The ship seemed old and dated. Although they did do a good job cleaning surfaces like handrails, floors were often dirty. It was not the first class ship that we had anticipated.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
The specialty restaurant The Pinnacle was excellent and worth the money. The regular dining room was lacking. There was a good variety, but the dishes were not always well-prepared. Fish and poultry were often over-cooked. Fish sometimes tasted fishy. ON an Alaskan cruise, I had looked forward to fresh salmon, but the salmon on board had an off-flavor. Once in the dining room we waited for over an hour for our breakfast to arrive. After that we ate breakfast in the Lido buffet. Several times the Lido buffet shut down early. It was not open for nearly as many hours as we were used to when we had traveled with Princess cruises. The last couple of days on the cruise it seemed like they were running out of food. Selections on the buffet were limited and items like butter were in short supply.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
Service and Staff
3 out of 5
Friendly staff, but I wouldn't say went "above and beyond." On our last day there, we had filled out our guest satisfaction survey. We had bubbled in the questionnaire, but hadn't finished our comments, so I put the surveys under a few other papers on a table. After we returned to our room later, they were gone. The cabin steward had been in to turn down our bed for the night. We went to the front desk to complain about our papers being sifted through because the surveys were not on top and easily seen, but the front desk staff didn't see why this was a problem. We didn't think it was appropriate for the staff to go through our personal things.
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
The size of the ship was fine. Decor was non-descript. Condition of public areas was adequate, but cleanliness was fair.
Cabin / Stateroom
3 out of 5
We had gotten a suite, so the size was very good. It was comfortable, but needed updating. The carpet was stained and should have been replaced. The solid-colored wallpaper had a large black mark on it that someone had attempted to scrub off unsuccessfully. The recessed closet door handles were grimy. Something had spilled on the frame of the balcony door and not been cleaned off.
There is a free shuttle to Fortress of the Bear at the pier. They don't advertise it on the sign, but they also stop at the raptor center and the totem pole park after the bear sanctuary. Save yourself the excursion fare.
We didn't get into port until almost 7 pm, then you had to pay for transportation into town. We didn't bother since it was just about dark. If you had daylight hours in this port, it would have been a nice visit, but as it was, we thought it was worthless.
*Cruiseline.com is not a booking agent or travel agency,
and does not charge any service fees to users of our site. Our partners
(travel agencies and cruise lines) provide prices, which we list for our
users' convenience. Cruiseline.com does not guarantee any specific rates or
prices. While prices are updated daily, please check with the booking site
for the exact amount. Cruiseline.com is not responsible for content on
external web sites.
Contact us
Submitting...
Need help from a personal vacation planner?
Loading...
Find the perfect cruise with weekly tips and cruise deals for as little as $30/night!
Sign up for weekly cruise deals
Join other subscribers and get the best
cruise deals of the week in your inbox every Thursday.
