Alaska is beautiful, and we had perfect weather. The ship is nice, but not without it's flaws (small size of cabins, spotty service). We were also surprised to not have any narration or announcements from the captain for the whole trip - we were viewing so much amazing scenery but never really knew what we were looking at, any history/stories, etc. We expected a cruise in this part of the world to have a bit more narration. Also note that the internet package is fairly useless - the internet service was spotty at best, and very slow when it worked. And the app crashes a lot and isn't very well made.
Overall though, we did have a terrific vacation and enjoyed the ship and most of the ports. I recommend this itinerary (minus Icy Straight Point) and this ship if you aren't traveling with children.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Relatively easy embarkation, though a lot of walking back and forth, showing passports constantly within the building, etc. Could have been streamlined and more efficient.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
Food in the main dining room was delicious, though the service can be spotty. Buffet food was also fresh and tasty, though the buffet area is very crowded (often difficult to find seating). Onda was terrific - very good / abundant food and service. Teppanyaki was so/so - food was just ok and the "show" was a little gimmicky and hokey. I'd skip it next time, especially since they don't have a kids price ($70 is ridiculous when the kid eats a bit of rice and 3 shrimp - they should offer at least a half price kids version).
As much as we enjoyed the food, we really missed some of the fancy food items seen on other ships (steak and lobster, escargots, baked Alaska, etc). There wasn't really any grandeur to the food, and we expected some local seafood specialties given the location in Alaska, but no crab, halibut, or salmon to be found.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
Pool and hot tub were fine, but the Spice H2O at the back of the ship is a bit silly (no kids allowed and it wasn't really used much, especially the pool). The ship is not a kid-friendly ship and while there were some activities, we didn't feel like there was much of interest.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
The shows were spectacular. The dancers and singers are top notch. We enjoyed every single night! World Beat in particular was so much fun, and the magician/illusionist was great too.
Children's Programs
1 out of 5
Non existent. This was not clear to us before booking this trip. There really isn't anything for kids on this ship.
Service and Staff
3 out of 5
Service was just average - sometimes good, sometimes not good. Our room steward was nice, but he broke an item of ours while cleaning one day (honest mistake, I suppose), and we had to constantly ask to have the 3rd bed made up for us each night because he stopped working by 7 (which is when we would go to dinner and hoped to have the chair converted back into a bed). I've never had to ask to have a bed made on any of the other cruises I've been on.
Likewise, the dining room service depended on the waiter. Some were fast and diligent, others not so much. We appreciated having a dedicated person for food allergies and pre-orders, though.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
The newly remodeled ship looked very nice - clean, pretty, easy to navigate.
Cabin / Stateroom
3 out of 5
The cabin was pretty, but very small. By far the smallest balcony cabin we've had (compared to ships in Holland America and RCL lines). The balcony was tiny - the two chairs will only fit if turned sideways facing each other rather than outward towards the water. And the third person can't be on the balcony at the same time. But the location of the cabin (10th floor, mid ship / aft) was perfect. The steward also did a great job of cleaning the cabin daily.
We were surprised that there's only one US outlet in the cabin (there are 2 Euro-style outlets, and 4 older style USB outlets, which won't work with the newer style of smaller USB jacks) so definitely recommend bringing a power strip. Also surprised there weren't more storage options in a newly remodeled ship - like little shelves and spots to stow things in an otherwise tight space like we've seen on other ships. There were unused corners and wall areas that could have been perfect spots for little shelves, for example.
Ship tip
Definitely book a cabin higher on the ship (the movement was much more pronounced on the lower decks). Also remember to bring a power strip since there's only one outlet in the room.
Overcrowded, overrun, overpriced manufactured tourist trap. We really disliked this port - it's basically a zip line / gondola ride / shopping stop. Prices were very high for middling souvenirs and food. There were 2 huge ships docked that day, and we had to tender over which was annoying. And this little island was not built for 8,000 people arriving all at once. The lines should have coordinated better to avoid arriving on the same day like this. Better yet, NCL should drop this port altogether - it was really a waste. We did take the gondola right up the mountain, which was cool but there was nothing to do other than the Zip line (no thanks) once we got there. We also were upset that NCL's shore excursion desk charged us $69 each for the gondola ticket, but it would have only been $49 each if we bought it there. A $20 markup is outrageous.
It was quick and seamless, though Seward's terminal was surprisingly rustic (rickety steep steel movable ramp getting off the ship - couldn't they invest in a more permanent stable ramp for the major port of embarkation / disembarkation???)
The whole point of the H20 is that it’s for adults only. Which is perfect for people that don’t travel with kids and really don’t want them around. They get the rest of the ship. I love the H20.
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