First of all, this was our first cruise to Alaska (11 CCL cruise) and we were with my sister and brother-in-law on their third Carnival cruise. I was excited because we have the above listed gentlemen on the ship with us. We were not disappointed although there were a few frowns from us.

The dress is much more casual than on Caribbean cruises. Some wore tuxes and long dresses but most dresses are sleeveless and it can get chilly. Elegant night had a lot of men in collared shirts but few jackets. The rooms were very comfortable for sleeping. In fact my husband slept on top of the covers most nights. Our weather was nice but windy until the evening in Skagway. Then it got very overcast and drizzly. Common complaints from most people we ate with was that MDR service was very slow except for the first night. Food was often delivered at the wrong temperature (eggs over cooking because they were on hot plates or toast cold) or just wrong (wrong appetizer or missing ingredients in omelet). Temps were more of a problem at breakfast than dinner. I didn't really have any complaints and they still have my cold soups which I love. I liked hearing Ken Bryne sing but the volume was too high on 3 Aft where the Your Time Dining folks sit. We also had no view into the lower area. Most of the tables around that opening are two toppers. Conversations were halted and I had to cover my ears most nights. This information has been passed to Carnival in my survey.

Another complaint is related to the Chefs table. We got the invite on Saturday while in Juneau. I called them to confirm and make sure they knew we were paying for my sister Terri and brother-in-law Mike . They asked if we had any allergies. I said no but I didn't like seafood but I thought they'd come by our table to talk about it. They didn't. So I stopped by to talk to the assistant maitre'd. I told him Terri didn't want seafood either nor wine. He said it was included in the price and they couldn't change the price. I told him I knew it and it was OK. I also said that we had done the Chef's Table four times before but wanted to treat my family. It gets worse. When we got to the galley the Chef asked if anyone had any allergies or dislikes. I guess the Assistant Maitre'd didn't talk to the Chef. While the food was as good as we expected as was the service when they were doing something there was way too much time between courses. I also don't know why we had two table magicians. Too much time there also. It took almost four hours to complete and the Chef was on his phone or absent for about half of it. I know they go away during the meal but he was gone too much. They also seemed short-handed because the Chef actually presented a couple of the plates to guests. This information also has been passed to Carnival in my survey. Read more