We recieved this trip as a gift from my husbands Grandmother who wanted to take her close family on an Alaskan cruise. This was our first cruise. There were 15 of us going, flyng in from all over the states, but mostly from California.Our trip did not start out very smoothly,however.We arrived at the Seattle airport much later than all of the rest of the family members who were sailing. We did not know where to go for the transportation that was provided by Holland. We tried the airport transportation desk and then the bus pick-up area but found no help. After walking the airport for an hour, we realized it was our mistake by not looking for an agent from the cruise line right when we go our bags. They had been waiting for us right there. Our bad. We got to the hotel (Sheraton Downtown Seattle) and had a nice stay.
Next morning, embarkation was smooth. We were on the ship by 11:30. The ship is elegant and stately, however not as modern as some of the newer lines. Our room was a standard ocean view stateroom and was pretty cramped for our family of 4.There were some drawers under the bed that came in handy, though.Room was very clean and had comfortable linens. Elegant decor. Room staff was extremely efficient and went out of their way several times. Did not feel like they were begging for tips, either.
The public areas are very nice and well equipped with what you need. Giant chess pieces and ping pong on the Lido deck were fun to use. They had a nice kids program for our kids' age groups. Teens had a cool, modern area to hang out in and are only mildly supervise(my daughter liked this!) My son had fun in his program, they had a few theme nights like pajama party and talent show. They had a wonderful library with a beautiful view from the front of the ship. Had a coffee/pastries bar in it and internet stations.(fee) They had several areas for families to gather, play cards, hang out, etc. Staff was always very polite and especially accomodating to our children.