Alaska - Gulf of Alaska Cruise Reviews

This cruise was a solid 7. The bar service was lackluster and the food was pretty to look at but boring in flavor. The ports were all nice for a quick walk but you do tire of the tourist stuff after a while.

Overall we had a very good time , 7 days may have been a bit to much thinking a 5 day cruise next time and a balcony room , which we would have done this time but I thought the weather would effect that , as it turns out a balcony room would have worked great as the weather for the most part was very nice

Alaska is beautiful, and we had perfect weather. The ship is nice, but not without it's flaws (small size of cabins, spotty service). We were also surprised to not have any narration or announcements from the captain for the whole trip - we were viewing so much amazing scenery but never really knew what we were looking at, any history/stories, etc. We expected a cruise in this part of the world to have a bit more narration. Also note that the internet package is fairly useless - the internet service was spotty at best, and very slow when it worked. And the app crashes a lot and isn't very well made. Overall though, we did have a terrific vacation and enjoyed the ship and most of the ports. I recommend this itinerary (minus Icy Straight Point) and this ship if you aren't traveling with children.

Beautiful scenery. Something checked on my bucket list and many lovely photos to capture the picturesque views. Very rainy, two of three ports were just down pours. The on-ship glacier viewing was the best. Tour to Mendenhall Glacier disappointing. Can't get close and the down pour was miserable. 12 ft of rain per yr so the chances will be high that you'll experience that too. Felt privileged no rain during the on-ship glacier viewing as that truly was the highlight. Loved the White Pass/Suspension Bridge tour by bus, as well as the bus tour by coach from Seward to the airport. I could've skipped the nature center as it was a down pour again and a muddy mess. Loved the staff, from the "Happy-happy-washy-washy" guy in the buffet to Stefan our solo cruise coordinator, to my cabin steward Benjamin. All just fantastic. The spa could use an extra person at the counter to take and return cards for the limited 100 people going in and out of the thermal spa. Hated waiting for that when it was such a simple transaction and complicated things happening ahead of me. Should be a better, automated, check in/out swiping system. Stefan coordinated our solo events. He booked restaurant reservations for the standard dining rooms (tough to get into specialty so book before the trip), and held a row for us in the Stardust Lounge for entertainment which I loved. Had a special champagne and cheese set up for us on the last night and took a group pic behind the Captains area where all the action is. Very cool. He also provided a cake and champagne to celebrate the b-day of one of the guests' husband who died a yr ago. She had been on the Jewel several times with him and it was very emotional for her. I have never seen anyone do anything like that on a cruise. Not only will she be a customer for life, but NCL is #1 with me now. I just know the food isn't very good, but I don't go for food so its all good with me. If I have to pick between good staff and food, I'll always take good staff/service. Thank you for letting me provide input.

This was my first and probably last ocean cruise. We did a land portion first, which was gorgeous, but expensive. If we'd had any idea how much it was going to cost just for meals, we would have bought the meal plan ahead of time. There's nothing official online with menus or pricing. We did love the use of the (ship) medallion to get about and the people working for Princess were amazing.

If you want to explore Alaska, this is the way to do it! This was a trip of a lifetime. We were very fortunate with the weather. Everything you hope to see in Alaska can be seen from this cruise.

We enjoyed our seven day cruise celebrating my Moms 70Th b-day. This is a great trip from anyone looking to explore the Alaskan ports. The service on the ship was top notch, the food was good.

Overall great cruise needs activities for teens great staff

Never had a huge desire to visit Alaska. I'm not a fan of cold weather...and as expected, it was cold. Scenery is beautiful.

It was great stepping on to the grand Princess in Whittier. I love the first day! As I said above, prepare for rain and fog and cold if you’re going to Alaska. We paid for Princess plus which included Wi-Fi and drink package. The first crew member we interacted with tried to upsell us, but we simply declined. I think they only do that right when you get on board. We really enjoyed the cruise, and would do it again. All in, I recommend this cruise.

It was a WONDERFUL experience and so Beautiful! We enjoyed seeing land the entire trip as well!

Great time - Alaska is a beautiful place to visit. We added our own land excursion by renting a car touring at our own pace. We visited Anchorage, Denali and Fairbanks. There is NOTHING between these towns - Gas up beforehand.

Overall this was a trip of a lifetime. My only huge disappointment in Princess was the booking process. I booked the trip in August of 2022 and was given a choice of rooms. I chose one on the starboard side as I thought I would get better viewing from the balcony. Once I downloaded the Princess app several months before cruising, I noticed the stateroom number was different than what was on my original paperwork. Fearing a mix up I called customer service and spent an hour on the phone to have someone tell me that my original room was designated for "covid isolation" so they moved me to the same room on the opposite side of the ship. No one ever emailed me to inform or ask me if this was ok. If I am given a choice and make a purchase I expect to get what I chose to begin with. They did not offer me any credit or compensation. My option was to cancel the trip or deal with it. On the first day of sailing we went over to our original room and there were names on the door. I'm sure they didn't have covid from the first day they walked onto the ship. That doesn't leave me feeling confident when booking with Princess.

Best trip I have been on! Loved the scenery and wildlife

We loved the cruise and what the staff has to offer. Especially,the dinning department. Want to say a big thank you to Jay and Kim, and Joanna at Santafe dinning room. They are excellent with the service.

This cruise on the Jewel was to celebrate our 50th anniversary. It was an awesome celebration! The length of the cruise was perfect. The ports (especially cruising Glacier Bay) were all unique and enjoyable. The on-board entertainment was varied and excellent. We also felt that we received great value from the drink package we purchased. Our room steward and the dining staff were all very personable and attentive. Great cruise!

The cruise was wonderful. The weather was typical for SE Alaska, and that was a bummer. Possibly a July or August cruise would have better weather.

Great time. Overall we enjoyed the trip better than our 2009 trip.

Alaska is a wonderful cruise. I highly recommend a trip this way. Spend some time on land in the Anchorage/Denali area. I would be apprehensive using Holland again. Some of this is on me. I did not research the ship itself well enough. I think this company has food service issues and they don’t seem all that organized for embarking and disembarking. Not much can be said for their “sales seminars” and quality of entertainment. The staff was very friendly, courteous, but maybe a little detached.

It was a very satisfying trip. The food was really great, too.