I chose this cruise to see the beauty of Alaska and a lot of wildlife. I saw some of each. but two glitches made this a bad first cruise. 1) At the last minute our itinerary was changed. As a result, I missed Skagway and my excursion through the Yukon Territory.As you may know, the Sun has a smell problem in the aft, and the ship had to switch a stop to Sitka in order to repair the water treatment system. The available excursions in Sitka was repeats of those available elsewhere, so I missed out on the type of experience i would have enjoyed in the Yukon Territory. Our first stop at Icy Strait Point offered an excursion to see bears in the natural habitat and eagles. We spent an hour and half in a very boring walk that resulted in very little wildlife. 2) At Juneau after a dark dreary rainy day, the wench needed to be replaced in order to bring up the anchor. We left five hours late. That meant skipping Sawyer Glacier entirely in order to arrive in Ketchikan on time.
Upon arrival in Vancouver we took a whirlwind tour of the city in two hours so they could get folks to the airport. A longer tour would have been more enjoyable for those of us who had the time.
The cabin was OK and the service was outstanding. I wonder how well they pay and treat their staff. They are certainly told to "keep smiling."
The cabin was OK. I did not mind being inside. I slept well. The steward did a great job of keeping everything ship shape. It was conveniently located to everything.
Embarking was easy enough.