Bubba54

We boarded the Emerald on 02/15/15 in Houston, Texas. We arrived at the Port around 11:30. The line was smooth and boarding went well. We were on board and in our cabin by 12:30.  

 We enjoyed the International cafe as always. The staff were just fantastic. We had anytime dining and went to the Michelangelo restaurant every night. We were lucky and were seated at Karlo's table. He is the best with his asst Shaji. Can't ask for a better wait staff. 

We enjoyed the piano bar and the guitarist on board very much. 

i understand food is subjective to the individual. I found the the dining room to be very good. The buffet, well it's buffet food. When I dined in the buffet I made my own sandwich from the breads and lunch meats and enjoyed the fruit and salad bar. The Pizza was great, and beat the hot dog and fresh fries from the grill. 

We had an inside cabin on Baja deck. Good storage and comfortable beds. Good room steward. 

The ship was in good shape, I am not one to complain that a chair may be worn. The were replacing carpets on the pool area while on board. 

Embarkation in Los Angeles was very smooth.  

 The four sea days over were relaxing and we did a little bit of rocking and rolling. The Ruby offered the standard stuff, trivia, games lie making. You could be as busy as you want. Because of the Hawaii cruise they offered ukelele lessons. 

 The main dining room food was good and the service was excellent. We went to the Crown Grill four times food excellent service fantastic. Word of advise if sailing on the Ruby seems everyone likes to eat early. Between 5:30 & 6:15 lines at anytime dining and buffet. Walk in at 6:45 or 7 walk right in. 

The Ruby is in good shape. The new beds onboard I found to be extremely comfortable. 

Shuttle from the Sea-tac to the ship was smooth and embarkation was a breeze.

The ship was in good repair and the crew was warm and friendly. Service was top notch in every aspect of the ship. 

The dining room staff were great and the food was outstanding.

Embarkation was smooth. The ship was in good shape. The crew was warm and friendly.

 We enjoyed the ports and we had great weather.  Spent most of our time in the international cafe. Decent coffee nice snacks. 

We boarded the Ruby Princess in Los Angeles, embarkation was smooth and well organized. 

The first night out the seas were rough and we wrocked and rolled a bit.

 We found the Ruby to be in good shape overall. The crew for the most part were friendly and helpful.

This cruise was interesting in the aspect of dining. We always go anytime dining. On this cruise people started lining up for anytime dining at 4:45 when the dining room did not open until 5:30. We just went in at 7 to 7:30 and never waited. 

 The buffet in my opinion was poorly managed for dinner. They would have all three areas of the buffet open for lunch, then only one side open for dinner even when the line was out the door to the pool.

 The food was good in the dining room and the buffet was typical buffet food.

We did enjoy the Crown grill on several occasions. The service was great and the food was fantastic.

The international cafe was good as always and in my opionion the coffee card is still a good deal. Approximately $30, gets you free brewed coffee and 15 specialty coffees. 

Our cabin was clean and in good repair.

The entertainment was good. Several different types of music to enjoy. We spent most of our time at Crooners listening to Darren Bethell, great entertainer.

Embarkation in Vancouver was relatively organized. Just a word of caution if you sail out of Vancouver and there are two or more ships in port. Be patient and keep your party together. It is easy to get separated. 

We we were blessed with great weather the entire trip. 

The Sun was overall in pretty good shape. The staff were very competent and friendly. 

The he buffet food was buffet food, decent selection.

the Main dining room was good food and good service.

We went to two specialty restaurants, La Cucina and Moderno. Both were very good and enjoyable. Service could be a little slow, but this is ok with me. I only mention this because if you have a 7:30 reservation you may not make a 9 o'clock show.

Alaska is a beautiful place, we had a great time.

We started by taking Holland's shuttle from the Airport. I am used to using this shuttle but had a nice surprise. We landed at the opposite side of where the shuttle leaves from. We were met by a Holland representative who took our baggage from us right at the baggage claim.

Once we boarded the ship we checked into our ocean view cabin. It was clean and in good repair. Our cabin steward was friendly and competent. 

  We love this itenary, on this cruise the Captain advised we could not get into Tracy Arm and diverted to Dawes glacier. What a beautiful place.

The Ship is in pretty good shape considering it is leaving the fleet in a few months. The crew outside of the dining room was the very best I have ever sailed with. Friendly, always willing to help.

The food on this cruise was good. We ate several times in the Pinnacle grill, just fantastic.

The only thing I can complain about was the service in the Rotterdam dining room. In 14 days we only went three time. The service was just not up to Holland's standards. I am not sure what happened, just extremely slow and inattentive. Once an hour between appetizer and main course, water glasses not refilled unless you asked. 

The food in the Lido was good and a very attentive staff. 

If you are looking for a different itenary from the normal, this is a great cruise.

The Statendam is an older ship, but she is in great shape. The staff was one of the best I have sailed with. I can not comment on the dining room as we spent all our time in the lido. 

We had cabin 410 on the lower promenade deck. The only bad thing was this is the walking deck. During the day you can not see into the cabin. However, at night with the lights on you can. So make sure you close your drapes.

The highlight of the cruise was Chris Bartlett, solo guitarist in the mix bar. What a talent. Tried not to miss a minute he played.

We took the NCL shuttle from the airport to the cruise terminal. Very nice to leave your luggage and not see it again until it arrives in your cabin. Embarkation was smooth.

We had a balcony cabin on deck 10 forward. Cabin was clean and in good shape. Plenty of storage. 

The ship itself was overall in good shape with an attentive and friendly crew.

The food in the MDR overall was good, some days nothing sounded good to us. Buffet food overall was pretty good. Decent selection of different type of cuisines.

 La Cucina was very good as was Moderno. 

 We enjoyed the entertainment.

Embarkation started a little bumpy, arrived in Fort Lauderdale on a red eye. Received text that the ship was delayed from dry dock and not to show up to the port until 5PM.

We rented a car drove around and got to the port around 4:30, they boarding had started and we went right on board. 

Not sure they got all the work done before they got to Ft. Lauderdale, worker were still onboard on our way to Bermuda. 

The ship was in good shape (just out of dry dock), the furniture all look new or at least recovered. 

I found the crew to be receptive and welcomeing, with the exception of the coffee bar staff. They were a little short at times and the first i have found to be extremely slow. Didn't bother me much I just drink coffee, but i watched folks have decent waits and were even forgotten about.

The dining room was good, the service was good and the food was good. 

We dined at the Crown Grill several times this cruise and enjoyed every minute. The food was outstanding and the service was even better.

Entertainment throughout the trip was very good to excellent. 

We boarded the Sun in Seward, embarkation was easy. Just a note, this was our first cruise since NCL's water ban. They have placed containers at the entrance to discard all drinkable fluids as the put it. They checked everything and made folks discard water bottles with any water at all in it.

 We had beautiful weather the entire trip. The ship is starting to show wear and tear, nothing drastic just needed repairs in the theater, some seats were at a downward angle very uncomfortable. Nothing dry dock won't fix. 

Food: buffet, well buffet food nothing great nothing really terrible. The omelette guys in the morning did a great job. 

Dining room, the food was pretty good service was ok.  

La Cucina, food was good service was good but it is a specialty restaurant 

 Morderno, our favorite restaurant on board ship. Good food with great service, but it is a specialty restaurant.

overall it was a very enjoyable cruise, the staff were kind.

We take an Alaska cruise almost every year, I never tire of the scenery.

We found the crew to be inviting and friendly. The ship was in good shape overall.

Moderno was our favorite restaurant. We found the food to be pretty good throughout the ship. 

Debarkation in Seattle was smooth.

we started the trip by taking the Amtrak train from Seattle to Vancouver. The trip was approximately four hours and we arrived in Vancouver at 11:45. A $15 taxi ride to the cruise terminal.

There were three ships in port this day. The embarkation was very time consuming. We went in checked in and then received our key cards. We were given a number and told to wait until we were called to security. The entire process was about three hours. 

Once onboard we had a great time. The Crown Princess is in good shape overall. This was not the friendliest crew I have sailed with but it was three days, so I can understand. The service was good. 

We ate in the dining room two nights and the food was good service was good. We had anytime dining. We arrived at 5. When we left the was a considerable line to get in the dining room. The last night we went to the Crown Grill. The service was good the food fantastic. 

We were in A615 a balcony cabin. The room was in good shape and our cabin stewardess Ethel was great. 

If you are looking for a relaxing three days I would recommend one of these short coastal trips.

The crew was warm and inviting and the ship was in good shape. 

We we did the majority of our meals in the main dining room. The food was good and well as the service.

Overall it was an enjoyable cruise with a good crew.

We joined the ship in Papeete, for the 12 days beck to San Diego. We arrived in Papeete at 6am with check in set for 1pm. We decided to go to the ship and hope they would at least take our luggage. To our pleasant surprise they not only took our luggage but allowed us to check in. 

We spent most of our time in the mix, listening to the solo guitarist Chris Bartlett, great talent. The bar staff was fantastic. Justin the Piano man was great too. 

The service and food in the buffet was very good, choices at times not the best. I can not comment on the Main dining room as we did not attend. The Pinnical grill was fantastic, well worth the surgharge. The crew on the ship was fantastic. 

The ship was in good shape.

We have done Alaska several times before. This was our first out of San Francisco. Embarkation was a little confusing, but as I understand the new cruise terminal is open so I won't waste time on this portion. 

The Star Princess is a very nice ship. I enjoy the International Cafe in the Piazza. I buy the Coffee card.,it is approximately $30. Gives you 15 specialty coffees and unlimited brewed coffee. I prefer this to the coffee in the buffet.

i found the the food in the Main dining room to be good. The service was good a little slow at times, but that's ok with me. The Pizza on the Lido deck was very good. 

Sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge was a great experience. We really enjoyed it. What we really like about this itenary is the two days up to Alaska and the two days to return. Very nice to rest before and after.

On this cruise we had to tender in Juneau. So be sure to check prior to booking if you do not want to tender.  

We found the staff to be very friendly and helpful.

Embarkation was smooth in Los Angeles. 

We we only dined in specialty restaurants this trip as we had the dining package.

 Moderno was fantastic!

Cagneys steakhouse was ok, the steak was cooked perfectly. However, all the side dishes were extremely bland, service was ok.

La Cucina was very good and the service was good.

I found the ship to be in good shape. The reason for three stars on this trip was our cabin I will review it below.

We took the Princess shuttle from Seattle airport to Vancouver cruise terminal. The bus ride was approx 4 hours Canadian customs was a breeze. The U. S customs in Vancouver was long and tiresome but we made it through. 

We settled into our obstructed ocean view room on the Emerald deck. The nice part was you could look over the top of the life boat and the view was not bad at all. 

We found the Grand Princess to be in pretty good shape over all. Some wear and tear here and there, but nothing to bad. We were fortunate enough to have great weather throughout the cruise.

The food in the MDR was good, the Crown Grill was fantastic, from the food to the service. 

We sailed on the Veendam for the 18 day Hawaiian cruise. We had a Vista suite midship cabin 163. If you do not care for sea days then this cruise is not for you. There are 5 sea days to and from the islands. 

I found the ship to be in nice shape. The lounges were in good shape and in the evening you find music to suit just about anyone. The entertainment in the main theatre was very good. 

The reason I enjoy this cruise so much is the itenerary. You have plenty of time on Maui, overnight in Honolulu. It hits both Hilo and Kona on the Big Island, just remember Kona is a tender port and of course you go to Kaui. Make sure you plan out what you want to do. There are rental car shuttles in every port, Walmart and of course Hilo Hattie's. You can be as busy as you want or just relax.

I found the food on board in the Main dining room to be very good, the service was outstanding. The grill by the pool provided outstanding hamburgers and really good hot dogs. The Pinnicle grill was outstanding and Canelleto the Italian restaurant was very good. 

We got off to a rocky start on this cruise, but that was due to NCL land based operations and my trusting nature. But I will not bore you with those details. The cruise was great.

We arrived in Seward to join the ship around 12:30. From the time our shuttle dropped us off till we were onboard was less than thirty minutes. Luggage was not far behind. 

By NCL's standards the Sun is an older ship. However, she is in good shape. When we arrived at our cabin 4103, I must say it was tiny. Smallest cabin we have ever had. Chance you take when booking guarantee cabins, but it was comfortable, clean and well maintained.

The staff were friendly and kind. All were willing to help and greeted you with a smile. I was pleasantly surprised that the service on the ship was great. After reading so many negative reviews lately.

The food in the main dining room was very good and the service was attentive. We enjoyed the Maderno and Le Bistro on this trip. Both were excellent in service and food.

The buffet food was good, however it is not set up very well always seemed crowded on the inside of the ship. The buffet on the back deck was not as crowded and I really enjoyed the outside seating. The only draw back is the selections are as plentiful as they are inside.

We enjoyed the guest entertainers. I con not comment on the production shows we did not attend.

The Cruise Director Richard Matic was enjoyable and his staff always had something going.

We enjoyed our time on the Sun.

This was our first complete transit of the Panama Canal. It was a great experience and I would highly recommend it. Now on to the ship.

Embarkation in Los Angeles was confusing and completely disorganized. But we made it on board just fine.

We had an inside cabin on Deck 9, cabin 9619. The cabin was in good shape and in good working order. Our cabin attendant wasn't the fastest, but he was thorough and took good care of us. Deck 9 on this ship is a good location. Only three decks up to the gym and lido and two down to deck 7. We did not need to use the elevators the entire trip.

We found the food to be very good this trip. We ate in the Azure dining room. Food was good, service was top notch. 

Morning were here spent in the Great outdoors. It was pretty decent buffet food. The buffet coffee was pretty good on this ship.

Specialty dining:

Le Bistro: The food was good, service was ok.

Cagneys Steakhouse: Food was fantastic, service was different. if you orders soup and a salad, they brought them at the same time. Then there was a long gap until you got your entree. 

La Cucina: really good food and service.

Moderno Brazilian: This was our favorite. Excellent food and service was fantastic. My opinion is this is well worth the flat fee.

The ship was in very good shape over all and the staff were friendly and warm.

There was a nice variety of entertainment on board. The main theater had the regular magicians, jugglers and the like. The troop on board were very good. Oh what a night performed they were very good. There were some good and not so good acts in the lounges.

Debarkation in Miami was well organized and very easy.