Alaska - Gulf of Alaska Cruise Reviews

We met people from other countries as well as from the U.S. I made many new friends. There was always something to do on the ship, lots of activities, and lots of food. I liked that you could eat whenever you wanted and the food was always good. Me and my husband went panning for gold and we loved it, also went to see the totem poles. My daughter & her husband went fishing for salmon and to the canoe and hike to the Mendenhall Glacier. They loved it! The Hubbards Glacier was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. I would recomment this cruise and the trip to Denali afterwards which we also loved. My son-in-law and daughter are ready to move to Alaska.

Other than the two back to back days of cruising at sea it was a great trip. All staff was very friendly and helpful.  My only suggestion would be to alert your desk staff that there is NO baggage hold in Seward as they miss informed us that there was. 

The cruise was wonderful. We were very pleased with our room and the ship. The crew was extremely friendly and helpful. The food and entertainment were terrific. We went to 4 specialty restaurants and the food and service were great.

However, Since the weather was not conducive to sitting on the pool deck, it would have been nice if they had a better selection of movies to watch either from our room or in a central location.

The cruise was totally enjoyable. The food was delicious the crew was wonderful and the entertainment was super! The views of the glaciers were fantastic! I would recommend this cruise to others!

This cruise route is one that everyone should experience but during better weather and on a better cruise line. We have been on several cruises to various locations on other lines and found Holland American service inferior and the food very lacking in variety and quality. We found the services of our cruise agent () to be excellent.

We were in an SC class suite and was very disappointed in the condition of the room and its facilities.  The bathroom floor tiles were missing a large amount of grout.  Some entire sides were empty.  The outer door lock on our veranda door was nearly corroded away from sea air and salt water.  The deck was very rusty.  

The Main Dining Room food was good, as was the service,  and entertainment was surprisingly good.   A lot of the crew looked tired, not as outgoing as other HAL crews.  Will probably take a break from HAL cruising for awhile.

the cruise was great and as is with Holland America, the service and food was awesome.  Would have liked a bit more entertainment on board but other than that, can't complain.  The train ride from Denali to Anchorage was also great.  our rail guide kept us entertained and the scenery was breathtaking.  the only thing I can somewhat remark on in a slightly negative light is the hotel in Anchorage (Westmark).  It was not quite up to the Holland America standard.  It wasn't bad, just not what I would expect from HAL. 

We thoroughly enjoyed our cruise on Holland America's Zaandam.  The most impressive aspects to me were the amazingly upbeat and helpful staff and the immaculate conditions of the ship.  It was very well maintained and spotlessly clean.  They take great measures to assure cleanliness and good health with had washing and sanitation stations throughout the ship, as you board from excursions and particularly in the dining area.  We food the food very good and varied.  And as a special treat we dined in the Pinnacle Restaurant which was an extra charge but was well worth it.  It was exceptional.  Because this was a smaller ship (around 1,400 passengers) we were able to make it all the way into Glacier Bay.  The choice of other ports was great too.  We personally are not into a lot of group activities (which there we plenty of) but were able to join in if we wanted or not...we chose to catch up on some much needed ZZZZ's on sea days.  First vacation that I left where I felt rested.  Great job to everyone who works on this ship!

The best part of the trip was all the beautiful scenery and picture perfect ports.  I loved the amount of time we had on each port.  The crew of the Radiance are great on making you feel like family from day one.

Hubbard Glacier was spectacular-within several hundred yards-calving building size ice right in front of ship! 3 hour wait in line for cab to airport was real downer in Vancouver BC.

We had a great time on Radiance of the Seas. The crew was exceptional. If I could give 4.5 I would. I'm reducing it from perfect because there were a few things they could improve upon. I would have liked a bathrobe provided--that's a pretty major thing to have to bring. They also had trouble providing a decent steak. All of the seafood, pasta, fowl and lamb dishes were perfect but the steaks were rubbery and tasteless.

The stops on this cruise were excellent and we enjoyed three of the ship shows very much (two comedians and a juggler). However, we opted not to attend any performances by the Royal Caribbean Dancers and Orchestra based on their lack luster performance at the first night show.

I felt it was a great trip--just sorry it's over. 

The glaciers, shore excursions, and onboard activities were awesome and the hospitality was exceptional. Better food selections in the windgammer. Food was almost the same everyday and was boring. The same with the hotdogs. They were just Ok.

Favorite part of the cruise included ports and excursions, i.e. Walking on Mendenhall Glazier and ziprider. Disappointed in that we could not dogsled. Previous cruisers need to know that this ship is a smaller ship, thus not having quite as much as a large ship. However, overall for the size, the ship was just fine. Most of the time you were busy enjoying Alaska. The entertainment was of a very high talent level. 

We decided to try an interior room; worked out fine. The room was quiet and comfortable and we didn't miss the port hole but perhaps some day we might consider a balcony room.  The food was usually very good onboard, with only one or two instances of "average" food. The crew was courteous and helpful, dispensing hand cleaner at every opportunity, and thus I think that helped us stay healthy and rested throughout the cruise. The glacier experiences, the Alaskan Railroad trips, and the beautiful scenery were the highlights of the trip and made it well worth the expense (except for a few notable exceptions):

A.  I would have liked the activities to warn us more about the "sometimes HUGE potential for rain", especially at ports-of-call like Ketchikan that receive 180 inches of rain every year. If we had known about that, we would not have scheduled kayaking in Ketchikan; we decided NOT to get drenched in the cold downpour, and instead sat that one out, wasting the $140 fees for that activity;

 B. The internet access onboard was close to NON-EXISTENT, so I regret paying for that as well; neither my partner nor I could depend on getting to the internet reliably, so next time we will not waste the $240 for that service, but instead will perform whatever internet posting we want to do at ports of call; 

C. The room was clean and well-appointed, but the restroom always had an unpleasant "septic-system" smell; the maintenance men basically said that was "normal". 

D. I do not understand how overweight people manage to shower in the tiny shower, but that might be common to other cruise lines as well. We did OK since we were fairly trim, but I still bumped my elbows while showering. 

The scenery was great!  The nightly entertainment was the best we've seen on any ship.  The Sun's singers, dancers and band were wonderful.

The ship is showing it's age.  Sliding doors did not always work properly.  The sofa in our room was ripped upon our arrival, and not taken to be fixed until we complained on Day 4.  Regular maintenance would have handled these issues.

The last day at sea, there were insufficient activities, especially with a day too cool to be outside.

We liked all part of the cruise. Recommend : Don't miss Cruise Sawyer Glacier. We would recommend this cruise to  our  friends. 

We liked all part of the cruise. Recommend : Don't miss Cruise Sawyer Glacier. We would recommend this cruise to  our  friends. 

I thought it was an awesome cruise with beautiful scenery. Really enjoyed seeing the Hubbard Glacier. I would highly recommend this cruise to my friends and family.

It's surprise when we walked into the cabin, with balcony as I booked a oceanview room. So nice, worth every penny.  

The ship is not new but well maintained. Food is good especially when we late going to buffet are always have hot staff there. Staff are welcome and greeting us and answer questions. The route is very nice to see and experience. Overall, it's a very good cruise experience with NCL and similes cruise. We will be back again.

is a great starting point for any vacation but as usual, Becca Reeves got us set up and going.  The Sun is a small ship by today's standards but it is huge on value.  Comfortable and convenient this ship had tremendous amenities with good entertainment, specialty restaurants and interesting public spaces. We were blessed with excellent weather and the captain took advantage of this to maneuver the ship VERY close to the Hubbard glacier and once there spun the ship around to give everyone awesome views.  The inside passage is in and of itself magnificent with snow capped mountains, abundant marine life and smooth as silk waters and the ports became the icing on the cake. Norwegian isn't for everyone but if you appreciate value and their sense of family this is an appropriate line for an enjoyable vacation.  Excursions are expensive due. To limited facilities and a short season but are rewarded with once in a lifetime experiences.  I travel quite a bit and I must say that Alaska is a unique and brilliant experience that should not be missed.

It was very slow cruise course. I don't recommand to young guys.

7 days is too long period to the course so the ship strolling several times.

come and go badk and come and go back....