This was our 30th anniversary trip. All 4 of our adult kids were able to go with us. We love cruising with a group. We can stay together or wonder off. It was definitely a trip of a lifetime with many memories to cherish.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Very fast. Our checkin time was 12:00. We got there at 11 with our shuttle. Figured we'd rather be there and sit around there than the hotel longer. They sent us right through the whole. Nice surprise.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
We love the dining room experience. Food choices is amazing and adventurous. Getting to know our waitstaff through the week is fun. They make you feel like your the most important family on the trip. We went to the dining room several times for breakfast and lunch as well. We do like the lido buffets for quick breakfast lunches and late night snacks.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
Enjoyed every activity we chose to go to. Sometimes just enjoyed watching others participate. My husband and I got chosen for the Love and Marriage game. We were celebrities the rest of the week, with people recognizing us as the ones-on-stage. There were 10 in our group. Each of us attending something different throughout the week. A couple dance lessons, some bingo, shopping sales and drawings, whale watching from our balcony, seagulls eating out of our hands in Glacier Bay from our balconies.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
Loved the Broadway type shows every night. Loved the late night comedians. We were brave and sat on the front row. Being involved in the show made it more fun.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
We had amazing service from our waitstaff team of Michael, Casiano and Supattra. Encouraged us to get up and dance and really savor the memories. Our room steward, Tapa, was deliberate in greeting us. With us coming and going so much, it took several days but she finally met us face to face. She was very attentive and prompt. All ship personnel treat you like they know this is a bucket list trip and want to make sure your time is amazing.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
very clean throughout. One of their smaller ships, easy to get around.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Cabin 4162. Loved our balcony but the wildlife seemed to be on Starboard side being we were mainly ocean side going north. We had 5 rooms and opened our partitions which made great memories to share together as a group. We left our doors open as we got ready for dinner each night, enjoying drinks and chatting together about our day. From our rooms, we saw whales, seagulls, a moose swimming, sea lions on floating ice. A balcony is a must for the Alaska trip.
Ship tip
Listen to your naturalist and have binoculars ready at all times. She will point out wildlife. We also randomly saw whales putting on shows all week. Get up early on Glacier Day. Bundle up, take a blanket and be ready to campout. It is worth the cold to experience the awe-ness of the 5hr experience. 6a-10a was our time at Bay. Not a day to sleep in. This is what the trip is about, savor the peacefulness.
We went in Sunday afternoon, took the lightrail into downtown for the Day with our ship leaving Tuesday. We enjoyed the Space Needle and walking around Pikes Market. We enjoyed lunch at Cutter's Crabhouse which was delicious culturally seafood.
We went on the Mendanhall Glacier and Salmon Hatchery Excursion. Our group of 10, some of us just enjoyed the Visitor Center and some of us mad hiked it down to the waterfall and back. The hatchery was interesting. The salmon bake was amazingly delicious. I really want to like seafood and trying to like salmon but just cant. However, their fresh smoked salmon was delicious. Funny to need space heaters and campfires in mid July, interesting to experience.
We enjoyed the Dog Sledding excursion here. Our bus driver Ben was hilarious. The views from where the dog sledding took place were heavenly. We had plenty of time to savor the mountains in between.
Amazing views, peaceful. Dont try and do things on the trip while here. We enjoyed it from the Serenity deck. Also cuddled up in a blanket in one of their pods with coffee.
We decided to enjoy the culture a little more by getting off early for breakfast. We went to the Pioneer Cafe. Amazing food, nobody there but us. We ended up shopping all day and realized at the end.....that we didnt even make it past the "tourist trap" area. Make sure you actually walk to the Creek Street and enjoy the locals more. We were dissappointed that we thought thats where we were and we werent. If we wouldve went that direction (straight off the ship), not left, we would also have done the Lumberjack show. We did however, enjoy our little scavenger hunt for freebies that we got with coupons on the ship. Only there 5 hrs so wasnt alot of time to do much.
Not much to do porting at 730 at night. Glad were could say we "went to Canada". Some of our group had originally thought we would pub crawl. Went the wrong way, once we realized the pubs were by the bay, it was too late to really do anything. Pubs and tourist trap stores were really all that was open.
*Cruiseline.com is not a booking agent or travel agency,
and does not charge any service fees to users of our site. Our partners
(travel agencies and cruise lines) provide prices, which we list for our
users' convenience. Cruiseline.com does not guarantee any specific rates or
prices. While prices are updated daily, please check with the booking site
for the exact amount. Cruiseline.com is not responsible for content on
external web sites.
Contact us
Submitting...
Need help from a personal vacation planner?
Loading...
Find the perfect cruise with weekly tips and cruise deals for as little as $30/night!
Sign up for weekly cruise deals
Join other subscribers and get the best
cruise deals of the week in your inbox every Thursday.
