We originally booked this cruise as two couples. Unfortunately, my mother-in-law fell ill in the last 1 to 2 weeks before our departure; they had to cancel and we are hopeful the travel insurance offered through will pay them back for the cost of the cruise/stateroom. Aside from that, my wife and I very much enjoyed the beauty of Alaska and the adventurous excursions that added to our memorable experience!
Embarkation
4 out of 5
At embarkation, we were pleased to receive faster service and shorter wait with Concierge Class status.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
Our regular 6 PM dinning experience at Table 304 was very pleasant due to the attention and wonderful service provided by Rolando and Andayani; it was a pleasure to be served by them. Also, we ate dinner on May 30th at Table 455 just before leaving for our Butchart Garden excursion; Joseph and Walter served us quickly and professionally so we could make our meeting time with a satisfied stomach.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
We used the fitness center twice. It's location at the front of the ship made for great viewing while using treadmills and strength-training exercise equipment. We did not use the pool or hot tubs. We also went to a seminar by one of the athletic/fitness doctors; he was informative and kept audience engaged (topics: feet, knees and hips).
Entertainment
4 out of 5
We loved the presentations made by the naturalist Brent Nixon! He was so animated and informative--kept the attention of his audience and educated us in an engaging way. We also enjoyed many of the other shows we watched (i.e. Rock City, Comedian, The Strings Duo, etc.)
Children's Programs
We did not bring our adult kids on this cruise.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Alvin, our room steward, made our experience more memorable with the special things he did to recognize and celebrate our anniversary (rose petals on bed, banner and balloons on door). He's a sweet young man and he was always prompt at preparing our room on a daily basis; he did a great job of straightening up our room, making our well-tucked beds, changing out our towels and glasses, etc. He was very gracious and should be recognized for elevating our experience level.
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
The ship's design and layout was elegant and impressive. Common areas were well kept, clean and cared for. My wife did get food-poisoning after eating dinner onboard Sunday, May 26th in the main dining restaurant; that was a terrible experience through that night and into the next morning.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Once again, Alvin was a wonderful room steward, very pleasant young man and he kept our cabin clean. The beds were comfortable and the room size was adequate for what we paid; conversely, we certainly wouldn't want a smaller room given the cost.
We loved our flight-seeing experience with Island Wings Air Service to the Misty Fjords National Monument!! Michele, the pilot, was great. We also had a good time walking around town and Creek Street. The Duck-boat excursion was okay; the guide and captain were humorous. We had our first Eagle-sightings in Alaska while on the Duck-boat; so that was a real treat. We also say more eagles in Juneau.
Unfortunately, the amount of brash ice in the channel/fjords was such that the captain had to turn around the ship; so we did not get to see Dawes Glacier.
We loved our Whale-watching experience the most! Saw 3 humpback whales with Gastineau Guiding Company. We also enjoyed getting out for a hike atop of Mt Roberts Tram and also in the Mendenhall Valley rain-forest to the banks of Mendenhall Lake.
We absolutely loved the spectacular scenery and views experienced on our excursion to the Yukon Suspension Bridge and return on the White Pass & Yukon Route. What a feast for our eyes and our souls. Tremendously beautiful and breath-taking!
Butchart Gardens was well-manicured and highly cared-for. The various gardens were beautiful, even if we were a little early for some of the roses to be at a better stage of blooming and they were a little short of the glory they'll display in the weeks ahead.
It was a bit crowded and the queues were long, but I guess that is to be expected when 3,000 people were disembarking. We took advantage of the luggage valet service for our checked bag and it was nice not having to lug those bags through disembarkation and our airport check-in.
Sorry your in laws could not go. We always buy the insurance through our travel agent but never had to use it thank goodness. They should be able to get a refund. We went to Alaska in 2015 on the Solstice and loved it. Do they still have the glass blowing show? It was very cold watching but they had blankets. So glad you went to Butchart Gardens. So many people don’t bother getting off the ship and Victoria is such a beautiful and clean city. Our excursion to the Gatdens was fantastic. On the way we had about a 45 minute narrated tour of Victoria on the very nice bus we were on. Once at the Gardens we were told to be back on the bus in 2 hours I think. Not sure if we would have time to see everything we rushed a little but we did see it all and it was spectacular . We went in August. We also had time to go to the beautiful huge gift shop they have. We loved it and would love to io again.
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