The ship was very elegant. Since it was only 4 years old, everything still looked brand new. The staff was extremely friendly, especially "Hunky Dory" and the shows were good. This cruise ship didn't have anywhere near the activities of the other cruise lines I've been on though, and I'd guess that the average age of the passengers was around 70+. Definitely not a party ship like the Carnival cruises I've been on, e.g., no deck parties, but if you just want to relax then this is perfect.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
The food was very good, although the desserts were a little bland, not rich like I like them, but I find that that is the case on most cruise lines I've been on. We ate in the dining room just a couple of nights because we didn't want to do the 2 formal nights. We don't like dressing up on our vacations. They had king crab and lobster those nights in the dining room but not in the casual dining room on the lido deck, which didn't seem right. We had a late seating even though we asked for an early seating, so we ate in the Lido deck the majority of the time when we felt like it, usually a lot earlier than the late sitting. There was always food available, and there was a late night (11:00) theme, such as Italian, etc., each night. One night there was a dessert buffet at 10:30.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
There were a couple of shows by the ship's performers that were good. There were 2 comedy shows, although we only went to one, and it was really good. There was a singer, primarily opera type, that we didn't care for so we left. It was geared to the older crowd. The activities were lacking, but I was there to relax so it didn't really bother me.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Very friendly staff. Always smiling and willing to help.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Ship size was perfect - around 1,900 passengers. The only time it seemed a little crowded was trying to find a table at breakfast, but there were a lot of people taking up tables that were reading books, etc., so that didn't help. Decor was very elegant. Extremely clean and looked brand new.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Our cabin was extremely clean and comfortable. We splurged for a balcony room and even though it was a little chilly this time of year in Alaska, it was well worth it. The balcony had a comfortable wicker chair and footstool, and also another wicker chair and a small table. There were blankets in the cabin that we used on the deck and it was very comfortable. Our cabin steward was wonderful and we ended up tipping him a lot extra.
Juneau was nothing impressive and it rained the whole day. We booked a shore excursion (Mendenhal Glacier and Whale quest) and if we hadn't done that it would've been extremely disappointing. There isn't much to do in downtown Juneau, so it would be hard to spend a whole day there. We were in port until around 11:00 and wanted to eat dinner in town instead of heading back to the ship, and we had a hard time finding a place to eat. There were mostly bars that served some food. We ended up eating at the Red Dog Saloon, which is a cool place to visit. The Whale quest was awesome. We saw killer whales, and 20+ humpback whales.
I was surprised how small Ketchikan was. We booked the Ketchikan Tour by Duck and it was disappointing. There really wasn't much to see. After driving around the small town and going in the water to cruise by the harbor, that was it. I'd recommend taking a shore excursion to see some wildlife or something. Don't hang around the downtown Ketchikan area. You'll be disappointed.
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