Just got off the Joy 6/29. Seattle is a cool city! We stayed for a few night pre cruise. Bought the city pass; I recommend! Like many other cruisers have stated, getting on the ship was seamless. We literally walked right on board and started enjoying lunch. Ate at The Local and had wings, pretzel bites, and a Corona! Had the drink package included, but they have to charge tax on alcohol while in port (this didn't seem to apply to all ports however). Staterooms were ready before we knew it! Cabins were nice. We had a balcony upgrade (we won with a bid).

Ship is beautiful! Check out the observation deck on 15 and get there early for premium chase loungers right by the huge windows. They have a limited buffet on 15 and beverage service too! Full buffet one deck up. We played games in the observation lounge, watched glaciers...it's very serene. There's plenty to do on the ship. Some of it is an extra charge. DO NOT miss out on Elements show. Been on 7 cruises and never seen one quite as good on a ship! Footloose was corny, in my opinion. Book shows in advance and even with that show up 30 min early to get good seats! They have big touch screens by elevators to make reservations. They also hold other shows in the atrium ...which I agree with other reviews...not enough seating! However, it you go up one floor (where the local is) you can view atrium and shows from above. We had a delicious dinner (ribs, and shrimp) while watching one night! Speaking of food...it is plentiful but nooooo crab legs! A seafood buffet was offered on night 2 with shrimp, mussels, clams, fish...I wasn't terribly impressed. Wished we had gone to the dining room (which I prefer over the buffet). The Sugarcane mojito bar is great. Try the spicy honey mojito. Wish I had one right now!

Ports were all good. We did totems, and rainbird trail, creek street in Ketchikan-went off on our own using bus system. Stop at info building to your right for map and info. Lady was very helpful with exact times and locations of buses! Tramway and Mendenhall glacier in Juneau. Zip line, shopping, crab legs in Icy Strait Point. Book zip in advance. It was sold out and lots of people were disappointed. Not too much to do in Icy Strait. Maybe try booking 2 excursions?! We were back on the ships hours early! Victoria rented bikes. Inexpensive way to see city , but beware it was a little sketchy with traffic! Cannot ride on sidewalks. Went to Beacon Hill Park and government building with a free guided tour,informative and entertaining! Read more