I took a cruise with several family members. Check in went smoothly and faster than other cruises I've been on. The ship was well kept & clean. All the room stewards were top notch, always on top of things and very friendly. The buffet was sub-par and rather disappointing. Couple that with the absolute NEED to make dinner reservations more than a day in advance if you choose anytime dining, less you want to wait an hour... Breakfast stops @ 9am, except for the sub-par buffet. Half the wait staff was terrific, the other half were rude. Almost every maitre'd was rude. A good selection of shore excursions, though I found the personnel manning the desk less knowledgeable than I would have liked.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
The food in the dining rooms was nice. The food in the buffet was sub-par. My biggest frustration with this cruise was making dinner reservations and arrangements and is the prime reason I gave this a low score. Half the wait staff was great, the other half rude. Almost every maitre'd was rude.
Only 2 specialty restaurants, we went to the steak house which was good.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
For the first few days, you'll be overwhelmed by their sales pitches on absolutely EVERYTHING. The Spa staff was over the top, pushing products & services on people. More than one person in our party agreed to something just to get them to stop, then later canceled it. They mis-charged something and it took a while to sort it out.
Other entertainment was alright. I was a little disappointed in the illusionist, but it is good for the kids. The hypnotist took about 20 minutes to get her volunteers "under", which lost me and several other audience members. Poker table was computerized and takes a 10% rake, which is a bit steep.
Service and Staff
3 out of 5
Room stewards were great. Passenger services was hit or miss, depending who you got. You may get different answers depending who you ask. Internet manager was your typical IT guy, and was a bit abrasive. Often times I felt the ship staff was tired of dealing with customers; while understandable... not the feeling you want to have as a guest.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
It's a good sized ship. The common areas were kept clean and nice.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
State rooms were larger than I've had on other ships, and a bit nicer. The beds were hard as a rock though. A room steward brought a thin cushion immediately upon request, which helped. The suite (other members stayed in) had a MUCH softer bed. $4 for a bottle of water in the stateroom is a little much/annoying.
The capital. Went on the Canopy/Zipline tour. Was a lot of fun and well worth it! Took a float plane over the glaciers. Great view, a little expensive as you only get to listen to an automated guide.
Went kayaking around the Tatoosh Islands. A fair amount of work, as the water was a bit rough in places and for half the trip you're paddling against the current.
Small and quaint port. I went on the dog mushing tour, as well as the eagle preserve rafting tour. Wish the dog mushing tour went a bit longer, they seemed to rush people through. Eagle preserve was good and everyone was really friendly.
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