Had a great family vacation experience, but limited on what we actually got to see and experience. Wild life sightings were very limited with less than 10 whales, 5 eagles, no bears, etc. If you really want to see glaciers, consider another cruise that visits Glacier Bay. Dawes is hit or miss due to weather, location and ice in the water. Ship needs more crew to work in venues and restaurants, but that was expected. Overall, we had a very nice and relaxing time but expected more to be honest. Probably one of the few folks to ever take an Alaskan cruise to never see a glacier!!!
Embarkation
4 out of 5
From what we had heard, it was better than the previous cruise like this one. We had a very early boarding time which helped us avoid huge waiting lines. Members of our party had different experiences when asked for proper documentation. Some showed everything as expected, some showed very little. Not consistent at all. We arrived at 9:45. People getting there 30 minutes later had a long wait.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
We only used the main dining areas, windjammer and smaller cafes like sorentos, Cafe 270, etc. No specialty dining. Food was very good.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
Indoor pools were nice and well heated. The outdoor pool never opened due to cold weather. Flowrider water was heated. Did the iFly which was fun. Visited Seaplex many times. Had lots of fun with volleyball, dodgeball, soccer, but needs much better organization. Lots of inexperienced crew there. That is common on this ship currently, but will get better.
Entertainment
2 out of 5
Shows are limited at best. Pixels is very boring and limits a theme, except for being weird and drawn out. Lots of work went into the show obviously but result was not entertaining. Skip it. We did the game shows which we recommend, they are fun. Also went to the comedic juggler who was fun, but limited. No broadway style show on board like Chicago, Mama Mia, etc. Needs one for sure. Higher recommend the music hall if you enjoy live music!!! The Switched On band was very good. Trivia was very popular, get there early for seats.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
Most staff worked very hard and did a good job. There just aren't enough of them. Sometimes long lines formed for Cafe 270 for salads and sandwiches. More help would be moved things much faster. Room steward was very kind and helpful. One complaint is that staff seems new with several going thru training and are basically not very helpful. This will get better. We were on the third cruise of this season so its understandable. One other complaint. When you buy the soda package, there are only 5 Coke Freestyle machines on board that you can use. 2 in Windjammer, 2 or Sorentos and one in the Seaplex at the hotdog place. The Seaplex machine was never serviced at all and ran out of all varieties of soda. I complaints to at least 5 different and no one fixed the problem. Did so mid cruise. I never found anyone that cared enough to carry through and get it fixed. Just a hole in their list of responsibilities. But someone was supposed to fill it I'm sure.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
Everything and every place was extremely clean. Handles on stairs were being wiped constantly. Ladles and spoons exchanged frequently in windjammer. But I must say, we have folks in our group that still came home with Covid. Its going to happen.
For ship design, overall a very gun ship with lots to do. The problem is that it felt like all of the venues were too small for the intended purposes. Trivia competitions were commonly standing room only. Two 270 is big but needs more seating. Same for the Music Hall. I think they could have used the theater more effectively. The outdoor movie screen was wasted because it was too cold. Should have one also in the indoor pool area.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
No problems at all. Easy to adjust temperature, very clean, refrigerator worked well, bathroom is small but adequate. Bed is a little hard though. Didn't use the balcony much at all because it was too cold.
Ship tip
In most cases, if you really want to do something on the ship, get there at least 15 minutes early. Maybe more. My time dining always had a wait.
Didn't do any excursions, just visited on our own. The waterfront is fun and so is the space needle. Hop on Hop off bus is good way to get around. Buy the two day pass if it fits your schedule.
Beautiful to visit and cruise through. However, we were late arriving in Juneau due to a crew illness and need for extraction by the Canadian Coast Guard via helicopter, so we didn't get to do any excursions. They let us off for 3 hours which was long enough to eat crab legs. Long line to get back on the ship. We left at least an hour later than expected due to the long lines.
I think that RC highly misrepresents that experience. If there is too much ice in the water and fog, they stop short of entering the Arm and seeing the glacier. Because of the Juneau issue, we never saw a glacier during the entire trip. RC should mention that visiting Dawes is a hit or miss deal. They chose the safe way to approach the situation, but we still did not really complete the experience. In my opinion, if I were going to Alaska again, I would go with a cruise that visits Glacier Bay which RC does not. Do your research!!!
Beautiful city, well kept etc. Very expensive to eat in etc. Went whale watching there and saw the whales. Its nature so its really hit or miss. Also cold to ride outside while the boat is moving. It was roughly 50 F and and a cold experience outside. Inside was fine.
We were on that cruise with you and feel the same way about the cruise. I got some great pictures of the fog in front of the glacier...😁 Had enough time to eat King Crab at Tracy's in Juneau. In Skagway had great beer and Fish and chips at the Brewery and enjoyed a lovely train ride. Original train excursion was cancelled and had to rebook upon boarding the ship.
Thanks for taking the time to write the review. We'll be on the June 24th cruise and hope it will be warmer. Also we hope the wrinkles you experienced will have been worked out.
Good insight into glacier viewing. We’ve cruised to Alaska with RCCL and Princess, and by far Princess provides a much better glacier viewing and wildlife experience. Hope you return to Alaska again and and see more!
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