Well hey everyone!!
I’m back with another post in the series chronicling our trip to Alaska. And guess what? It’s Day 3 and we STILL aren’t in Alaska.
I know.
But at least today we make it actually onto our ship, the Discovery Princess!!
Yeah. So I mean.
That’s something right?
That’s the spirit.
Let’s go!
Our “It’s my birthday” 2026 Alaskan Trip – Day 3
It’s here you guys! It’s here!!
Embarkation Day is here! Embarkation Day is here!!!
Being that we had a room right on the water, Nickie and I were up nice and early (like 6:30AM) to see if we could have a look at the our ship – the Discovery Princess – docking. And um. Yeah. We did.
Funny story – when I told Nickie and was like, “oh wow, I can see it right out the window” she was like, “oh yeah, but it’s so far away. Where is it going?”
Turned out she was looking at this ship.
And I was like…no it’s RIGHT there. See those big white balls?
Then well. We had a big laugh. But she did see the ship.
The Falzones had an even better view of the Discovery as they were on a higher floor than us.
She’s a beaut, Clark. A beaut. And man were we excited. The thought of a ship brand new to us taking us to locations brand new to us was almost too much to take.
We quickly got ready and headed downstairs and outside to get a closer look at her.
We spent a few minutes trying to figure out where our deck – Deck 10 – was. In fact, we yelled up to a few people standing on their balconies to ask them what deck they were on to try and figure it out.
We eventually did. Because we smart.
Speaking of smart, gather round children. Let’s learn something.
Pretty interesting, right?
No seriously. I’m asking. I didn’t have time to read it.
The Discovery Princess had a prime location btw – right behind the Vancouver sign.
Since we were already downstairs, Nickie and I sent a quick text up to see if anyone wanted anything for breakfast and headed over to the Starbucks off the lobby of our hotel.
Let’s see if they have anything specific to Canada. Maybe something maple…or I don’t know, hockey…flavored.
Well eh, nothing like that. BUT they did have an Everything Croissant & Roasted Ham Sandwich, which turns out IS a Canadian thing.
Canada. They get everything. Literally.
I paired it with an Americano and like, yeah. Thing was pretty good. I don’t know if I’d replace my Bacon Gouda & Egg usual, but it was cool to get something not available in the States.
Yup, not in the States. I got it in…
Sorry, did you not hear? I got it in…
We eventually found our way back to our room with a waffle for Owen. The rest of the kids were grabbing McDonald’s, I think. Which honestly was probably the right call. I bet the McGriddles syrup is legit. Because Canada.
Back up at the room, we were getting pretty pretty pretty excited about getting on the ship. Look – I already had my Princess Medallion on.
The Princess Medallion situation thing is pretty cool. That little thing in the middle of that wristband opens your cabin door, lets you charge anything you need to your room, and works as a locator so that you can find other members of your party.
And that wristband thing is pretty swank, right? Yeah that was in the swag bags we made for everyone. More on those later, but consider this a sneak peek.
Oh jeesh you guys. Did I even mention it was July 4th? Yeah man – Happy Birthday America!
It’s been a pretty good 240 years.
…
Yeah, the last ten have been a bit touch-and-go.
So right. It was like 9:00ish at this point.
And we had like not had a drink yet.
I know. Wild stuff.
But oddly, nowhere AT ALL could we find a mimosa. We asked in our hotel lobby and they said nowhere on-premise would be selling alcohol that early. And yeah, it DID sound as judgey as you just heard that in your head.
But they DID say that we may be able to find one at the Fairmont across the street.
Which yes. They certainly did have, but the line to actually get into the bar was just far too long.
I should also mention – there was a Canada-Morocco World Cup match starting in less than an hour at this point. And yeah, couldn’t find anywhere to get alcohol. Like, what is the deal Vancouver?
Thankfully, we did find a liquor store at which we could buy champagne.
Not thankfully, it didn’t open until 9:30. And at this point? It was like 9:15.
So yeah, we rope dropped the liquor store.
But hey – we were for sure not alone. A line did end up forming and oh wait. And like, the excitement? It was palpable AF.
As soon as 9:30 hit and those gates were opened, it was madness. Actually, I think I took a video of the scene.
Haha, kidding. Actually, everyone was super polite. I mean, its Canada, eh? Even the full-fledged alcoholics are well-mannered.
While Nickie and Larissa picked up the champagne, Tony and I were put in charge of finding orange juice, which was nowhere to be found in said liquor store. So the two of us walked over to the dollar store to see if we could find some.
Annnnnd while we were there? We also found some dollar-priced GLASS champagne flutes. And can I just say when we walked out to meet the girls on the sidewalk with these flutes in hand, it was literally like we were returning from winning some sort of war or something.
True heroes, Tony and I.
I should also mention we took this opportunity to grab some champagne to bring onto the ship as well.
We brought our champagne, OJ, and flutes up to the Falzones’ room so we could enjoy our mimosas with both a view of the ship and a TV with which to watch the World Cup.
Here’s to you, Discovery Princess.
We enjoyed our mimosas, watched some World Cup (Canada lost…womp), and got more and more excited as our boarding time approached. Soon enough, it was time to head down so we got in touch with the kids and told them to meet us downstairs so we could get the embarkation process started.
And yeah guys. It was a process.
You kind of moved from one line to another line to another line to then a place where you like sat down for a few minutes to then another line. It was a lot. But the whole process maybe took an hour or so? I guess not all that bad. But you know. Not all that good either.
And we boarded at around 11:45.
Soooo pretty. And so patriotic.
Our immediate plan was lunch and rather than brave the buffet, we wanted to enjoy a nice sit-down meal in the Skagway Main Dining Room, which felt like a much more relaxing and luxurious way to start our cruise.
Here’s a look at the menu.
Who’s excited for lunch??!!
I started off my meal with a Grey Goose and soda.
What? It was noon.
ish.
I should also mention I personally was on the Princess Premier Package, which allowed for unlimited access to top-shelf drinks and what not (as well as unlimited specialty and casual dining, included photos from onboard photographers, and WiFi for up to four devices.) Nickie, Tony, and Larissa were also on this package.
Myles and Liam were on the Princess Plus Package, which also covered most alcohol minus some specific top-shelf offerings only available to Premier, had four casual dining meals included per guest (no specialty dining included) and WiFi for one device.
Owen and Mia were on the Zero-Alcohol package, which included things like soda, hot chocolate, specialty coffees, mocktails, and bottled water.
Hannah wasn’t on any package and was just sort of handling things a la carte, out of pocket.
And as you can imagine, prices for each package get more and more expensive per day as you work your way back up that list I just went through. If I remember, I will try and offer up my thoughts at the end of the trip on whether Premier was worth it or not. If I remember. Because let’s face it – this whole series could end sometime in 2028.
Back to lunch tho.
I started my meal off with the Avocado and Bay Shrimp, with Lemoncello Aioli.
Which was SO good. Seriously, this was such a good starter. The shrimp tasted super fresh and it just had such a good flavor with the Avocado and Aioli. Real good. I think a few other people got this as well.
And for my main, I went with the Bacon Burger and Fries.
Which was fine. Not the best burger ever, but I mean…it was a burger so it you know, met those qualifications.
I was in a burger mood so it hit the spot but like I kind of wish I went with what a few others at the table went with – the Signature Pasta (Spinach and Cheese Ravioli with Homemade Tomato Sauce and Parmesan).
The Cacciatore Style Chicken with Tagliarini Pasta, Mushrooms, and Tomato-Wine Sauce also looked nice.
Oh pfft. And OF COURSE I got dessert. I ordered the Orange Souffle (with Grand Marnier-Vanilla Sauce).
Delightful.
Lunch was over at around 1PM. We all checked in real quick at our muster stations to let them know we watched the safety video on the Princess app and by this point, our cabins were ready!!
So you know what that means. Time for a nap Room Tour Time!
Right right. Room Tour Time.
Our cabin was up on the Deck 10, Port Side. Nickie and I had a Mini-Suite just for us while Myles, Owen, Liam, and Hannah had an Inside Cabin for themselves. The Falzones were next door to us in their own Mini-Suite.
And I mean, this was a real pretty cabin, you guys.
As you walk in, on your right is both a closet area and the relatively well-sized bathroom (for a cruise ship, at least).
Beyond that are a couple mirrors and a vanity off to the side. And then you hit the bedroom area, with a Queen Size bed, night stands, and TV.
Pro tip there – we called ahead to ensure we had an actual queen size bed rather than two twins pushed together. So like, if you’re into that sort of thing, I’d call ahead.
And beyond the sleeping area, we had a sitting rom with a sofabed, desk, ANOTHER mirror, and ANOTHER TV.
Yeah man – two TVs. And the programming available was pretty nice. Definitely nicer than what you might find on Royal Caribbean. A bunch of live stations, a good amount of on-demand movies and shows, and obviously some cruise info stations and the bridge cam.
It even has like every episode of The Love Boat on there. Which, like, I immediately got right into. You know because its exciting and new and they’re expecting me.
That episode, btw, was a Halloween episode that I think I may have watched three separate times on this trip. It’s a wild episode filled with donkeys, and giant ice cream sundaes, and lying kids stopping people from committing suicide. Classic Halloween stuff, you know.
Oh right though. Continuing on with the room tour. We also of course had our balcony.
Which was going to get a little bigger shortly since we were going to have the partition removed on the other side to connect with the Falzones.
This was our current view since we hadn’t yet set sail.
Pretty nice room though, right? The Falzones’ room was pretty much identical to ours but the kids’ room. Well, the kids’ room was not. I don’t know if I have any pictures of it since I didn’t spend much time down there, but being an inside room with 4 people, it was pretty cramped.
And Princess kept this ship on the warm side. So their room deffo got kind of hot. We called the maintenance team to see if they could work on their A/C, which they did and it helped some, but we also asked multiple times for a fan and were told multiple times that there weren’t any fans for safety reasons.
However, on like our third or fourth time calling about their room, they miraculously had a fan and brought it down to them? I dunno. But this was definitely a notch in the “con” column for Princess.
Our room was gorgeous though. Honestly, a really nice room. We even tried to upgrade the four of them while we were on-ship but there were no rooms available. Live and learn I guess. I mean, inside rooms aren’t the best obviously but you know, we couldn’t afford TWO mini-suites. What do you think we are? A couple of Scrooge McDucks or Richie Richs or some other comically-wealthy cartoon character?
Speaking of…
Champagne anyone?
Yeah man – an attendant came to our door with some free champagne to kick off our cruise. And like, free champagne? Cheers to that mofos.
We also received our first hardcopy Princess Patter, which outlined all the activities happening today.
AFTERNOON 3 ALASKA 2026 DAY 3
And sure – you could see everything on the app and what not as well. But where’s the tree murder in that?
Seriously though, I do kind of love the hardcopy version.
We also ordered up some Mai Tais to the room since room service was included in our package and to be honest, I had no idea that champagne was coming.
So yeah. We were currently on a boat. Drinking both champagne AND Mai Tais. I’m sorry. I didn’t realize this was some sort of dream I once had.
Being that we still had some time before we sailed away, we put our bathing suits on and went in search of pools where beautiful people hung out.
Done, right? I mean. Rawr.
And I wish I could say that infinity pool was that empty the entire time we were there, but I’d be hella-lying. On account of a mom showed up and encouraged her kids to do continuous cannonballs in what I can only imagine was an attempt at a world record.
Still though. Pretty girl in a pool up there.
And Nickie wasn’t the only nice view up there. Because hey, look at Vancouver.
And, hey also? Look at Tony and Larissa.
But yeah, Canonballs.
So we decided to try our luck with a hot tub on the main pool deck.
Yup. Completely empty. Honestly? Spoiler alert, but hot tubs were like pretty easy to grab all week on this ship. That was definitely a check in the pro column for Discovery Princess.
It also worked out since the SailAway Celebration was coming up soon and that hot tub provided a real nice view of it.
Myles was excited.
And the SailAway Celebration was pretty fun, you guys. I mean, Mickey didn’t make an appearance but we did meet the crew and our Cruise Director, Chesney. So I mean, almost the same.
I should also mention while we were docked and before we got out into open ocean, there was exactly ONE bar open. One. Down by the pool. And place was a madhouse. But still – I managed to grab this Alaskan beer.
Yup. I battled through the masses like some sort of warrior of olden times.
I expected Tony to welcome me back like a returning hero, but dude totally friend-zoned me.
Not only did we party down, but we all also got snacks. Look at these folks. With their ice creams.
And this folk. With his hot dog.
I didn’t want to feel left out so I also headed down to the poolside grill – the Salty Dog.
To get myself some Chicken Strips and Fries. On account of THAT is cruise food.
Which were lovely.
While I was enjoying my Chicken Strips, a few people went back to the cabin while some of us stayed up on deck to enjoy a little more of the Celebration and get a good view of the ship as she pulled away from dock and into open ocean.
But eventually, the pull of the balcony won out and we all went down to hang in the Goodreau/Falzone compound.
And when I got there? Look what Nickie got me.
I know…hot AND super thoughtful? Nickie is legit the whole package.
With everyone together in the cabin, Nickie also took this opportunity to hand out everyone’s swag bags.
Here’s a little peek at some of the contents of said swag bag (taken earlier at the house).
As you can see, there was a “Juneau Who’s 50” mug, knit hat, pin, and sunglasses. Also pictured are a nice warm blanket for hanging out on the balcony, some hand sanitizer, and a wristband for our Princess Medallions. Plus the bag itself was a waterproof cinch bag.
In addition to everything pictured there, we also had some Popsicle Firecracker Liquid IVs, packets of hot chocolate, Disney rubber ducks (to hide on the ship…or to keep) and a box of Sno-Caps. Get it? Sno-Caps? Because mountains.
I was also given an extra little goodie in my bag – a “Juneau Who’s 50” t-shirt Larissa made me. Ain’t I the lucky boy?
Lookit tho. Everyone loves their swag.
And I get it. Stuff is great.
I do. I LOVE stuff.
I also love having a balcony. I know I have said it before in other posts about cruising, but just sitting out on our balcony looking out at the passing scenery or across the ocean is my favorite.
Au revoir Vancouver.
I wish I had the words to really explain how excited we all were, starting out on this adventure where every day promised a new location and new experiences. It felt almost surreal at this point.
Eh let me try. With the words
As we passed under the Lion’s Gate Bridge and into open ocean, the bustling Vancouver skyline faded away. And standing at the railing of our balcony, the anticipation that our Alaskan Adventure was underway was almost too much to take.
I know man. Poetry. Sheer poet…WHOA LOOK OUT FOR THAT BRIDGE!
But yeah, we were so excited y’all!!
Also look how far away we were from Vancouver now.
And this whole situation was in front of us.
But hey, it was getting to be time for us all to get ready for dinner.
Which like, we did. But I mean while we did, I obviously put Mean Girls on.
Tonight was gonna be so fetch.
Or was it gonna be grool?
Not sure. But I am pretty sure we can all agree that Mean Girls is a cinematic treasure.
So yeah – let’s go to dinner. But on the way out, check out our door.
Nickie ordered the super cute Alaska magnets for our door but the Princess staff added the Happy Birthday touches, which was kind of awesome. On account of I love attention.
But right. Dinner.
Dinner tonight was at one of the ship’s specialty restaurants – Crown Grill, the ship’s American Steakhouse restaurant.
Our reservation tonight was at 7:30 but we of course showed up early. Because there was a Crown Grill Bar. I mean, doy. Of course we showed up early. Bar, you guys. Bar.
And there was live music out there too!
This girl was KILLING it.
Killing me.
Softly
With her so-O-o-O-o-ng.
Of course I ordered a Dirty Grey Goose Martini at the bar. Because steakhouse.
(Picture taken at our table btw).
When I ordered that, the bartender was like…”do you want it like just kind of dirty or filthy?”
I am pretty sure you can tell from that picture what my answer was. And man oh man was this a good martini. I do wish they had some blue cheese stuffed olives but still…this was a solid drink.
We were seated at around 7:30 in this awesome little semi-private space. Like check this room out you guys.
I should also note that picture was taken at the end of the meal, hence all the phones. Obvs squad the conversation had died down a bit. I guess everyone doesn’t want to hear me talk about how great Mean Girls is for two hours?
It really is though. It’s great.
But ok – back to the meal. First off, I can’t with these plates.
I know a lot of steakhouses have like similar designs on their stuff, but these immediately took me back to the placemats at the now-closed Hilltop Steakhouse in Saugus, MA.
Number 21 to Sioux City, amirite?
Ha, that’s literally a reference pretty much most of you will not get. Love that for you.
Here’s a quick look at the menu.
For real though? Don’t get excited about all these menu pictures I am including in this post. I don’t keep this up. Just fair warning.
Also – this meal? I kind of largely just got pictures of my own stuff tonight. It was just gonna be real difficult to get everyone’s food in here.
The meal started with a bread service.
And oof, this cheese bread situation.
Legit where have you been all my life. Cheese-us Christmas these were good. Domino’s aint got nothing on this cheesy bread furreal.
To start, I was really torn between the Wedge and the French Onion Soup.
And the Crab Cakes.
Oh and also the Lobster Bisque.
And the Beef Tartare.
Yeah, I was having some issues.
I did end up going with the soup – which was a Black and Blue Onion Soup made with a Roquefort Crust, Fresh Thyme, and Jack Daniel’s.
I mean, whiskey in soup? Feels like this was invented just for me.
And it was actually kind of incredible. Super cheesy, full of flavor and like everything I would want in a French Onion Soup situation.
And thankfully, Nickie and I also did some splitsies and she got the Iceberg Wedge so I also got to sample that, which was a delight. I love a nice wedge salad before a steak dinner. But unforch, I took no pictures of it. Which is odd.
Also odd I didn’t get a picture of Hannah’s Lobster Bisque because that thing was a whole presentation where they brought a bowl out first with a huge chunk of lobster meat and then the waiter came over and poured the bisque over it. It was a beautiful sight.
But yeah, no pictures of any of that. Because I am real good. At the blogging.
What I DID get a picture of was my steak though. I of course went with the Rib Eye. I mean. Of course.
Breathtaking.
What a great steak that was. Honestly. Very impressed. Mine was a nice Medium Rare and had, like a Rib Eye should, some amazing flavor to it.
Oh this place also had a frikkin SALT MENU. You could choose from Hawaiian Black Salt, Smoked Applewood Salt, and Himalayan Mountain Pink Salt.
I ended up going with the Himalayan Mountain Pink Salt because I mean…it was pink salt. But it did add to an already really nice cut of meat.
And continuing with the theme of being bad at blogging, I also didn’t take a picture of our sides. The waiter brought out ALLLLL THE SIDES for the table to share – Creamed Spinach, Grilled Asparagus, Sauteed Mushrooms, Red Skin Mashed Potatoes, and Parmesan French Fries.
I think the standouts for me ended up being the Creamed Spinach and Parmesan French Fries. The Asparagus, meanwhile, continued to be an affront to all that’s right. I honestly don’t understand how people can enjoy asparagus. Neither the taste nor the texture is enjoyable.
I should pause here to mention our waitstaff tonight. They were awesome. Very attentive, very friendly. At one point, he was asking us what we were doing in the different ports and the conversation at one point went like this:
Waiter: Oh, when you’re in Juneau, you have to try the crabs.
Me: Oh that sounds good. What kind do you like?
Waiter: ? What kind of crabs?
Me: Oh. Crabs. I thought you said crepes.
I’m the awkwardest.
Annnnyway tho. Onto dessert.
To start, I ordered a cappuccino. Like I do.
And for my dessert, I went with the Pecan Pie with Vanilla-Bourbon Sauce. Which I bit into before snapping a picture.
Again. Expert blogger here.
The Pecan Pie was…fine. Nothing super special. I remember kind of being disappointed with the fact that it wasn’t really warm.
But…some other people at the table went with the Blueberry Cheesecake with a Twist (Layered Cheesecake, Blueberry Jelly, Whipped Cream, Blueberry Sauce, Buttery Crumbles).
And this was a show as well. They arrived in sort of a glass tube and the waiter slowly lifted it to let the Blueberry Sauce sort of drip down over the cheesecake.
And yeah, after a bite of this thing, I wish I ordered dessert differently. If you find yourself at Crown Grill, go with the cheesecake. Deffo.
Oh wait. Those aren’t all the desserts though. They also brought out a special dessert for my birthday.
And this thing was GOOD. It was like a chocolate cake topped with a chocolate mousse. It was intensely rich and intensely tasty. And don’t worry, this isn’t the last time you’re gonna see a dessert like this. So yah, don’t worry.
You were, huh? You were worried.
But overall, a really REALLY nice meal at Crown Grill. If you are going to be sailing on a Princess ship, I definitely recommend making a reservation here.
Dinner ended at around 9:45. And yeah, outside, it was still looking pretty bright.
We weren’t even in Alaska yet. And it was already daytime at nighttime.
Nickie, Larissa, Mia, and Hannah made the decision to call it a night at this point and head up to the room but the rest of us – me, Tony, Myles, Owen, and Liam – wanted to do a little exploring.
We first stopped off at the Good Spirits at Sea bar on Deck 5.
And I got a nice Macallan.
It’s no Lagavulin. But hey, Macallan will do in a pinch.
There was karaoke tonight so we wanted to see what that whole deal was. So we walked over to the Princess Live! lounge area, where the Discovery Princess hosts karaoke.
Karaoke started at 10PM tonight and I think we made it to Princess Live! by 10:15.
And there were no open spots. This ended up being kind of a point of frustration on this ship. Karaoke lasted only an hour every night, starting at 10PM and ending at 11PM. Which, like. Guys. That’s definitely not enough time for karaoke. People obviously love it, hence the lack of open spots.
Meanwhile, the ship has a dance club right next door that stays open until like 1:30AM. And literally? No one was there ever. Why not leave the karaoke open longer? Make it make sense.
But anyway, yah. No karaoke for us tonight. But there will be karaoke in the future. Oh yes. There will be.
The five of us instead went all the way up to Deck 16, the Lido Deck, to see what was happening. And you know what was happening? Darkness.
It was cool how we were still pretty close to land here.
They were also showing a movie at the pool tonight and in honor of America’s birthday, that movie was, of course, Independence Day.
Hey that’s the dude that slapped Chris Rock!!
The Discovery Princess also has this cool SeaWalk up on Deck 16. The SeaWalk is a glass-bottomed walkway that juts out over the water.
And yeah. I know. My shoes are incredz.
I didn’t get any pictures of it (blogger of the year) but we also played some ping pong up on Deck 16. Which was fun. I’m not very good at ping pong. But I like saying it.
Ping Pong.
Ping.
Pong.
So fun.
That was pretty much Day 3 y’all. After we finished playing ping pong, we all adjourned to our respective cabins to rest up for the next day of fun. Which btw – we still aren’t even really in Alaska tomorrow either.
But bear with me. We do make it the day after. Tomorrow is a super fun day tho. It’s a day at sea which means we get to do some fun on-ship stuff and what not.
Until then tho you guys. Ahoy hoy.
Last post – Day 2!
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