Everyone says you spend no time in your room, so getting an inside room is great, but I truly enjoyed sitting out on the varandah watching the whales and scenery as we were sailing. It is truly worth the money to get a varandah! There is so much food that one must be careful about eating too much. There are so many activities that you are never bored and I do not think I have ever been so relaxed as I was at the end of this trip!
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
The main dining room was great, expecially Widodo and Analyn, our servers. They made certain we were well cared for and their suggestions were on point! Food was excellent and filling. One night the chef even came out to explain how a particularly superb dish was created. I will be making it at home for certain. I could not have asked for better service!
The two specialty dining rooms we visited, Tamarind and Pinnacle were delicious and the service was excellent as well with different selections.
The buffet offered so many selections that I was way too full most of the trip and that is no one's fault but my own. I wish I could find rum raisin icecream in my own town, but alas I may have to take another cruise just to get hold of it again at "The Sweet Spot" on the ship.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
The art classes were taught by a master! He was informative, encouraging, kept the students moving along and the products they produced were worthy of display at home! He was able to convey complex techniques in a way anyone could understand and recreate. I am a certificated teacher with 10 years of experience teaching art to students from Kindergarten to College and I was thoroughly impressed with his abilities! More please!
The spa was just okay. I did not thing the steam rooms were warm enough when I was in them and never saw anyone else using them. Only one man came out of one and he complained that the entire spa experience was a joke on the ship. The spa pool didn't have any jets that met my expectations. My home hot tub has more powerful jets that massage my back better than the spa on this ship. Not at all worth the money spent. It was, however, nice to use the shower in the spa area as it had a smaller area to shower and a larger area to dry off.
The crow's nest was my favorite part of the ship to hang out in. Loved having puzzles to work on and it was nice to meet others who liked to puzzle.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
The dance performances were great and "Humanity" left me in tears! So beautiful and the talk with the dancers was enlightening and satisfying! Great work on that.
The comedian was funny, but I was not feeling well and had to leave half way through. My husband said his finale was great! Sorry I missed it.
I did not have an opportunity to hear the singers... sadly.
I heard that the talk about how the ship was run was very good and informative, but again I wasn't feeling well, so I stayed in my room.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Holil and Ivan were our stateroom stewards and they could not have been more efficient or kinder or more friendly! Excellent service from them made our stay superb!
Our waiter, Widodo was the consummate professional! From making sure we had our chairs pulled out and gently pushed in for seating and placing the napkin on our laps to keeping water on the table and suggesting courses, he was always positive and accommodating! Widodo and Analyn made our dining experience on the ship one of the highlights of the voyage!
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
One time there was water leaking from the ceiling in the dining room... YIKES! It truly gave me pause and all I could think was Poseidon Adventure... a movie from the 1970's. The rest of the ship was clean and in good order. Never even a piece of paper on the floor!
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
The room was in great shape for the age of this ship. There were two places where the laminate was either off or coming off, but maintenance came in and fixed the two spots. I noticed later on that the bottom drawer next to the bathroom still needed new laminate, but didn't mention it because I wanted to enjoy the cruise. You can get to it now if you like.
The door to the varandah did not latch unless we locked it and someone came in to fix it, but the fix did not work. It would not usually be a problem, but we had a room next to our daughter, so it would have been nice if that had worked properly so we could have gone in and out of each other's staterooms. Still needs to be fixed....
I truly LOVED the location of our room next to the elevators and just below the Lido and Crow's nest.
Appreciate your informative and detailed review. Great praise from one art teacher to your instructor. Glad you enjoyed your Alaskan cruise. Personally, I enjoy the balcony (veranda), especially for Alaska.
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