Arrived in Seattle about 10:30 am found, the buses for our group and we were on our way. Once we found the correct door, check-in went very quickly and our stateroom was ready. Dropped our day bags in our stateroom, we enjoyed a drink on deck 10 Aft with friends and watched as we sailed away. We were excited to be on this ship as we had been told that it was recently refurbished, however I don't know where they spent the money. The carpet was discolored in many areas and the stairnosings on outside staircases were missing screws that attach them to the treads. Many areas of the ship just looked like they could use some TLC. We had been looking forward to this ship, but found it to be pretty ordinary and like a lot of other older ships that we have been on. The food in the dining room and the buffet were pretty standard, however the marinara sauce was spectacular in the dining room.

Our cabin had a veranda and was standard for the same category on other ships. The stateroom attendants did a good job of keeping the bathroom clean and well supplied. Since we were with a large group (300) our dining room assignment was a section and not a specific table. However, all of the waiters we had did a very good job and were very informative and attentive. The Cruise Director's staff were outstanding, better than most and were very engaged with the guests. The production number shows were good, the comedians and magician kind of weak.

We enjoyed all four ports and had good shore excursions in Ketchikan and Skagway. However, if we were to take this trip again we would select a different itinerary, as there was too long a time at sea and too little time in Victoria, BC. The only really bad experience that we had was with the hairdresser in the salon. I had scheduled an appointment to have my hair put up on formal night since I had forgotten the necessary items to do it myself. I had a very good manicure and then the stylist started to work on my hair. She did not have a clue what she was doing and I ended up going back to my cabin to take a lot of it out and try to repair the damage before dinner which made us late and spoiled our evening. We didn't even get our picture taken. Read more