Flew to Seattle the day before the cruise and stayed at the Marriott Waterfront which was nice and convenient. Hotel arranged a shuttle to the terminal the next day. Very easy embarkation due to the fact that you can carry on your own bags if you wish and that saves waiting around for your suitcases to arrive at your room. Ship was very well maintained and our room on the fifth deck was spacious and comfy with good closets and hangers and all sorts of hooks and storage places. Veranda was good and we enjoyed the bathrobes and the shampoo, conditioner, and gel dispensers in the bathtub/shower. Of the many activities, we enjoyed the shows and comedians at night. The Explorer's Lounge with the excellent piano and violin players. The captain's discussion, the talk about the excursions , the cooking classes and Dancing with the Stars Competition were also good.
The food was good except my husband would have liked more beef on the menu and Beef Wellington was not offered on any night. We had an excellent lunch in the Pinnacle and the breakfast waffle, eggs benedict, and omelet bars were great and made with real eggs and all the trimmings. Pizza salads and sandwiches were our favorite lunch choices and the coconut ice cream!!!! We did excursions in all the ports and was either on a bus or catamaran most of the time, which was great as my husband has a bad back and doesn't like to walk more than about a mile at a time. All our excursions were 4 to 6 hours and allowed time before or after for shopping and exploring. The glaciers, mountains, whale watching, Lumberjack Show and High Tea in Victoria were all great and very diverse. We had open seating and sat with other people three times and by ourselves four times.......which was just enough.
Roni was our favorite crew member, we talked each morning at breakfast and he knew just how I liked my coffee! Our captain was Dutch and quite a character .......interesting and friendly and a real perfectionist! Would have liked some piano music to slow dance to somewhere on the ship, but that was all that was missing. We would definitely sail with Holland America again. Disembarkation was a snap as we walked off first with our own bags.
Excellent, roomy, good closets, hangers, hooks and storage. Nice veranda and chairs. Good bathroom with tub/shower.
Spent day on the deck watching in awe as the scenery unfolded!