Alaska is a wonderful cruise. I highly recommend a trip this way. Spend some time on land in the Anchorage/Denali area. I would be apprehensive using Holland again. Some of this is on me. I did not research the ship itself well enough. I think this company has food service issues and they don’t seem all that organized for embarking and disembarking. Not much can be said for their “sales seminars” and quality of entertainment. The staff was very friendly, courteous, but maybe a little detached.
Embarkation
3 out of 5
Just ok. Beautiful scenery on bus ride down. Cruise personnel need direction.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
The food was good to above average. Minor things but generally pretty good. The service was slow and inattentive. Every dining room meal was very slow, which would have been bearable if the servers would show up and ask for more drinks. We never saw them between courses. When they did arrive all they would do is apologize. Disappointing at best.
Onboard Activities
2 out of 5
The first day we went to a health seminar. After almost falling asleep, we learned they were just trying to sell us a product. This happened quite a bit from what we were told by others. We quit going after that.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
There were plenty of acts/shows which was really nice. The quality of the performances were just okay. The performers could have been better.Dualing pianists were off key a lot but the musicians were really good.
Children's Programs
No kids.
Service and Staff
2 out of 5
Two stars here because of the wait staff. The stewards were outstanding.
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
I can’t think of any time I thought the ship was dirty. For an older ship, quite a feat. Ship design was a bit odd. Again older so to be expected I guess.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
The cabin was as good as any we have had. A little dated, but clean and comfortable.
Ship tip
Go to the buffet, or bring drinks with you to dinner. Service was border line terrible.
Not really a port. You get as close to the glacier on the ship as possible for that day. We got pretty close. They did a nice job with food and drinks out on the decks to enhance the experience.
Might the most beautiful place in the world. Just amazing. Would like to have had more boats available for this excursion sold out too quickly. The views from the ship were still phenomenal.
Excellent port of call. True southeast Alaska. The train ride is a must. Worth every penny. The town is pretty cool. A lot of shops and ample restaurants.
It was a bad weather day for us so we were limited on things to do. Mendenhall Glacier is awesome as is the Nugget Falls trail. Highly recommend that hike. The tram is also really cool, but if a bad weather day, visibility will be limited.
Ok five stars for the city. Spent two days here and very vibrant restaurant scene and a lot to do. Now for the disembarking not so good. How anyone can dump three cruise ships into one terminal at the same time is ridiculous. Hour and a half can line.
Thanks for your review. If you decide to see Alaska again, look into Princess Discovery. We loved the Princess ship as it was fairly new and found service to be better than what you described. It was frustrating getting drinks in the buffet though.
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