We were specifically looking both to visit Alaska and to be, predominately, around adults. (We have a 7-year old, but, when Grandma and Grandpa offered to watch her for this trip we wanted to take the opportunity to enjoy a cruise that catered to the adults). There were some families on the ship, but, the crowd is largely 30's-70's. This is not the spring breaker/party boat either. We enjoyed many good conversations with the other guests. The group, on the whole, loved the natural splendor of Alaska and made that their primary entertainment. Beautiful ship, great staff and a little luck (it wasn't raining in Ketchikan or Juneau) made this our best trip ever. It will probably be years before we get the opportunity to take another trip like this, but, we definitely hope to.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Celebrity does really well getting over 2000 people on the ship in an organized and relatively pleasant way, but, embarkation was the only time I found myself feeling the crowd. This is the only reason I give it 4 stars. The overall experience improves dramatically after embarkation.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
The Grand Empernay has consistently fanstastic food and they keep track of where you were seated and will try to put you with the same waiters (this ends up giving you a chance to get that personalized experience). There are restaurants for a fee too (if you want truly private dining), but, my husband and I lived the grand Empernay. If you are hungry at non-meal times, there is always the Oceanview Cafe, but, I didn't enjoy the crowds during main meals.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
I'm not a shopper or gambler (but, a lot of people seemed to enjoy that aspect of the ship). Karaoke, silent disco, comedy, informative and fun seminars about Alaska that actually aren't trying to sell you something, movie nights, a card/game area and a library were our favorites. Of course, whale watching from our balcony was a favorite past time. We didn't use the pools, but, they do have one designated for families and one for adults, which is nice.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Joe cleaned our stateroom and was wonderful. (He even started giving me extra chocolates). Artem and Lester were our regular waiters and ended up becoming more like friends. The whole crew is friendly and helpful.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Beautiful ship...well-designed for excellent crowd management.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Ship tip
I would recommend paying the extra for the balcony room (and bring binoculars). We saw three humpback whales jump completely out of the water and twist in the air (one right after the other) from our balcony. Though we went on a whale excursion too the ship's balcony view ended up being the best. Also, set your alarm for early the day you travel the Tracy Arm Fjord...the view of the large glacier is magnificent.
In all fairness, this port could earn five stars too, but, our excursion to take a helicopter ride and land on a glacier got cancelled due to weather (very windy and overcast). By the time we knew our excursion was cancelled it was too late for us to take the train ride, but, we ended up taking a walk and got off the path of tourists, such that the only people we saw on the trail were locals walking their dogs which was nice. Too bad we couldn't stay longer.
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