Alaska is a must see destination. The nature and beauty is what we went for and we got that. The ship staff were helpful and friendly. Most ports were excellent.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
The Seattle terminal at Smith Cove was wonderful. The smoothest and quickest cruise check in that I have ever experienced.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
Good food throughout the ship. Fine dining at the Pinnacle Grill is worth the price, just allow 1.5 to 2 hours for the dining experience. Wish the Lido would have been open right after the 8pm show ended so you could get dessert, ice cream or a light snack. Re-opening Lido at 10:30 pm was too late b/c not much else was going on that late. Room service was excellent and quick. Dining room meals were good most evenings, but service was a little unorganized and the dining room meal took too long from start to finish. We absolutely loved the afternoon Tea time and getting breakfast in a dining room instead of Lido was the way to go.
Onboard Activities
1 out of 5
Not many activities suited for the 20's - 40's age group. Most activities were very similar every day (Fitness, Computer class, cooking class, bridge, things that cost more money, etc...) Alaska cruises typically have an older crowd, but I even heard them say they wish there was more variety. Movie times conflicted with the main shows in the lounge or while we were in port, so we didn't get to go to any movies.
The photos taken by the ship should be more cost effective. They are $20 per photo or a hefty price on a package deal. They WASTE A LOT of ink and photo paper by throwing out what is not purchased..lower the price to $5 per photo and sell a lot more of them. With everyone using digital cameras/phones these days, most people don't use the ships photos. The backdrops in the ports were not very good--we only took a embarkation photo and skipped all the rest when they were offered... why waste their time and ours by them being so expensive and wasting them.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
The evening main shows were really good. Especially the comedian Carl Strong... he was fantastic. The crew singers and dancers were great. "The Band" for our cruise were very good.
Not enough variety in smaller lounges, when you take a 14 day cruise and the entertainment is the same every night, that gets old quick,
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
Room stewards were wonderful, very thorough and kept our room tidy. Wait staff in the dining areas were very attentive.
However, I didn't appreciate being asked 12 times (literally, I counted) at one lunch sitting by the pool if I wanted a drink from the bar. It was 3 different servers, but all asked multiple times. If I need a drink from the bar... the bar was only a few steps away.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
The layout of the ship was easy to navigate and clean. The only areas that didn't get cleaned up quickly was the library and a black soot from the ship was all over the deck and outside pool. If you tried to wipe it off it would smear on your clothes/skin.
The non-smoking area of the casino should be fully separated from the smoking section.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Plenty of storage in the room. Spacious bathroom/shower area. Bed was uncomfortable and the bedspreadt was way too heavy. Our A/C didn't work very well towards the end of our stay, but otherwise the room was nice and we had excellent room stewards.
Ship tip
Take a hobby, craft, Ipad, or reading material...you'll have plenty of time on the ship to do them.
We booked our own excursions off of the ship. Sled dog ride throught he rainforest for their summer training and we booked a 2nd tripo for gold panning and a salmon bake.
I really enjoyed seeing a few local children selling crafts/food they made..they were located outside of the visitors center and near the ship. I wish there were local crafters or kids set up like that at every port. I prefer to support the local community vs. commercial shops with imported items.
We did not buy excursions from the ship. It is more cost effective to book and explore on your own. We took a pedal cab throughout James Bay and Beacon Hill Park and into downtown. They took a Harbor boat for a harbor tour and a Harbor Taxi to Fishermans Wharf and explored the great, vibrant and active downtown
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