In summary, I highly recommend Alaska (go on the ship with the best deal). Get a balcony room it's worth it (saw a moose because of it).
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Easiest embarkation process yet, very short lines and I was on the ship from the curb in less than 15 minutes.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
The buffet was probably the best I've had on any ship (usually the quality suffers in comparison to main dining room). The main dining rooms had good food but there was no shrimp, no lobster, and the service was average. No waitstaff took the time to get to know you and they always seemed surprised your there.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
One pool that families can use (barely heated) and two jacuzzis for 3883 people? The slides were fun but very sparingly open. The race track is fun but costly. The galaxy arcade has a couple good games but very costly.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
The two shows (Footloose and Elements) were amazing. Top notch off-broadway performances, it doesn't get much better than this. The country band on board and the rock band were very talented as well.
Children's Programs
4 out of 5
My son stated he had a good time but fell short of Carnival and Royal. They lacked the amenities available to all the kids to play with.
Service and Staff
3 out of 5
Ok so I've addressed the waitstaff in the food portion. Our room steward was adequate but rarely spoke to us. I will say every officer went out of there way to help my son with the scavenger hunt they ran on board. Djamel the GM even remembered my son throughout the cruise. The cruise director Dan Dan was ok but not top 5 we have had.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Cleanest ship I've seen. Layout is a little weird, like you can't walk through on deck 5 so getting to the kids club is awkward. The two pools available (only one being for families).
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
We actually upgraded to a balcony, what a treat. Very nice room. The AC however would not stay on through the night so good thing we had a balcony to keep open for fresh air.
Ship tip
The itinerary is short (only a few hours in Juneau), Ketchikan was short,and Icy Strait Point/Victoria too long.
Cheap touristy stuff to buy there in comparison to expensive stuff in other places. Bering Sea excursion was EXCELLENT (booked off ship and saved about $60 per person).
Super short (7-12:30pm), this was ridiculous. Mendenhall glacier is amazing, we rented a car and took 7 people to the glacier as opposed to these OVERPRICED excursions that Norwegian offers.
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