We had been on an Alaskan cruise twice before and went on this ship to see more beauty as well as a port we hadn't seen before (Haines) and revisit one we liked (Ketchican). I had read about the silver-haired set of Holland America but I figured we would make our own fun and besides, it hadn't been noticeable when we cruised with them 8 years ago with our kids.

Well, the lack of energy and fun was evident, as demonstrated by the lack of activities on the ship and the amount of fun to be had. Very few social games. Most people read or did jigsaw puzzles! Haines had nothing to offer; I assume it was cheaper to dock there than at Sitka. The expeditions were VERY expensive. (We did go on the Gold Mine tour and enjoyed that.) The seas got rough and we were unable to dock at Ketchican, so they gave us a glass of champagne and ran a "Battle of the Sexes" game. How boring can you get?

Food was generally good. We had an excellent meal in Canaletto, the no-extra-fee restaurant that I assume is there to train waiters for The Pinnacle Grill (where they charge $39/pp) Desserts were fresh, made from scratch and the ice creams and sorbets were outstanding. My husband (a baker) is still talking about them. Read more