First the good. Can’t say enough good things about every crew member we came into contact with throughout the entie cruise. You were always greeted with a smile and they were eager to please you!. Transfer from the airport to the hotel and from the hotel to the train in Anchorage was smooth and hassle free. Embarkation was a breeze. Disembarkation and transfer to the airport in Vancouver went just as smoothly and very professionally carried out. The excursions our group booked through SilverSeas were excellent and delivered as promised in the literature.

Now for the disappointment. Despite all of the good things I mentioned the negatives were hard to overcome. The first major disappointment was the food. Although the breakfast buffet was good please don’t order breakfast to enjoy in your stateroom. We attempted this twice and had cold eggs and blueberry pancakes, and I don’t mean room temperature, I mean cold. Dinners in the main dining room and LaTerrazza were also a big disappointment. In Alaska I would have expected fresh salmon and halibut. Instead we got frozen red snapper. The entire menu and quality of the food was subpar. Another disappointment was the selection of bourbons which I enjoy. My only choices were Jack Daniels, Makers Mark or Jim Beam. I expected more from a “luxury cruise line”.

I also believe SilverSeas should have explained its dress code better. On line it was indicated there was only one formal night and it was ‘optional’. This was an Alaskan cruise we were not cruising the French Riviera. I learned the hard way that casual to SilverSeas means a sports jacket without a tie. Luckily my excellent butler found a jacket for me to use for the five of seven nights I was required to wear a jacket. I was even told I was unable to order a cocktail in the bar without a jacket! I found this a bit extreme and I’m not talking about wearing jeans or shorts. I’m talking about long sleeve button down shirt and dress slacks. Read more