We boarded the ship in San Diego for an eleven day cruise up to Alaska and back to Vancouver for disembarkation. Embarkation was smooth and we went to our cabin, a Verandah Suite. We had taken a "Guaranteed Cabin" which turned out to be a big mistake. It was extremely small and in no way could be categorized a suite. We asked for a downgrade, with no refund, to an outside cabin but were turned down. The water pipes were leaking from the ceiling outside our cabin for 3 days and the floor was wet and musty.

The food on the ship was good, but not exciting. We had sailed on this ship in November 2006 and there was a noticeable downturn in the food quality and taste. Our dining room steward and assistant at the dinner meal were outstanding. They learned quickly what our desires were and we received excellent service throughout the cruise. After 3 separate instances of lack of attention and poor service in the dining room at breakfast and lunch, we reverted to eating our morning and noon meals at the buffet line on the lido deck. We thought that asking for a glass of milk 5 times and never receiving it was a bit much.

Our cabin steward was satisfactory for the most part. We did have a problem with the bathroom ceiling vent being sealed shut by mold and rust. We mentioned it to him several times but it was never taken care of. Because the room was so small, we spent little time in it. Read more