How Princess has tried to win me over with free champagne and chocolates, a fancy fruit bowl and a b

Ahoy, from the Lido Deck of the ocean-bound Star Princess. It's 2100 hours Saturday evening as I write this – I don't recall how many bells that equals – and we're heading east out the Strait of Juan de Fuca past Port Angeles discount hotels dublin on a blustery, cool evening after a warm and sunny departure day. The ship has begun a slow, ponderous roll as we meet ocean swells.
Topping the news of my day was meeting two couples who had each booked this 7-day Alaska cruise last week at the fire-sale price of $299 a person – showing just how slow bookings must be in the wake of recent cruise-ship discount hotels dublin problems.
There are government taxes and fees on top of that, but when you think about the basic cost for two, it's like spending $85 a night – about what you'd pay for a modest discount hotels dublin motel in Yakima. discount hotels dublin But you get a sea cruise to Alaska and the full-meal deal included. By way of comparison, when I booked my cruise last September – choosing advance booking because we often commit to our writing projects months in advance – the base fare was $1,358. That included the usual premium cost for a single traveler, but it's insane that it's more than double what these folks paid for last-minute bookings for two .
Carnival Triumph's disastrous breakdown and sewage system failure in the Gulf of Mexico earlier this year was apparently a game-changer for many travelers considering a cruise discount hotels dublin – on top of memories of the deadly shipwreck in Italy, or continuing scares of Norovirus and other illnesses. Those things discount hotels dublin were all clearly on people's minds today as this huge ship – as long as Seattle's tallest building is high departed Seattle's Pier 91.
"That's probably a really good idea, considering the problems they've had," John d'Amour noted as we snaked through the check-in line and I paused to squirt my hands at the first of dozens of alcohol hand-cleaner stations I passed discount hotels dublin today. "Eau de Purell" is the preferred scent on the seas now. (On board, no one gets into the buffett without spritzing some on their palm.)
At 3 p.m., an hour before leaving dock, the ship held an emergency drill in which alarms sounded and we were all instructed to proceed to our "muster station" on Deck 7, where the lifeboats are situated, bringing lifejackets from our cabins. discount hotels dublin "A requirement of international law," said a voice over the P.A. system.
"Due to recent events, you know how important is this drill, so let me please have your full attention," said a purser, apparently referring to the Costa Concordia shipwreck off Tuscany that killed 32 passengers last year. "Believe me, if you asked people who were on that ship, they all wished they knew what to do."
I give the Star Princess's crew credit, though: discount hotels dublin They seem to take the problems seriously. Reminders to wash hands and use the Purell are inescapable. Nobody discount hotels dublin wants the Love Boat and, yes, some crew still call it that to have the Vomit Bug.
The day got better after the drill. Watching line-dancing discount hotels dublin by the pool; passengers discount hotels dublin packing the deck to watch the ship edge out into Elliott Bay, with Mount Rainier peeking through sunny haze; wandering waiters with trays full of mai tais (nope, sorry, not free). Tomorrow, we have a full day at sea, heading for Juneau. I'll check back then (if my shaky and expensive Internet connection holds) and tell you more about:
How Princess has tried to win me over with free champagne and chocolates, a fancy fruit bowl and a big bouquet of roses (all of which I gave away to other deserving passengers). Now knock it off, guys.
Kristin Jackson , travel editor at The Seattle Times, grew up in Italy, went to university in Britain, and worked as a journalist in London and Vancouver, B.C., before migrating back to Seattle where she's happy at her desk but way happier on the road.
Brian J. Cantwell , Outdoors editor at The Seattle Times, is a Seattle native who chose not to leave -- except for every chance he gets to go someplace interesting or adventurous. He lives on his sailboat at Shilshole Bay Marina.
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