I'd definitely take this cruise again, and I've already begun looking at more cruise options. The excursions were varied and offered a friendly, easy way to see places I would never have experienced previously. Once you learn your way around the ship, everything seems fairly easy and manageable. My shipmate's reservations did disappear after she boarded the ship, however, so ensure you check your app for everything selected pre-cruise. Staff was overall helpful setting up new reservations, so there was only one night when we couldn't all sit together at dinner. Weather for this cruise was perfection, other than being overcast so no Northern Lights. Temperatures on board and in port were very comfortable. Staff didn't make you feel like a burden and always had a smile.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
This would have been better, but we couldn't clearly find the exact time we had to be onboard the ship prior to sailing. We thought it was 1 p.m. and due to train delays, we stepped onto the ship at 12:59 p.m. Thankfully, it was actually 2:00 p.m. that we needed to be onboard.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
The main dining rooms (Symphony and Allegro) were very accommodating and offered a variety for most appetites. Staff was friendly overall. The buffet had almost everything one could imagine, although no nacho cheese for nachos, which was surprising, and no real pizza, other than some small squares that weren't very tasty. My meat was always cooked to perfection, however, and I never left the table hungry.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
The fitness center was wonderful and often offered views of whales while on the treadmill. The outdoor pool was a bit too cold, so we opted for the indoor pool--once--hoping it wouldn't be crowded considering the late hour (around 10 p.m.). The pool was actually filled with kids who continued to jump, dive, and flip despite the "no diving or jumping" signs posted. No one did anything about this, which was discouraging. I understand it's vacation, but the kids were swimming into us and onto us until we got out after a short swim, and I was concerned they would hurt themselves given the dark lighting, the slippery surfaces, and lack of oversight.
We also attended some of the jewelry demonstrations at Effy. All were okay, except the one in the theater that promised to be 45 minutes and ended up being 1.5 hrs long.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
The comedians were terrific and the shows were vibrant. The music in the main section of the ship offered a great variety.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Our steward was extremely nice and helpful. Waitstaff was terrific as well. Guest services was ok for me, as we had a bar charge added to our bill and we didn't order a single drink the entire cruise. However, one of my shipmates had to visit guest services four times to get her credit card straightened out because they mixed up numbers several times.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
Everything was designed well, except for the placement of one dining room in which you cannot reach it from some elevators and have to go up a floor to walk to the other end to go down a floor. Everything seemed clean and well kept.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Our room was clean and the bathroom seemed to be cleaned every time we left our cabin! The balcony had a little rust on the rails, but overall in terrific condition and we were able to spot whales, orcas, and more. Beds were comfortable, although my neck did begin to hurt from the type of pillows. Closet space was more than adequate.
Ship tip
Make dining reservations as soon as you can for the times you want, especially if in a big party.
Seattle is not my favorite and we encountered many rude people while off the ship, unfortunately. There were a few helpful souls, however, such as when the Link Train was having issues and we almost missed our boarding time. We didn't do any excursions, but we did rent a car, visit Pike Place Market, view the Space Needle, eat, and rent a hotel room until our plan left early the following day.
We rented a fishing charter on our own. The shuttle took a while to get us, but the driver was extremely helpful and friendly. We walked through a few shops and around the salmon ladder after fishing.
We did the train into British Columbia excursion--my favorite part of the trip! I'm so glad we did this one. We stopped for lunch and did a little shopping once we got on the bus back to the ship, got to see some taxidermy marvels, and sled dogs in training. We ran out of time and didn't get to explore Skagway itself, which is my only complaint. I'd definitely visit here again and I'd definitely take the train again.
Beautiful city. We didn't do an excursion as we arrived around 7 p.m. and nothing really caught our eye to do. Shops were a bit pricier than the other stops we made, but we had a nice walk to downtown exploring.
Once we had a plan, it was an easy process. We decided to just carry our luggage off the boat ourselves, despite not receiving a "card" with a specified meeting time, other than the luggage tags with their specified meeting time. We didn't have anywhere to go after getting off the boat because it was so early, so we waited as long as we could to leave.
Thanks for sharing. We sail out in 7 days. Doing the train ride, I’m so excited about it. Also the Glaciers & Seaplane . My 1st time to Alaska & on a plane of any kind 🤣
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