There SO MUCH to see and do at each of the Alaska ports of call - Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway, this won't be our last cruise ! Holland put together an excellent cruise and likely does Alaska like no other (reportedly being The First cruise line in Alaska). There wasn't any hint of being owned by Carnival. We met several repeat Holland cruisers and look forward to our next.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Embarkation was super-smooth from airport baggage drop-off to finding our stateroom.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
Food quality and VARIETY were excellent ! While it was nice to be served and seated with fellow travelers in the Main Dining room, the same food choices and quality were available at the Lido Market where we got to sample ALL the delicious menu items (at least to the degree our appetites could hold :-)
Mixed alcohol drinks could have been poured better; for the price paid, one would expect the shot-glass portion would at least be poured to the top. Sadly, alcohol portions were stingy versus generous.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
Having the Alaska Park Rangers as well as the We Love Alaska crew board the Nieuw Amersterdam was top notch ! Kids programs appear to have been great since you barely saw any of them until the last day when the programs stopped. You need to wait for Spa promotions to avoid paying exhorbitant prices for services.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
Dueling Piano players were hugely talented at the keyboards... but many passengers commented their screeching, high-pitched voices were annoying. Comedian was marginally funny. They need to keep children away from the bars and casino area.
Children's Programs
4 out of 5
Kids programs appear to have been great since you barely saw any of them until the last day when the programs stopped and they were unleashed into all the areas... felt like a Disney cruise on the last day.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
99.99% of service staff were EXCEPTIONAL (only one crabby food server who appeared to not speak any English.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Older ship was very well maintained. Every where except for the smoking areas looked and smelled very clean.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Stateroom was PERFECT for us as a couple. Air quality, water quality and temperature were excellent. Other than the single-ply toilet paper, everything else was 100% comfy.
Ship tip
Having a stateroom mid-ship and lower decks made it easy and convenient to traverse anywhere on the ship. If you avoid the paprazzi of photographers, they won't offer you $149 to buy just one. When cruising Alaska, it's best to reserve a balcony stateroom since there's plenty of sights to enjoy on cruise days. BRING BINOCULARS (or plan to purchase a great new pair of Vortex ones on the ship at reasonable prices)!
Highly-orchestrated, seamless process to get 2,000 passengers of the ship was such an AMAZING feat ! Each step from luggage pickup outside the staterooms to the Anchorage Hospitality Center was friction-free and made for a very comfortable departure.
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