This was our third cruise (Celebrity Millenium, Sept/07 in the Mediterranean, HAL Noordam, Caribbean, Feb/09.) Based on what we had read, we were expecting an old ship showing serious signs of wear. What we found was an immaculate ship with excellent service. We really were treated like a celebrity, with Good afternoon Sir, etc from all staff. The ship is an older design than the others that we have been on, but it worked fine for Alaska. We had balconies on previous cruises, but didn't really miss it this time, although it did have drawbacks. Because we were nearer the water line, looking out the window made us very aware of the moving seas. Other than that, there was little problem with sea sickness.
Our cabin was well designed and used space well. It was crowded, but we didn't spend much extra time there. We did notice a septic type odor one night, but it was gone by morning. Other than that, linens were clean and new, fresh towels twice a day, room cleaned up quickly, it was great!
We really enjoyed the Cova Cafe. Coffee was OK, but it was the music and relaxed atmosphere that we liked. Accord Quartet played often and it was fun just to listen to them. There was also easy access to the decks to watch for whales and admire the passing scenery. The naturalist spoke from the Navigator Club and pointed out whales and other interesting things. Nice room, great views.
Food was excellent. A couple of things weren't to our liking and were fixed immediately. The beef was good (though not consistently cooked-medium rare could be from slightly pink to bright red) but the lamb was amazing. We really enjoyed the fish. I told the waiter that I was allergic to shell fish and immediately the assistant maiter'd was there and every night he gave me the menu a day ahead to ensure that I was able to choose things I liked. They took marvelous care of us and reminded us why we liked fixed seating. Still, being done dinner at 10 or 10:30 was too late and made getting to bed early difficult.
We didn't use the pool or games area but did spend a fair bit of time on deck. Funny how they had set hours for topless sunbathing on the top deck on an Alaska cruise! Temperature was never above 14c. We went to two shows. One was the cast singing and dancing and they were fine, but the sound wasn't mixed right. Too much high end and so we left as it was bothering me. We went to a singer impressionist who was very good and very entertaining. We took in one of the naturalist talks which was entertaining and informative, though didn't see how evolution was a necessary topic to cover.
Hubbard Glacier isn't a port but it was the best part of the cruise. We were within 1200 feet of the glacier, which is the nearest of any ship this year. The ice wall was huge (300ft) but it was very hard to judge the scale. We saw and heard many chunks fall off. They served hot chocolate, which was welcome on a cold day. I read that some people complained about the cost and how pushy they were. Sure it was $10, but it was excellent hot chocolate and came in a very nice thermal mug (worth at least $10)and you could have it with Baileys if you wanted for the same price. We ended up getting two.
