I was a second time Cruiser to Alaska. I was happy to have the choice of excursions that I took. I met a great bunch of fellow Solo Cruisers through our Solo Group meet an greet. That we had some rain and a couple of days with choppy Seas I would say there's never a bad day in Alaska. There's never a bad time to visit Alaska either.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Embarkation was quick and easy. I chose to check in between 10:30 and 11:00 a.m.. I was on the ship by noon.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
I chose to have breakfast three mornings at the Garden Cafe. I did not participate in lunch or dinner at the buffet. I chose to have the American breakfast 3 times at the Local. I ate lunch several times at Taste and at Savor. I had dinner several nights in the Manhattan Room with my Silo Travelers group. My favorite specialty dinners were at Q Smokehouse BBQ and Teppanyaki. I also ate at Ocean Blue but that was my least favorite.
Q Texas Smokehouse
5 out of 5
The food here was amazing‼️ The sample platter was so big and no way could I finish it. It was accompanied by an appetizer, 2 side dishes and dessert.
Garden Cafe
4 out of 5
The Garden Cafe was okay. It was always too crowded for my liking. I did eat breakfast there 3 or 4 times. I did not each lunch or dinner there.
The Local
5 out of 5
I had breakfast several times here. I enjoyed having the American breakfast. For lunch I enjoyed sausage sliders and a Caesar salad.
Sugarcane Mojito Bar
5 out of 5
Their specialty is of course Mojito's. I tried their Pineapple mojito. It was very good.
Teppanyaki
5 out of 5
Teppanyaki was an amazing experience. We had the best chef. Her name was Chef Ria. She was very funny and outgoing.
Ocean Blue
4 out of 5
I had dinner with a fellow cruiser. The dinner was okay. I think Cagney's does steak bettet. I had steak with 2 sides and a dessert.
Atrium Bar & Grill
5 out of 5
The staff at the Atrium Bar were very pleasant. Mary Jane was my favorite bartender. She knew my favorite drink without having to ask me.
Savor Restaurant - Main Dining Room
5 out of 5
I had several meals at Savor. There was a set menu and several daily specials offered. My favorite dish was the BLT and for dessert an Orange Chocolate Mousse.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
Observation Lounge
4 out of 5
The Observation Lounge is quite spacious and mostly quiet except on Glacier Bay Day. There is a nice bar. Small plates are offered scattered throughout the day. Coffee tea and water are always available.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
The Choir of Man and The Beatles Tribute were both very very good. This was a repeat Alaska cruise. These 2 shows were worth seeing again so I did.
The Cavern Club
5 out of 5
The Beatles Tribute is a very good show. A wide variety of Beatles hits were performed.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
My two favorite personnel were Mary Jane in the Atrium Bar and our Solo Group Crew Chief JC Evangelista. JC provided our solo group with white tshirts and markers to wear to the 80's Glow Party. Mary Jane remembered my favorite drink without having to ask me.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
The crew kept the public areas including bathrooms clean and orderly.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
I occupied solo cabin 12533 on deck 12. The room is comprised of a bed, 2 closets, moveable ottoman, sink, shower and toilet. There are several outlets. The room measures 99 sq feet. The underbed storage was spacious. I stored 2 suitcases and my backpack under the bed.
Ship tip
Familiarize yourself with the ship by watching a video tour of the ship on Youtube.
I took the Mendenhall Glacier tour. I also took the gold belt tram to the top of Mount Roberts. In addition to the glacier while there I saw a bald eagle and Nugget Falls I viewed Sunset and the ship below from the top of Mount Roberts
I participated in Gold Panning and Sled Dog Excursion. We panned for gold. We also learned about the gold mining history in Skagway. At the sled dog camp we had a demonstration of a the dog rig. We also got to play with for the new sled dog puppies. There was time to explore downtown Skagway after our Excursion was over before returning to the ship.
Glacier Bay was a good experience. I took advantage of the view from the Bow. It's only open to passengers on Glacier Bay day. It was quite cold and windy. I did have an opportunity to spend some time in the Observation Lounge. My preferred viewing spot was on the Waterfront on Deck 8. I was able to get some great pictures of Glacier Bay.
Ward Cove I participated in the Wildlife Exploration Excursion. We went to a 40 acre Nature Preserve. We were able to see a bear in the wild. There was also a blacksmith shop on the premises along with a gift shop of course. There was also a building with a Native Alaskan carving a totem pole. There are various totem poles and carving on the grounds also
We arrived into Victoria BC half hour past our schedule arrival. Fortunately in my solo group we had a local Canadian who took a group of six of us on a private walking tour of Victoria. It was great because we saw Victoria and also trying to town. We had time to walk into town sightsee and walk back to the ship before we sailed for Seattle.
I used Port Valet so my suitcases were transported to the airport for me. As I was participating in a post cruise excursion we met at Los Lobos. We were escorted off the ship away from the general population of cruisers. I took the Best of Seattle Tour with the Observatory ending at the Airport. It was a fun and educational tour.
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