getting a refresh soon. We didn’t notice any major wear and tear, and our room/public spaces were very clean and well maintained. The staff were wonderful and kind. They are just people though, so remember that when interacting with them. No one is perfect 100% of the time.
The food was better than I expected. It’s not Michelin star but you wouldn’t expect it to be. I didn’t have anything bad, and there was always something that appealed to me.
The entertainment was pretty good. Very traditional musical reviews mostly, so that may or may not be your thing. We enjoyed them well enough. Besides that you had game shows, trivia, the normal things. The best thing we saw was the magic show from Sterling, followed by his masterclass. He was truly impressive and we loved getting a tiny glimpse into how the magic works during his class. He’s so personable and charming.
One day they brought sled dog puppies on board and THAT was a hit. We couldn’t pet them (would you want 3000 people petting you?) but it still such a neat thing to experience.
WiFi was great and the one add on we did was get 7 day passes to the thermal spa. It was fine but not amazing. I’m glad we only paid the $104/person pre-cruise rate. It would be much better if there were windows. I felt like I was in a luxury dungeon, but the heated beds were great. We went most days and after wearing too-small hiking boots for our glacier excursion, I was extremely happy to have a hot tub and steam room to relax in.
Ship Rating: 8/10 above average food, good service, needs little facelift
Overall this trip was faaaaantastic. We took a chance cruising so early in the season, but that meant we got a great deal and were able to splash out on things we may not have at peak season. We had great weather overall, and will probably be blabbing about this trip to people for the next 20 years.