Overall, we loved our cruise. Celebrity was great, although I think next time I might go for Royal Caribbean (part of same company) which is a bit younger crowd and more onbourd activities. It was a beautiful ship with great employees. The ports and things we saw (Dawes Glacier and Inside Passage) were amazing. I am sold on Alaskan cruises and will be back.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
The cruise check-in was great, the immigration check-in was long and tedious - there were three boats embarking at the same time at the Canada Place pier in Vancouver.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
The main dining room was great. We ate there for a few breakfasts, some lunches and most dinners. The food was very good, and the service was excellent. The french onion soup, jerk chicken and lobster were particularly good. The buffet was pretty good but got a little old by the end of the week. Breakfast and the Indian food were my favorites. The desserts were a bit of a disappointment - most different varieties of bland cakes. The desserts at the Cafe al Bacio are free and the best on the ship - the German Chocolate Cake is to die for!
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
Overall there were a lot of pretty good activities that were fun and interesting. The nature and port stop lectures were excellent. The absolute best was the silent disco - I was excited when they had a second one later in the cruise. I am 50 and haven't really danced in 20 years, although I used to love it back in high school and college. I danced so much that my knee hurt afterwards (but worth it - I did it again:-). There were a few dead times on sea days, where the only "activities" were hearing a presentation by sales people, but those were good times to rest a little.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
The best entertainment I have seen at sea. The on-board entertainers (singers/dancers) were very good and they also had very good comedians and a great magician, who was also really funny.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
The waiters, room steward and other ship staff were excellent. They all learned our names very quickly. I was amazed that even the person that greets you at the entrance to the dining room (along with 1000 other people), remembered our name on the 3rd day.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
The ships design was great - it was a beautiful and luxurious ship. The common areas were all in excellent shape but our state room was a bit worn down.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
It was a beautiful cabin overall, in a quiet location. I would still give my room a 4 stars overall, but there were little things like the loose closet handles (I wished I had a screw driver to tighten them), drawers that were crooked and didn't slide well, and the outdoor paint was always flaking onto the deck surface. It had good storage, great bathroom, comfortable bed and a nice TV. This was our first balcony on a cruise and it was well worth it in Alaska - the views were amazing.
Ship tip
The treats at the Cafe al Bacio (deck 5) are great, and free. The food at the AquaSpa Cafe is healthier and a great break sometimes from the buffet - especially for breakfast.
Great port. We didn't do an excursion, just walked around town, including Creek Street, up Married Man's Trail, and back to the Totem Heritage Center. The Alaskan Lumberjack Show was a blast as well. Good souvenir shopping.
Absolutely stunning to go up toward the Dawes Glacier. We had to turn around before we got too close, due to a lot of icebergs in the water, but it was one of the most incredible things I've seen.
Juneau was fun but the town itself is not that spectacular. The two standouts were the Mendenhall Glacier and Tracy's King Crab Shack. We rented a car and drove to the glacier. We went to the visitors center and then hiked to Nugget Falls, which is very impressive - it is huge and there is an easy hike to walk right up to it. When you are going from the downtown/cruise port area to "the valley" where the glacier is, watch the light poles above the freeway - at one point you pass near the dump (although you can't see it) and there are bald eagles sitting on the street lights, passing right above your head. Tracy's King Crab Shack, near the base of the Mt. Roberts Tram, is really fun and had great food. The huge king crab legs, and crab cakes are very good, but I think the crab bisque is actually the best thing on menu. By the way, in Juneau and Skagway, the Alaskan Shirt Company has the best souvenirs - the best shirt designs and by far the best prices. I don't see how the other places stay in business, with them close by.
Our favorite stop. The beautiful, fun little town is warm and charming. We did the Gold Rush tour at the national park office (at Broadway and 2nd). The Red Onion saloon was a fun place for lunch, but the highlight was our bus tour up the White Pass by Klondike Tours, with the gold panning stop. We stopped for gold panning first and got to try panning ourselves (surprise, everyone finds some in their dirt:-). Then we went up the canyon into the Canadian Yukon (just barely). We stopped many times to get out for pictures, and we also were lucky enough to see two bears. The views were breathtaking - along with Dawes Glacier, the highlight of the whole cruise. The small tour buses follow roughly the same route as the train at a fraction of the cost. We had a little extra time so they stopped at the historic cemetery and a city over-look spot for pictures. I can't recommend this highly enough - I wish there was a sixth star for the town and the white pass tour.
The was a fun port but we were only there for an evening. I wish it was longer. We walked into town, but by the time we got there we wished we had maybe gotten a shuttle, which required cash which we didn't have.
We live in Portland, so we drove up to Seattle then took a bus to Vancouver. We love Seattle and have been there many time. Be sure to go to Pikes Place Market and get mac & cheese at Beechers, pastries at Piroshkys, Yogurt at Ellenos and stop in the very first Starbucks - all within blocks of each other. Oh, and the Space Needle and the surrounding park.
The disembarkation was quick and smooth. This is maybe because we were in Concierge Class but we had a pretty early time and it was quick and smooth. The only down side was the dock employees once you got off, who were rather impatient and rude - not a great welcome back, but had nothing to do with the cruise line or employees.
I was on the same cruise! Only I found the food in the main dining room very average.
I didn't really like the hard sell on the first day of drink and dining packages.
It was my first cruise, it was ok, probably won't go on anothe cruise again, just wasn't my thing. Though the scenery and towns were lovely, I didn't like how each one was bombarded with crowds.
Royal won’t have anymore to do than Celebrity. We went on the Solstice to Alaska and I remember always having something to do. It sounds like you missed the glass blowing presentations, unless they no longer have that. But if you did miss it I’m sure there are other things you missed. We also stopped in Victoria and didn’t get in until 6 PM. We did the Butchart Gardens excursion. It was fantastic so you missed that too. If you do go back make sure to do Butchart Gardens.
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