We had so much fun! Although not the 100,000+ ton size and not the newest, this ship packed in excellence all the way. Now we know why it was rated the highest of the several HAL ships going to Alaska. What a difference an excellent Hotel Manager and Cruise Director makes.

The staff went out of their way to do extra special things for us, such as bringing an extra chair for our veranda.

The music and shows were top notch. Every night we cycled between dancing to the HAL Cats (top tunes from all the recent decades) in the Crows Nest lounge, and to the Neptunes (30/40s songbooks) in the Ocean Lounge. The "Northern Lights" and "Roadhouse" stage productions were the best choreography, singing, and cleverness ever--and well executed by very gifted professionals. Both the magician and the comedian had extensive resumes and well-worth attending--definitely not 'B class.' Read more