Alaska - Gulf of Alaska Cruise Reviews

Let's start with the ship.  It was a smaller vessel, but don't let this fool you for an instant!  There was tons to do and lots of people were enthusiastic about participating.  They had a great program for kids and the buffet was really good... with 2 exceptions.  

Now the food: The only "ding" I am giving RC is over the Cascades restaurant and the specialty restaurant Samba. Cascades: service is a ZERO.  After waiting 40 minutes for a table, I waited 15 minutes before I had to ask for a drink menu.  Our waiter, who was partnered with a bus person, was so busy catering to the table next to us that we saw him only to take our order...eventually. We resorted to asking the bus person for everything or just getting up and getting it ourselves. The food was miserable. Everything was overcooked horribly.  What they did to that poor lobster to make it that rubbery is a mystery. Samba: supposedly a Brazilian steakhouse. I could not actually cut the lamb because it was hard. The pork was like dry thick cardboard.  It was really seriously overcooked and miserable.

However, Giovanni' s more than made up for any shortcomings in food and service. EXCELLENT! Possibly the best pasta and best filet I have had in years.  The Windjammer was a great place to eat and the hours were good for families. 

The rooms were actually larger than I expected and the staff were very courteous and efficient. Anything we needed was promptly delivered. 

Excursions: lots and lots of choices!

We enjoyed seeing the purity of the Alaska Inside Passage.  Alaska and Canada were very beautiful.  Port visits were much enjoyed, but Juneau and Ketchikan ports were not long enough, and we felt like we were rushed.  The price of the excursions purchased on the ship were expensive.  We did research and were able to find less expensive excursions that we felt were very enjoyable.  Be aware that the Saxman Totem Poles in Ketchikan take about 15 minutes to see, and you can not enter the main structure.  If you don't go with the ship, it costs $5 to see enter the area with the Totem Poles. We rented a car for a long day in Skagway, and it cost us about $165.  We drove to Whitehorse, Canada and enjoyed the beautiful scenery of Yukon Pass and the Summit.  This was much less expensive than the two of us taking the train excursion. 

Our room service was very good, and overall, staff on the ship were very helpful. The only complaint I had about our room was that the shower curtain was about 1 inch too short, and every time we showered the bathroom floor got very wet.  

It was sometimes unpleasant on the ship due to the large crowds.  Prior to departing for Ports, there were so many people trying to eat breakfast, there was literally NO place to sit.  We would have to wander around with our plate of food until someone left a table.  We had to grab the table before it was cleared so no one else would beat us too it.  The buffet food was OK, but the restaurant food was much better quality. 

The visit to Hubbard Glacier was not as enjoyable as we expected, as we stayed a far distance from the Glacier.  There was another large cruise ship ahead of us, that got much closer to Hubbard Glacier.  We were told by the ship "Naturalist" over the loud speaker that we were going to get closer to the glacier, but we never did.  

For the first week of June, the weather was still cold for most of the trip.  We had a lot of wind and rain, so be prepared for the weather.  Dress in layers so you can enjoy the outdoor portion of the cruise. Take a rain poncho and umbrella just in case.  

Our family of 5 had this trip last week and it was a great experience with this trip. The major good point are the food in the upper deck (Lido). We are vegetarians and tried the food in the dining room. The food in the dining room (5th deck) is OK but can be better, particularly when compared our experience with other cruise lines. The design of the ship, and the arrangement of the trip as well as the embarkation and disembarkation, are good. The shows are mediocre and the movies are old stuff. It can be better. But the shopping onboard is also good, better than expected. As always, the photos are ripoff. Overall, it is a good time.

Our family of 5 had this trip last week and it was a great experience with this trip. The major good point are the food in the upper deck (Lido). We are vegetarians and tried the food in the dining room. The food in the dining room (5th deck) is OK but can be better, particularly when compared our experience with other cruise lines. The design of the ship, and the arrangement of the trip as well as the embarkation and disembarkation, are good. The shows are mediocre and the movies are old stuff. It can be better. But the shopping onboard is also good, better than expected. As always, the photos are ripoff. Overall, it is a good time.

I really enjoyed the College Glacier. It was a beautiful day to be there. The ship was there long enough to really see this amazing site.amazing and a great memory to see this.

Ship layout was great!  Most everything is on deck 7 except the buffet which is 14.  Staff is wonderful.  My only detraction of a star was because the food was mediocre.  My Husband had the pork and lamb on two different nights and both were a little tough.  Probably wouldn't have noticed, but we've been on several cruises so could compare.  Cabins were spacious for a cruise room.  We were at the very back of the boat and was a bumpy ride from Ketchikan to VC.  The extra pay restraurants, weren't worth the extra $$. except the steakhouse, which was fabulous.

The ship looks brand new and very clean . Entertainment was excellent and the crew was friendly and helpful.

The only downfall was the food in the buffet and Capri ding room. There was plenty of food but not good. Someone said that was because we took the cruise north to south where Alaska has to import mostly frozen.

The 2 speciality restaurants were good.

Overall, we had a great time.

Ports to stop by should be planned more meaningful. Every breakfast and lunch should have better qualities. All price of each activities should be more affordable & reasonable. Need to find a more qualified acupuncture doctor. 

Great service , good food, wonderful weather and beautiful nature, excellent entertaiment. Old ship. But kept clean. Shore excursions were hit and miss:some great, some awful .overall we had a great time

The entertainment was excellent.  There were a variety of performances and all were very good.  The staff were friendly, courteous and did an excellent job through out the week making us feel special.  The ports were interesting and afforded plenty of opportunities to see all that Alaska offered.  Most evening meals offered a variety of good options but overall the food was not the highlight of the cruise.  Fortunately the dining staff were exceptional and help us make the best choices at every meal. Our one dissatisfaction was the inconsistency of the wine choices from one station to the next.  We found several nice wines that we liked but they were not always available without having to go to multiple locations.  Overall we had a great cruise experience and we would recommend this ship and the itinerary to our friends.  

Our room attendant (Fernando Luna) was amazing and is the hardest working man on ship.

The female bartender in the Centrum bar was awesome. Always smiling, friendly and helpful.

The overall appearance of the ship was poor. Stained dining room chairs, missing and damaged floor thresholds, dated carpets and very disappointed in the 'artificial' foliage. 

The disappointment came with our meals and the ships overall appearance.

The Windjammer food bars were always messy and spilled food on the counter tops. The food seemed repetitive and too many unlabeled items. Food should be detailed well for guests with food sensitivites. The salad section and fresh food selections were very small. It was also difficult to find seating with so many dirty dishes occupying so many tables. One of the biggest disappointments came when we sat in a differant area of Windjammer and realized that we could not hold a conversation because apparently the basketball courts are right above that section of the restaurant. Very poor design idea, would be shocked if there haven't been complaints about this before.

Evening dining started out well the first two evenings but became very upsetting the remaining evenings when our waiters while friendly and polite, seemed overwhelmed and our service became poor. Empty water glasses, delayed appetizers, missing waiters, entrees delivered to the table before our dirty appetizer plates were removed and empty wine glasses. Really not what we've come to expect from Royal Carribean.

Seeing the Hubbard Glacier up close was most memorable.   The small icebergs as well.  The scenery during the Inside Passage was beautiful.  The ports on this cruise all had their on unique character.  Great way to see Alaska.

The service Celebrity provided was unbelievable.  Almost everyone was kind and seem happy to be there.  The only downside was the "specialty restaurants" where the food were not that "special".

We loved the cruise. Only part we didn't care for was not having any phone service the whole time. We had a family emergency just before boarding and couldn't call home to check on things and neither could the ship. Could have paid for internet for way too much but according to most of the people we met on ship that did purchase minutes there were numerous problems from it not working to running their minutes off is first hour because of lack of instructions. Crew for the most part were very helpful but had  a hard time understanding heavy accents at times.

We booked a suite and the amenities that come with it were superb. Out Stewart was very attentive. We also booked The Sanctuary area for at sea days, Glacier Bay, and College Fjord. I would highly recommend this as well. No jockeying to see the view and the attendants were wonderful. 

What I would say needs improvement is the laundry services. We sent in laundry and dry cleaning on Sunday for same day service and we did not receive it back until Wednesday.... hardly same day service.... It would've been one thing if they were simply backed up but two brand new tops that we're purchased prior to the cruise and only worn once were returned pilled. It was upsetting to say the least. 

Overall the good vastly outweighed the bad. The weather was fabulous with absolutely no rain at any point along the way. Alaska is simply gorgeous! 

The Alaska scenery is the only thing that saved this cruise.  Princess was a huge disappointment.  Our trio for 4 totaled  $12,000 including excursions and airfare.  The first night a room steward removed an expensive personal item from our room  and stated that it was trash and we had thrown it away.  They were not even courteous enough to move this person away from our rooms so we spent the remainder of our trip cleaning and straightening our own rooms.  The food was mediocre at best and was never hot.  I have cruised many times on multiple cruise lines including: Carnival, NCL, and Royal Caribbean.  This cruise line was the most disappointing by far.  I would recommend Alaska, but on Holland America or another cruise line.

Very nice ship, clean and all staff very friendly.  Our cabin Steward, Jojan, was awesome!  Excursions were great, especially the seaplane to the Lodge.  We did have a few times when at sea that the activities were not really our type of event so spent time at a bar or in the cabin. Definitely recommend Balcony rooms for the Alaska cruise, you see a lot of glaciers and marine life right off your own balcony and do not have to run topside when something is spotted.  We enjoyed Mark the Marine Life naturalist.  There were a few areas of food waste that could be addressed by the cruise line.  Baskets of bread for a small table just goes to waste.  Ask first if people want the bread before you bring it. Unless you are a heavy drinker everyday, the drink package is not advised.  Very expensive unless you drink at least 8-9 per day.  Overall, we had a great time and are looking for our next destination.  

The scenery and location for this cruise are the highlights. The ship experience was fine, but nothing above average. The experiences we had with views and wildlife made this a memorable vacation. I was concerned with the lack of cultural diversity among the cruise guests. Perhaps Holland America needs to market to people of other ages, races, and backgrounds. This was a ship full of white-haired, white-skinned senior citizens.

Well...to be fair, I'm not really a "cruise person" and would prefer to visit destination not via a cruise ship.  But I will say the trip was decent.  For the most part, the trip delivered on making sure all of the locations were visited and the Ports of Call were explored.  I really enjoyed my Port excursion trips...but will say, they are totally OVER-PRICED!  As far as the boat is concerned, it was just average at best.  A few items needing improvement included -

1.)  Better "anytime dining" experience (stood in long lines to eat & when seated, always had to share a table with others)

2.) The other ship restaurants charge you a fee to eat, but the food was not BETTER than what you get in the regular restaurants, included in your price.

3.)  Too much of "pushing sales" on the boat!  Raffle this-raffle that...etc. Too gimmicky!

4.)  The "days at Sea" were somewhat boring.

5.)  Need MORE variety of shows at sea (i.e. Live Jazz groups, Broadway plays, etc)

6.)  I understand the package DID NOT include alcohol as part of the package...but, WHY do you 'nickel and dime' passengers and make them pay for fruit juice, sodas, etc.  Haven't you made plenty of money?

7.)  So I got my ice-cream cone as part of my package...but was charged $2.50 for my ice-cream malt? ("nickel & diving" again)

...That is all.

Our first cruise experience was a disappointment. The Star Princess folks spent more time nickle-and-diming their guests than attending to their needs. The buffet, available throughout the day, was mediocre, the anytime "elegant" dining served up tiny portions. The Princess website identified  great hamburger, pizza and ice cream shops, they turned out to be outside counters and not indoor locations. Traveling in Alaska is not the ideal time to stand at an outdoor counter waiting for a hamburger, that when provided, is already cold. The entertainment was not first-rate, it was ok if you had never seen a Broadway show or other more professional entertainment. Other than the Steward for our deck section, the staff was, at best, indifferent to the guests. During the upper deck mid ship departure celebration from Vancouver, with large crowds participating, I tripped over a lounge chair that was sitting in the middle of a crowd of celebrants (should have been secured before the celebration began). Bruised and bleeding, I went back to our stateroom where our Steward provided plastic bags containing ice to help with the wound. We went to the Medical Center and found it closed with a sign clearly stating that they would only deal with "medical emergencies" after hours. Not sure what to do, I called the Service Desk, explained that I was injured and asked for some direction as to what to do, the young lady at the Service Desk said that the Medical Center would reopen on Sunday at noon. She did not inquire as to the nature of my injury nor offer any other assistance. This was, for the most part, the type of "customer service" provided to guests throughout the cruise. Once on land at the Danali Resort and in the Westmark in Fairbanks, we had an opportunity to speak with other travelers who were on our cruise, they too felt that the Star Princess could have done a better job. Those who had taken other cruises said that we should not judge all cruises by the Star Princess experience. If you are thinking about a cruise, avoid the Princess and parent line Holland America.