First glimpse of this ship and we were already in awe! Quite enchanting. That feeling continued as we boarded and were ushered toward the glass elevators to our cabins. Very dramatic woodwork and murals, and this was to be our home for the next 7 days! We were quite happy with the size of the cabin, and had a nice sized balcony. We purchased 8A, partially obstructed, with the life-boat below us never obstructing any view except straight down. I did dislike that it was a bump-in and the view behind us became obstructed more quickly than other balconies, but knew this when I booked. Still, great value for a balcony. Service staff was always very friendly and kept the ship neat. Buffet food seemed comparable to land buffets and the dining room food was what I would call average for general mid-priced dining on land. Not horrible by any means, and a few items were quite outstanding.
The enchanted feeling began to fade a little after 7 a.m. the day after our Whittier departure. We'd set our clocks early so we could be up and view College Fjord. Carnival Capers had noted that we'd cruise through the fjord around 7 a.m. After all, glacier viewing was the main reason we chose to vacation in Alaska, and Carnival offered exactly what we were looking for. With the southbound cruise it was on the first day, no less!!! The brochure pictures alone we had seen of Prince William Sound and the glaciers looked breathtaking. How much more majestic they must be in person! We could hardly wait... but wait we did... and waited... and waited... to the point where I was beginning to wonder... did we miss it already??? How'd that happen??? We were up EARLY! Well, I finally had my answer around 9 a.m. It was announced that we were NOT going to be viewing College Fjord. What?!?! And we could forget Sitka too! We were heading straight to Juneau for engine repairs. Right through the Gulf of Alaska with only an occasional glimpse of mountain shoreline in the distance.
Disappointment is not even the word for what I felt. Some people on board were very upset, some didn't seem to care. I just felt loss, what we had saved for, and had so looked forward to was suddenly excluded from our itinerary. Do we expect the unexpected, yes, and accept it when it is out of our control. However, Carnival should expect the unexpected, also, and plan for something like this to happen. One port missed is not that big of a deal... One port missed AND missing the majority of the reason for choosing a destination like Alaska, (the glaciers) causes it to become a little bigger deal. Along with the announcement was that, 'Carnival is crediting $50 per person to the Sail & Sign account.' Took a little while for it to dawn on some of us that the $50 was only the Sitka port charge being returned. So much for ANY compensation toward a future cruise to include College Fjord.