It was a great first-time cruise experience! There were some bumps along the way, but you just have to roll with it.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Pretty easy - We decided to take a bus from Anchorage to Wittier and it stopped at the Wildlife Refuge for an hour and it was perfect. I was impressed when we got to the ship to see how well-staffed and organized it all was. The person checking bottles and writing receipts had NO knowledge of wine, so that took longer than necessary. And I found out that my boyfriend had requested a bottle of champagne to be in the room upon arrival and it wasn't delivered until the end of the cruise. The biggest disappointment was that when we entered the room there was a man in the bathroom with the bathtub disassembled because there was a major leak seeping into the room. We had to have huge, loud blowers in there for the first half of the cruise and couldn't be in our room during the day. Their attempt to "make it up to us" was pretty lame and I had to seek out a solution, but in the end it was fine. Things happen.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
LOVED the salad bar! The man working the latte station in Lido was awesome. Pinnacle was lovely on my birthday and we appreciated the good table at the window, but Tamarind blew us away and we went twice. Fern was our waitress both times and she was outstanding! I wish we had known the room service cheese plate was so good but we didn't order it until the last night. The ship ran out of Crown Royal very fast (my friend's fav), but the bartenders were fast and had great attitudes. The process is weird when ordering drinks because they need your card every time (only one drink per card per transaction) and they have you sign a receipt each and every time with a price. So if you have the drink package it's very confusing because it's not made clear that you aren't paying/charging it to your account.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
Being my first cruise, I was ready to do it all! But within the first day I realized all of the "activities" revolved around getting you to buy stuff. Even the park rangers were there to sell stuff. And I didn't want to go near the jewelry store to partake in their "activities" because it started to feel uncomfortable to walk by. I used the fitness center everyday and it was fine. The hot tubs are TINY! Three people is tight and the suggested 6 max is a joke. The casino dealers were all amazing and friendly.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
The stage shows were ok, but unfortunately the timing for the performances (not educational) were during our dinner time - obviously catering to those who eat dinner at 5/6pm. I had to leave the comedy show - it was just sad.
Children's Programs
I didn't have children. There were a few on board but I didn't see them often so they must have been kept entertained.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Fern in Tamarind was exceptional! Stephanie (cruise director) was professional and good at her job. JD who ran the games was awesome and fun! Our room stewards were MIA except to greet us on day one and ask for a good rating on the last day - but the room was always cleaned with fresh ice in the bucket.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
The ship in general was very clean! I could hardly ever find a trash can, but that must be on purpose.
Cabin / Stateroom
3 out of 5
I'm so glad I got a balcony cabin. The balcony was big enough to hang out on with our friends from next door. The downside to the cabin was the major leak for the first half of the cruise that left the rug next to the bed soaked and a gross musty smell. There were two huge, loud blowers in there each day preventing us from being in the room. A manager came to apologize for the inconvenience, but couldn't offer any compensation himself. I had to wait in a long Customer Service line to ask for some sort of compensation and I felt that they knew there was a major issue, they should have been more proactive.
Ship tip
Order the room service cheese plate, take your friend's card if you want to get them a drink at the same time as getting yours, the casino always wins, bring dayquil/nightquil/emergency vitamins, use the fitness center, & dress up & have fun
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