This cruise varied from a luxury ship and service to miserable conditions.
Silver Shadow Cruise Review to Alaska
7 Night Alaska Northbound (Vancouver To Seward)
Sail date: August 13, 2015
Ship: Silver Shadow
Cabin type: Suite
Cabin number: 605
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 9 years ago
Review summary
The ship, cabin, food, and service were excellent. If they weren't cancelled due to weather, the excursions were adequate. The Hubbard Glacier was not seen due to weather. There was minimal information, no backup plan, and no consideration offered. This was a major disappointment. The same heavy seas produced a sleepless night and motion sickness. The waves breaking against the side of the ship produced a spray that extended well above deck 6. After skipping Hubbard, we wasted time by sailing slowly to Seward. The promotional material for this cruise did not include adequate climate data, sea conditions, and the risk of adverse conditions for various month the cruise is offered. The Denali extension was a disappointment. We rode through the park in the rain in a bus that has windows that only opened a few inches at the top. Photography was difficult. Passengers had to clean mud from the windows with paper towels. Wildlife was sparse and only seen at a distance. We were not allowed to leave the bus except for bathroom breaks. Although we booked a float plane tour and flight out of the park, we were force to ride out of the park on the bus. The provider chose to fly only a few people out of the park due to a shortage of planes. This was another major disappointment.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
Onboard Activities
Entertainment
Service and Staff
Ship Quality
Cabin / Stateroom
Ship tip
Heavy seas produced a sleepless night, motion sickness, and a wasted day and a half. Nothing in the promotional material for this cruise prepared us for this and not seeing the Hubbard Glacier. Overall the weather was overcast or there was rain most days. Transparency about weather and risk needed.
Ports of call
Vancouver (Canada Place), British Columbia
7 Comments
Hampy 9 years ago
I have to agree with everyone also :( I know it was your first cruise, but I researched up the wazoo before my 1st cruise and I was cruising with a cruise pro. But I wanted to be prepared for anything and everything. Headed to Alaska Saturday and yes it's gonna rain and I'm gonna get wet- but I'm on a cruise in Alaska and not in the melting in the Texas heat.
Kennicott 9 years ago
Snotty weather can indeed be problem for flying and other forms of navigation on the north coast of the Gulf of Alaska. Know that so well since I was born and raised there and flew commercially there for 12 years. Certainly took my share of flak from passengers who wanted to go but I deemed the weather unsafe instead they figured their judgment was better than mine. Sometimes they would go fly with Brand X. Sometimes Brand X would end up terminating their flight on the side of a mountain. But, another story another time.
What concerns me more is that you indicated that after not being able to spend any time at Hubbard at the head of Yakutat Bay, Silver Seas instead jogged their way to Seward, killing time. I wonder why Silver Seas didn't have a contingency plan where they took you into Prince William Sound, and perhaps not having enough time to go up into College Fiord, there is certainly a lot to see in and around the Sound instead of killing time way out in the Gulf. After all, Resurrection Bay, on which Seward is located is immediately west of the Sound so it shouldn't have been a big deal to enter the Sound. Weather wasn't all that bad then either in the Sound, I know because I was close by.
CrusinTim 9 years ago
You know, it drives me up the wall when people blame the weather on the cruise line or ship. The carrier has NO CONTROL over the weather!!! The cruise line can NOT plan on what nature will do! There is no way that the line will know in advance what the weather will be like. I know this was your 1st cruise but really?