Great 14 day Alaskan Cruise

Amsterdam Cruise Review to Alaska

Cruises: 4-6 cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 36

Overall rating:

4.8 out of 5
Amsterdam

14 Night Great Land Explorer (Seattle Roundtrip)

Sail date: August 28, 2017

Ship: Amsterdam

Cabin number: 1859

Traveled as: Family (older children)

Reviewed: 7 years ago

Review summary

It was a fabulous experience. We really missed not getting to visit Kodak but understood the weather issues. The ship was comfortable, clean and well maintained. The layout made it easy to get around. We liked the smaller size. EVERYONE was friendly and felt they were there to make our experience pleasant and enjoyable. I thought the entertainment was the best I had experienced on a cruise. Loved the food! The activity director could have been better but enjoyed the activities anyway.

Embarkation

5 out of 5
It was fast and easy. Friendly personnel.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5
Best food I have had on a cruise both in the dining room and in the Lido. Only complaint is the pizza being undercooked a number of times. Like the hamburger and hot dogs offered by the pool. The chocolate night on floor 5 was fabulous. Happy hour was a nice afternoon offering.

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5
The games with the recreation people were not up to par with other cruises I have been on. Not much enthusiasm by those in charge. When Jorge was in charge he was enthusiastic but he was rarely involved with games such as Trivia. I would have liked more games and more enthusiasm on sailing days.

Entertainment

5 out of 5
I have been on 6 cruises and I thought the entertainment on this cruise was the best I have experienced. The programs with the singers and dancers were top drawer. They were spot on and had great costuming and choreography. We enjoyed Piano Man Van every night. The Band in the Crows Nest was great. Hyperion Knight was a real treat. We saw every performance he did. Overall, excellent.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5
Our room stewards, Ferry and Tue, took excellent care of us. They always greeted us with a big smile. Every night our room was ready for us to turn in and there was a cute towel animal greeting us. The dining personnel were all very personable. We enjoyed going to dinner without assigned seating and didn't feel that we got any lesser service. The coffee girls were always ready to take my latte order with a smile. There was never a shortage of people offering drinks in the bars.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5
I have sailed with Holland, Norwegian and Royal Caribbean be this was my favorite ship. I liked the smaller size. It was clean, well maintained and comfortable. The Lido area in all cruise ships can feel crowded but we could always find a seat. I liked having the Crows Nest at the front of the ship. We found plenty of places to play cards. The computer classroom was nice and I loved the test kitchen for cooking classes.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5
We opted to have 3 adults share a window room to keep the cost down and it worked out really well. The layout was nice with the large bathroom and plenty of storage. I had the sofa bed and it made a comfortable bed. I was pleasantly surprised! Our stewards Ferry and Tue kept our place clean and tidy.

Ship tip

Be sure to ask for whatever you need!

Ports of call

Seattle, Washington

5 out of 5
Seattle is lovely. I live just an hour away so it is very easy.

Ketchikan, Alaska

5 out of 5
I have been here many times. We went on the Saxman excursion. The guys went salmon fishing. We all enjoyed our day.

Juneau, Alaska

5 out of 5
We did the Flight and Taku Lodge excursion. Probably my favorite excursion anywhere.

Icy Strait Point (Hoonah), Alaska

5 out of 5
We didn't have an excursion here but enjoyed the port. We got off the ship and enjoyed he museum and shopping.

Anchorage, Alaska

4 out of 5
We did the city tour and heritage area. Well done. Our bus tour guide was very informative.

Homer, Alaska

5 out of 5
We just made it to the strip and didn't get into town. I would have loved more time here. We took the bird watching boat trip out to Gull Island. It was great!

Kodiak, Alaska Did not visit port

The weather didn't allow us to go into the port of Kodak, very disappointed.

Sitka, Alaska

5 out of 5
It was cloudy and rainy but we still took zodiac boat trip and saw lots of wildlife. I would love to see the mountains in the sunshine, maybe next time.

Victoria, British Columbia

5 out of 5
We got off the ship and took a pedicab city tour. I have been here many times but learned a lot about the city and saw areas that I had not seen before.

Disembarkation

5 out of 5
So easy!!!
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1 Comment

Gwbigdog    2 years ago

Thanks for sharing your cruise.

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