Alaska - Gulf of Alaska Cruise Reviews

We are very glad we were fortunate enough to be able to go on an Alaskan cruise and see this part of Alaska and the beautiful mountains and glaciers. We would not do it again because of the cost. Also, we enjoy beaches and pools more than the cold weather vacations.

Our third time on the ship. Always a happy crew. I think this is because of exceptional leadership from the senior staff. The next cruise team and the super shopper Richard are among the best in NCL, Carnival, and Royal Caribbean.

From beginning to end very easy and smooth, no headaches, great overall job!

This was the best vacation of my life and I'd absolutely recommend it to anyone.

Food was good and liked ability to dine anywhere within constraints of restaurants with extra charges ("nominal fees" for these were not particularly nominal). Liked the ports of call and cruising route. Wheelchair assistance when required was very good. Entertainment could be improved - I like to participate in daytime events rather than evening ones and these were lacking.

Very good cruise but felt not as fully expected. Fully understand having to pay for alcohol bu not able to get a soft drink or bottle of water without charge - plus 15% - to me is a grab for money. Lots of attempts to up sell - by bottle of wine not a glass, buy products from spa, etc. Also thought the “sail away party” would have been that with a few drinks included but the special occasion drink was still a $9 extra. Enquired about a bridge tour and was told a $150 fee for a behind the scenes tour and minimum of 4. Again another money grab in my opinion. Gala nights were “odd” - apart from the Captain’s Toast Monday night there was nothing more “gala” apart from the suggestion to dress up (not all did) and the Friday night, there was nothing else at all to signify. Seemed lacking, I expected something “gala”!

Really enjoyed from the pre cruise tour taking in Fairbanks, Denali, Anchorage and Seward right through to the stay over in Vancouver.

This was one of the very best ever. Embarkation was quick and easy, rooms ready promptly. Ship is beautiful with s great staff. Every staff members works to assure your vacation is outstanding. Casino is nice, no smoking really was good. Food was good and plenty in Cafe. There are handwashing stations near the Cafe and lots of hand sanitizer stations. Shops are open and had a good sale over the length of cruise. Disembarked with ease. Very nice buses to Denali

We tried to take advantage of every opportunity to get out and do things and see places. Overall - Best vacation ever! Trip of a life time. Scenery was breathtaking. The weather was beautiful and it was an amazing experience. There are some opportunities for Celebrity to enhance the customer experience in some of the services and ship activities. We would do another Alaska Cruise in the future but we are still not sure that Celebrity would be our first choice. One final comment. We did not each need to receive a package at every port of call with very expensive printed materials designed to get us into the stores. That was a total waste of money and just served to pollute the streets of the very nice places we visited. Maybe one - less fancy handout to each part that covers all ports of call but certainly not a book to each person at each port of call.

Our family of 4 went on the cruise from Alaska to Vancouver, something I had wanted to do my entire life growing up in Alaska. I moved away to college 30 years ago and then on to the East Coast. I went back with my family so they could see it with me. The scenery and cruise far exceeded all of my expectations. It was my first cruise and I had heard various thoughts on cruises in general on various cruise lines and destinations. This cruise was excellent in every way, on the ship and off. I recommend it whole heartedly to everyone.

We had atypical unbelievably beautiful weather! Sunshine and no rain the entire week!!😍 Everyone was amazed at the weather, couldn’t have had better!! Celebrity Cruises is a step above some other cruise lines!

This was a spectacular trip! The weather was beautiful, so we got great views of the mountain peaks, glaciers, whales, and towns. With glaciers melting, we feel so lucky to have been able to appreciate the majesty of the glacier-covered mountains.

We had a fabulous time on our Alaska vacation, and enjoyed the Jewel tremendously. Our balcony cabin was basically as expected, with sufficient storage and surface space. I was pleasantly surprised to find USB ports in the bedside light fixtures, makes charging your phone and using it as an alarm much simpler! The entertainment on the ship was fantastic, Anna and Vlad were fantastic acrobats, and Larry Omaha was quite funny! Food was as expected, tasty but nothing exceptional except in the specialty restaurants. We have no complaints about service, every crew member we encountered was super friendly and helpful.

Long-time traveler, first-time cruising - a great experience. Loved being in a group. Infiltrating smoke a problem, as mentioned. The lesser wifi/internet package seemed worthless . . . one in our group had the higher-speed option and as much problems and woes as us. Some of the upsales efforting by staff became tiresome.

Had a fantastic time with this itinerary, which I would recommend to people of almost all ages. We've done 11 cruises around the world. If you can choose only one-- it should be this one.

This cruise was one for the books. The ship and staff were fantastic.

The major disappointment during our cruise was the metal ladder mounted outside our veranda which obstructed our Alaska views. Had we known about the obstruction, we would have chosen another stateroom. Another disappointment was insufficient seating on the outside deck beyond the Ocean Café. Otherwise, we were very pleased with the cruise overall, the destinations, and the excursions.

We had a great time on this cruise. I picked Norwegian because it is supposed to be very kid friendly. I did not feel like there was much to offer for my kids. They were most excited about the arcade and the sports court. The basketballs were all damaged, the golf clubs were all for left-handed golfer’s, shuffleboard equipment was damaged and not usable, the sports court had a net over it which is about 4 feet above the hoop so it was always hitting a nap and people were very frustrated with that and the sport court was not accessible. We had a great time on this cruise. I picked Norwegian because it is supposed to be very kid friendly. I did not feel like there was much to offer for my kids. They were most excited about the arcade and the sports court. The basketballs were all damaged, the golf clubs were all for left-handed golfers, shuffleboard equipment was damaged and not usable, the sports court had a net over it which is about 4 feet above the hoop so it was always hitting the nap and people were very frustrated with that and the sports court was not accessible. There were two tiny hot tubs and one pool. Hot tubs were always so busy that you didn’t even want to sit in there because they were overcrowded. Just wasn’t a whole lot to offer on the ship for children unless you want to throw them in the splash Academy all day and not spend any time with them. I have cruised a lot and this is the first time I have used Norwegian. I did love their main dining at any time. That was very convenient. Overall I wasn’t. Impressed with them.

We have cruised extensively. This was our 5th HAL cruise. Compared with previous cruises, I think that the overall quality of HAL was lower. Food at the main restaurant was disappointing, both in quality and selection, especially lack of vegetarian options. The restaurant was 1/2 empty for the late seating. Perhaps other guests also found the food not very attractive. Staff were helpful and attentive, but there's little they can do to improve the food. Haines is a poor choice for a visit. Skagway is where the action is. There are many tour choices at each city along the cruise. We found the selection great, prices more reasonable than through reservations, and the quality good with only one exception (the hike and float in Skagway).

I live adventure cruising - using the ship as a "floating hotel" while exploring the beautiful Alaska rain forests. NCL departed on a Monday which worked perfectly into our schedule as we attended a wedding in Alaska before the cruise and sailed back to Vancouver on our way home to the east coast.