This was a first time cruise for us, we’d never been much interested in cruising. My siblings planned it and since it was Alaska we decided to join. It was way beyond what we’d expected. We felt like we were royalty as we were treated so well. The bad part about it is that it was over too soon. Alaska left us wanting to go back!
Embarkation
1 out of 5
Horrid. All ship lines were in one place and those who were directing gave conflicting directions as to where to go. There was no clear signage at all
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
Wonderful
Horizon Court
5 out of 5
If you go at peak times, it might be a bit crowded, but not terribly bad. At other times there was not a long line. Easy to get into. Be aware that there are 2 sides but each one is the same.
Da Vinci (Main Dining Room)
5 out of 5
Wonderful, quiet with great servers! Food is excellent and well presented. Our servers, Rodrigo & Nonnie were top clas
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
We mostly were there to rest and see Alaska. There were fun games in the piazza that were good.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
It was all good, but strobe lights and sound were a bit over the top, for us, as we don’t usually do that anyway. The best was the last day, when the crew and chefs did a show, it was so good.
Princess Theater
5 out of 5
Nice and comfy. On the right hand side of the room, close to back, there was a sewer smell, that bothered me, but we looked for other seats away from it
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Not one complaint, if I could name each one I would, but our servers, Nonnie and Rodrigo @table #112 were super excellent! They balanced conversation and serving well and gave us our space as well. Agnelo, our steward did an excellent job- I think he was like a genie appearing when we needed him!
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
It was awesome. Although they said it’s a bit older, it was very well and kept clean. Plenty of group areas to sit and relax, play games or read. The promenade was excellent to walk around the ship. The buffet area was great…it would have been nice to have a buffer so cold air didn’t filter in so much.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Contrary to what we’ve heard, there was plenty of space for everything. Drawers, and shelf were more than I expected. (I took too much stuff, or it would have been perfect!
It was super clean and our steward, Agnelo, went over and above his job to take care of us!
It wasn’t too small, a spacious desk was nice and mini fridge was excellent. Plenty of mirrors to give visual space. I liked that there were switches for the main lights behind the bed. The only one complaint I could give is that there were no outlets next to the bed for my clock/phone charger. At any rate, I didn’t find one and I didn’t think to ask.
Ship tip
Take motion censor night light, both battery (for room “hallway”)and plug ins (for bathroom), preferably the kind that adjusts the light. This really helped me a lot. Also a plug with long cord on it. (Not surge protector type)
It was a beautiful city! We had a difficult time finding where to unload our luggage and get to check in. When we did finally, the porters took our luggage in an organized manner, however we were rushed and since we were with a group, didn’t know exactly where to go, not wanting to be separated. Inside the doors, it was pure chaos. No direction of where to go. One man hollered at us to go one way, and reprimanded us like children saying we weren’t obeying him. Thank goodness we didn’t as it was to the customs area, not to check in. We rather expected each ship line to have their own terminal, like an airport, instead it was all conglomerated. No signs at all. Just pushy and rude people hollering at us like we were ignorant children. Lines were very long. When we finally were able to get to the prances check in, it was better and staff was much friendlier, but then it was to customs…all together again with rude people treating us like (worse than) school children. I’m glad I had tucked some snacks in my bag and water as the wait was so long, I thought I would faint. A person who is diabetic or has issues, should be aware of this.
Ketchikan was nice, we went to the Lumberjack show which was fun. I would liked to have seen more of the city and checked more things besides tourist stores. I found out later there was a quilt shop right close (for quilters) and I walked quite a ways to find a local yarn shop with beautiful yarn and enjoyed talking with Deborah, the owner. Yes, I bought some yarn. (I believe the shop is called Untangled) I would have liked more time, but had to get back to ship.
Juneau… what a lovely city. We went to the Mendenhall glacier, but didn’t have enough time to see the glacier itself, not the visitor center. All we had time for was the waterfall which was so beautiful, but it took quite awhile to walk there and back and we had to be quick to not loose our ride back. If we go again, we certainly will find a bus that will give us more time.
What more could we say, but awesome. I wish there had been a more spacious place for the rangers to set up there station, as it was very crowded and had to spend too long in line missing seeing the glacier as I would have liked.
If you’ve time get a bus tour through the area and see some of the attractions. It’s a small port. We took a bus tour that was tops. Our driver was very informative and friendly. Taking us off the beaten path, so he said, to see things that weren’t on the agenda. There was plenty of time given to meander around and take in the scenery, although I don’t think I’d ever get my fill of it.
Quick and easy. We had to disembark earlier because of one of our party needing to get to airport quick. But it was ok with crew and didn’t seem to confuse the flow.
Funny how reviews of the same ship/cruise can vary so much between people. You had a totally different review than another one on here. Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for the review.
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