2nd trip to ALASKA!!! Tried some new stuff and had an EXCELLENT TIME. Highly recommend ALASKA.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
1st time ever having a late embarkation time slot. May do it more often! NO LINES!! Walk up show tickets and walk on the ship. Very simple and uncomplicated. All ports should be that easy.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
MDR was good food as always. Friendly wait staff although service seemed slow. I think the waiters were stretched thin and had more tables to cover than before. Buffet left something to be desired. The "comfort" food was never comfortable. GUYS burger were up to their usual tastes. Some of the cakes served were still ice cold. I thought they used to bake the cakes on the ship?? The chocolate chip and peanut butter cookies were always good.
Deli
4 out of 5
Have to say the CHILI for the Hotdogs was much better than on previous cruises. Didn't try an other sandwiches though.
Grand Buffet
2 out of 5
Disappointed by the buffet. It was nice that they opened all 3 or 4 stations at the same time so thrones were short. But the food options were the same on 3 of them.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
Enjoyed playing a couple games of TRIVIA even won 2 games.
Louis XIV Casino
3 out of 5
Slots weren't friendly for me. Had much better luck playing the CRANE game. I ended up with 2 of the $100 bundles and actually picked up a $250 bundle but it fell when the machine moved towards the drop chute. My daughter won a $100 bundle as well. I didn't try any other games. My favorite game of CARRIBEAN STUD POKER isn't around anymore. Guesstimate casinos didn't make enough money on them as I usually did good on that game.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
Tried to watch a couple of the Playlist shows. Didn't care for the overacting. I feel simpler and less would have been more.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Staff did an excellent job as always. Cabin stewards kept the room clean and made the beds in record time.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Smaller ship and laid out much better than the Vista. Easy to find what we wanted after the wst day.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
BALCONY cabin for the win for this group of introverts. Other than the first day at sea the scenery from the balcony was the best. Cabin was a little cramped for 4 of us but we easily made do.
Ship tip
Be prepared to have FUN. The TRIVIA contests were very enjoyable. The slot machines on the other hand were very tight. Try the CRANE game in the Casino it pays out better with a little skill and luck.
Rented a JEEP and visited Mendenhall Glacier, St. Therese Shrine, and Gold River. I personally enjoyed Gold River the best as our JEEP had Gold Panning equipment and we found GOLD all on our own in the river.
Through no fault of the ship disembarkation was hectic. SouthWest Airlines canceled our flight. Our luggage had already been picked up for the PortValet service. Staff tracked down 3 of our 5 pieces of luggage. (Though had I known then what I know now we would have left them all to PortValet) CARNIVAL FLY2FUN got us on an UNITED Flight home. (Had to pay to check our 3 bags. Free checked bags on Southwest) 1st flight was delayed and we missed our connection in Denver and had to spend the night. But made it to Tulsa OK the next day. Our lost 2 pieces of luggage made it a day later on Southwest. (See should have trusted Southwest with all 5 bags) Rough ending to a WONDERFUL VACATION.
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