We decided to celebrate out 50th wedding anniversary by taking our children and their families on an Alaska cruise. The kids had been on NCL and had good experiences. The embarkation process was the best I've experienced. Staff was well trained and we all (11) got on the ship with no problem. We had three mini-suites, 9230, 9232 and 9234. The living space was definitely on the mini side. The rooms were so small that there was not a chair to sit on. We found out that there was another problem. The rooms received quite a a bit of noise from one of the ships venues . Only saving grace was that the band shut down at 11 pm. Reported this on the second day but didn't hear back from guest services until the following Friday. The problem was acknowledged and they were kind enough to give a $100 per cabin credit.

Next thing, food. The food was nothing to write home about. A prime measure of a cruise to me is if I can get a good hamburger for lunch. Did not happen. Tasted like it had been cooked earlier and reheated. Next, the sirloin steak. A bit on the tough side. The group did go to Q barbecue, the Italian and Teppanyaki specialty restaurants. The food was OK,but nothing memorable. We sent to an early shown one night and attempted to get a bite in the buffet. Found the area closing at a little before 9 when they were supposed to close at 9:30. Had to confront a supervisor to get access to the buffet. The crew was very courteous to the guests but didn't seem to be happy with their work circumstances. Never happened before but I did hear several crew members complaining to each other about "unfair" work schedules.

The production of Jersey Boys and Havana were enjoyable. The comedy club was also good but it sold out quickly and we could only see one show. Read more