Overall a great time experiencing the scenery of Alaska. Staff were attentive and courteous. Never had any significant issues on the trip and would definitely sail NCL again.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Got into the terminal relatively fast, through security, then to a really long line to get key cards. NCL could definitely do better here with the process, not enough people for the 4,000 passengers checking in.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
Ate at the buffet for breakfast most days (standard breakfast fare) and a few lunches. For dinner I rotated through speciality restaurants as I had a 7 meal plan. The speciality restaurants were all very good, though Le Bistro is a bit overrated.
Onda by Scarpetta
5 out of 5
Excellent service, and large portions. Everyone I was with enjoyed their meals and they were cooked perfectly.
Q Texas Smokehouse
4 out of 5
Pretty standard food you would expect at a BBQ joint. Nothing fancy. The braised beef was tough and dry, not what I'd expect (I actually had much better braised beef as an appetizer at Onda).
Le Bistro French Restaurant
3 out of 5
Food was fine as was the service, but for what is supposed to be a high quality French restaurant, it didn't feel that way. I had a pork chop which they also serve in the main dining room (granted it was better) but nothing to write home about.
Ocean Blue
5 out of 5
This is another of the more "upscale" speciality restaurants, and it definitely felt like it. Service was exceptional, and the food was very good.
Los Lobos
4 out of 5
Food here was good. They start you off with chips and salsa, and you can get table made guac to go with it. The appetizers are huge and you definitely get plenty of food. Service here was also very good.
Food Republic
5 out of 5
Ended up dining here as I couldn't get into Teppanyaki, and was surprised. The food is served Tapas style. Portions are large enough, and you get a total of four (including dessert). More than enough to fill you up.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
Didn't partake this time, but I've previously sailed on the Encore and the go karts are a lot of fun, as are the water slides (in warmer weather).
Entertainment
5 out of 5
Choir of Man was excellent. They didn't have any other main theater shows. The comedians were also entertaining.
Children's Programs
No kids
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
Service was generally very good. Some of the wait staff in the restaurants would sort of forget about you at times, but overall no issues.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Love the ship. It's very functional, public spaces were always clean and well maintained.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Bathroom is small, particularly the shower. Otherwise the cabin was a good size, plenty of storage space. Noise from the hallway definitely carried into the room when people would slam their doors, or kids running down the hall.
Ship tip
Book your speciality dining early. Both Cagney's and Teppanyaki were completely booked up during the cruise.
Visited Mendenhall glacier park. Highly recommend if you do take the 2 mile roundtrip hike to Nugget Falls. Really nice waterfall and a great view of the glacier. Also did the Tram, wouldn't recommend that, you really only get a great view from the station at the top, not much else worthwhile. NCL docks at the furthest dock which is in the container port, but they do have shuttles which run frequently and it's only about a 5 minute drive. They drop you off in a convenient area to shops and restaurants.
The town itself looked nice, but it was 90% crappy tourist trap jewelry stores and other tourist junk. There were a handful of bars and restaurants. It's pretty small, so you can easily walk around. They do also have shuttles that run around town for $5 per person for the day. The White Pass Railway excursion is by far the most popular thing to do, and is well worth it. Amazing scenery going up the mountain to the Canadian border.
Nice town to visit. NCL docks at Ward Cove which is a long shuttle ride from town. The shuttle also stops running to town after a few hours, so you have no choice to head to town fairly early. It also stops running back to the ship about an hour before you leave, so again, you lose time. It also drops you off a bit of a walk from the main part of downtown where most people want to visit (areas like Creek Street). The Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show is a lot of fun. Very entertaining.
Another nice port, unfortunately you have very little time here as they do it simply because it covers the mandatory stop in a foreign port. I visited a distillery which was OK, but the drive through the city was good. Would definitely have liked to have visited during the day and for longer.
Not the best or the worst I've experienced. The line to get off the ship was long, but it moved pretty quickly. NCL normally uses facial recognition to get you off the ship and through customs all at once, so once you're off you just grab your luggage and go.
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