Overall, a fun experience. Just expect some some good, some bad, and unfortunately some ugly.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Arriving to the Seattle Port was as expected, not the carefree process Princess was going for but not terrible either
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
The first night the closed our scheduled dining room, moving us to a confused dining room, which turned my wife off to the dining rooms. We ate in the Horizon Buffet for the rest of the cruise which was a constant cattle call with very rude people. We did try Alfredo's and I would highly recommend you try it.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
To be fair, Alaska is too cold to use the pool or hot tub. The fitness area was always filled in the early morning, but that cannot be considered a flaw.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
The cruise director and her team went above and beyond to try to keep everyone entertained, but it always felt like a High School or college theater group more than any type of professional entertainment. The bad side is when parents let their small children run onto the stage and the performer feels they now have to cater to this one disruptive child. I dont blame the staff, I blame the parent that doesn't understand I am not there to be entertained by your 4 year old.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
The room steward was always working hard. He received an extra tip as it was well deserved. The entire ship personnel go out of their way to be helpful(although sometimes, they don't speak english to they have no clue as to what you are asking)
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
The ship was always clean, but the design loses a few points as I preferred the promenade design of the Royal Caribbean ships (sorry) which gives you a main street feeling.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
After experiencing a balcony room, I will never go back to a window or interior room again.
Ship tip
Get into shape before the cruise. If you do not like crowds or if you are short, you will avoid the elevators and take the stairs. People think they have to right to shove you into the back wall to squeeze their entire family of 12 in with you.
Its a port. I was hoping to see the Princess vision of shops, restaurants and bars in the port instead of never ending lines, but I guess they gave up on that idea.
Typical tourist port, although be very careful. the shop owners are very pushy to try and sell you jewelry. Never accept the first price, as the price seems to drop by the second, which tells me they are very dishonest. The helicopter onto a glacier is an absolute must. That was the highlight of the entire cruise.
My wife and daughter loved panning for gold, petting the Iditarod Trail Sled dogs and puppies and the cute old fashion train ride. I personally would have preferred flying onto another glacier. The stores are less pushy at this port.
Nice working class port, wish we had more time to visit the town. We went on a whale watching boat tour. Do not take this unless you consider seeing a puff of air in the water the epitome of whale watching
I highly suggest that they let you stay in your cabin comfortable until they are ready for you to get off the ship. The present process is very stressful.
Wow, sounds like traditional cruising like on Princess might not be a good choice for you. Other lines might fit your vacation preferences better. So sorry this trip fell short.
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