Alaska - Gulf of Alaska Cruise Reviews

We took he southbound (Anchorage-Whittier to Vancouver) Glacier bay cruise on the Star Princess in June 2017. The ship was good, mid-size, not crowded at all, the food in the buffet and restaurants was very good, lobster night is still on (not like other cruise lines). Crew was very helpful, all the time looking for ways to help you have an amazing time onboard. Views from the ship were excellent, I heard that this is one of only two Princess ships that have a viewing area on the front of the ships, which makes the viewing of the glaciers an amazing experience. TIP: If you are taking the Alaska cruise: BRING BINOCULARS!

ports good, ship a little dated. not happy with the stateroom.  the

transfer to the airport was good. the train from Anchorage to

Seward was fabulous, it would have been nice to have more information about the train, like we would take the bus from Egan Ctr to the airport train terminal.  

Overall we had a great time - in and off the ship.  All of the staff were very nice and did a great job!  Two things made the cruise feel 'cheap'; 1) when we got on the ship there were people pushing dinner packages for the 'non-free restaurants', beverage packages, and booking your next cruise etc - people have just traveled a long way and then are bombarded with all this.... 2) the focus/advertising throughout the cruise on shopping in and off the ship, including a booth set up with gold chain being sold by off spools/rolls!   The formal night attire was not enforced in the restaurants so they didn't feel like the 'special evenings' as they should.  TV in the room was not very good - lots of repeat shows and no movie channel as listed.  The food in the Cascades restaurant was just OK, the food at the Windjammer buffet was better (especially the Indian food) and you have the advantage of a selection so you can find something good to eat!  Had a good steak at the steakhouse restaurant.  All of the restaurants listed were not actually open/on the ship - was a little confusing.  The entertainment on the ship was just OK.  The movie theater was small and there were several seats with no seats. The outdoor pool, golf and climbing wall were not options due to the weather.  Our balcony room was nice.  The length of time at each port was a good amount of time, unlike other cruises we have been on. There was 1 man working at the guest services desk that in our opinion did not speak English well enough for the position.  Again, overall we had a great time and all of the staff did a great job! 

My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed this cruise.  The ports were great and the cruise to Hubbard Glacier was one of the highlights of our trip.  There was plenty to do on the ship.  Lots of activities and good entertainment.  The staff was very friendly and helpful.  Perhaps the only negative is that the furniture in the stateroom was starting to get a bit worn.  But, overall the trip was well worth it.

The cruse updated us to a better cabin to start. The room was a handicap room which was a larger room. The first night we took a shower and had water all over the floor. We reported it and two man came with a machine sucked up the water and said hair was clogging up the drain. They fixed  that but there was a awful smell in the room , after 4 days of dealing with the not so nice plumber they corrected the problem , the fixed the problem , after dealing with that we were given a small compensation, but we had to deal with the smell. of something he could have fixed in four days, the deck supervisor finally showed up on the fourth

day to smell it for himself (poor response

Overall the cruise was very nice and lived up to our expectations

The cruise to Alaska on the Norwegian Sun was fantastic.  The scenery in Alaska was amazing, the cabin was wonderful, the food was great, the staff was really nice, the excursions were fun, and the entertainment on board was surprising top notch.  this cruise was everything we had hoped for.  I would recommend this cruise to anyone that wants a trip of a lifetime!  

We really enjoyed our trip on the Sun.  The whole ship was extremely clean and the staff very friendly and helpful.  

We ate at all the restaurants and buffets where we were delighted with all the choices.  Our only complaints is that no matter which place we ate at, the food was usually just luke warm.  Not sure if the food has to come from a distance away from the dining area or not, even had cold scrambled eggs and meat on the buffet.  

The entertainment was good and tasteful.  Thank you for having the ladies dressed so that their bottoms was not exposed to us.  We have been on other cruise lines where this was the case, which makes it not family friendly. The cruise director David does an excellent job and we really enjoyed the comedian Fred Bevel, really funny guy and not offensive.

We are planning on a 2018 cruise to New Zealand and would definitely consider using Norweigan again.

The cruise, excursions, and food were great.  Plan on future cruises and no plans for right now.  Will book again however by booking with United, Norwegian had some issues showing my transfers, and I was the principle owner of the account I was listed second and my name did not show on the transfers.

Cruising Alaska is the only way to go, in order to see more of Alaska.  We liked the smaller ship, but definitely rocks a bit more in higher seas.  Food on buffet should have been hotter. Staff was great.

itinerary was great.

Could have used a wider variety of activities on sea days, as well as more variety day to day on the Lido menu.

Room stewards were awesome.

Bar staff could have been nicer.

median age of passengers was retired and up.

The ship was very clean and the staff was wonderful!  We enjoyed getting to know our kind and lovely waiters, and we found all the ship's staff to be helpful, knowledgeable and friendly.  We especially loved our day in Glacier Bay, with a knowledgeable and interesting park Ranger on board providing guidance on what we were seeing.  Loved that the captain turned the ship's engine off so we could enjoy the sounds of the glaciers!!

The package we booked included lots of amenities, so we had a wonderful time without worrying about any of the details.  Alaska is indeed the last frontier, and was interesting to visit.  It is sad, however, that the glaciers are receding. I was disappointed that Glacier Bay was not the winter wonderland I expected.  The ports we visited were quaint and interesting to explore.  We enjoyed the rafting experience to the eagle preserve on Haines, gold panning and a salmon bake on Juno, and a self-guided tour of Ketchikan.  The cruise through the Inside Passage was breathtakingly beautiful! Entertainment on the ship was top notch and varied.  Food was delicious!  Our veranda room was spacious and had lots of storage spaces.  The bed was oh so comfy!  The bathroom was worn and could use some freshening up.  Staff were attentive and friendly.  Would definitely recommend this ship and itinerary to others.

Drink package was nice.  room was good.  enjoyed food.  pinnacle grill was good.  dessert wasn't great.  love chocolate melting cake that other ships offer.

The scenery on this cruise is magnificent. The ship is very clean and the buffet was consistently excellent. The library and game rooms are well-stocked and pleasant to use. Our room was clean and comfortable - our steward was friendly and attentive (but no towel animals on this cruise) and tidied up the room twice per day. We liked the older, more polite guests on this cruise - it definitely wasn't a party boat, but we didn't do any late-night dancing so I can't comment on that.

There were a few less-positive things, though. The dining room service was not great because the staff seemed stressed and distracted. This happened every time we went, and we heard the same complaint from the other people who sat with us. It was no fun dining in the dining rooms, which is the opposite experience we had with other cruise lines. The food was good, but not any better than the buffet, so we quit using the dining room for dinner after the first four days, and the buffet staff was very friendly and helpful. Oh, the coffee was fantastic! We drank soooo much of it. Room service coffee in the morning was terrible, though - I have no idea why. Maybe the carafe was soapy or something.

The main singers/dancers for the productions (big shows) were just okay - my husband said it reminded him of watching Lawrence Welk (we're in our 50s so he must have seen LW when he was a kid). We loved the staff talent show at the end of the cruise, though. The live music in different areas during the cruise (string quartet, pianist, vocalists) was very nice. The magician/comedian was great. The narrow hallways where the staterooms are always had cleaning carts in them, so it was sometimes a squeeze getting by. We're both pretty trim, so I can't imagine being overweight, or having a wheelchair or walker. You have to go single-file, so it would be difficult if you need assistance. Also, unless you're small, trim and fit, you will struggle with the tiny shower in the interior stateroom. Make sure you get a larger room with a tub/shower and it might be better.

If you like to find quiet places to enjoy the scenery or read a book, you definitely can. If you like to be around people, you can find that, too.

Fun: Ports and excursions are great! Purchase ahead of time or after docking. Cost more on cruise ship. 

Surprise: On cruise ship, make sure gratuities are included in your package as this is an added expense.

I am not a fan of cruising and this trip did not change my mind.  I will say I was very pleased with my room.  Everything worked well and I thought we had enough space considering it is a cruise ship.  The food and service was very average and the entertainment was slightly below average.  The best part of the trip is Alaska, not the cruise.

After waiting over 15 months from booking the 7 night cruise, we finally boarded in Seward and immediately fell in love. The ship is nearly identical to the Summit, which we had recently cruised in the Caribbean, so we lost no time in getting our bearings.

This time around, though, we were in a Concierge Balcony, and we definitely enjoyed the perks: Priority Boarding, daily canapes, access to the concierge, and more. The food, as always, was amazing. 

With the exception of an impressionist that was so disrespectful towards our president that we walked out of his show, and one bad tour guide, this cruise was amazing!  A special shout out to my servers - Jana and John for making my dining experience the best we have ever had on a cruise ship! Interesting stops and fun activities (like trivia games and name that song competitions).  Overall a great experience!

Celebrity has some major work to win back our favor after this trip.  Lack of information and details for the pre-cruise package was our first disappointment and it didn't improve much after that.  Unwilling to allow purchased upgrades when promotions were offered since we were TOUR passengers was another major strike against them.

The Millennium is in need of better upkeep, modernization and service levels need to really improve.  Food was less than OK and didn't meet the celebrity standard we have experienced on other ships. VERY SAD.

First time to book Cruise, I will do it in the future, best rates and professional, didn't think twice working with Kenyon again.

Alaska was a great experience and weather wonderful, food amazing on Celebrity Millennium, staff friendly and well training, they work hard to make our visit memorable, for me only one week, but they there for every embarkation day with a honest smile and the best of their personalities to make sure you're having a good time for start to end of your journey.

Congratulations , Celebrity Millennium is a Ship I will never forget.