Last BIG trip of my life & celebration of 60th b'day. Fixed income doesn't allow big trips much. I'm more than willing to accept donations. HA! ;-)
Glaciers were the best part for me; Gorgeous & very interesting.
Disappointed with ship, food (bland & little menu variation), and service. Aroused after midnight for "life raft maintenance?" which was directly under my stateroom. Called to inquire & treated rudely.
FELL due to stateroom's balcony wheelchair ramp not secured to floor & FRACTURED a toe, not to mention bruised & sore everywhere else.
Ship is old & overpriced for its age & lack of amenities. Only ONE 110 plug for entire balcony "accessible" stateroom. NO plugs beside bed. Was told this would be upgraded in April 2018.
I suggest reading my entire review. Thanks for reading & I hope you have a much better cruise.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Seward was a bit chaotic.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
Had to order drinking WATER pkg for cabin because fountain was only in Main dining room which was NOT easily accessible. Not certain bathroom water was safe to drink.
Food was Mostly BLAND & desserts were not very good (except bananas foster the last night). Menus didn't change very much except one or two choices. They do not serve Salmon except once or twice on an ALASKAN cruise? Highly recommend you use Meal package if you get it. They charge you the gratuity regardless! I recommend Cagney's (get the Sea Bass). Food was great there but service slow.
Onboard Activities
2 out of 5
NO POOLS or HOT TUBS indoors. All were outside on an Alaskan cruise?! Doesn't matter that they're heated, still must get out at some point. We didn't get to enjoy either of these because of outdoor temps.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
Rock Show was the BEST!
Children's Programs
Kids are grown
Service and Staff
2 out of 5
My steward was nice BUT, he didn't understand English well at all! I asked for a Bathrobe, which should have been standard in my room. He brought me ROPE!! That was a laugh!
I asked for my bathroom floor to be mopped because it was filthy upon embarkation. He vacuumed it and put down more bathmat towels.
Buffet service was okay. "Disabled Marked tables" (nice idea anyway) were NOT available for those who truly needed them.
Called to report excessive noise after MIDNIGHT by people working on lifeboats. Was talked to RUDELY and DEFENSIVELY by customer service. WHY would they work on something like this directly under a stateroom after midnight?! My travel friends heard it & they were on the other side of the ship! Needless to say, I lost a night of sleep!
Ship Quality
2 out of 5
Layout is NOT good for people going to Alaska. You had to go OUTSIDE to get to the sports bar and buffets!Layout tough for people with asthma, allergies or disabilities. Had to go through SMOKE FILLED casino and other areas of ship to get to specialty restaurants, lounges, shopping, etc.
BTW, Smokers did NOT abide by ship smoking areas. Several areas were smoky smelling.
Doors to separate areas of ship were not automated. You had to push or PULL them open while in a mobility device. Sometimes I was lucky & someone opened it for me. Most of the time not. Previous cruisers "marks" were evident on those doors.
Cabin / Stateroom
1 out of 5
Bath floor dirty and even after asking steward to clean it, it was not mopped. Shower flooded floor every time.
ONE 110 PLUG for entire stateroom!?!?! Not even one plug in the bathroom was 110 (115 and shavers only). This ship is NOT suitable for people who have disabilities or need to use C-PAP. NO PLUGS next to bed. They stretched an extension cord across the floor from dressing area & then taped it to floor. I am a HIGH fall risk. This created a tripping hazard. Plus, I use a mobility scooter which needed charging.
The ramp to balcony was NOT securely fixed to the floor. I didn't know this. Balcony door is heavy & hard to open. I attempted once & ramp slid out from under me. Fell and BROKE my toe not to mention other bruises! I was in more pain than usual and MISERABLE for the remainder of my trip!
Ship tip
Do NOT use this ship if you are disabled and rooming alone. You'll need someone to open your stateroom door and if you have a balcony, you'll need someone there to open door for you. Was told they'll be upgrading electrical in April of 2018. Price for this OLD ship not up to date was way overpriced.
Mobility challenged can't even get off this ship if you need your wheelchair or scooter to get off and visit the port. I was mostly BORED this day because my travel companions were able to get off the ship.
Not enough time in port. Train ride was phenomenal and train personnel most informative & helpful. They even had one car just for those with mobility issues.
No time between disembarkation and flight to explore the area. LONG walk/scooter ride to airport transfer station. Please be prepared unless you make other arrangements to get there.
GIL155 & DBCLANCY,
Hello. I'd LOVE to travel until my last breath. Unfortunately, I can't afford it. I used the money my mother left me for this trip. Living on a fixed income doesn't afford me the privilege. :-(
I was forced to retire as an R.N. due to multiple disabilities. I miss my work VERY much.
Continued happy travels to you both. Maybe MY ship will come in someday. :-)
Sorry only read your post not your review so had no idea I have just read on your profile the issued you had .. but sorry people mostly only read the posts so had no idea .. Hence the questions? ....
Oh is it because you were in a wheelchair was the port not wheel chair friendly? As transtravel said but you did not say in your post I only read your post ?
Butterflymia .. I did read your review but still don't get it ?? Why we're you disappointed and not had a positive experience Alaska is fantastic one of the best cruises.. we have booked Alaska again for next year we never use a travel agent I book everything myself and never had a problem ? You said you liked the glaziers did you not go to Ketchikan ? Sorry I think I missed something... ????
Last big trip at 60? Hopefully you do not have a bad medical condition. At 60, you are younger than me, and I have more big cruises planned. Hope things get better for you youngster!
Travelbugg3 Evidently you did NOT read my entire review. I did SOME of the planning trenstravels and did investigate this cruise line. We did go thru an agent.
Sounds like this was a tough cruise for you, sorry it did not meet your expectations and during such a special time as your birthday. I hope you won't let this bad experience stop you from cruising in the future. Perhaps with a bit more planning and maybe with the help of a travel agent together you can pick a ship that is a bit more wheelchair friendly. I've been on a number of cruises and have seen people with disabilities and in wheel chairs and they were having a good time. I'm sure with some research and planning your next cruise will be much better. I haven't done Alaska yet, but I've read and heard from several friends that in most of the ports you just don't get enough time. So I think that's a common complaint. Thank you for sharing about the food and entertainment, this helps, this will help me when I start my Alaska cruise planning.
What happened to make it not enjoyable? Why did you feel robbed ? We have done Alaska and it was one of the best trips we have had ? Why your last trip ? You've only just started to cruise ? Hope you had a good bday anyway 🍹😎
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