Alaska - Gulf of Alaska Cruise Reviews

Cruising by the Hubbard Glacier was spectacular. Words cannot describe the beauty. The beauty of the landscapes, sceneries, and sunsets were spectacular. There was plenty to do on the ship during the cruise. Food, staff, Casino, and entertainment on the ship were great. 

the Radiance of the Seas was very disappointing. 

Dirty

Odors

Poor quality food

i was very very disappointed. 

Alaska was a once in a lifetime visit, for me. Once off the ship, everything was wonderful, wild life, scenery, whales, seals, sea lions. Loved it all. 

Our trip went really well. The ports were good and Alaska is absolutely gorgeous! The only complaint I have it that the ship was a lot smaller that we are used to and the food was not what we expect from Royal Caribbean. Every morning the toast was burnt, there were frequently empty containers on the buffet, and the dinner we had at the one restaurant was the best either.

Enjoyed the ship and staff. Staff from Cascades Dining Room was outstanding! My husband and other companions loved the behind the scenes tour. Issues with BJ's travel. Flights too close together (barely had restroom break between flights). Arrived as last group boarding (forgotten at airport, Windjammer closed upon arrival)-no meal for several hours. Large group that was "linked together" were split up at dining tables and land tour. Dining staff got our group together at 2 tables next to each other. Very little/incorrect information given on land tour. Would have appreciated a call from BJ's for assistance with needing flights and hotel rooms due to Delta issues-had to be handled ourselves.

Our favorite port was Ketchikan. We had a local native guide.

The least favorite part was all the jewelry shops, and at EVERY PORT! Most, in fact, are owned by the cruise lines! Ice Strait Point was never a stop or destination until Royal Caribbean constructed it!

We did, however, love the cruise. Hubbard Glacier was absolutely awesome!!

Food, room, entertainment was all first class.

Our land and cruise tour thru Princess on the Island Princess was excellent. Alaska is breath taking. The snow on top of the Mountains and the tree, never saw so many trees lush and green. The tour directors for the cruise were all very knowlagble and pointed out sites and explained everything. Princesses staff was also terrific and our room steward was also great.

The food was not "really" good.  lots of children in the soluriam...it is summer and cold and rainy for the out door pool.  do not spend as much time there as would have preferred.  The land part of the curise was fabolious.  From boarding the train to the luggage system of "meet me tonight"  was  very well planned Kudo to Princess.

The scenery was Majestic, first time traveling on Princess everything was above and beyond our expectation.  Will definitely cruise Princess again.  Would return to Alaska if there were not many other places we want to visit.

Comparing with my other cruise experience, the food choice is less, the food quality is poorer, the overall entertainment program is boring, and the room is less clean.

The scenery, the people and the entertainment were my favorite things. Everything was so coordinated! I would definitely recommend Princess to anyone going to Alaska

Wildlife viewing was our intent and shore excursions through the ship made this top notch!  Our Juneau helicopter to the glacier, hiking there and going to dog sled school was canceled because of weather - rain and fog.  If the pilot does not want to go, neither should you. We had looked forward to this for 6 months and before we could be very sad - the excursion people were getting us booked on other fun things!  We went to botanical gardens and by bus to the glacier and had fun. In Skagway, we went to Gold Rush Sled Dogs- Iditarod dog demonstration and met the huskies up close and personal.  The musher speaking was extremely informative and entertaining.  We learned and laughed!  We rode the railroad there for incredible views and panned for gold which was much more fun than we expected.  In Icy Straits, be sure to do the whale watch - AMAZING - we saw more whale activity and breaching that we thought possible!  (Orcas and humpbacks).  Top that off with bear watching in either Icy Straights or go for the small group bear watch in Ketchikan (12 people per tour).  We were very pleased with both tours seeing bears in both.  The later, the bears were in streams fishing for salmon!

The ship is not huge and easy to find things.  Staff was very friendly and professional for the most part.  Our dining experience was great because of our wait staff taking such wonderful care of us in the anytime dining formal dining area.   The Windjammer again delivered good food, great variety and good service also.  We tried the Italian specialty restaurant but should have stayed in the dining room - very good but there is an Italian food night in the dining room that was just as good. We did not eat at Chops steakhouse but it has been exquisitely good in the past. 

The Starquest bar at the top of the ship was a disappointment.  We always enjoy having a drink "up top" but found service very slow and unfriendly our first visit.  We always tip well and are attuned to the service industry.  We tried a second visit and waiters passed by us and never stopped to ask if we wanted a drink - we probably could have gone and gotten one or gone to the bar, but by then, the atmosphere was gone.  This is certainly not the same as past cruises. 

The bars had plenty of variety - LOTS of scotches etc - but very few bourbons. Most only had Jack Daniels or Jim Beam.  We went to the Schooner Bar which was much better stocked but it seemed to be the only one. 

A few bumps in the road but very minor - cruise was fun, scenery was beautiful and we got waited on hand and foot - what is not to like??!!  We would do this cruise again - hands down!

Nice ship. Better than expected dining experience except for the the specialty restaurant - Sabatini - very mediocre. I will not recommend this restaurant to my friends. It is perhaps marginally better than the dining room food.

Service overall was excellent but I did not like the constant "selling"/sales pitch. 

Recommend a high end sushi restaurant on the ship - a healthy option - I would have been happy to pay the extra.

The gym was too small and no view unlike the other ships I've been on - dissapointing.

My wife and I had an incredible experience on our Alaska cruise. The service the staff of  Princess Cruise was exceptional and polite. The shows was very good and entertaining. The excursion was well organized and very exciting. The food was very good, but speciality restaurant was not as good as expected. The ship was very clean . We would definitely take this trip again. Overall, we truly enjoyed our cruising experience. Anyone looking to take a cruise to Alaska will truly enjoyed this cruise and incredible experience. 

We did not get the train from Anchorage to Seward which required reservation which not done during reservation. We had to take taxi to Seward that cost $370.00 cash, that was not our budget.

HAD A WONDERFUL TIME. WILL RETURN.  ONLY PROBLEM WAS WITH THE AIRLINE.  THIS HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH YOUR BOOKING.  THE STAFF WAS GREAT AND VERY HELPFUL.  THE ON BOARD SHOWS WERE FUN AND WE ENJOYED THEM A LOT.  EVERYTHING IS SO ORGANIZED AND WELL PLANED BY THE CRUISE LINE. 

Every member of the crew was knowledgeable, helpful and always gracious and smiling. Specialty restaurants were fabulous, especially Cagneys.  The steaks were always delicious.  Found the service in the lounges very slow; had to get our own drinks most of the time.

Food was terrible and service was OK. They changed ports last minute and all excursions were cancelled. We had booked excursions through outside parties which was cheaper. But the cruise director failed to honor any discount at all. Very dissapointed

Being a first time cruiser, I have nothing to compare the cruise with.However, I feel Holland America knows how to make the Alaskan Cruise a special experience.  I cannot say enough about the staff. They were friendly, informative, accommodating, efficient, and provided impeccable service.  The food throughout the ship was great.  The dining room menu was creative and provided something for everyone. The buffet, too, had a wide selection of choices. Check out the burger at the poolside grill!  It is as good as any at gourmet burger restaurants.  My spa experiences were equally as good.  It was obvious the ship's captain wanted to showcase the Alaskan landscape and was an excellent wildlife spotter, important for an Alaskan cruise. The entertainment is overall OK, but loved the band in the BB King Blues Lounge and the Piano Bar entertainer. Besides, we were tired in the evenings from shore excursions and cruise activities.  The reason I cannot give the cruise 5 stars is there was a mechanical issue with a part of the ship (non-navigational) and it cost a nearly an entire day of the cruise/excursions.   I am looking forward to cruising again.

We had a good time.  We were disappointed in our balcony as people around us used the balcony to smoke therefore impacting our ability to be in a smoke free area.  We did share our concerns with the staff but we were told people had a right to smoke on their balconies.  Unfortunately it impacted us. The cruise amenities were otherwise grand.  This was our second cruise different ship, stayed in the same type of room, veranda balcony and this room was much smaller and more cramped.  However we had plenty of space for things and you don't spend a lot of time in your room.

The food was improved from our first cruise, it was outstanding and the opportunities were plentiful for activities for our 13 year old granddaughter

Ship and connections were great.  I asked you to ma and  sure I had an extension cord for my c-pap machine,  Had to wait for them to locate extension cord.  Also, I told you  it was my birthday on July 21.  It was not recognized at all by the crew or dining staff.  Very disappointed.