This was a very last minute cruise booked within one week of travel. Got a decent price for a partially obstructed stateroom, which was actually larger than I expected. Having just gotten off RCL's Mariner of the Seas one week earlier, I was worried that the Eurodam was going to be boring by comparison. But our experience was better than I expected. For this cruise, it was just my 6 yo & me (late30s). We normally travel as a family of 4 (my husband & our 9 yo), plus grandparents. In complete honesty, this ship would probably have bored my 9yo who has become accustomed to our previous cruises' "bells & whistles" from the likes of Disney, Norwegian, and Royal. But my 6yo & I enjoyed the slower, more relaxed pace. I think the more "chill" vibe was very fitting for the serenity of Alaska. Compared to our most recent cruise on the Mariner, Eurodam 's food at the Lido & MDR was much better, although HAL needs to have more vegetarian options. Service in Lido was hit or miss. I often had to get my own drink or clear my own table. I appreciated that servers served portions, versus allowing guests to handle the tongs. Entertainment was good, especially the magician show as well as BB Kings. I do think HAL needs to up their entertainment options, compared to their rivals, who have more lively entertainment often. Fitness Center was sufficient and I even saw whales a couple times while I was using the elliptical. My 6yo enjoyed the kids club, but compared to Disney, Royal, & Norwegian, I thought HAL could do a better job with kiddie activities, playroom, and hours. Excursion & Guest Services did a good job addressing my questions and I appreciated being able to use Port Valet service. Overall, I recommend the Eurodam for an Alaskan itinerary. I'd consider cruising HAL again given the right itinerary and price. Read Less

The ship is old and dated and cabins are far from promised on website. Nonetheless, service was good and the staff was friendly. The food was decent and common areas were clean and open. Accommodations, however, were far below par and not worth the price. The balcony room was cramped and the furniture was cheap. Our shower had only scalding hot water for the first 3 days despite repeated requests to have it fixed. The internet did not work. I paid for the premium package and it did not workout all. The only time I was able to use the internet was using a hot spot with my own LTE in ports. The cruise itself was fun because of the people I was with, but the ship itself was underwhelming. I would say if you are going on the cheap with a group of friends then fine. If you are expecting luxury, then this is not the cruise for you. Read Less

I chose this cruise because it started and ended in the beautiful city of Seattle which adds another couple of days of sight seeing on our own prior to the cruise departing. We arrived Friday afternoon and explored Seattle that night, full next day and morning of cruise. We booked our own hotel. Perfect! My parents are avid cruisers so they booked us rooms that had windows (which we wanted) but we all had obstructed views to keep the costs down. See my cabin review for more details. This is the third time I have cruised INSIDE PASSAGE with Princess Cruises. This cruise went to Tracy Arm Fjord (I personally prefer Glacier Bay for more magnificent views). We booked the EXPERIENCE THE YUKON & SUSPENSION BRIDGE for our 3rd time and each time it's been a fantastic value for SKAGWAY. This shore excursion is extremely thorough and the coach takes you all the way into the Yukon (passed amazing scenery) and much further than the train. You end up at Caribou Crossing Trading Post which is an amazing stop where you can play with Alaskan huskeys, ride a mushing vehicle (extra), pan for gold (extra), view an amazing animal museum, gift shop, yummy bbq lunch included, ice cream shop, and tons of farm animals. It's great for fun photos as well. I think EXPERIENCE THE YUKON WITH SUSPENSION BRIDGE is the best excursion for the cost. In Juneau, to save money, we booked strictly the MENDENHALL GLACIER (self guided tour) which got us there and gave us plenty of time to hike to NUGGET FALLS. In KETCHIKAN, we immediately went to the visitors center and got the walking map which was a free walking self guided tour and was quite fun (walking required). Our tour guide also pointed out several bald eagles and some Juneau info as we went to and from the cruise dock. On board the ship, there are so many activities to please all ages and tastes. The crew was so friendly, professional and went out of their way to serve everyone. We chose "anytime dining" as not to be restricted in schedule. We would just choose 5 or 7 and be first in line so never had to wait to be served in formal dining room. One opens at 5 and one 7. Horizon buffet was really impressive too. Having pizza, burgers and ice cream available was an added bonus. The food was a huge variety and very well prepared. I've been 3 times on INSIDE PASSAGE and I would go again. It's such a great value. Embarkation at Seattle and disembarkation was flawless and professional. Read Less

First the positives: Great embarkation/disembarkation process. Very efficient. Itinerary was nice and Alaska was beautiful. That's where the good ends. For the negatives: This was the most outdated ship I've been on. The back deck smelled like sulfur/sewage most of the time. The Casino smelled different but equally as bad. We toughed it out an gambles a few times but no one in our party was offered a free drink while playing (maybe that is a company policy but their sister company carnival offers drinks to players). Very noisy near our state room making it hard to rest. Paper thin walls where you could hear your neighbors conversations. Beds not very comfortable. We booked twin beds but arrived to a one bed and had to wait until the beds were separated before settling in. Most activities on the ship were nickel and dime scenarios trying to separate you from you money. The food was just ok. dining room was a bit better but not by much. Most events were very unorganized. Many of which not starting on time and then not allowing you to get to something else in time after. I've been on several cruises and this is the first bad experience I've had. Maybe it was just this particular ship but not anxious to try Princess again in the future. Read Less

First time sailing Holland America. We a frequent Celebrity and RCCL cruisers, but liked the HA Alaska itinerary, plus there were some pricing specials that made this cruise very affordable. We booked a category VD balcony cabin (guarantee), and we were assigned our cabin 10 days before sailing. Location was pretty good....all of the VD cabins are either in the front or towards the rear of the ship. We had a cabin towards the front of the ship. Long walk to the dining venues (as they were on the other end of the ship), but we got used to it. The pros.....spacious cabin, quiet, large shower/bathtub combo, nice balcony. Service was first class and very friendly. Embarkation and disembarkation was so incredibly fast....HA blew away their competition on this aspect of the cruise. A nice choice of shore excursions, but pricey (as all Alaskan shore excursions tend to be). The highlight for us was the Tracy Arm Fjord/Sawyer Glacier excursion in Juneau. A long day (7 hour excursion), but well worth the time and money (tour is run by Allen Marine...wonderful tour folks). The one day we were cruising Glacier bay was an experience Holland America does best. This was the main reason we chose this cruise and HA did not disappoint. Had several other shore excursions which were ok....fortunately we got into Victoria before nightfall and got to Bourchart Gardens while it was still light. Had about 2 hours to visit and by the second hour it was nighttime. You cannot get the beauty of these gardens if you only have the night time to visit...so if you can't see the gardens during some daylight time, it is not worth going to (in my opinion, if you are a first time visitor). The not so good stuff had to do with the food and entertainment. The Lido restaurant is where the buffet is and we found the food selection and quality adequate, but nothing compared to the quality and selection you find on RCCL and Celebrity. We ate in the main dining room twice and the good was good in that venue (the gala night surf and turf was excellent.....probably the best we have had on any cruise ship). Service was fine. No quick way to get a slice of pizza or a quick hamburger/hotdog. HA does not do this part of their food routine very well. Also deserts were so so; cookies were lousy. Not much in the way of entertainment, but HA is not known for their big productions that RCCL and Celebrity have. We booked the premium wifi package ahead of time, as it was priced attractively but it was somewhat slow (but expected), and stopped working completely on our Apple devices that had IOS software under 10.0 (because of an HA wifi upgrade while we were at sea). So if your IOS software is not 10.0 or higher, their wifi will not work on those devices (primarily older Ipads). Very easy to catch a taxi from the cruise terminal back to the airport. They all charge a flat fee of $42. Lots of taxi's available despite two large cruise ships arriving at about the same time. Hope this info is helpful to any of you taking the Alaska inside passage cruise on HA. Read Less

I travel extensively and this was the most expensive and one of the worst trips I’ve ever taken. We upgraded to a suite and executive lounge. The lounge service was good but the food stale, pedestrian and you had to pay for liquor. Dining Room and Lido deck food lacked quality, taste and freshness. We ate burgers and hotdogs because they cooked to order. The only free beverage was lemonade and tea. A coke was $2.50, latte $3.50 + tax, tip. We brought 2 bottles of wine and they charge $18 corkage fee at the restaurant! After spending $7000 (2 people) for this 7 day trip Holland America Eurodam continued to have unexpected costs. The better restaurants cost more to get in and if your wanted a good steak there was an up-charge! The excursions on average cost $150 a person. $30 per person to play Bingo. I’ve been to many around the world the cost for what you did was exorbitant. Also frustrating was the daily schedule was placed in your room the night before. They constantly changed the restaurant open and closed times. We missed breakfast because they close at 8:30am. This was confusing for many people. The most frustrating was the big day to see the Glaciers. They limited the amount of chairs on the top deck, did not offer to set out more and left many of us standing for hours or had to sit inside and only have partial views. The Ranger talk was at 7:30am. We missed it. The day was so unproductive and unorganized because we did not have a central place for the family to enjoy this spectacular event. I was beyond disappointed! I would not recommend this for big family groups or handicapped person. It was difficult to keep organized, most tables only had 2-4 tops that you can’t move. Limited seats for the classical music nights, shows were set at 7:30 or 9:30 which were on top of dinner timelines. Not much activity during the day unless you want spa and workout time. Overall, not worth the money and I would highly recommend NOT using Holland America Eurodam to see Alaska. Read Less

We recently completed our annual summer inside passage cruise to Alaska (this was our 36th Alaska cruise), and 21st Alaska sailing with HAL. This year we sailed on the Nieuw Amsterdam, VQ Spa Veranda on deck 10 - the views from up top on the Panorama deck balcony are spectacular! - otherwise the Spa category isn't worth the higher price as it includes nothing else but 3 bottles of water. Our weather was sunny for the whole 7 days - INCREDIBLY lucky for an Alaska run! The dining (in all 7 venues) was stellar and much better than our recent sailing on Seabourn's Sojourn - and that is a high bar to beat. We ate well! The entertainment however, was without a doubt, the worst we have experienced on ANY ship, on any line, in our 388 cruises history. Literally a ghost ship inside and out. Not a single production show in 7 days? - and this is the new HAL norm according to the cruise staff... 1 sad illusionist and an unfunny comedian and the now very very tired BBC Alaska video summed up the weeks main showroom entertainment? Seriously. The piano is gone from the Ocean Bar, and no other entertainment is offered on the vacant band stage - and the people just walk by this once perfect cocktail location as there is no reason to sit there and pay for drinks in silence. The Crows Nest (EXC) is now just a place to sell shore excursions and buy Explorations coffee, no evening entertainment (or people). BB Kings and Billboard are tucked into spaces that allow no traditional cruise evening cocktails and conversation. No one stayed longer than a few minutes. We can enjoy fine dining any evening in 5 star restaurants at home, we can even watch the whales jump and play in the ocean from our homes deck during the summer months, but traditional productions shows and a compelling reason to get dressed up and enjoy a place to have cocktails in the evening has always been a reasons to cruise ... Quite simply, the party is over on HAL. Read Less

This cruise afforded us the opportunity to see the wonders of nature in a relaxing and fun filled way. The service was great. The food was good and the portions were perfect size so that you were able to have all three courses and not feel overly stuffed. Entertainment was funny and had good variety. Drinks were well made. Gym and spa were good. Steakhouse Crown Grill was fabulous. The naturalists on board were very informative about the glaciers and sightings wild life . The ship just hung out and circled about while by the glaciers so that you could see the calving from either side of the ship. Awesome and beautiful. The entire inside passage was extremely calm sailing so that you didn’t even feel like you were on a boat . You could see whales and sea otters from the deck at various times . Very casual in clothing dress on ship and land!! Excellent especially for a first cruise. All of the Princess excursions were excellent . The entire Princess operation is well organized and executed without a hitch in transportation , luggage etc. Read Less

We wanted a cruise that our daughter and son-in-law wanted to take, and they liked the idea of taking their first Alaskan cruise. We had been once, and had bad weather in the Northern stops. This time, the weather was reversed, with great weather in Juneau, Glacier Bay, and Sitka, and rain and cold in Ketchikan and Victoria (B.C.). The ship itself has been recently refurbished, with nice new furniture in the suites (and elsewhere), and large flat-screen TVs with free movies. The service has always been exceptional, and this cruise was even better. We also enjoyed the Lincoln Center string quintet, with excellent young musicians playing a wide range of lovely music from Baroque through Broadway, tangos, and jazz. The main dining room's food was the best we've experienced, with great choices and lovely presentation. Free room service, with a good selection of choices throughout the day, was a nice touch as well. Read Less

Toilet didn’t work correctly for 7 days, extremely loud fan blowing outside door for 4 days, severe vibration for 2 days. We tried every day to get these problems solved and it never happened. Staff that took care of the room were great and did try to help. Service manager sarcastic response. Shipboard entertainment was average. Food in the dining room was average but service was great. Ship stops were appropriate. Glacier Bay was spectacular. We found tours purchased off the ship were less expensive. On board shops were appropriate with fair pricing. Embarkation and debarkation were well handled well. This cruise provided a lot of inboard activity which was appropriate for all ages. We ate in all three dining rooms, the food was average. We could make dinner reservations which we liked. Wait staff was great. The stress of wondering if the toilet would work and trying to get it fixed was a daily battle. Read Less

To celebrate our 50th anniversary. Recommend by our travel agent. I had heard that Princess was a great cruise. The entertainment was awesome. The quality of entertainment was very surprising. Great crew and staff. We liked the voice of the ocean and the games played in the lounges. The cuisine was out of this world. I tried so many new and different foods. The staff was so polite and accommodating. Our stateroom was always clean and well cared for. The bartenders were very friendly and knew how to make anything. Our vow renewal of 50 years was the highlight of our trip. The special discounts and gifts we received for our anniversary were very nice and in expected. What an awesome way to celebrate 50 years of marriage. Thanks Princess for all the wonderful memories of our first cruise. You and your staff know how to treat people and create memories Read Less

Holland America was recommended but we chose Princess instead, never again. Horizon buffet had mediocre food at times, other times it was very good. Staff ignored our needs much of our dining time, had to bus our table, find silverware and drinks. Other times they were ok. Anytime dining in the Da Vinci and Michelangelo was fantastic. Food was great. Excursions were OK, Ketchikan was very short. White Pass Railway was great! Fishing in Juneau was great also. Room service was great and timely every morning. Most of the on board staff had poor English speech and understanding of what we would say. Shipboard announcements were mostly not understandable and couldn’t be heard in our cabin. Our only other cruise was with Carnival in the Caribbean and we had virtually none of these issues. Our next cruise will be investigated more closely. While your experience with Princess may vary I will certainly not chose this line for another cruise. Read Less

I booked our honeymoon a year in advance and we decided to splurge on a suite for our honeymoon. I have spent hours reading reviews and suggestions on Cruise critic so I will try to give back by covering the different aspects of a Ruby Princess Cruise, both good and bad. Because we had a suite the embarkation process was great. We got on board around 3:30. We had reservations for Crown Grill (free because we were in a suite) so we didn’t want to eat too much. Cabin-Our cabin D737 was great. So nice to have a large cabin on a cruise. We were completely aft which I worried about having to walk too far, but it wasn’t bad and the view was amazing. I have to say for 2 people my husband and I agreed the suite wasn’t necessary. However , we did love the perks from the suite. The nightly canopees were too fancy for us, so we didn’t order anymore. Liked the daily fruit. We told our steward exactly what we wanted in the fruit delivery. Also asked for ice and bottled water every evening. Food- this was the biggest disappointment. My husband and are are not fancy eaters. That’s one reason I chose Princess. My last princess cruise I found the food constantly good and not too fancy. This time the food was mediocre to tasteless. The buffet had a large variety but the food was wasn’t good. I did love the breakfast buffett. I had French toast, bacon, fruit, oatmeal everyday. We did order room service breakfast a few days and I still went up to the buffet for more. For lunch we ate in the Club Class dining room. That was very nice for lunch. I had a hamburger from Salty Dog Grill by the pool (different from the Salty Dog Grill Cafe that you pay for) it was okay. Crown Grill for dinner was worth it. Service and food were excellent. We ate in the dining room for dinner 2x . Again the food and service was good. Horizon Buffett has a lot of variety, but the food wasn’t good. Entertainment- the magician was excellent. The big production the second to the last night was great. My husband and I didn’t find the comedian funny at all, we left early. My husband enjoyed the lounge singers each night. We did the deluxe ship tour $ 150 per person. We loved it. Very interesting and a great swag bag. Skagway zip lining at Grizzly Fallswas fantastic. Glacier Bay was disappointing . Not Princess’s fault. I visited it years ago, there were not really any impressive views. I kept telling my husband just wait. Then the announcement came on that we were leaving. I couldn’t believe that was all. Overall, we won’t be sailing Princess anytime soon. We plan on trying another company. Keep in mind, these are just our opinions. I’m sure people loved the food and entertainment. I’ll answer any questions you may have about the Ruby or having a suite . Read Less

I booked this particular ship due to the itinerary as it related to the time in port in the three Alaska ports. The hours in port were longer and or better to my liking than the other cruise lines I explored when planning this trip. Out of the 5 cruises I have been on (3 Carnival, 1 Royal Caribbean, and this one on Celebrity.) This was the overall worst of the 5 cruises. The only highlights was the food inside the Blu Restaurant and our server Orlando. He was so great I wanted to adopt him and even told him as such. The food in the buffet was dreadful. It was either exceptionally old as if it was sitting there all day or was cold. The food in the buffet on the rarity we went there, even made my girlfriend very sick, sick to the point of staying in the cabin near a bathroom for the last full day of the cruise which made us miss touring Victoria until the next day when we left the ship. Thankfully we didn't have too far of drive to return home. The cabin steward we had was also excellent, and one of the shop workers onboard by the name of Alson was beyond helpful and very much appreciated. Also the spa was a nice experience. I had a pedicure and my girlfriend had a manicure. The staff in the spa were great to interact with. They knew what they were doing and were very personable. The rest of the onboard experience was very hit or miss. The entertainment was very spotty as well. They had some great moments here and there, but nothing to really be thrilled by. Every show we went to, the theater was half empty or more. Read Less

I cruised this ship for the itinerary and also wanted to try Royal Caribbean for a change. I have been on a short RCCL cruise on a newer ship, and I knew this was an older smaller ship. The ship itself while worn, was very nice with alot of beautiful windows making it perfect for Alaska. The room attendant was amazing, the general service of the bar staff was great. The LIDO/Windjammer was better than the main dining room for breakfast and some dinners. The specialty restaurant chops was amazing. The light bites at Lattetudes and the solarium were not very good at all and the staff at the solarium at night a gentleman there was really rude to people. My biggest complaint was the main dining dinners were extremely over seasoned (salted) and any steak was just completely tough and/or over cooked. So the starters, salads and desserts were great, but most of the main dishes were barely passible. When the LIDO does a better job on the meats and breakfast there is something seriously wrong in your dining room. Entertainment was ok, and just average. The production dance/singers were given old and not to unique shows to do . The nightlife was barely there. A couple of places for music, but nothing really stood out. The magician was funnier than our comedian, the El Gaucho show was funny and very entertaining. Most of the staff were absolutely amazing and this did have one of the best guest services desks I have seen on many cruise lines. Read Less

I selected this ship for the activities for my grandchildren, ages 7, 8 and 10. They checked out the kids activities program and quickly left. The ship itself is nice and the fact that there is a heated, covered pool is very nice as well. All pool areas have lifeguards on duty. The itinerary was not all that it was cracked up to be as far as the scenic cruising and Dawes glacier. Never did see the glacier at all and the scenic cruising wasn't anything spectacular. I've been on 2 other Alaska cruises, where we went to much nicer areas. Take a cruise that goes to Mendenhall and Ketchikan. This ship does neither. I thought I'd try something different and was very disappointed. There are a ton of people on this ship, but I must say that check-in and getting on board was a breeze, as well as disembarkation. Very smooth. The lines at Guest Services tend to be very long, since there are only 4 positions (6 sometimes), but only 2 people working on average. The cabin was o.k. (we had a balcony on deck 12). No table though other than a tiny one on the balcony and no writing material. The one thing I absolutely disliked was the high cost of everything from additional charges for food (Halibut fish and chips was $5.00) to extremely overpriced wine with no discount for Crown and Anchor members. And speaking of food: I was very disappointed that there was no meal with Alaskan fresh fish on any night. Farm raised salmon was on the daily menu. Shore excursions prices were very much higher compared to other cruise lines as well. Activities such as IFly and Northstar need to be reserved, which wasn't easy. My grandson couldn't take my place on the iFly, because he had done it once before, but I could give my place to a stranger. Really....??? Decided to keep my spot for myself. The cruise overall was "just ok" compared to the other many cruises I've been on. My suggestion: look at other options. Read Less

I travelled with family and they recommended this cruise line having sailed with them before. The ship is smaller than what I have previously cruised on so I was concerned about motion - turned out to be a non-issue (not sure if it was just the ship or the calmer waters we sailed mostly in Alaska). We were traveling with my senior citizen mother so the smaller ship was a great size for her to easily navigate. Although the ship was at capacity we never felt crowded, never waited in any line, and service was impeccable. Cabin was spacious (Verandah Suite Deck 8) and we had 3 in the room with no issues. Bathroom was very spacious and the shower was wonderful with great water pressure. Loved the towels and bath amenities. Our butler was excellent, and it was a nice service. We booked tours in all our ports independent of the ship so I cannot comment on this aspect. Entertainment was basic and we did not do much during the day other than bingo while at sea, which was fun. The evening entertainment was just OK. The best show was the tribute to Queen. Casino is small but not overly crowded. One table each for blackjack, poker and roulette and there were some slot machines. The ship was beautiful and well kept, service outstanding as I mentioned. A few blips to be aware of: 1. Embarkation timing could be seriously improved. We arrived in Anchorage the day before the sailing and took the scenic railway to the ship with the cruise line the next day. Our bus to the train did not depart until 1230pm, so the morning was quiet and sort of boring with not much we could do. The train ride was pleasant, scenery was beautiful, but the ride was long and we arrived at the boat close to 6pm. We were on the last car of the train so last to exit and get on board. As soon as we got on board it was muster drill time, we did not even have time to walk around the ship and get acclimated. After muster we had to get ready for dinner and felt very rushed to unpack and get organized. Rather than keep us in Anchorage, it would have been better to have us depart and arrive at the ship an hour or so earlier to allow passengers to get their bearings. I know most passengers arrive on the train so it gives the crew max time to prepare the ship, but there should be a happier medium. 2. Remember to bring converters. The USB ports did not work and there were not enough USA outlets. There were no converters available to us when we asked our butler and we did not read that converters were recommended to bring- our fault for not asking I guess. 3. Restaurants were overall pretty good. Some blips in service and food quality during dinners in both Atlantide and La Terrazza. I thought the food was good but I think I expected better given the luxury level of the line- it was not much better than I have experienced on other 'less luxurious' ships. What was nice - service was outstanding all over the ship, maitre d's addressed you by name within 24 hours of being onboard, staff was friendly everywhere, and the available wine and any beverage you want anytime were certainly nice! So overall we had a wonderful cruise on the Muse and for our Alaska trip but I am not sure I would book again with them at this time. I reserve the right to reconsider my comment though if I cruise again and see significant advantages to Silver Sea. Read Less

We went on this very 1st cruise as a family (2 parents in their 50's & 3 adult children in their 20's in a separate room). I picked this ship and itinerary after hours of researching the best option for us. I knew I really wanted to be on a smallish ship that could get close to Hubbard Glacier and take us thru Granite Bay (Captain Todd McBain did a fantastic job getting us within 1/4 mile to Hubbard), with full day stops at the ports in Alaska and a balance of enjoyable entertainment for us adults and adult kids. We were not dissappointed. My husband and I especially enjoyed the shows - Encore, Bayou, Cheasa, Comedian, (not magician though as his show was a bit corny) & going to the game shows put on my cruise ship staff. My kids especially enjoyed the games, such as egg drop in the atrium and ping pong contests, trivia, and the other staff led evening shows. The staff was very energetic and our steward, Benjamin Venida, was extremely personable and attentive. We also enjoyed soaking in the hot tub while overlooking the scenic glaciers, watching movies under the stars with blankets they provided for warmth, and my daughters liked reading books in the quiet library. We liked our Anytime Dining experience and the ability to make reservations day of. When we requested seating by the window, we were kindly accommodated and ended up having a regular table (32) which was in the corner by the window. We really enjoyed the lobster and filet mignon especially when we were able to apply our dining credit to the special menu when Sabitini's was booked. We also at in the Bayou Dining rooms which was very nice as well and our waiter was excellent. The food/dessert was generally tasty. The Baked Alaska parade on the last night was fun and we enjoyed hearing the staff sing Happy B-day/Anniversary to guests as well as the taste of the creme brulee - yum! We regularly ate breakfast in the Horizon Buffet which was a great location at the top of the ship with windows surrounding it. The waiters came around asking if we would like beverages. My husband and son ate pizza at the pizzaria. They said the pizza was too hot and the cheese melted quite a bit and it tasted better when it was cold. We also ate lunch at the Grill by the pool area.The seafood chowder was tasty. I felt bad for the poor girl at the ice cream shop who seemed overworked and under appreciated but access to ice cream at anytime was a nice feature. We stayed in an inside stateroom on the Carribe deck (10th floor) in room C517 which I would highly recommend since it is sandwiched between two other stateroom decks. It was quiet, close to muster stations, mid ship so didn't feel much movement. Positivities Loved the enthusiasm of the staff and warm personalities. The atrium was very pretty. Seating near the windows during meal times - lovely. Getting so close to the glaciers. Meeting such friendly guests. Cleanliness. Great shows. I really liked this ship and the open decks, including semi-private one on the Caribbe floor. It never felt really crowded. Everyone was helpful and friendly. Very relaxing and enjoyable experience. Will definetely cruise with Princess again, and specifically Coral due to the size and layout of ship. Some suggestions: We would love to get all the daily Patters (schedules for each day) at the beginning of the cruise instead of day by day so we could plan our dinners (had anytime dining) and entertainment in advance. In addition, we were told in advance that formal nights are sea days, yet were surprised (as were others seated at our table that night) when we learned fairly last minute that the 2nd formal night was the evening we ported in Juneau. My daughter eats a gluten & dairy free diet. The chefs were kind enough to come out to give her recommendations in the dining rooms and she really liked their gluten free bread. Edible options in the Horizon Buffet were not clearly marked. They did not have almond milk that she knew of nor gluten free cereal. We would have liked signage for gluten free and dairy free items and it would be great if they had almond milk and gluten free bread/cereal available. For us, some food, such as eggs and biscuits, were overcooked but they had a good variety of options. My 3 adult kids shared a separate room. The top bunk bed was uncomfortable for my daughter. It was hard for 2 of the 3 to watch tv since the location of the tv was blocked from view though they did not really spend much time in their rooms at all. Perhaps a moveable mount could help. I felt that the pillows were a bit too squishy and my husband and myself in our room and we kept sinking toward the middle of the queen bed though it was generally comfortable. Benjamin Venida was a terrific, personable, and attentive steward. He was cheerful, called us by name, wished us a great day and good evening regularly, and even gave my son a few extra candies which was appreciated. He kept our room very clean. I wrote him a note and wanted to leave a tip and thank him personally, but I didn't seen him the day we disembarked and felt uncomfortable leaving it in my room since the door was ajar. My suggestion: Give thank you notes and tip if you choose when you see your steward; don't wait until the last day. The cruise director (John/aka Mr. Energy) was hilarious. We really enjoyed the staff led gameshows, etc. The big shows were excellent. The comedian was funny, (we would have loved to see his 2nd show but our dinner reservations could not be changed and we didn't know they were going to overlap) but we did not care for the magician show which felt corny. Sales The coupons, sales, and credits were helpful and encouraged me to buy merchandise. I really liked the free gift from Etsy of my pretty silver anchor necklase. A wonderful rememberance of a lovely cruise experience. Photos I wish the photos were less expensive and we could alter the size and have a cheaper package option (less than $150 minimum). They were good quality photos though. Casino We had fun playing Bingo one afternoon. Spa I did not use the spa, but my son did. Wish I could have let him use my credit as it was pricey for his service. Art: I went to the auction, which was fun but went long (it would be great if they could tell you how long it will be since we had to leave early for the wine tasting). My son got art work at a good price but the cost to ship it and time it takes to arrive is a bit pricey and long. Disembark As first time cruisers, this part was confusing to us. The elevators were full and carrying luggage downstairs dangerous. I think I would better plan ahead next time by leaving our large luggage outside our room. Excursions They were wonderful ports. I didn't appreciate that some shops, in particular jewelry shops, had people standing outside trying to convince us to come in and visit. Some ship excursions seemed very rushed - for example, covering too much ground in not enough time, so we booked some excursions on our own. Skagway: We walked off the port and over the creek bridge into town. We saw a man catch a huge fish. We also attended the '98 Show in the Saloon which was fun and ate lunch at the brewery - the beer garden provided excellent views. My daughter did rock climbing/rapelling, while the rest of us took the van up and bike ride down the mountain. A great active scenic option to sitting on a train. Juneau. We bought tickets at the St. Robert's tram (short walk) with a AAA discount at 8am. Were some of the first to board the tram and hike at the top. Definetly hike to the cross and windsock if you have time. Views are spectacular. Afterward, we called a taxi to meet us at the Red Dog Saloon. She drove us to Mendenhall Glacier where we visited the visitor center and walked the paved trail to beautiful Nugget Falls. Our driver on the way back stopped to buy us some lemonade from kids at a stand. Off the clock. They both provided great stories of the culture and of living there as locals. Finally, we ate at the Red Dog Saloon. Had to have the 'Duck Fart' shot which was fun and tasty. Ketchikan: We all had booked excursions in Ketchikan and were very stressed about making it back in time since the time changed and was scheduled to disembark 45 mins. earlier than originally told. This was a tendered location. I wish Ketchikan port stay was longer so it could have been more enjoyable. We walked through town, saw the salmon in the river. My daughters went on the kayak excursion and me - the group canoe and rainforest trip on the lake. (The clam chowder was excellent!) My husband and son went salmon fishing with Baranoff. My husband caught three - son, none. A couple with them gave them their catch and they were all shipped home. We are eating some fillets for dinner tonight. Read Less

We wanted to see he coast of Alaska and had cruised with Princess before. They offered a package that included airfare, transportation and the cruise. We enjoyed everything. My husband uses a motorized scooter on the ship. All the ports and lots of the excursions could accommodate the scooter. Touring the Glaciers was incredible! Especially College fjord. Having a Naturalist as per of the crew was wonderful. His commentary as we cruised through the Glaciers was perfect and we enjoyed his seminars. This ship is smaller than the last few ones we've been on, so there weren't as many shops and the casino was small. The food in all the restaurants and the buffet was good and there was a nice variety. All the crew were very pleasant and helpful. The ship is easy to get around - my husband uses a motorized scooter on board so that is an important factor for us. Also, on this cruise, all the Ports and quite a few of the excursions could accommodate the scooter. Read Less

We were on the Island Princess for one week Alaskan cruise Northbound (July 31, 2019 to Aug, 7, 2019) traveling from Vancouver to Whittier. We really enjoyed this itinerary, Voyage of the Glaciers, and the ship! With approximately 2200 passengers, we never felt crowded or lost. We particularly enjoyed having a room toward the front of the ship as the Horizon buffet was also at the front, and it had an excellent view with so many windows facing the front. Our balcony room was on the Dolphin (9th) deck. Our balcony view was magnificent, particularly because the weather cooperated so well. Sunny skies, around 70 degrees each day, and not one drop of rain throughout our cruise. Our room was kept super clean by Jovey, our room steward. Clean is a biggie with us, and we especially enjoyed a carefully cleaned bathroom with towels replaced throughout the day by our room steward. We learned the layout of the ship on our first day of cruising. The atrium covers three floors and is lovely with the glass elevators for an added touch. We enjoyed the theater productions, especially the dancers, singers, and male comedian (Delena). Anytime dining was wonderful too; we enjoyed ordering from a menu and the staff was extremely helpful. We are an active, retired couple. This was our fourth cruise to Alaska in six years, so we have a frame of reference concerning Alaskan cruises. On the previous three Alaska cruises, my husband and I traveled alone as a couple, but this time we asked my husband's sister and her husband to join us. It was fun watching them see Alaska for the very first time. And, the Island Princess certainly made our cruise very memorable, from the food to the staff. Everything went well on this trip, and we highly recommend the Island Princess for a relaxed, memorable, and enjoyable journey to Alaska. Read Less

We have had this on our bucket list for some time now. We took our two kids 13 and 15, intending for an Alaskan cruise to be a surprise. We told them we were going to an island in Canada, I even bought them red Canada hooded sweatshirts. My 15 year old found a printed email confirmation a couple days ahead, and my 13 year old was very surprised and told her the day we flew out instead of driving to Canada. (The poor girl packed her own towels and wash cloths.) She said, in hindsight, she would have liked a series of gifts as clues (for all of you out there who want to surprise your children). First of all, I MUST to mention that we topped off our vacation with a Tesla picking us up from the dock to the airport. Mike from Camy's Limo Service was very professional and showed the kids all the bells a whistles of his beautiful shiny black car. This was one of our highlights of this trip, I know even after going to Alaska. https://camysteslalimousine.com/ 602-733-9354 (I'm serious about this, it was so much fun!) Book this service early in your trip planning. Another Tesla service told me we would have too much luggage that we would not be able to use a Tesla, but as it turned out, we found out that their car was unavailable, there's lots of room in a Tesla. If we go back to Seattle, we'll book this service again just to tour the town fancier car with a guide. Just think, if you have a couple of hours but don't know how to tote around your luggage, they can keep the luggage in their car and let you get out for photo ops and hop back in without parking etc. Here are some things I could not find out from the reviews beforehand: 1. The free coffee? It was great, we took a large coffee mug and filled it every morning. Note: I am not a coffee snob but I do like it rich. 2. I wondered if the halls overlooking the lobby would be loud at night: The halls are enclosed by windows, There wasn't much, if any, sound coming from the evening entertainment to the cabins above. 3. Shampoo and Body Wash? It smelled nice but it was sulfate free, I was glad to have brought my own. I just felt cleaner, I am a little picky about my soap. 4. The covered pool? It was covered the entire cruise and the pool was heated. There were smokers in that area so it wasn't where I enjoyed sitting though. The open pool was cool, my kids liked that one better anyway after their body acclimated to the temperature. 5. Clothing? We were lucky to have great weather (60s-70s highs and 50s lows), I could have worn shorts everyday, I chose to wear leggings and layered t shirt and sweatshirt. I am so happy that I left our winter jackets behind at the last minute. We would not have worn them. There are plenty of reasonably priced jackets and gloves in the gift shops in town and on the boat. 6. Running: The exercise room warmer than I would have liked. I did not see a fan, but I only went in once and ran on the treadmill. It took a little getting used to rocking on the boat and running on a machine. Tenth floor running on deck was AMAZING! 3.5 laps = 1 mile. Run early though, the deck can fill up fast with whale watchers and walkers that can reduce your pace. 7. The food? How can anyone complain about the food. I did not need seasonings (I thing someone mentioned that) The food was so good! That may be something I could complain about, it was annoying that I felt the need to eat every single meal because it was so good! 8. Which side of the boat? We randomly chose starboard side, I really don't think it matters but on our cruise, most of the whales were right outside our deck. We got really lucky!! We chose Mid deck 4 - my son gets sea sick, he wore the patches but we're not even sure if he needed them. I'd choose that room again. 9. Cleanliness of boat? Better than our cruise 15 years ago, they are constantly cleaning and picking up after others all around the ship. We tipped out room steward cash every morning, they work so hard. 10. Faster to the fun? Thankfully it was sold out, we registered at midnight the 90 days before the cruise, so we could board at 11:30. We arrived at the dock at 11:15 and was on the boat by 11:30. After that, we would not have seen another opportunity for us to use "Faster to the Fun". 11. We did not participate in the entertainment most shows were during late night hours. My daughter did the teen camp and enjoyed it, but the times were limited and often later at night. I am still rating it excellent. We love our sleep and had to wake too early to attend the entertainment. 12. My son took his XBox and brought his own small TV, but wasn't able to connect to the internet. It saved us money on the arcade games. 13. Laundry: There was one washer and two dryers per floor, we washed clothes early on the trip after that the room was very busy. It was card only so you won't need quarters, the box to run the machine was next to the ironing board. I would not have known how to start the machine if the lady that was ironing wasn't in the room. Before the cruise: We stayed at the Inn on Pleasant Beach on Bainbridge Island. It was fabulous! There's a little beach close to walk along, not for swimming, the Inn has an incredible heated pool, AND the rooms were so nice. This resort is off the beaten path with free parking and no traffic. Book this early! https://www.pleasantbeachvillage.com/inn Tracy Arm: We booked the tour, saw the glacier as close as we could get, got close to a water fall, ate donuts and had hot chocolate. Turned around and the Legend was right behind us, they saw everything we did. Skagway: Our Helicopter mushing camp was canceled, I'm not even sure why. So DH booked the train, it was beautiful but just OK, some people booked the bus to the summit and they were able to stop at the "Welcome to Alaska" sign at the border. We walked up the Lower Dewey Lake Trail it was quite a challenge for us flatlanders, but beautiful and fun, it took us about 2 hours start to finish and all the way around the lake. Juneau: AMAZING!!! We did the Taku Lodge Float Plane and Salmon Bake and two bears came out. It was a beautiful sunny day, we all wore shorts and a sweatshirt. My husband wished he would've had long pants on though. Words cannot describe this experience. We wished we had an appetite for Tracy's Crab Shack. Ketchikan: It was foggy, so our Zodiac Wilderness Adventure was cancelled but it began later and with limited time we were not able to book anything similar. We fond a local excursion to look at bears, orcas and totem poles. I think we wasted our money. Were seconds away and missed some bears, he said you might see orca out the window as we drive around. We had a very informal presentation of totem poles. Waste of time. Victoria: We were just too full and tired to go to town at 7:30 at night, we walked along this long pier overlooking the water. They explained that the "Jones Act" requires the ship to stop at a foreign port. We did have a great cruise, I'm so thankful that we could have this experience of seeing the incredible views 24 hours a day and hundreds of whales including a pod of Orca. I'll check one this off of the bucket list. Read Less

How often can you say that you had a vacation with almost no complaints? This was my first cruise, as well as my first time in Alaska. I couldn't have imagined a better experience! My friend and I arrived in Vancouver a few days early to check out the city, and I'm glad we did. Beautiful city with something for everyone. The cruise itself? The embarkation was the only not-so-great experience (standing in line for 1+ hours in any situation is not fun, let alone to check in for your cruise). We made the mistake of not eating lunch, figuring we would eat on the ship, only to arrive on the ship just as food venues were closing for the emergency drill, so we were more than a bit hangry. Lesson learned, and moving forward. The staff on the ship was so, so amazing at each and every turn. Everyone from the general manager to the stewards to the dining staff was pleasant and efficient. The ship was very clean and constantly being improved with touch-up paint here or oiling a hinge there. The food was good, especially in the main dining rooms (Azura was amazing!), with a good selection all-around. I can't speak to the specialty restaurants, but we tried out all of the complimentary venues and had good experiences with all. We enjoyed walking laps around the promenade deck or jogging track up top to catch the beautiful views and enjoy that amazing, fresh air. Cruising Glacier Bay National Park while listening to the ranger's commentary was certainly a highlight. We chose some really wonderful shore excursions (whale watching, rainforest island adventure, musher/sled dog camp) and honestly felt like each shuttle driver and tour guide was the best one they had. Entertainment and activities on the ship were high-quality and varied; again, with something for everyone. If you were bored--which we weren't--it was your own fault. We loved listening to the musicians at the lounges and atrium, and the main theatre shows were great (Anna and Vlad were wonderful and Cirque Bijou on the last night was AMAZING!). I think I'm at the point of gushing now so I'll stop, but I really can't say enough good about this experience. I HIGHLY recommend this cruise and will definitely cruise with Norwegian again. Read Less

Always wanted to travel to Alaska and thought a cruise would be a great way to go. Our travel agent recommended NCL and we had heard good things about the cruise line. All in all we had a great time but it was a rocky start to the cruise. On the 1st day after we boarded the ship we went to OSheans for lunch. We waited 45 minutes for our food to arrive and it was all served to us at the same.. the drinks, appetizers, entree and dessert. You can imagine how frustrated we were after waiting 45 minutes. All of our hot dishes were cold and by the time we were served we needed to leave as the ship was about to sail. Not a great start. Then the same night in the main dining room (Tzars Palace) we had an extremely inexperienced waiter who was neither competent or friendly. Very disappointed that the dining room supervisor or manager didn’t come by to see how we were doing. The next 2 nights we dined at the specialty restaurants and they were delicious and the staff was amazing. We ate at Cagney's and Le Bistro. The wait staff was more than wonderful and went out of their way to please us. It was our anniversary when we ate at Le Bistro and they brought out a cake to our table for our whole party of 5. We did try the Main dining room the next night and it was much better. For breakfasts and lunches we split between the main dining room and the buffet. The cabin was very nice and spacious. We were in a mini suite with a balcony. Had a few maintenance issues but they were quickly resolved. The entertainment on board was very good. The first night could have been more than just a taste of what entertainers were going to do during the cruise but the shows were excellent (except for the comedian). The ship captain was wonderful when we arrived the 2 Glacier sites. He was able to get us up close to the glaciers and turned the ship 360 degrees so that all on board could get a great view. Had a good experience with the internet on the ship although there is an additional charge. The ports and excursions were fine. We enjoyed the 3 ports that we visited. We also extended our stay in Alaska with a land tour to Denali. The tour guide was just ok and the itinerary could have been tightened up a bit as there was a lot of on your own time. Also all meals were on your own. The hotels we stayed at were also top notch. Also too many consecutive days on the bus for long periods of time. But the places we visited were beautiful and Denali is not to be missed! Wish we could have had more time in certain spots and omitted other stops that were useless. That being said it was a wonderful experience and I recommend it to anyone who loves nature and the great outdoors. By the way our weather could not have been more beautiful. We were very fortunate to have only 1 day of rain during our 12 day cruise tour. Read Less

Norwegian cruise was a smooth sail for us all. The checkin/checkout process was very well organized compared to any other cruise we have done so far. The range of restaurants and variety of food this ship offered was amazing. Housekeeping was great. At the sea entertainment had things for all ages. Dance party was great!! Service was exceptional. We really enjoyed our cruising experience. The ports were perfect and so was the weather for us!! Beverage package is worth it only if you have 2 or more drinks per day, otherwise you could just purchase drinks on the go. Speciality dining was good, we enjoyed the food and ambience in La Cucina. We were a little disappointed with the Teppanyaki restaurant, the portion sizes were huge and lot of food was wasted. The photo package could definitely be improved, the current package has no savings per se, as the individual photos are cheaper than the package. Overall, we had a great cruising experience. Read Less

The Jewel crew originated mostly from southeast Asia. That means the pizza on board tasted terrible but the Malaysian and Indian food was the best I ever had. I gained 10 pounds. My wife gained 7 pounds. Our 1 year old daughter gained 2 pounds. We got off the ship fat and happy. I really appreciated the Guppies playroom. My daughter and I were there at least 4 hours a day on Sea days. They have interactive programs and tons of toys to keep my daughter entertained. A few tips regarding the Jewel: -Teppanyaki is the most popular option on board. You must book a reservation 3 months before your sailing date. -Grab a seat for shows 30 minutes before showtime. Evening entertainment is very popular. -Book a shore excursion with less people. I went dog sledding in the afternoon instead of the morning, which was the less popular time slot. Everybody in my group got lots of cuddle time with their own puppy! -Juice is only served in the mornings. The rest of the day, their beverage stations serve flavored water. Fill a container in the morning and store in your mini fridge Vancouver cruise terminal is horribly inefficient. Long lines and grumpy workers ruined our embarkation day. Our cabin filled with cigarette smoke on the 5th day. The staff did their best to remove the smell but I wish they could have thrown all the smokers overboard instead. Read Less