Picked the right week to visit Juneau, Sitka, Ketchikan, and Victoria as the weather was sunny each day. We also got lucky and we had a good view of the northern lights when sailing from Sitka. Can't say enough about the friendly crew and good condition of the ship. Ventriloquist Michael Robinson and former Olympic gymnast Lance Ringnald were outstanding. Production shows were above average but the choice of music on the country western theme show was a bit peculiar and some of the dialog was pretty hokey.

Have visited all the Alaska ports many times and have seen all the major sights so we did things on our own this trip. Loved the Raptor Center and New Archangel Dancers in Sitka.

Breakfast in the La Fontaine dining room was quite good each day with a nice variety of choices, high quality food served at the proper temperature and quick service. Lunches in the same venue were OK but not exciting and a bit bland. The Mariner Society luncheon was a dud with very bland fish. The alaskan salmon barbecue was also poor as the fish was totally undercooked and inedible, we went to the Terrace Grill and made our own tacos. Evening meals were a big disappointment with limited appealing menu choices, poorly prepared food specifically the lobster (undercooked and mushy) on surf and turf night and lamb shank (fatty, lukewarm, and without flavor) on the final night. The other evening meals were just plain blah, a few cry from our experience on previous HAL sailings. The meal at the specialty restaurant Pinnacle Grill was outstanding. The poor evening dining experience will likely prevent us from booking with HAL again in the near future. I'll birddog reviews to see if improvements are noted. All the wait staff folks were very nice and customer centered. Read more