The port calls were so unique and impressive, however, I would not recommend a cruise to see them. The itinerary is not your own and many excursions were not family friendly. The ship was designed for older couples, not young families. If you are looking for a classy cruise and you are limited in your mobility then this is the perfect cruise for you. Otherwise, there are much more adventurous and fun ways to enjoy the Inside Passage.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Surprisingly smooth! Just needed passports and our daughters birth certificate. Lines were much shorter than expected. Pretty seamless!
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
Highly recommend the main dining room!! Absolutely loved the Alaska brunch and Gala night dinner and the breakfasts, really everything was amazing. The Lido Market buffet was hit and miss. Room service was my least preferred option but it was available all day so that was a perk!
Onboard Activities
2 out of 5
The pool was overrun with kids and so it was loud and water was being splashed everywhere. The hot tubs were constantly full of people. The aft pool deck would have been awesome except it was the only smoking deck on the ship and the smoke was so strong it became unbearable to sit out there - rendering the really nice pool and two hut tubs practically useless. The art auctions were a waste of time and totally just pushed out art that wasn’t even hanging in the gallery. They would bait people in with free wine/ champagne and raffles just to keep people around for more than 2 hours and no giveaways until the very end. I never made it to the end of the auction. Also, who schedules those during the lunch hour? Anyone that attended missed lunch. The activities were 100% catered to older folks (bingo, wildlife narrations, art auctions, wine tastings) which left next to nothing for families to do. No kids in diapers were allowed in the pools and practically every excursion had a weight limit of 40lbs which excluded our daughter from just about everything.
Entertainment
2 out of 5
The shows/performers were not very interesting so they weren’t marketed well. I did enjoy the dual piano performances though!
Children's Programs
My child was too young to attend.
Service and Staff
3 out of 5
All staff were cordial enough but we were hoping for a more personable experience. I never knew my waiters names and the only reason I knew our housekeepers was because of their business card. I wish we could have been assigned the same waiter every time so we could have developed a relationship with him/her.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Ship was very well cleaned and everything worked! The design made sense with all public areas easily accessible.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Oh my word it was so small. There was literally no room for the crib/ pack n play to the point where we had to have it removed. The baby slept in the bed with us. I wish I had known how incredibly small the room was. Although the price jump to suite was far too expensive to afford anyway.
Ship tip
Don’t bring children. They will not enjoy it. Save your money for a Disney cruise. If you do have more than 2 people, a suite is 100% a necesssity.
Overall a smooth experience but the ship did not mess around with getting people off the ship as quickly as possible. They came over the 1MC to mandate that people leave even though they were still serving breakfast. It caused quite a lot of undue stress to finish eating and leave as quickly as possible. Don’t offer breakfast until 9 if we need to be off the ship by 8:30am.
Thanks for your great review! My travel agent spoke up to us about senior vs family cruise lines. I am so glad she did. Glad you enjoyed the awe of Alaska.
Glad you enjoyed it. It’s always important to research to ensure the cruise line matches what you were looking for. Holland America, Celebrity and Princess are primarily designed for adults. Families should stick with Disney or the larger / newer ships from Royal Caribbean, NCL or Carnival.
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