Loved it. Much of this cruise is just that-cruising. Wish the ship spent more time in the ports however. Time spent in Sitka and Ketchikan were very short. Looking forward to our next one.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Arrived early (10AM) at Smith Cove in Seattle and was on the ship by noon. All went smoothly.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
Enjoyed the Lido but it was often crowded. Main dining room was nice and far more relaxing. One complaint. Pizza at the pizza shop was terrible. We did not use the specialty restaurants.
Don't purchase the top-shelf ($$$) drink package. Wife and I did and we only drank the equivalent of half what we spent on the package for the two of us (drinking top shelf $$$ brands).
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
We signed up for the SPA Package which included the locker room, use of the thermal chairs, saunas and Spa Pool. We considered this one of the highlights of the cruise because it was never crowded (compared with the covered "public" pools) and the room where the saunas and thermal chairs were had a beautiful view. Great place to view the Glaciers.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
Mediocre. We did enjoy the Microsoft Workshop very much.
Children's Programs
No children went on this cruise with us.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
All were very cordial and efficient. Especially our cabin Staff. The Lido (buffet) seemed under-staffed at times but dining room and bar staff were excellent.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Very well maintained.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Marvelous huge cabin with shower as well as whirpool bath. Double sink. King or Queen bed with sofa and balcony with table, footstools and chairs. Plenty of storage for the week. The only negative was that the whirlpool bathtub was very small abd wasn't much of an experience in use.
Ship tip
As mentioned above, sign up for the spa package and avoid the pricey drink package.
Stayed overnight prior to cruise at expensive, cockroach infested Quality Inn near the Needle. Needle viewing not worth the wait or the price. Did not care for the atmosphere in the area around the Needle. Too many street beggars/street characters and rampant skate boarders downtown and around the Market. Staff in the mall area where we ate were rude and food was poor and expensive. Just not a great experience for either of us. Monorail ride was the best part of our Seattle experience.
Very nice but crowded. Three or four ships in port. Rented car (Do NOT use Juneau Car Rental because you'll never find it-NOT DOWNTOWN) and drove to Mendenhall Glacier. Crowded but a spectacular view.
Drove North as far as we could visiting Shrine of St. Therese (quiet/beautiful/saw sea otters here on the beach), many parks, coves, trails, Eagle Beach and as far North as we could go, until road ended. Beautiful scenery.
Our favorite. No excursions but walked on our own. Walked along the pathway around the harbor to the Sitka Sound Science Center (Salmon galore in the harbor and research tanks). Then walked trails through Sitka National Historic Park seeing hundreds of salmon as well as eagles.
Ketchikan was crowded with 3-4 cruise ships docked but we had a great time here. Had booked excursion (no through Holland) with ISLAND WINGS for 2+ hour flightplane ride over the Fiord which was absolutely amazing and well worth the Cost. Michelle was an excellent tourguide as well as our pilot. Shona was great also, and funny! Would do this again and again!
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