The scenery of an Alaskan Cruise is absolutely spectacular. We were blessed with sunny skies in each Alaskan port. I would not recommend Princess Cruises for this trip. Even though Princess is supposed to be an expert in the area. The quality of food was subpar and service seemed challenging for many of the crew. The bars were consistently understaffed making it tough to really enjoy the time we had on the ship. The entertainment was really quite boring and geared towards the boomer generation. Lots of trivia and bingo. Not one dancing venue on the ship. Ship was a ghost town after 9 pm.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
If you already have your medallion the second half of your wait (Seattle) will be a breeze.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
In general the food was lukewarm most of the time. Coffee was usually hot only during breakfast. I was a bit perplexed by the lack of choices available in the main dining rooms for dinner. Twice I ordered fish and it had that hard silvery part that was inedible on it. The waiters made no mention of it as it was half my portion. It took a very long time to receive wine or drinks during the dinner but, I have yet to find a cruise line that gets that part right.
The specialty restaurants were good. Sabatinis was the best dining experience I’ve had in a while. The pasta and other dishes were well thought out and very tasty. The waiter we had was very attentive and anticipated our needs. The Crown Grill was okay. The menu didn’t feel as cohesive and put together as Sabatinis.
As for the buffet…if you can avoid it, do. The food was often over cooked and on the cold side. There was never seating readily available and table sharing became common throughout the cruise.
Onboard Activities
2 out of 5
I heard this ship was built for Alaska, why then does it not have a covered pool area??
Entertainment
2 out of 5
Super geared towards boomers. Lots of 60’s and 70’s music. Many people often were just sitting around in the Piazza.
We missed most events due to dinner timing. Normally we would expect two showings like at 7:30 and 9:30pm. Most nights there was only a 7:30 pm showing available.
Service and Staff
3 out of 5
Staff seemed very frustrated at times especially in the bars. Not enough people working there. The main dining rooms seemed to be staffed adequately. There were dirty dishes and glasses everywhere most of the time. We would have to pile dirty dishes and glasses to the edge of the table. This was a common occurrence in the piazza and in the lounges as well as the buffet.
Ship Quality
2 out of 5
Not able to walk to around the outside of the ship on the promenade deck. Only a few spots to sit or walk outside on this deck. Otherwise you have to go to deck 17 and that was often covered in soot.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
The size of the cabin seemed very small to accommodate a larger balcony. We opted for the deluxe balcony cabin over the wake of the ship all the way aft. Soot was often on our balcony each morning rendering it unusable. The smell of diesel was also a real bummer.
This was the first time I had cruised in an aft location and it is not for me given the above reasons.
Ship tip
Deck 7 is the only lower deck that goes all the way through to the Piazza. This was frustrating as it caused lots of log jams of passengers trying to go forward from an aft position.
Our ship didn’t go to glacier so we just did the 360 turning in open water with very little to see. This was a huge disappointment to us as we have been on this cruise before (Celebrity) and this part of the cruise was a major highlight.
The town is modeled after the gold rush and offers lots of great local art, shops of interest and sightseeing. The dock from the 2022 rock slide is still not repaired so getting on and off the ship takes a bit longer.
Princess and Holland America are not known for their nightlife or onboard entertainment. People cruise to Alaska for the ports and scenery, so the onboard activities are not as important to most as a Caribbean cruise. Even Carnival ships are less of a party atmosphere in Alaska.
*Cruiseline.com is not a booking agent or travel agency,
and does not charge any service fees to users of our site. Our partners
(travel agencies and cruise lines) provide prices, which we list for our
users' convenience. Cruiseline.com does not guarantee any specific rates or
prices. While prices are updated daily, please check with the booking site
for the exact amount. Cruiseline.com is not responsible for content on
external web sites.
Contact us
Submitting...
Need help from a personal vacation planner?
Loading...
Find the perfect cruise with weekly tips and cruise deals for as little as $30/night!
Sign up for weekly cruise deals
Join other subscribers and get the best
cruise deals of the week in your inbox every Thursday.
