Inside Passage Reviews

We had a wonderful time during our cruise, taking in the Inside Passage, with stops at amazingly breathtaking places, such as Ketchikan, Skagway, Juneau, Endicott Arm fjord, Dawes Glacier, Victoria British Columbia and more! Unforgettable experiences!

Wonderful Experience our first time on Celebrity Cruise Line. It was our 7th cruise but first with this cruise company. Superior customer service on all levels. Highly recommended. Entertainment was outstanding from comedians to Olympic gymnasts to the in-house bands - it was all very good. The food and drinks were outstanding and drink packages are well worth it and some are included with cruise fee. This ship was recently renovated to a very modern look. So comfortable and tastefully appointed. Scenery including the Hubbard Glacier and various ecosystems throughout the inside passage are beautiful and amazing. Don't miss this opportunity to visit Alaska.

Spent 7 days on board the Island Princess from Whittier to Vancouver cruising the Inside Passage. My first time on a boat of any sort, and was a bit worried about being seasick. Awesome to discover that you couldn't even tell that you were on a ship! Cannot rave about this trip enough - super friendly staff, wonderful food, excellent entertainment day and night - what more could you want?

Our Princess cruise of the inside passage was breathtaking. Never have I taken such beautiful pictures on a vacation. Must do bucket list destination!!

Our first ship-board holiday was a most enjoyable week aboard the Nieuw Amsterdam. I would not hesitate to recommend this ship, our expectations were exceeded. We visited and explored Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan, all well worth visiting. There are numerous excursions to participate in at all ports of call. We also had a sight seeing cruise in and out of Glacier bay. We were lucky to enjoy beautiful weather and calm seas the whole week.

A 7 day Inside Passage cruise with Norwegian on board the Bliss. The weather did not help, though the scenery was still good . The ports visited were Sitka, Juneau, Icy Strait, why stop there, Ketchikan, over crowded. 5 ships in port there. Tours were rushed through to accomodate the tourists. We did not even set foot in the Township, what a waste of a day. The last stop was Victoria, British Colombia, for a 4 hour visit which was a requirement by the cruise line to classify it as a international cruise. My advice do your homework, cruise ship, port of departure and time of the year. Not impressed with Norwegian.

My wife and I cruises on the Norwegian Bliss- a bucket item for my wife. We have been on many other cruises, but this is a completely different animal. You spend far more time on the ship than most cruises because of the distance between ports in Alaska. We had two medical emergencies which dramatically affected two ports. Both Ketchikan and Victoria, BC were cut short because we got into port so late. So we had less than 4 hours at each port. The longest day was Skagway - a solid 9 hours off the boat.
The ship itself is clean with enough activities to keep you occupied. We traveled without any kids and were not bored. The food is good, but seating at the buffet can be a challenge. Cagney’s Steak house is absolutely worth the money. The shows (especially Jersey Boys) we’re very good.
The crew was friendly and helpful (for the most part). As you would expect, on days where you’re stuck on the ship all day the bars get busy and too many people nurse a single drink for hours taking away a food/drink option.
Overall, the Bliss is a good value for the money as long as you are not expecting day long port excursions.

Think carefully before you take an Inside passage cruise to Alaska on this line, staff were fantastic but food very ordinary and cabins not the best be sure to check everything and look at other cruise lines before making final decision.

Fantastic cruise scenery was spectacular on a daily basis, we were very lucky with the weather apart from Glacier Bay where it was cold we were in T shirts and shorts most of the time. Buffet breakfast and lunches were very good although you sometimes had a problem getting a table some of the staff could be better at clearing tables, Evening meals we did fine dining 2 of which were Gala nights. Menu was different everynight and all very good. Think they should tighten up the dress code again for fine dining as some people even on Gala nights turned up in T shirts and Jeans not what we expected. Drinks all over the boat are very expensive + gratuity + tax so bottle of beer $12. Staff in dining room offer bottled water at $5 but have iced water available free! Also after meal ask if you want cappachino then ask for you to pay for it when standard coffee and tea is served free!
We had outside cabin which was more than adequate we had quite a large window and plenty of room inside to change and sleep which was all we used it for. Lots of room on various decks for scenery watching or sunbathing. Entertainment on night was disappointing same blues type group on 3 x each night got very boring! Some dance routines on in theatre OK but an illusionist on a theatre stage for me was just rubbish.
Trips galore to book with Holland America but oh my are they pricey you could easily add another $1000 to your trip. We booked a whale watching in Juneau when we disembarked lots of places selling these just nearby and we saw 3 whales!

We are on niew Amsterdam from 18-27 August. Be careful with their billing. My state room 5154 on returns home . We found our credit card statement was billed for missing bathrobe for 98 usd.
We are on Canada golf tours for 20 days before joining this cruise.
Our golf bag and one luggage was left at Hyatt hotel Vancouver.
The missing robe is not going into my already expanded bag . We are vip customer at the pinnacle grill and bought 6 bottles of premium wine. 4 bottles were packed in the bag to be shared with friend at home.
There is no intention to remove bathrobe when we are reputable guests and big spender and responsible travelers.
So pls check your final printed bill and compare Holland America’s fraudulence charges!!!!!!
Don’t trust this company!

We sailed from Seward in Alaska to Vancouver Canada via the Inside Passage on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship. Excellent adventure, and we saw whales as we cruised. Highly recommended.

We just got back from a week long inside passage from Vancouver to Whittier. What a fantastic trip for the whole family. We saw so much wildlife, saw the glaciers, and were able to explore some towns along the way. What I would really like to say is how much I loved sailing on Princess cruise line. I researched heavily before I went and wanted to go to Glacier Bay. They did not disappoint, and the whole trip was seamless. They did a remarkable job at embarkation, excursions, and hosting shows onboard that appealed to all ages. But, what really stood out was their North to Alaska talks and demonstrations. We got to see and hear Libby Riddle as well as Nick Jans talk about their time spent in Alaska. We learned all about the wildlife, flora, glaciers and volcanoes that make Alaska so unique. This trip was not just about the Southernmost region; it encompassed the whole state and made you want to visit another time! What a great introduction for our family.

I got stand and watch the Cleaving all day. It is so fun to hear that white thunder and watch the ice fall. Majorie Glacier is the best one to see. Just wish our cruise ship stayed there longer. We were only there about 1-2 hours total then moved on the other glaciers and views.

We wanted to experience 'Travel With Alan' and Holand America. Alan himself showed up in Boston, all the way from Seattle, to make sure all went well getting to the ship. Though we had a short experience, we found it delightful. The ship was like new. On entering, It looked like it was just painted. Everything was spotless. All the areas were beautiful. The rich coloring and comfortable seating drew us in. We had both lunch and dinner in the dining room. The meals were fantastic both in presentation and taste. An emergency at home caused us to shorten our trip. The HAL team (our Room Stewart, 3 from Guest Services, an OFFICER and a Pier Attendant) all joined in to help us off the ship and to the airport without flaw. I am following 'Travel with Alan' and HAL to see when we can go on our next cruise.

I recently had the pleasure of experiencing the Inside Passage on the Lindblad Quest on a small ship voyage. The whole journey was incredible with the support of some very enthusiastic and knowledgeable naturalists.

It was truly a bucket list experience to get up close to wildlife and take advantage of the numerous activities. The scenery was exceptional and we were given every opportunity to enjoy this beautiful wilderness.

The main fault was that our Tour Leader had family members in our group who were given priority to the exclusion and detriment of other guests.

However I cannot speak highly enough of Lindblad who make every effort to provide the best experience and support to their passengers.

My lady friend and I took this cruise for the sole purpose of having a relaxed time and doing some Alaska excursions: The Lighthouse, Totems and Eagles Cruise in Ketchikan, the Helicopter and Dog Sledding Extended Tour in Juneau, and the White Pass Railway in Skagway. I will be reviewing these excursions separately on the TripAdvisor platform. Our port of departure was Vancouver and that of arrival, Seattle. The cruise itinerary included a stop in Victoria. We are very familiar with Vancouver, Seattle, and Victoria, and it’s always nice to go back to these beautiful cities. Unfortunately, the stop in Victoria during the evening before arriving in Seattle was definitely a waste of time for us since the ship docked far away from the local attractions. Actually, most people who disembarked in Victoria hanged around the dock and visited a souvenir shop nearby —actually a very expensive tourist trap. People who have never been to Victoria and may never be back to it should do the Butchart Gardens excursion. This is an excursion that can be privately done for half the price charged by the cruise.

The cruise offers a variety of different forms of entertainment and activities to get your money. We skipped them all. We only attended some free violin and piano concerts in the evenings. They were fun! While at sea, we had a great and wonderful time enjoying the sea and coastal landscapes from the ship decks and our cabin’s balcony. To do some exercise, we took some good long walks around the boat. No, we didn't walk on water but on one of the ship's open air decks

Food onboard deserves special mention: The breakfast smörgåsbord was good with the following exceptions: Coffee was very weak, fried eggs were always cold, and scrambled eggs, terrible. I only tried them once. Had tea and poached eggs or an omelette instead. You only have to ask a server, and he or she will bring them to your table. Hot milk is available in the same manner. The lunch smörgåsbord was always good and varied from day to day. Any time dinner —the option we chose— was exceptionally good. All meat and fish dishes were cooked to perfection! Given the good quality of food, any upgrade would have been a waste of money.

Service was always prompt, efficient, cordial, and respectful.

Overall impression: The cruise was equivalent to sailing on a First Class, Very Good, hotel —an interesting form of transportation to the places we wanted to visit so that we could do the land excursions we wanted.

One complaint: WiFi service was outrageously expensive! A ripoff! It should be free!

The inside passage is well worth taking with the most beautiful scenery on display! Try to take a cruise that takes you to the Hubbard Glacier and also gives you an option for the boat trip to the Columbia Glacier. Out trip with Viking was a beautiful trip on ship. We would not recommend that you take their pre Vancouver extension or their post Denali extension as they are both disorganized and not worth the extra. Book your own flights as well as Viking has a problem with their flight department. If you stick to the cruise alone, it is a beautiful trip.

Sailed on the new Venture. Outstanding experience, superb crew, and a reminder that you get something special when you sign on with National Geo.The expertise of the Expedition team and its leader was impressive, but what was really special was their attitude. Everyone of them worked at making the trip an experience that everyone of us won't forget. My compliments to the folks who put this team together. As anyone who has done some traveling will tell you, it's your "expedition leaders" who make or break your trip.
Beyond the crew there were bears, porcupines, whales, seals, mystical icebergs, good meals, and fellow travelers who loved the adventure, the stunning scenery and had open hearts.

We are nearing the end of our first cruise and I thought I would take some time to review Celebrity Solstice.
From the very humorous Captain Alex to Kelly Rose the Cruise Director and all the staff and crew, I am struggling to find any fault at all.
Our cabin attendant Kadek was very helpful as this was our first cruise and his service was first class.
The Celebrity Solstice Band and all the entertainment was excellent.
Staff at all eating venues were first class and the quality of food is just amazing.
This ship is well kept and all stop overs were excellent and well managed.
Well done Celebrity, we will be back.

Our first cruise together using Royal Caribbean. To say we were excited was an understatement! Not only a cruise but to Alaska, mind you we are Floridians.

The pros - boarding the ship was easy and smooth and really started our experience off great! We have been impressed with the service especially the room steward, always present and attentive to our needs. The bed is hard as a rock but the steward was able to add “toppers” to make it where we didn’t wake up sore the next day. Majority of the staff have been pleasant, especially the waiters in the specialty restaurants. Wonderland was an exciting and different experience, the food was very unique with flavors we have never had before. The waiter and overall service in Wonderland heightened our experience. Jamie Alexander’s pasta was fresh, made from scratch and the service was great, waiter was very attentive. The shows were something we looked forward to especially on “sea” days, a lot of talent on the ship which was a pleasant surprise! The cruise director was hilarious and he was a fresh face to see with a positive attitude and passion. Our favorite part of the cruise was getting off the ship at the ports and exploring!! Taking a helicopter to see the glaciers and landing on the glacier was the highlight of our vacation, definitely at the top of the list for the most amazing experience we have ever had. Alaska’s scenery was amazing, each corner we turned there was something new to see. We liked the small town and nature feel. For perspective, we have been all along the Northeast coast and California so far.

The cons - The food is awful in the main dining room. We ate at the main dining room the first night and the food was average. For a couple like us who are “foodies” and eat “clean”, this was a huge disappointment. We booked specialty nights for the remainder of the nights. Although as mentioned above the food got “better” in the specialty restaurants, it still wasn’t “great”. Overall, our experience on the ship wasn’t great, to where I dreaded the sea days. Although a great place to relax after a long day at port, would’ve preferred a hotel room with a more comfortable bed.
Quality was lacking throughout all aspects of the cruise. If we were to cruise again, we would save longer and go on a cruise with Disney less frequently, quality and service goes a long way and RCI should take notes.

This was an incredible trip. The size of the boat -about 60 people was perfect. There was a wonderful diversity of activities- hiking, zodiac rides, kayaking, canoeing, and lectures by very well-informed naturalist. We saw orcas, hump back whales, seals, sea lions, otters, brown beans and many eagles. The slide show provided by guests and given to each of us was amazing- some really skilled photographers on the trip. Meet some fantastic people. Food was very good. Pleasant rooms.

I cruised the Inner Passage aboard Royal Caribbean's Explorer of the Seas (9/7/2018 - 9/14/2018). I consider myself an inveterate traveler but this was my first cruise and first visit to Alaska. The ship was populated by all ethnicities and nationalities; one staff member described it as a "floating United Nations." It was so good to be around universally friendly people, sharing their experiences and travels and leaving everything on shore behind for a week. We passengers became part of a special club - those who have cruised the Inner Passage. My cruise, leaving from Seattle, had port stops in Juneau, Skagway and Victoria, B.C.. I took in a whale watching/Mendenhall Glacier excursion in Juneau, a White Pass Yukon Route railroad/bus excursion in Skagway and took photographs galore of the Sawyer Glacier when the ship stopped in Tracy Arm and did a slow 360. In Victoria, B. C. I enjoyed the sights of the Inner Harbor and shops on Government Street. The ship itself was a pleasure to be on. Food, entertainment, activities were all top notch. I spent a lot of time on Deck 12 just walking, taking photographs and interacting with people. I have never met and loved talking to people anymore than on this cruise. I have to mention the Royal Caribbean ship staff: the friendliest folks you ever want to meet. Geet at Guest Services, my cabin attendant Royal, all the restaurant and bar personnel were just great and accommodating. I could go on and on about Royal Caribbean and the Alaska Inner Passage Cruise but let me leave it at suggesting anyone with any "bucket list" travel aspirations should put this travel experience at the top of their list.

We did the one week cruise with Holland American to south east Alaska from Vancouver. Everything from boarding to disembarkation was well organized and executed precisely. There were many organized activities on board to fill each day even if you chose not to go ashore. We enjoyed the variety and quality of food available and we were tempted to indulge. The shows on the main stage each evening were quality events and thoroughly enjoyable. It was great to read the current New York Times each morning on our hand helds.

We chose to do our own thing at each port visiting the library for free wifi, doing a self guided tour of each town and hiking on the local trails. One had a greater chance of encountering locals and other sorts of travelers the further one could get from the docks.

The crew and support staff throughout the boat were very friendly, polite, and helpful. They made sure we had a positive experience.

This was our first cruise and has probably spoilt us for future cruises. It was absolutely perfect. From first-rate dedicated staff, excellent food and service, wildlife spottings, great fellow travellers, we couldn't have asked for more. Captain Eric Morrow runs a brilliant ship and the various activities are carried out seamlessly. Special mention to Alex Carroll the Scientific Naturalist onboard, her presentation and photography skills are superb. There were 37 passengers and 16 crew. If you only ever do one cruise, do this one.

We recently passed through this area twice. The first time early in the day we couldn’t see a thing due to the fog. However cruising through at 4.30pm onwards gave us the most amazing views for a number of hours. The islands, forests, snow capped mountains and tiny villages are magnificent.

We took Princess cruise line from San Francisco, aboard the royal princess ship. First stop was Juneau which is a beautiful city with lots of culture and things to do. Second stop was Hubbard glacier, which is cool to see but it was from a distance. Third stop was Haines, nice quiet little town, little store to shop at, a brewery and also a distillery. Fourth stop was Ketchikan, also a beautiful city with lots of history and plenty of activities to do. Last stop was Victoria British Columbia which is absolutely beautiful, cultural city and lots of history. My favorite was Victoria. Very nice cruise to go on and see different cities.

I booked my trip 3 month advance. I haven't actually on the trip yet, but I already hate it. They never tell you clearly how much you need to pay and keep trap you to spend more and more. Their market strategy makes you feel you can't trust them. All they care is to take your money. As a traveler, I would like to spend money to make my trip a comfortable one. But I want transparency. I don't want to feel like a fool. The customer service is horrible. Don't expect anybody helps you from this company. It was the worst trip decision I had made in my life!

Just returned from a cruise to the inner passage. Really enjoyed the views of mountain, glaciers and quaint places we stopped. We did find places were a bit commercialised. Lots of jewellery shops.

We recently went on the 7 day inside passage cruise, and thoroughly recommend it, especially if you want to see glaciers, up close.

Absolutely breath taking! The views are something you will not soon forget. This trip was loaded with American history and no one would be disappointed in.

First time cruising.
The boat itself was dated but clean.
International staff- all hard working and friendly. Mellow crowd on ship
A few things to do for all ages.
Food was totally average or less than average but a lot of it.
Gluten free options available but mostly disgusting- the two best were the pizza on deck 14 and the desserts evening at cafe on deck 5.

We went Whittier to Hubbard Glacier to Glacier Bay ( rangers & naturalists came aboard for these) then to Icy Straits to Skagway, Juneau, Ketchikan and down to Vancouver.

Glacier Bay was awesome!
Not much wildlife on this trip and trust me - we spent hours and hours on the bow of deck 7 watching. We did see otters; we saw a couple of sharks and sunfish; we saw a massive pod of dolphins and a few distant spouts of whales no real whale sightings - drats.

We had great weather and the scenery was excellent!

Everything about our experience was negative. Princess cancelled our first sailing, which cost us $1200 in travel insurance and resulting expired flight credits. they wouldn't speak to us-actually told use to go through our travel agent-then wouldn't return his calls or emails. when we rebooked they gave us $50 on board credit. we couldn't board for 2 hours past the assigned time. we splurged on a mini suite, to find mold hanging from the bathroom vent; the sofa's hardware sticking through the cushion spaces; they painted our rusty balcony during the trip, so we couldn't use it. they cancelled a port and did nothing to make it up to passengers. entertainment was limited and very basic. buffet food was disappointing. we asked for an upgrade and were refused. this was our 5th cruise, first with Princess and it was very poor. Even now they have not responded to our complaints.

The captain of the Nieuw Amsterdam runs a tight ship. It's very clean and the crew are friendly. Our trip through the ports was very successful with great weather. Alaska is well worth the visit..but not on this grey boat.

1. Drinks are very expensive, pretty much £10 a time

2. Entertainment is poor, especially in main Theatre, ranging from 6 dancers to a BBC wildlife film! No bands or cabaret. Most people go to bed by 10am

3. Friday was a sea day and the main restaurant was closed for lunch due to the VIP guests having a private lunch, so just an overcrowded buffet for us mere mortals, disgusting.

I an used to P&O entertainment, this boat was no where near that.

I guess that about sums up this trip the scenery ,towns , places were all great but whats happened to the food buffet ? it was always a treat to go there and "pig out" this trip it was bland same old every night boring even the deserts and sweets didn;t impress us also a real lack of choice compared to what it's usually like, this was our fourth trip on Princess and up till now the foods been faultless , hope they lift their game.

We have cruised with Royal, Norwegian and Carnival and I thought this was the worst in entertainment and food! The main issue I had was $200 missing from my cabin safe! I filed the theft report and was told the only people that had been in my room was me and husband and room stewards who don’t have access to safe but I can 100% tell you someone from ship took my money! I didn’t lose or spend it. Very disappointing and will not use them again.

Broken ship- Staying in Ft Lauderdale port 2 days while ship is repaired PRIOR to leaving for Caribbean. Departure was to be 10/21/23 now 10/23, 2 port stops eliminated. Just Nassau and Grand Turk. $250 on board credit is only compensation FU Holland America! What a joke! Ruined my vacation! Never again Holland America!

Amazing scenery and for Alaska in May the most amazing weather - blue skies and warm - would thoroughly recommend this trip

My husband and I were on the Star Princess for a 7 day cruise leaving from Vancouver. Our ports were Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway! Our other two stops were Glacier National Park and College Fjord where we stayed on the boat. Landscape was fabulous and the glaciers were even more magnificent! Breathtaking.... A must see for all

Our 8-day cruise originated in Sitka, with time in Glacier Bay, Juneau, Wrangell and Ketchikan. The 40-passenger ship was an ideal size -- we were able to get up close the glaciers and wildlife with ease. Our captain would slow down and linger in spots so that everyone on board had ample opportunity to enjoy the scenery. We were able to kayak or take excursions in an inflatable 12-passenger boat to get even closer. We saw orcas, humpback whales, harbor seals, sea lions and sea otters, bald eagles, tufted puffins, glaucous gulls and murres, plus bears, deer and mountain goats. We were able to see things and visit places that the large floating cities couldn't come close to. The crew was friendly and very helpful. Each of us was treated as special guests throughout our cruise. I have nothing but positives to say about our experience on the Alaska Dream, and highly recommend booking a cruise with Alaskan Dream Cruises.

We took a 7 days cruise on the Coral Princess stopping at Skagway, Juneau, and Ketchikan. The trip was fantastic. Our ship's captain, Todd McBain, was wonderful keeping everyone informed and pointed out so many sites of interest. They had National Park Rangers on board for commentary on the different areas we viewed. So much info on the glaciers. We were SO CLOSE and the view was breathtaking. I can't say enough about the Princess staff. The cruise director John and the assistants Kyle, Daniel, Danni were phenomenal. All the activities that they run, the games they host, the trivia, etc were all amazing. These people are catering to thousands and they remember names! Kyle was especially friendly and helpful. The buffet was amazing and the pizza and burgers from the grill were also awesome. The folks taking all the pics were very entertaining as well. Princess has the land tour/disembarking down to a science. Very smooth. They also waited over half an hour for a passenger who was late re boarding. Overall the customer service was just stellar. This was a trip of a lifetime for us and if we ever take another cruise, it will likely be with Princess!

Not to be missed.......so many things to see.......icebergs, snow, sea life, fantastic boat ride Woul do it again as soon as I can......Alaska is a true gem

We took a 14 day land/cruise trip to Alaska. We sailed on the Coral Princess .....Princess Cruise Lines and absolutely loved it. The vessel itself was top notch, the crew professional and the service outstanding. We would recommend this cruise to one and all.

One cruise and we are hooked. The inside passage is breathtaking. My husband and I are already planning our next trip.

I had the pleasure to cruise on the Ruby Princess with a balcony room with my beautiful soulmate and I can tell you, the inside passage was astonishing. We woke up around 8 am and immediately started seeing broken iceberg shards with the sun rising, it couldn't be more perfect.
We then went to the gym for a quick workout which offered panoramic views of the various icebergs that were scheduled on our itinerary.
The inside passage was an experience that is second to none. Grab your favorite person and book a cruise, I guarantee you will not regret it.

We traveled through the Inside Passage on Holland America's MS Noordam in late May. This was not a stop but rather a cruising experience. It was chilly but not too cold to go out on the covered decks and our balcony to enjoy the beauty of this area. The blankets Holland America had available on the decks was also helpful in keeping warm.It was raining the day we visited and we saw numerous waterfalls that probably aren't visible when it's sunny. The fog was also pretty impressive as it hung low over the top of the mountains. Our ship traveled quite close to shore, which gave us a great view of the scenery. It was a neat preview of things to come on our cruise and Alaskan trip.

Truly a once in a lifetime trip. Seeing the glaciers up close and personal is an amazing experience that no photo does justice.

CRUISE NOT MEANT FOR VEGETARIANS

We took a 7 nights cruise with Holland America, Volendam Ship Tour for Alaska Inside Passage. We booked two cabins for our family of 4 adults and were perfectly comfortable for the duration of our stay. 
The level of service was good as were the quality and condition of all facilities on board.
The activities organised daily were well organised and allowed more than enough time to fully experience them. We enjoyed the overall experience.
However, the dinning services inclusive of can be deemed terrible. There were no multiple vegetarian food options and we were stuck with no choice all throughout the various meals everyday and had to succumb to whatever was served. Additionally, there were absolutely no dessert options without egg content. To top this, the food tasted awful and often was inedible, not meeting the lowest expectations of food cooked by an Indian chef.
It was very well informed that our dietary requirements were vegetarian not including both egg or fish. Despite this, the staff was not considerate and was often seen using the same tongs/gloves to serve sausages/meat and baked potatoes, contaminating the only obvious vegetarian food choice. When this was brought to their notice, the staff was impolite and discourteously disregarded our concern. Moreover, the staff, especially at the buffet counter was also not informed enough and served us lobsters as a part of the salad saying it was vegetarian, neither did they have the knowledge of the cheese served containing rennet, which made us avoid it altogether.
Satisfactory food is essential and our experience with the Holland Cruise made our journey which could’ve been great, below average.

The food on board the Star Princess was great but for the buffet. The help speaks mostly very poor English and get annoyed if you don't understand them. The internet is slow and very expensive, save your money. Don't get it. The shows are good and views our are out of this world and the Captain is a wonderful man who goes out of his way to make you happy. Our cabin had a balcony with made the trip great.
Cabin are small but not too much. I could actually shower and wash my whole body, There are onboard movies which are nice too. But you can only get water, lemonade, tea or coffee with your meals. Soda, Iced tea and of course beer or wine you pay extra for. Expensive but nice phots taken all over the ship and the onboard shops have, well, expensive stuff with brands I never heard of.

We had a nightmare experience on a Princess Cruise to Alaska a few years ago. No sooner did we check into our room than the toilet overflowed. The person who came to fix it said that it also happened on the previous cruise. When the toilet continued to overflow day and night, we asked to be moved. Staff said there was NO Room Available... this on a cruise with a few thousand people. One morning at breakfast near the end of our trip, I saw the ship's captain and literally ran to let him know of the problem. He immediately said, "We are family and this will be changed." Finally! As soon as we moved out, our friends who were in a cabin next to ours, said that workers came to pull out all the carpet in our former room because it was so unsanitary. Our friends were also told that the plumbing had been a problem on earlier trips. When we complained to Princess in letters, calls, etc., we finally received a letter saying there was nothing they would do and no refund -- but if we'd like a $200 discount on a future Princess voyage, we had a limited time to use the discount. This has to be the worst all around customer service we've ever experienced.

Beautiful trip! The weather was sunny and warm and we had the best cruise staff and captain every. The ship is modern and clean. All staff are so kind, friendly and attentive. Meals in the Dining room and Lido deck were first class.

Our land tours were perfect, informative and fun guides with lots of time to visit on your own. We even got in to Endicott Arm to see the Dawson Glacier...no small feat for a ship the size of the Westerdam.

Transfers to and from the ship were organized and smooth. Highly recommend this ship and the route.

Perfect vacation: great food, friendly staff, modern ship and fabulous route.

We booked a cruise in July 2022 with Alaskan Dream Cruises. A big mistake. Based on the write ups on their websites we had high expectations. Considering the cost we thought we would be getting a top notch experience. NO SUCH LUCK. We have been on five small ship cruises. This was by and far the worst cruise we have ever been on. I am kicking myself for booking it.

Without going into details, Let me just say that all of the promises made on the website are non existent. The crew was inexperienced in Alaska, the food was either cold, undercooked or not as advertised, there were no enriching experiences, they typically dumped us in port to fend for ourselves, the accomodations are attrocious.

If I had to do it all over again, knowing what I know now, I would undoubtedly take a full size cruise ship for this voyage. I can speak for other small ship cruises in Alaska but definitely avoid this company.

We were on the Radiance of the seas Southbound from Seward to Vancouver. I can't begin to tell you how awesome it was!!!!! So incredibly beautiful. Pictures just don't do it justice.

We started off the trip at an Airbnb in Anchorage for 3 days. It was really nice. We had a view of the inlet and were right by Tony Knowles Trail. We rented 2 cars. Went on 2 great hikes and went to the State Fair!!!

We took the train to Seward Friday morning. We had the Gold Star cabin. Totally worth the extra cost!

The ship was awesome. The service was awesome. The weather was awesome. The excursions were awesome. We were truly blessed! We were celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary and we brought our 3 grown children. We had an aft balcony cabin which I highly recommend. The kids had inside cabins. We all had the drink package again I highly recommend. We had dinner every night in the dining room. Service was excellent. Food was good. Campaign bar was our favorite spot to hang out.

We did do an excursion in every port. They were all awesome.

Juneau...Taku Lodge arrived by float plane!!!
Skagway...Whitepass Railroad and Bike Tour
Icy Straights... Glacier Winds Charters Whale watching
Ketchikan...The Deadliest Catch Tour

Vancouver we stayed one night at an Airbnb. We were exhausted! We had a PorterGenie service take our luggage and deliver it to us at the airport the next day. That was worth every penny!! We took the hop on hop off bus to Stanley park and around various stops around the city. We collapsed early.

Amazing Trip!!!!! I will be broke for a long time!! My motto is that you only live once!!! Enjoy every minute.

Very disappointing Cruise . The food was barely edible. Usually I can find 1 or 2 things at a buffet and be happy with that . Unfortunately the food was so horrible I ate rolls and butter the entire time . The food in the dinning rooms was not any better! Most of the staff were good. I appreciate the long hours they do. However the bar staff at the explorer lounge were rude and argumentative! I ordered a drink and asked for a splash of coke in it . The bar tender said that’s not how they are made . I thanked him for the information and said I still wanted a splash of coke in there as that is how I like it . He argued y me and refused to add the coke to my drink
Spa services. I booked a facial on line prior to the cruise . When I got there they said they haven’t been doing that for over a year. . Then why am I able to book it online . They then tried to upsell me to more expensive facial I canceled. Very disappointing. Last but not least this was an Alaskan trip to Juneau. The ship canceled that port and the corporate office idea of compensation for not delivering on the vacation we paid for is a slap in the face! I do not recommend this cruise line

Visited while on a Princess cruise. Weather was great. Calving did occur- and wow! I also have to say how awed I am by the skill it must take to maneuver a ship that size in there safely. It was a once in a lifetime experience.

Our last trip was started from the last week of August 2018 from Vancouver to Alaska.
It was our first cruise and the cruise line was Celebrity infinity. We have two pre teens and 9 years old sons and they also had great time. The ship was always clean and staffs were very friendly and helpful. Breakfast buffet, lunch and dinner were not boring with various and different food each time and themes so we enjoyed the meals. The main restaurant had very nice atomosphere and amazing food choices like robstar and salmon. We enjoyed dinner only twice there and regreted not going a whole time.^^

My kids are not fond of the kid nor teen club but there are two pingpong tables to have fun and pools/ hot tubs out side so we spent time there alot. We enjoyed watching a couple of movies at the top deck coved ourselves with many blankets, slipping some hot chocolate and coffee.

Our ship was the last ship going to Alaska so the souvenior shop was having 80% bargain. We got a couple of fun things with amazing prices.

The most amazing thing was watching hubbed Glacier. That was hard to explain with words but an unforgetaful spectaular view. It was beautiful ....but felt sad to see it melting.

We had an amazing race with other passengers and that was fun just like TV show.
I would totally recommend this cruise line fr the others. It's relaxing and also fun.
I will write other reviews for the places we stopped during the cruise.

This is our first Holland America (Eurodam) and our last with this cruise line. We have been on almost 40 cruises in the past 30 years, Royal Caribbean, Princess, Celebrity, and Oceania. All were great experiences, some better then others, but all we’re good experience’s. Where do I begin? Food in the main diner room is boring, subpar selections. The main dining room has the atmosphere of a cafeteria. They are understaffed and some of the staff are new and not trained. The entertainment on the main stage is boring, single singers, piano players, and nondescript modern dance interpretations. No big singing and broadway style stage productions. We had dined twice in there specialty restaurants, which were ok and decent, except for a rude manager at the reception desk who pointed out we were late for our reservations when there was a lane of 14 people to get in. I can go on and on, but why bother, this cruise line is not worth my time!

This was our 5th time cruising the inside passage.
Traveling Holland America we felt so much had changed since our last cruise 4 years ago. From the minute we got on-board we felt like every corner we turned they were trying to sell us something. From the spa to the dinner table, it did not stop each day. This got to be an irritation to us and other cruisers voiced similar. Our main dining experience was poor. We enjoyed the buffet more the food was excellent there but didn’t need to bring all our dressy clothes along to eat there. We could have packed casual and lighter had we known.
If you have never cruised the inside passage before it is spectacular and not to be missed but we suggest doing diligent homework before picking the ship to cruise with.

Traveled with my cousin 64,and sister 67, and myself 56. The ship was elegantly understated, not all the glitz as some of the larger, younger crowd ships. The staff was excellent, all smiles and eager to please. I did not have one unpleasant experience with staff. They had a buffet on the lido deck, with a salad station, asian station,italian station, and american station as well as deserts. I like my food with seasoning and some spice. I realize that they have to appeal to the masses, but the food was kind of bland. We ate in the dining room 4 times, fancier food, but still bland, I am a picky eater and stick with fish, steaks,lobster, You can order 2 of anything, and if you dont like what you order they will get you something else. I also ordered fries which were on the kids menu, and a baked potato which was not on any menu. I was able to get full. Eurodam had a great pizza restaurant and the dive in which served awesome hamburgers, hot dogs and fries. They did not provide 24 hours dining although they do have a small menu for in room dining- I did not use because the wait was an hour or more. I do not like the drink packages they offer- everyone in the cabin has to order the same drink package, which doesnt work too well when you have a non drinker vs a drinker. You also have to purchase the same package every day, We ordered our drinks separately paid 2.50 for a coke. They do have a happy hour. I was disappointed in the bon voyage party- which was no party- no excitement, just drink specials. Gala night was rather boring- just a chance to get dressed up- I sailed on a Carnival ship and they put on a show with sparklers, and such on Gala night, upbeat music, nothing like that on the Eurodam. I enjoyed the BB king Blues show, they were awesome. I wish I had attended the shows on the mainstage, but it didn't work out. We purchased our shore excustion on our own in Juneau a whale watching tour on a smaller passenger boat then the one on board. Best decision ever, we saw 4 different whales, and had plenty of room on deck , and everyone could see. I saw the larger boats and was glad I was not on those boats. We purchased the otters, bears, and raptors on line. It was a nice excursion, saw bald eagles, otter, sea lions, loved the refuges for the bears although small, the raptor center was nice, bigger, needed just a little more time though. We just did shopping and eating in Keitchan . Wish there was more time in this port, loved Cedar Street, as well as all the cute shops, Took a pedi cab tour of Victoria, at the dock- we did not book ahead of time. It was awesome, went to Beacon Hill Park, China Town, and I think Jamestown neighborhood. Our guide Tina, was great !, We had her drop us off downtown and shopped and ate at Frankie's Diner above Burger King. They had the best spagetti and bread. I could not even eat all of the small order. Glacier bay was breath taking, loved the talks from the native Indians and the people from Glacier Bay Park. They provide shampoo, soap and conditioner as well as a blow dryer. They have blankets for sitting on the balcony or on deck. We had a signature suite and it was just the right size for 3 of us, loved the balcony. Had a shower and a tub with shower, it had jets and was nice. Our steward brought us an extra chair, since we only had 2 chairs and 3 people. Overall it was a great experience- would have enjoyed a little more entertainment- Karoke would be fun- as I love to get a good laugh. Maybe some games with humor, the bingo was kind of slow. They have a library, and a puzzle area, as well as a game table - not sure what game. It would be nice if they had music in the club during the day on cruise days - sometimes you are too tired to stay up late to hear them after being on shore. The staff was amazing- Loading and disembartion was speedy. Our room had two comfortable twins, that made into a king and a sofa bed. The sofa bed needed a foam mattress and duvet and it was then comfortable. We had 70 degree weather one day. In every port we were blessed with sunshine. Locals said that was not the usual. It was warmer than I thought.

We chose this cruise because of the ports we stopped at. We have been on many cruises and this is our third time on Royal Caribbean. We liked that you were in port for 10 - 12 hours, allowing for multiple land excursions and/or plenty of time to see the entire town being visited. Crew was great and food was good. Cabin was comfortable and well kept by cabin steward. Shore excursions were very good and well organized for pick up and drop off. However, the constant attempt to get you to buy an upgraded meal in one of the restaurants was annoying! Drinks are expensive with a bottle of beer being $9.20, mixed drinks $11.00 and wine $12-14 a glass. But you can buy a drink package for $520/person. The ship is in terrible condition with rust and paint peeling everywhere. Hand rails are peeling, windows are clouded due to seals being compromised and rotting wood throughout the buffet area all along the windows. This ship is beat. We have never been on a ship in this bad of condition. We expected much better from Royal Caribbean.

My wife and I traveled the Inside Passage aboard the Celebrity Infinity June 24,2018.
The trip was from Vancouver for 8 days/7 nights Sunday to Sunday.The three Port of Calls in order were Sitka, Juneau and Ketchikan. Vancouver to Sitka was Sunday afternoon arriving Tuesday morning. The ship traveled to Hubbard Glacier on Wednesday. We arrived in Juneau Thursday morning and Ketchikan Friday afternoon .The spacing of the Port of Calls and Hubbard Glacier were excellent providing ample time for wandering or activities. The stop at Hubbard Glacier was roughly 2 hours. The ship was able to get about 3/4 of a mile from the glacier face. It was an epic experience. The Ship Master even rotated the craft so everyone on board was able to get a good view. The calving of the glacier was incredible and the sound was something you will never forget. I had three cameras going plus my Iphone. Advised to get a good spot early on your boat to get the best views. Our ship allowed us to go right up front on the helicopter pad too.
Sitka was a great little town with lots of history. Russian influences have deep roots there . Some of the best Clam Chowder we ate was at Ludvigs Bistro. Don't miss out. We visited the Bishops House as well. Lots of historical information.
Juneau is a larger city with lots to do. We visited Mendenhall Glacier and walked down to Nugget Falls. You can buy tickets for shuttles to the glacier at the cruise terminal. The shuttles depart by the Mount Roberts Tramway only a few minutes walk away. The shuttle cost $45.00 USD return and you could stay at the glacier as long as you wanted. Shuttles departed every half hour. Visit the Information Centre there as it contained much interesting information.Our stop there was almost 12 hours so ample time for shopping and sightseeing. Many excursions are available for whale watching or other activities.
Ketchikan was a cool little town. Do not miss going to the Historic Creek Street . Wonderful little shops and much history back to the Gold Mining era.
The cruising along the inside passage was the just so awesome. We live in British Columbia but you never get tired of seeing such beautiful scenery. It was easy to sit outside and just look at the views. One day we were lucky to be top deck and saw three to four Orca Whales swimming in front of the ship. The Pacific Orcas are on the decline so it was spectacular to see and film.
The Cruise Line Celebrity Infinity did an amazing job. There was always something to do aboard the ship. You received a daily activity schedule in your Stateroom. Our Stateroom was on deck two. The staterooms were cleaned daily and they did a great job. The next time we would get a balcony so if you can afford it, do it. The ship had numerous lounges and restaurants. Our favorites were the Oceanview,Trellis and Tuscan. Every crew member was pleasant and always greeting you.I heard from some crew members that it was their favorite ship to work on.
There was just so much to do that we didn't experience everything the ship offered. Pools,Hot Tubs, Running Track,Fitness Center,Basketball Court,Outdoor Movie Theater,Casino,Shopping Mall just to name a few.The Entertainment provided was actually very good. A rating of 9 out of 10 for sure.
This was our first Cruise and Celebrity did a fantastic job in all areas.
We would definitely use them again in the future.
If you need something to add to your bucket list, do not miss out on cruising the Inside Passage.You will not regret it.
Thanks again to Celebrity Cruise Lines for making this experience unforgettable.

Holland America Volendam Ship June 2023. Unfortunately we had problems in almost every area which sadly for us is a first. We are not the complaining type which saddens me to have so many bad experiences on one trip even. I understand the minor hiccup or inconvenience but this trip was a catastrophe from before leaving the dock even to the point of being escorted off the boat under medical supervision like we carried the plague due to the boats conditions that they put us in.

We had issues with our bathroom toilet the entire trip from the point before leaving. Even having the plumber come to fix it to many times to count even to removing the toliet off the wall to replace the seal behind the wall that was leaking and flooding the room in the middle of the night. I took pictures even; which caused us to be awake to have cleaned and often left us without a toilet for entire days or nights even since the plumber only worked till 11 pm. We began using the public bathroom at the end of our hall from our room instead due to so many issues! I began having severe anxiety and crying to the point I was afraid for us to use our own restroom in our room. I reached out to guest services and they provided a mesley 100 credit to our room and sent some nasty chocolate covered strawberries to us which we didnt eat and gave away. They were unable to move our rooms until several days later since no rooms were available at that time. When they finally offered to move us rooms it was so late into trip and we were already going to be off the boat the next day on excursion all day. Plus, when we got back we were exhausted and didn't want to pack and unpack 2x after they swore the toilet was fixed. Which come to find out later it still was not since additional repairs had to be made for a spring replacement now. The shower would almost flood since the pipe did not slope correctly to remove water the plumber told us and showed me even. I would have to turn water off to wait for water to go down so did not flood into room too.

Our first dining experience was horrible the food was not good we had issues with the Lobster and the bill and had to get the manager/matride involved to get corrected. The service was so slow to the point we asked for dessert to be brought out with the dinner since we had been waiting 1 hour with still no dinner served. While other who has been seated at the same time were finishing their dessert already. The waiter was rude and disregarded us as we watched other waiters tentatively and promptly serve others.
The lack of entertainment/shows was laughable. Only 1 show 2x a night for 1/2 hour and only other entertainment was random bar singer on occasion. No BB kings, No comedy shows other than main stage night, No dueling pianos, No karaoke, only random kids type or educational movies playing at off times in small rooms as options or fee type options or card games being provided. It was sad most cruisers noticed and we discussed this often compared to other Holland ship options even. Don't portray entertainment when offering the low budget high school musical or Britians Got Talent is only thing provided.
Towards the end on last sea day my spouse became severely ill due to stomach issues possibly food poisoning which doesn't quite work well with a faulty toilet and a non draing shower. He had to be admitted to the on board hospital even for observation due to sickness and were charged 1600.00 for IV, Tylenol, and Imodium AD and was quarantined to our room. The lack of communication by staff about the process for disembarking was zero. Luckily, I heard from others within our group who also were possibly food poison they received little more info than us. Nobody let us know when, how, time, or process to leave the boat. I called guest services several times asking for clarification and kept being told someone would reach out. I literally had to call on last day at 945 am to see if we had been forgotten about on the boat even since our other people in our group were already removed. As we walked down hallway with a man in a suit behind us spraying our walking path with a backpack so close it was spraying on us even like we were carrying the plague. I was mortified could this trip literally get any worse!! My spouse has a severe heart condition and this trip was supposed to be a relaxing vacation instead it almost killed him. I seriously needed a vacation for myself due to personal reasons and instead felt more stressed and almost had a complete nervous breakdown on the ship in our room. I will never take another Holland American Cruise again.

Where do I begin? This is only our second day and we are just trying to make lemonade out of lemons. Sailed on Zaandam from Boston to Canada. Paid $179 for internet, but internet has been down since boarding. Rooms are old and shabby. And small beyond anything I’ve ever been captive in. Hair dryer literally looked like a Hoover vacuum cleaner from the 1950’s.
Navigation app is bad and also not working since we left port in Boston. Staff is not nice like on other cruise lines. No one speaks English, and when you ask them to repeat what they sad they get rude. Really astonishing! Maybe they are not getting paid enough and feel trapped? Food is okay, but got a stomach ache today after breakfast so I am afraid to eat anything more (especially from the buffet).
I wish I could find something good to say. If I do after trip I will write it

As a veteran of many cruises around the world, this was the worst. The price was high, the service surly and unresponsive, the food bland and uninspired, and the overall atmosphere was more of the senior bus tour. There were too many issues to detail here. Set your expectations very low and you might be satisfied. Needless to say, we will never cruise Princess again. When we we in Skagway, the Disney Wonder was docked next to us and I was yearning to figure out how to change ships.

We took a Holland American 7 day Inside passage cruise.

First stop was Juneau. Went whale watching (it was good but you could see about as many whales, seals etc. from the ship). The thing that saved the Whale watching excursion was the trip to Mendenhall Glacier, especially the walk around the Trail of Time. Could have spent 2-3 more hours there. The Salmon Bake at the end was 100%!! Fine food, all you can eat (and I did), the best salmon baked over a open fire I've ever had!

Skagway-- too much time there, a whole day. Took a bus trip up to the Canadian border, good waterfalls and scenery. The town was basically built for the ship tourists. Would have been happy with half the time there.

Glacier Bay National Park was good. You need to see it at least once. Good photo ops.

Lots to see in Ketchikan. Got a lot of eagle photos.

We sailed on the Volendam . It's an older ship, lacking much of the huge ship amenities that draw the young families with small children. The food was very good, not much nightly entertainment but enough for us old people and only 2 brat kids that I saw.

All in all a great cruise. My wife is making plans for the same cruise for next year but with different excursions.

We passed numerous glaciers, lighthouses at a distance, seals, otters, eagles, kayaker and more. What an amazing trip! Being from Florida, we could not imagine the glaciers before actually seeing them.

This felt like the never ending tourist trap with a cast of charlatans always ready to overcharge. The entertainment was lacking as well as overpriced trinkets.

They put us in the Westmark Hotel in Anchorage, I’ve stayed in third world country hotels that were nicer and by far cleaner. It was disgusting!!!

We were on the Celebrity Millenium in late May as part of a Tripadeal package from Australia. The Inside Passage was just amazing. The ports we docked at - Ketchikan, Icy Strait Point, Juneau, Skagway, disembarking at Seward and being bused to Anchorage Airport (a scenery packed trip as well). Snow capped mountains, icy waters, Hubbard Glacier, on board entertainment, the onboard food, well so much variety and this ship was just renovated in February . Well what can I say; every part of this cruise was outstanding, jawdropping and a feast for the eyes. The cruise lines also heavily promote the jewellry stores in Alaska and my young teen grandaughter had fun collecting all the free trinkets offered in each store; quite a collection after having to try on a piece of jewellry in each store (marketing). You have to be strong to resist their marketing spin but I did pick up some lovelly pieces as gifts. Just go, you won't regret it. Month of May is a good time as the scenery is just spectacular. Prices for excursions are high but if you weigh up the short timeframe that they operate in during the season, its a one in a lifetime opportunity to see the true untouched wilderness and wildlife of Alaska. Weather in late May was quite mild this year but we came prepared for all eventualities especially the early rise to see the Hubbard Glacier, bring your woolies.

Sailed on the Niew Amsterdam last week in July. This was our first ever cruise and what a great choice. Sailed from Vancouver, stopped at Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay and Ketchikan. The weather was gorgeous for the week, no rain which is unusual for Alaska. The ship was excellent from the friendly staff, the food to the entertainment on board. We saw a lot of whales whilst walking the decks as well as sea otters and seals.
In Juneau we got a shuttle to the spectacular Mendenhall Glacier and stayed there for three hours walking the tracks shown on the map. Just before leaving we saw a black bear with two cubs by a stream full of salmon, felt very privileged to have seen this.
In Skagway we went on a mini bus tour on the same route as the train that goes to the White Pass. Our driver John was excellent and stopped at regular intervals for photo opportunities. The bus went 30 miles further than the train and was good value for money.
Glacier Bay was for me the highlight of the trip. The sky was blue and clear and this enhanced the views. Three park rangers were picked up off a small boat and provided excellent commentary whilst we were on deck surveying the wonderful vistas on show. Breathtaking is best to describe it. I spoke to another passenger and this was her eighth Alaskan cruise and she had never seen the area cloudless before.
In Ketchikan we followed two walks provided by the local tourist board and did our souvenir shopping.
Overall what an amazing experience.

Unbelievable scenery, plenty whales, crisp air, luxurious ship, fabulous company, gourmet food, cold champage - what more can one ask for?

This was the first cruise for my wife and myself and we were not sure what to expect. We sailed on Celebrity Infinity from Vancouver up the Inside Passage to Alaska including a close encounter with the Hubbard Glacier. Even although the weather was unpleasant, this was an amazing sight.
Check in was somewhat protracted but once on board, we were very well looked after. Our cabin and the en suite were spotlessly clean and our cabin steward was amazing - we wanted for nothing and he appeared to be on duty 24 hours a day!

Having no experience of cruise catering we were a little concerned as my wife has a gluten intolerance but we were delighted to find that the many restaurants had no problem providing for her needs. Even the open all day buffet on the top level of the ship had a great variety of gluten free (and other specialist dietary) foods. and the service in the "fine dining" restaurants was worthy of a top class hotel.

The evening entertainments provided in the ship's theatre were of a very high standard and the various talks given by knowledgeable speakers were entertaining and informative.

The opportunities for trips ashore added to the general enjoyment of this cruise and as mentioned above, the close up views of the Hubbard Glacier were astounding.

This experience has whetted our appetites for a further cruise in the future.

First time on a cruise the scenery was magnificent with whales and birds of prey and it was calm all the time

dream trip for the experience, beautiful views and different, outstanding excursions ….. but stay away from Holland America they tore apart what was an excellent adventure, poor food, cabins and dry dock repairs at sea

We treated ourselves to this cruise based on many favourable recommendations, my husband a real nature lover and turning 60! We were sadly disappointed. We found it way too commercial and saw very little wild life. What we didn't know was, to see or do anything other than stroll through souvenir shops at all ports, was that you must book expeditions. Which is fine but they were all very, very expensive. After spending a good amount on the cruise itself, we were not anxious to spend even more. They even charged for wifi on the cruise ship!!! There was plenty of food to eat. Both a buffet and a restaurant is to serve lots of food to lots of people. Certainly not known for the quality. If you wanted quality food, you had to pay extra at two fancy dining rooms. The highlight of the trip was the two locations of glacier bay and college fiord. They were breathtaking. The most disappointing part of the trip was the last three days on land. The eight hour train ride with glass roof for viewing lots of scenery was mostly through commercial sections of towns. No mountains or wildlife. We were very anxious to get out and about at Denali but we were only there overnight. Not nearly enough time to explore anywhere. The last two nights and days in Fairbanks was by far the most disappointing. Sadly for Fairbanks, it is not a very picturesque town. In fact it was almost daunting and we felt a bit ill at ease. Why they did not let us stay in Denali for all three nights is beyond me. The 3 hour bus ride from Denali to Fairbanks could have easily been done to enjoy Denali and get to the airport in Fairbanks to fly out. Oh and did I mention they lost our luggage from the cruise ship to Denali?!!

First cruise - and Alaska was the right choice.
- inside passage makes the water much calmer,
- Sights were amazing
- Fellow travelers also more interesting in doing then in parties if that makes sense
only down side was that much of the passage I wanted to see was traveled at NIGHT! sigh

10 years ago I took a Royal Caribbean seven day cruise in Italy, and it was delightful. Therefore, I booked the 7- day Inside Passage cruise to Alaska for my mother's birthday, and ran into a nightmare on the first day.

When we went to our rooms, the whole hallway had horrible stench, and in her room, it was even worse. It smelled like a combination of gasoline, dirty diapers, and dead rats. The stench was so strong, it nearly knocked us over, and we were very concerned about our health. I immediately went to guest services to get assistance at 2:30pm and they promised they would fix it within an hour. I also called maintenance twice and housekeeping once, leaving messages about the problem.

An hour later we came back to the same stench. This continued continued for the next three hours with me getting in the big long guest services line waiting patiently, and repeating our request. The guest services person (Marcelino) kept saying that they would fix it, but it was just a placate. I asked to speak to the the Guest Services manager (Yodva), and she refused to come out and talk with me. It wasn’t until 630pm when I pushed my way to the front of the line insisting that this was a health hazard, that we finally to someone to help us. By this time a few other people on our short hallway joined me in complaining about the stench.

We finally got the House Keeping Manager (Genevieve) to look into the situation. She showed great leadership, coming our rooms and calling engineering and maintenance. It turns out that a pipe coming from the kitchen with garbage disposal food had broken in the hallway above my mothers room, creating the deadly smell. They finally fixed the pipe, and put a huge fan in the hallway, but the stench lingered for several more days - just not as strong.

I guess the worst thing about the experience was the fact that we were ignored and placated for such a long time, and no one would solve the problem. It wasn’t until my mother had tears streaming down her face and I was crying too, that we finally got help. I am shocked at the lack of hospitality and customer service we encountered. No one even apologized to us, until 24 hours later and they offered us a 20% discount on our next Royal Caribbean cruise. They’ve got to be joking.

I’m hoping that somebody from Royal Caribbean will read this and will improve their customer service. Ignoring customer complaints and putting peoples health risk is just not acceptable.

We did the 7 day princess cruises inside passage cruise, up to alaska. Left from vancouver return. Stops Juneau, skagway, ketchekan and glacier bay scenic viewing from ship. Excellent cruise. This gives you a good insight into the area and scenery. Was just long enough. We loved every port and the white pass railway tour brilliant. Mendenhall glacier tour very good as well. The lumberjack show very entertaining!
Can highly recommend this cruise

The ship is wonderful. The staff, excellent. There is no overcrowding in the Viking Orion just under 1,000 passengers. We joined the ship at Seward (pronounced as in sewer!) late June and we were immensely fortunate that the weather was abnormally warm, in fact hot, and dry. The locals were astonished by it. The inclusive trips are good but we also chose two additional paid-for trips. One was a trip to Fin Island at Icy Straight Point, followed by a ride in a boat when we saw a pod of killer whales at close quarter, a Minke whale and at a distance a hump back. We also saw sea otters close up. Very lucky - indeed the guide was all emotional about the killer whales. But do note that you won't see much wildlife from the ship. We also took the seaplane ride over 5 glaciers at Juneau. The planes are small, taking 10 people and are classic, built in the 1950s and 60s. One you got over the bumps, it was also a fantastic trip. Do be aware, though that if you are tall you might find the seats uncomfortable as they are very low down and close to each other. Every seat has a window view. They impose a limit of 250 pounds weight on passengers (but I reckon our pilot was 300!).
The whole cruise was most enjoyable but full on. Don't expect to relax much.
We then took the 2 night extension in Vancouver - well, why wouldn't you while there.

There are so many options when it comes to Alaskan Cruise, and we decided to go with Princess Cruise. Our ship was Princess Emerald.

So let’s get on the Love Boat! This was a beautiful boat, really big. When you purchase a cruise, most of all the meals are included, but not drinks. Before boarding the ship, we were given a personal card with name and cabin number on it. This will be used to open the room and also used as money card. For whatever you want to have that cost money, simply provide the card to the staff and they will scan the card. Then, your purchase will automatically be billed to your credit card on file.

We had ocean view state room. It is not big, but not too small either. It had a nice fluffy bed, TV, mini-fridge and a desk. The bed was pretty comfortable, and the funny thing was that the TV aired the Love Boat show quite often. I must say, I have never seen a single episode until I was on the Love Boat!

It had an ok-size open closet with a good amount of hangers, safe and some shelves. The bathroom was small, enough for just one person to be in there at one time. Shower is even smaller, standing shower with curtain around it.

Emerald Princess had a great number of options when it came to food and drinks. They had a handful of bars and more than handful of dining spots, both casual and upscale. One of the popular spots was by the pool side, Pizzeria & Ice Cream bar.

If you know you are going to be drinking during your cruise, they do offer drink package that you choose from, which will give you either specific number of drinks per day, or unlimited drinks per day. It can be soda package, alcohol package, specialty coffee package, etc.

The evening dining is when you can, or I should say “must” get fancy. With the fancy dining, no casual attire allowed. It is kind of fun to get dressed up and fancy. On Princess Emerald, you could choose between Traditional Dining (timed seating) and Anytime Dining. We went with Anytime Dining so that we can go have dinner anytime we wanted. And yes, the food is included in the cruise.

The cruise ship was full of all sorts of events happening everywhere at all time. It had lectures, art auction, special jewelry contest & prize, live theater performance, etc., etc… Never a dull moment for sure!

Our favorite evening event was Movie Under the Stars! They had a pretty good selection of recent movies, and was shown on a large screen above the pool. Some staffs walks around with a small bag of popcorn, which made it extra fun.

They had this really nice promenade deck that goes all around the ship on one level. People were walking or jogging here every day.

We had a really fun vacation with pretty good food, and several casual eateries were open 24-hours, which was another plus for having a snack or two whenever we wanted. All the staffs took a really good care of us. It was a fun trip, we would definitely do more cruises in the future!!!

My parent's Alaska family dream cruise is a nightmare. Our large party departed from Vancouver BC on July 24, 2019. Just a few days into the trip and are all sick, with typical mold symptoms which are sore throat, runny nose, dry eyes, headache, forgetfulness, exhausted, stiff muscles, irritable, and fibromyalgia. At this point, average food and bad entertainment are irreverent because of sickness problems. We will pay more for a new ship next time.

Alaska was beautiful for sure. However, I would not recommend Oceania cruises based on my experience. The Regatta was a lovely smaller ship , the service on the boat exceptional but getting there was a hassle with an Oceania inadequate website ,requiring multiple calls from myself, travel partner and travel agent. Oceania.Information was sent to the wrong address before cruising. We became sick on the cruise and then after Oceania booked our flights as part of our package , they provided no help after we were stuck in Dallas Ft Worth airport for two days, not even a return call .

I was hesitant to do this trip but good friends invited us and I wanted to see Alaska so I went. It was a nice ship with a fine crew top to bottom. The food was good mostly though likely not worth the money paid. It was inconsistent, even in the good dining rooms. As always, there was an over abundance of food.

We were on a huge ship, the Celebrity Eclipse, and had a nice mid-level room with a veranda. The weather was almost always just fine. We did three excursion stops along with a trip in the big ship to Hubbard Glacier, which was a thrill for me. I stood outside the entire time despite a frigid wind off the ice. I got to hear the thunder of calving ice. The excursions were two boat trips, one to see humpback whales, and we saw quite a few, and another to see the gorgeous Misty Fjords National Monument (thank you Jimmy Carter). There was one hiking tour that was supposed to be to see the Mendenhall Glacier but we caught only glimpses. The trail doesn’t come near the glacier. Nice guides though.

Anyway, I’m just not designed to spend over a week in horizontal Las Vegas hotel, which is what a cruise ship like this resembles. Loud music, expensive shops, decent entertainment, lots of drinking and bleary people were the norm. Some love it and that’s great!! But if you aren’t a Las Vegas sort of person I’d seek out a more educational or other sort of cruise if you are thinking of a cruise at all. The Inside Passage is truly awe inspiring and beautiful.

We booked the DOUBLE DENALI, including land and cruise on Holland America Cruise lines for August 2022. There were some incentives being offered for the cruise, including a strong Covid Protection plan.

The first week of the package was the land portion. This was nice and well done. The arrangements included some good packages and the land portion was strong.

On the cruise, I was diagnosed with COVID on the second day - that was not the fault of Holland America, just my unlucky. How Holland America (HA) handled this was ABSOLUTELY A FAILURE on their part. Per the Covid Protocol, HA put me into a hotel in Vancouver for a week after the cruise to clear Covid. OK - that was stated as what would be done if you had covid. Again, that was just bad luck for me - S*** happens. The hotel was booked at my cost and HA from that point, Holland America ABANDONED ME AND DID NOTHING. I filed a claim, per the HA promise for reimbursement in the amount of almost $4,000. The form stated that I would be reimbursed within 6-8 weeks. I filed my claim on 10/09 and expected my reimbursement somewhere around November 20 (eight weeks). I received a FORM LETTER indicating that process time had changed to 6-10 weeks.

Since that time, HA has NOT answered phone calls and independent of what you write, they only send back the same FORM LETTER indicating 6-10 weeks. I am now out of pocket for $4,000 and have received NOTHING / NO HELP from Holland America.

Poorly run company and does not worry about their consumer and does not fulfill their commitment and obligation. Take a look at the BBB ratings for Holland America in Seattle and see that I am NOT the only one that receives no response and is setting here with empty promises and unrepaid expenses.

I work with honorable / truthful companies and therefore will NEVER EVER BOOK THROUGH HOLLAND AMERICA LINES AGAIN -

We thoroughly enjoyed a recent trip on the Coral Princess from Vancouver to Whittier. There is loads to do on the ship when travelling with kids and plenty of variety ashore too. We did a whale watching excursion in Juneau but just wandered through the pretty towns of Ketchikan and Skayways when the boat docked. Plenty of hiking options available in both towns near the port. The accommodation was lovely, staff very good. The best food for adults was in the formal dining room but the kids menu there was very processed and didn’t change all week. Thus we ended up eating in the buffet restaurant most evenings looking out at amazing views and the odd whale, dolphin or otter swimming by. All in all a wonderful experience.

Alaska cruise was fine but do not book a Seattle tour from cruise port to airport. I paid $80 per person to sit on a bus and watch I love Lucy reruns. It was not what was advertised and when I voiced my concerns to Celebrity I was told I got what what I paid for. Lesson learned, get a Lyft next time and there are lots of other cruise lines to choose from when booking expensive vacations. Sadly , Customer S ervice post cruise is what I will remember.

My first time on Holland America and second time cruising. The staff are exceptional. Customer service is excellent. We had to change cabins and the guest services staff bent over backwards to find us another cabin, Treated us to dinner in one of the specialty restaurants, and gave us a bottle of wine for the inconvenience. It was my birthday during the cruise, which I had told no one about.

On my birthday, I received a card from the captain and crew, along with a cupcake.

The food in the specialty dining restaurants was excellent to exceptional. The Lido Market was mostly good. The burger in the much talked about Dive In Burgers and Hot Dogs was OK; flavor good but burger lukewarm. Fries were very good.

The ship was filled to near or full capacity and it sometimes seemed that staff were struggling to keep up. No fault of their own.

Many, many thanks to great staff who work long hours so guests can have a fun and relaxing vacation!

Enjoyed the pampering of a cruise but not sure it’s my preferred way to travel.

Sooooo boring, all activities are just opportunities to sell you stuff you would never buy, right Eaffy? The food, the portions are so small it’s basically 7 days of food sampling. I had to fight in the Buffett just to get a second sausage. The table I was given was right at the entrance to the crew prep area at the back terrible and they have an obsession of putting napkins on your lap. The cleaning crew would not stop coming in my room even when I was sleeping. The paper waste is extraordinary and if they ever got their WiFi or their app to work you wouldn’t need any of it. Thanks Holland America for ruining my first and only cruise!

when i think of an Alaskan cruise this is exactly what i had in mind. Ideal to have a balcony room so these views can be enjoyed non stop, but the scenery is non stop and visible from all areas of a ship. Keep an eye out for whale sightings!! Oh Alaska you are gorgeous.

This is our 12th cruise, and unlike the Caribbean, you almost always have land in sight. As we got closer to Vancouver, the passageway was actually very narrow. It was a thrill to see the sculpted landscape pass by us...plus we saw more whales. All the remote houses that just pop up on shore here and there were a revelation in secluded living. It was certainly beautiful to visit in the summer under ideal weather conditions! What a show Mother Nature puts on!

The boarding was very poorly organised, no proper signage or help. The staff were rude and unhelpful. We booked this cruise because we wanted to visit the sites and excursions advertised. The bookings were made with Princess cruise, we docked and departed early in Juneau. Unfortunately the excursion we booked was poorly organised and left late, the bus which Princess booked broke down on the way to the departure point which lead to a further delay. The replacement bus was also faulty so not a good experience. As a result it was too late to visit when we arrived back at the ship. We don’t see how an organisation like this could fail to ensure adequate quality and safety on the excursions they provide. There has been an incident in Skagway so we are unable to take the excursion we came 1/2 around the world to see. All together a very unsatisfactory experience. The company appear to be interested in income without consideration of their passengers experience. We wouldn’t do this again if it were 50% cheaper, I recommend you book with another provider.

We set sail from Vancouver on the Holland American Lines ms Noordam for a 7-day voyage to Seward, Alaska, with stops at Ketchikan, Juneau, and Sagway, and a day sailing through Glacier Bay National Park. The scenery was exceptional all along the way, with great photo opportunities, and the days on shore at each port were spectacular, largely because we booked excursions through independent brokers rather than those offered by the shipping line itself, which were far more costly.

The ship itself is on the small side, but extremely clean and well maintained by the scrupulous staff. That was especially the case regarding our stateroom attendant Roy, who went out his way to make certain we were comfortable. The library offered a quiet respite to read, and the gym, although very small, was well equipped with machines and free weights. That said, I had to find off-peak times to work out to avoid the over-crowded conditions. The entertainment was rather limited. The highlights included two shows by comedian Justin Rupple, and one listening to B. B. Kings' All-Stars. Given that we were a captive audience on the ship the Sunday we left Vancouver, the next day, Monday, and the following Saturday, and every evening after dinner, the ship might have provided a more robust package of entertainment options. More problematic was the lack of a real naturalist, who might have prepped us for the sights we would see on the voyage. Our only real exposure to that kind of information happened during our cruise through Glacier Bay by a National Park Ranger, whose talk was pedestrian and at times overly patronizing,

The dining options were robust, although varied in overall experience. The Vista dining room on the second deck combined fabulous service with a different enticing menu every night. Every meal there was covered by the cost of the trip, except for wine, which was modestly priced by the glass. The ambience was quiet and the service superb. The room did get filled at times, so a reservation the night before is a good idea. The more formal restaurants, not included in the tour package costs, appeared to offer interesting fare, although we only ate at the Italian one, Caneletto. Everything was tasty, although the menu was somewhat limited. The bar at the Pinnacle Restaurant lounge was exceptional, due largely to the mixologist Charles, whose Mojitos and Margaritas, rivaled those of any we have had. On the more negative side, the open dining area on the Lido Deck (9), was a daily nightmare. The food was fine and ranged widely to suit almost any taste at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The problem was the overcrowded venue where guests had a difficult time navigating the narrow spaces around the serving areas and were hard-pressed to find an open table.That was exacerbated by rude diners who cut the lines and acted as though they were feeding at a trough. At times it appeared they had never encountered food before, nor eaten in a restaurant. Moreover, many guests had the wait staff "reserve" tables for themselves, and then passed those tables along to their friends, while other diners struggled to find seating. At the end of the voyage, we learned that "reserving" tables was not allowed, although no one on Lido deck attempted to stop the practice during the voyage. Best advice, stay away from that venue, unless you wait until off hours to dine.

The excursions, hiking the Tongass forest in Ketchikan, the Mendenhall Glacier and Whale Watching in Juneau, and hiking and rafting in Skagway, were the highlights of the trip. Since we had been advised not to book those trips through the cruise line, I will save my comments on those experiences for separate reviews.

Overall, despite the few areas of concern highlighted, the cruise provided a wonderful, relaxing vacation, coupled with an amazing introduction to the majestic beauty of Alaska.

7 day Alaskan Cruise on NCL. Awesome visit to Glacier National Park. The ship kept circling so all could see. Stayed much longer than I thought they would. The weather was not the best but it didn’t matter. When it rained it was just a light rain and did not prevent us from activities. Staff on board NCL were fantastic. A bit commercialized but that was ok. It would have been nice to have more time in Ketchikan.

On cruise ship staff told us we have a chance to see whales. It was true. We saw many of them. The cruise was fantastic. The nature is gorgeous. Wait till sunset, it is astonishing.

We did the Royal Princess cruise (Vancouver, Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway) hitting Glacier Bay and College Fjord before pulling into Whittier. The cruise was amazing, delicious meals and great service. The views were to die for and the excursions we booked were well worth it. Glacier Bay and College Fjord was probably the most amazing sites I have ever seen. A wince in a lifetime experience!!!

Very disappointing experience with Royal Caribbean. We had made arrangements for several accommodation due to my poor vision but once on board nothing had been arranged, guest services basically told us "too bad". They have, you have paid and they will not do anything to help. However, the dining room staff were very helpful and arranged for me to have the large print menus I had been promised by giving my copies if the large menus they display at the dining room entrance. They initially had no idea what I was talking about and had not been notified but really did their best to accommodate me. The ship was not in very good shape, with faucets held together with duck tape. State room furniture was very worn and stained. The balcony had rust and the wood floor very uneven. The crew was really great with the exception of guest services. The company really does not seem to care once they have your money. I would not recommend royal caribbean.

This was my first cruise. The room was perfect and our cabin steward was awesome. The entertainment was nice, but the scenery was amazing. The view off the boat was breathtaking. The excursions were not as sold, but very nice. The only thing I was not thrilled about was the food. It was okay. Coming from New Orleans, where we live to eat, I found the food very bland. I think they should have a food court open after midnight.

The Noordam spent at least 4 hours in Glacier Bay. Scenery was spectacular! The Captain spent 2 hours slow cruising in front of the Margerie Glacier. We observed many instances of the Glacier calving. Great fun watching the wall of blue ice fall into the ocean creating a large wave. The Captain really went out of his way to create a wonderful experience for his passengers! We have done this cruise before but the Noordam Captain spent much more time in Glacier Bay. One of the Rangers was on the ship wide intercom making it a real learning experience.

A visit to the last frontier is a must for the intrepid traveler. It is uncertain for how long the pristine beauty will be preserved. The short window available for the journey as well as the unpredictable weather make it more alluring

We just came back from a Princess cruise on Emerald Princess. Inside Passage from Seattle. Ketchican, Tracy Arm Fjord, Juneau, Skagway, VIctoria.
I gave this a 3 star because the staff and service on the Cruise Ship was very very good. Tracy Arm Fjord cruising portion made it for me. Plus the naturalist Shelley Gills talks about the area and environmental issues with Whales , salmon, climate, etc.
THe ship was very stable and we had calm waters so no issue with sea sickness.
Food was very good and they accommodated Gluten Free meals for me , although it does take a bit of work on my part each time you dine.
I really liked the Promenade deck where you can walk around the entire ship , stairs go up/down 1 level at the bow, and see the scenery of inside passage as the ship cruises, and we saw whales too while we walked. Very nice.

But , I found there were several things I did not like about the Big Cruise Ship experience.
(1) too many people for me. 3300 passengers on this cruise ship.
(2) everything was so loud. Music, microphone usage, shows. Alaska Inside Passage is a peaceful place, the obnoxious loud programs were at odds with the cruise I thought.
(3) The ports of call were disappointing. Usually 3 or 4 cruise ships hitting a small Alaskan town. So thousands of people all walking to .... touristy T shirt shops and jewelry stores. I think 80% of the store were jewelry stores. And most are owned by the cruise lines. So, too commercialized for me. Skip visiting the towns and just do an excursion that takes you far away.

(4) Too much food presented to you, especially at buffets. Yes .. unless you have really good self control, you will gain weight.
(5) Many cruisers take advantage of the sip & sail package so there is lots of people drinking from morning to night. Just not my scene.

So, whereas this type of vacation may be just fine for some, I found it not to my taste. Maybe a much smaller cruise ship that went to different , quiet ports. ??
So really good parts, and really not so good parts that made it disappointing.

But Alaska is beautiful and worth a visit whether cruising or flying into Juneau or Anchorage.

Kudos to the ships crew for putting up with the rudest most debilitated and overfed Americans on the planet. If you are moderately active regardless of age, do not take this cruise. It was like being on a hospital ship. The itinerary is poor. 9 hours in Juneau, 6 hours in Sitka and 6 hours in Ketchikan. 4 hours in Victoria. The rest of the days are are at sea wit no place to hide except in your cabin. The ship’s facilities were excellent and the crew superb.

Our first trip to Alaska, but won't be our last! It was absolutely beautiful to see. Would recommend this to anyone wanting to see Alaska and enjoy its sights!

This was our first cruise, but if you want to see the Alaskan coast, you have to be in a boat! The Celebrity Millennium was recently remodeled - everything looks very good. But even an upgraded room is challenging to avoid bumping into each other. However the rooms are modern and comfortable.
Cruises seem to have a lot of rules so you have to get used to them. The crew/staff seem to be mostly non-American so language has to be careful. The service staff is very attentive, friendly & helpful - very well trained.
Cell service is only available in port. Internet service is available onboard for a fee, but it is problematic to use - actually very frustrating - frequently dropped - even in the middle of sending an email. And when it works it is really slow - not good - actually as more days of bad or no internet service it’s terrible!
The food & drinks are plentiful- with the right “packages” - and some of the "specialty" restaurants are very good.
The views from the ship and the optional shore excursions are great - spectacular scenery and wildlife.

Currently on a cruise with Holland America now. Not really a luxury cruise. A so called Stateroom is just an average outside cabin.

Food is ok, but most meals served are just warm by the time you get them.

Bar service is ordinary, can sit in a near empty lounge and wait 15 minutes for service.

Cancelled our stop in Skagway supposedly due to bad weather, but the forecast was fine. Fact was they cancelled as it was too much effort to get passengers ashore via tender.

Shore excursions were great, but offered by most cruise lines.

Most disappointed by the fact that they lie to save money and not have to put themselves out.

Don’t do Holland America

We were on a small ship, the Island Spirit. Highly recommend this ship because of unusually remote areas you go to, the ambiance created by a wonderful crew and small (19) number of passengers, great food. Most special was being able to kayak directly from a little kayak dock ship side and impromtu changes to plans depending on weather and what the passengers wanted to do. There is a lot of engine noise under some cabins (our's) and frequent diesel smell. Accommodations are not deluxe, but these things are a small price to pay for the unique places this small ship can take you.

Did a 7 night cruise on Holland America Line from Vancouver to Alaska and flew back from Anchorage. Absolutely fantastic. Recommend one way trip as opposed to a leave and return from Vancouver. The drive from the Port of Seward to Anchorage city takes about 2 hours and is beautiful. Would also recommend northbound (Vancouver to Seward) as opposed to Southbound as each town and stop seems to get better as head north ending with the best of all in Glacier Bay.

This was our first cruise with Holland America. We liked having the Noordam as a smaller ship.

The trip offered adequate time ashore for excursions: Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway and took us in close to see Glacier Bay which was breathtaking!

We had a comfortable room with a nice balcony, good food and dined at two of their specialty restaurants. The entertainment though was bit lackluster. Liked that there was no hard sell for any of the excursions or merchandise aboard the ship.

We took a last minute deal for a great cost for the cruise but then found that 'last minute' airfare was almost 2/3 the cost of the cruise.

Holland America Line...
One of the worst, if not the worst, experiences I have ever had with a cruise line. I don't vent often but this time I am.
My daughter broke her leg 2 hours into the first day after setting sail by slipping on one of their stairways. They had already switched her premium room that was attached to the rest of the family's rooms via a balcony without asking her or making sure she was aware until we were on board. She had already paid.
After breaking her leg we all had to go down the hallway and hope she could come to the door so we could help her.
After much discussion, 2 hours this time, they have told her that she should have known and they will not be compensating. However the cruise consultant NEVER contacted her and is no longer with Holland America. The customer service desk onboard was no help at all during the entire voyage.
We have given them ample time to offer some sort of compensation since 13 of our family and friends went on this family vacation.
We spent over $6500 per couple for an extremely disappointing experience.
The room and dining staff was great and food was good. But the entertainment was lacking and Customer Service for an onboard crisis is terrible.
They tried to turn my daughter away at medical saying it was closed. It was 5:05 and it said on the door open until 6PM. Then they tried saying they were in International Waters and insurance was a problem. Not International Waters. The Casino was not open yet and we could still see Washington State. They made her rent a wheel chair! Fiasco!
I will never cruise with Holland America Line again.
I suggest you try Princess Cruises or Royal Caribbean International for your Alaska Cruise. Much better experience.

I will admit being a tad nervous after seeing so many negative reviews of this ship, but so glad we stuck with our reservation on the Golden.
She might be ‘older’ but she is dignified from an older era, we loved this ship, since she has lots of character.
We booked D736, a suite aft with lots of extra perks, the most important one for us the huge deck in the back, which we used so much.
We traveled May 7-14 and were prepared for the wet/cold weather...truth is we never used any of it since we had gorgeous weather wherever we went: blue skies, sunshine and no wind!
Embarkation was a breeze, but that’s probably because we had priority boarding, it took us less than 15 minutes to get onboard. Cabin was not ready, so we used the buffet and THAT would be my only negative of this cruise and we were lucky enough not to have to use that the rest of the trip. Long lineups, pushy people and not enough seating.
When we got to our cabin we met with Ramesh, our steward who was incredible. Friendly, quick and always helpful. But not ‘in your face’ all the time, he was there when we needed him.
Cabin was big and had everything we needed, canapé tray was waiting for us and Ramesh brought us champagne.
This cabin has a shower AND a tub, conditioning/shampoo, conditioner, shower gel and body lotion. Bathroom where the sink is, is fairly dark, could use more lightning. Blow dryer is ancient and doesn’t work very good, minibar was all set with 8 little bottles of vodka, courvoissier, gin and whisky, 2 beer and pop.
Crown grill for the first night was included in our package and we had a wonderful meal there, filet mignon. We had other steaks that week and they were NEVER that good as in Crown grill.
We used Donatello for all our meals in the Club Class section and we loved it, we got to know our waiters and their recommendations food wise were excellent. We are not adventurous eaters but this week we certainly were! Halibut was my favorite dish and I am not a fish fan! The waiters there (Seraphim) made you feel like you were family and it’s obvious they love their jobs. What amazed me the most was how fast you got your meal, always hot and wonderfully presented.
Our favorite thing of the whole week was sitting on our deck, watching the wake and listening to its roar, we never tired of that. Even sat there in the middle of the night and watched the stars.
Only disappointment we had was that the galley tour got cancelled and we found out when we asked Guest Services where to meet for that tour. They had only 4 people sign up and they needed more to make it worth it for them, it was the tour we really looked forward to. Guest Services were not overly friendly, we had a few (warranted) questions and got treated quite abrupt. Questioned a laundry charge on the account and drink charges, both got removed since they were included in our package, but not with so much of an apology.
Entertainment on this ship is top notch and we made sure we took it all in. My favorite was The Voice with 3 very funny coaches. The stage shows were great, wonderful costumes, talented actors and very professional. With 2500 passengers you have to be there at least half an hour early or you will not find a seat.
Our favorite place to hang out was the Explorers bar where they had fun game shows, Alex and Amy were hilarious hosts for these shows.
I thought disembarkation was going to be hell, but again this was well organized, didn’t take long at all and we were able to get a taxi in no time.
Loved this cruise and we are already busy looking at the St. Petersburg cruise!

Excellent customer service, food was good, lots of choices. Only downfall we found was staff lacking in the lounge took.awhile for drinks. Special call out to to Nixon, June, Andrea and Marda who looked after our room service. Highly recommend a Lani suite on 3rd.floor. we were on holland america Volendam

It was a horrible experience with Holland America Alaskan cruise.
Everything was a sales opportunity, every show, movie, and talk. It really ruins the experience.
Don't see the doctor on the cruise unless you are dying. We got conflicting medical advice just so they can find reasons to run another test and charge you. I've never seen such incompetent, unethical doctors as those on Holland america.

This is a nice ship.

Food is good, service.
Food is not 24 hrs. Only room service is available 24hrs.

Crowd demographic is average 60+yrs old.

Ship lacks entertainment. Shows are below par.
This cruise is perfect if you ride a scooter.

Basketball,volleyball court left more to be desired. All balls were deflated.told the ship attendants so the next day the balls were inflated to where it bounced once when you tried to bounce it.

King beds were uncomfortable due to the crack generated by the combination of two twin beds pushed together.

The room was an obstructed oceanview cabin. It seemed clean, but we Lysol wiped it down a couple times. Toliet was nonfunctional 3 times in 3 days and fixed 3 times. The beds were comfortable and made without straightening the sheets which were used for the whole week. The travel agent added a $ 12.99 photo that we never had taken since the ship was not clear what it was for. Miss Texas shopping information took us to win a free cruise in a drawing. All we had to do was stand in an hour long line near the casino where smoking is allowed and inhale secondhand smoke. Some of the customers in line were talking about lung cancer. We did not win the free cruise. The food was good. We did not like the hard sell to women by male waiters to purchase alcoholic beverages in the dining room.Asked for robes in cabin-never got any. The smell of varnish on wood was noted a couple times. The ship did a good job of keeping 3,000 people spread out so it did not seem crowded. We enjoyed some of the entertainment in the theater. There were families and seniors on the cruise.

Huge amount of money for this 7 day Uncruise trip. Simply not worth the expense.

Tiny, tatty, cabin with smell of sewage coming from minute toilet/shower. Soft, sagging mattress.
Relentless and loud noise from engine throughout the night made sleep impossible. (One guest resorted to sleeping in the lounge).

Food good and staff good, but expected tips are €25-35 per person, per day! But these 2 positives are not enough to compensate. Lots of people got ill with coughs, colds etc etc.

If you paid this kind of money for a hotel room and got the tired, old, noisy accommodation on the Wilderness Discoverer you would be demanding a different hotel or refund. Pretty much everyone felt the same: never again.

We did a one week cruise from Vancouver to Alaska on Celebrity Millennium. We arranged our own excursions and activities, occasionally using Toursaver vouchers, rather than taking part in Celebrity's more expensive excursions.

Much of the cruise was very good. For example, the service in the dining areas and by the cabin attendant was excellent and we enjoyed the food. Also, the ship was moved by the captain into very close proximity with Hubbard Glacier, which was an absolutely amazing sight. However, there were a number of areas of disappointment. The ship was a bit tired compared with similar cruise vessels that we have chosen in the past. More effective and inclusive use of some of the leisure space could have been made to provide more family oriented activities. The quality of the entertainment was variable, with some performances being truly excellent and some more dubious. However, what disappointed us the most was the constant sales pressure. For example, all passengers were encouraged to attend information events about the next port to be visited, which boiled down to sales presentations on the shops we should visit to purchase jewellery. It was not clear if Celebrity has some form of business relationship with these shops but we suspect that this may possibly be the case. Greater transparency would have been helpful. We felt that the visit to Icy Strait Point was largely a waste of time. We enjoyed getting off the ship and going for a walk to Hoonah. Also we saw some bears on a trip we had arranged ourselves. However, this port visit appeared to us to be another example of controlled selling, with infrastructure that we think had probably been created by cruise ship operators, and with limited available activities for passengers other than the excursions they provide. Based on this cruise, and notwithstanding the excellent service provided by the dining staff and cabin attendant, we would not do another cruise with Celebrity.

Our cruise departs 12 August 2018. This review is about the excursions. Unless you’ve got your heart set on a particular excursion, don’t purchase them early as recommended on the Celebrity Cruise website. We did only to receive an email 2 weeks later offering up to 20% discount off the price of the excursions – this would have been a saving for us of over $800 – money which could have been spent on other things. When I contacted Celebrity they said pricing is subject to increases and decreases and not in their control (even though they advertise the excursions & we paid them direct). In fact the actual tour operator is not mentioned. Disappointing to say the least. Having said that, the location looks fantastic & we are still looking forward to our holiday.

We had an amazing time on the cruise and our shore excursions! The staff and crew of Nieuw Amsterdam were exceptional! We had amazing service and incredible food! The acupuncture services (Dr. Kam) on board made my cruise experience! Great entertainment and fun activities on board too!

We took Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL) out of Seattle for a 9 day Alaskan Inside Passage on the Sun. For our first cruise as a couple we chose this smaller ship for a more intimate experience. NCL handled everything perfectly and was so organized from meeting us at the Seattle airport for transportation to the ship, getting our bags to our cabin, and having food ready as we embarked. We had remarkable excursions off the boat which we bought for the ports of Skagway, Juneau, and Sitka. So much to do, it was hard to choose. Also the food and drink options are endless and presented so well. Shall we say, I had a few too many mudslides.

This was our first HAL MS Westerdam cruise and would be our last. Destination was awesome and hopefully we would love to return and do a land & sea trip with another cruise line. Holland America cruise had no atmosphere at all. No nightlife at all and we are early 60’s !
Prices for drinks were outrageous as you pay another 15%. Drinks packages worked out to be $700nz + for a couple. Both have to get the same package so too bad if one only has one or two drinks. Food was nothing to rave about. Specialty Dining is $35 each. My soufflé desert came out collapsed. Puréed spinach belongs in a nursing home, not on a restaurant menu!
We traveled from NZ so we add another $2500 to our price and not even a bottle of wine !
Some cruisers had drink packages/ Specialty Dining complimentary!
This ship really is for older cruisers or those that want a quiet time.
Entertainment was very disappointing. OMG the bingo was dry. Every cruise we have done it has been such fun. We went on the first day and never went back.
We had no issue with staff or cabins other than the ship is quite dated.
Very quick and organised getting on and off the ship throughout. Open Dining was great and option to sit on your own or join a large table. Lido deck speakers needed replacing , the sound was worse than my clock radio at home. Playlist was awful.
We found the website unreliable and not all excursions were listed.
When we got home we had an email to rate our experience. The last question was “ would you like us to respond “. My reply was “yes”. Still waiting...
Sorry Holland. Not good enough
Inside Passage was amazing. All ports were fantastic and the weather was lovely for late September.

We took the 7 day cruise from Vancouver to Whittier then to Ankorage by train and from there continued the land based tour with Princess Cruises using their Princess Lodges in 3 different locations( Mckinley Lodge, Denali Princess Lodge and finally Fairbanks Lodge) and after this we flew from Fairbanks back to Ankorage.
A comment on the cruise.
Be careful with your expenses.
Upon arrival at the ship they take an imprint of your credit card and then give each passenger a 'Princess Credit card'. No cash transactions on board.
You are permitted to take 1 bottle of wine per paseenger onto the ship.
Everything purchased goes onto the account of the card holder.
Here is where to be careful.
In the small print of your cruise detail is the company statement
" any descrepency with your account must be settled prior to disembarkation as credits can not be given after disembarkation" or words to that effect.
We were due to arrive in Whittier at 5am Saturday morning and had to catch the Princess land based train to McKinley lodge at 0650 Saturday morning so we packed Friday night and retired about 2300hrs.
Some time after this our on board expense invoice was popped into our mail box just outside our cabin door.
We arose at 0530 Saturday morning and I discovered a US$ 500 descrepency on our account.
At 0610, I approached the customer services desk and asked for clarification. The lady on duty looked at me with total disinterest and said "there is nothing I can do".
I said "but your policy is that if I do not sort this prior to disembarkation I can not get a refund".
She looked at me with a look of why should I care and said "the department concerned is not open until 0700".
I said "but I have to be on your train to Ankorage at 0650".
She said "sorry there is nothing I can do".
So we disembarked with a dispute over US$500 unresolved.
I arrived at McKinley lodge and asked for clarification. 'Sorry we are on a different computer system, nothing we can do'.
So here we are, still on a Princess Cruises land based 'cruise' and Princess will not help. Cloudless skies and magnificent view of Mt Denali did not make me feel any happier.
I then wrote a polite email to Princess Cruises which I think went to San Francisco. No reply.
I wrote another less polite email. No reply.
I wrote a third email with my disgust being a little obvious and finally got a reply advising that 'since we booked through Australia I had to deal with Princess Australia'.
Long story short it took me 4 months and multiple emails to all sorts of people to finally get our money back.
My recommendation to any potential passenger on Princess Cruises is to ask for your invoice 24 hours before berthing. That way you might be able to sort out over charging prior to you leaving the vessel.
Although the cruise was great, there are plenty of other cruise options and I for one will never sail with Princess Cruises ever again. It left a very nasty taste in my mouth.
After all this they had the audacity to ask me to comment on their customer service just going to show it is computer driven and passengers are just another number not something to be 'looked after and nurtured' for future cruises.

We have been cruising since 1994. We have cruised with NCL,Holland America, Princess,and our favourite RCCI. This ship had been refurbished, but the same red velvet curtains and broken blinds hung in the dining from the cruise ten years ago.On this cruise our Cabin Attendant (SALENA) cabin 8126 was the best we ever had. I can not say the same for the food in the main dining room.The quality of the food was subpar, way below the average Joe's Diner. We were cruising on the PACIFIC OCEAN and the only reconizable seafood food item on the menu was ATLANTIC Farmed Salmon on the last night. On the previous six night they offered some kind of low quality frozen fish. I can only assume that the kitchen manager was attempting to empty his coolers as the ship would be on a repositioning trip as of Oct 6. We will never cruise with this company again. The only reason we went back to NCL after ten years was their cruise date met our tight time frame, as we we travelling with a relative from the UK. Another issue, we were accustomed to RCCI policy of allowing customers to bring two bottles of wine on board at the start of the trip. NCL insists that you buy from their bars. Because of NCL policy we boycotted all bars except for two rounds of beer on the last night. NCL lost a lot of money because of their policy. I would encourage all who read this find other companies that appreciate cruisers money.

Excellent cruise. We took the 7 day inner passage from Vancouver to Whittaker..the innetial movement from airport to actually getting on board the ship noordam was a little tedious specially for old people..but once on the ship it was just great going.from the welcome to the state room we were staying at.the house keeping staff.special mention for dede who looked after us patiently and did our cabin twice a day. The food was great..from room service to the buffet at lido deck.the specialty restaurants the dining room.great burgers at pool deck..the spectacular scenery. Great staff from the stewards in the dinner rooms to all the great entertainment providers. Very glad we did the cruise..it was a great experience.

My wife and I spent 7 days cruising on Holland America. We went up through the inside passage, and it was GORGEOUS! It is a must see, and very relaxing. It can be cold, so pack accordingly. Seeing the glaciers up close is fantastic and really gives you an appreciation for the beauty and power of nature. If you are someone who needs constant stimulation, then this probably isn't for you. But if you enjoy nature, beauty and quiet than you must go. In fact the wife and I just booked the same cruise for next year.

My husband and I are independent travelers in early 40s, and we spend our vacations hiking, biking, and exploring beautiful places on our own. We are *not* cruise people. The idea of spending our vacation with thousands of people in a floating equivalent of Times Square is simply horrifying. However, to see Inside Passage, you need to get on a cruise.

We have chosen the Alaskan Dream Cruises as we liked their small ships, itineraries, strong focus on the wildlife and Native culture, and the fact that the company was own and operated by an old-time Alaskan family. We liked the layout of their Alaskan Dream catamaran the most, so we decided to splurge on the Owner's Suite and joined the "Alaska's Inside Passage Sojourn" in May 2019.

We loved every single minute of our trip. The scenery and wildlife were breathtaking, there are simply not enough words in English language the describe the beauty of Southeast Alaska, and how intimate we became with it. The crew was fantastic, enthusiastic, friendly, and going an extra mile to make out trip even more special. We spent our days kayaking, SUPing, hiking, visiting small towns and Native villages, enjoying the phenomenal scenery, and playing board games. Captain Eric was terrific in finding wildlife and adapting out itinerary so that we could enjoy it as much as we could. And no, there was no tv, no wifi, no casino, and we wouldn't have it any other way. 10/10!

We just took a cruise on Carnival's ship Legend to Alaska's Inside Passage and it was fantastic!

We set sail August 27th from Seattle for 7 days and stopped in Skagway, Juneau, Ketchikan, and Victoria. We also sailed through Tracy Arm Fjord, which was my favourite part. All of Alaska was beautiful but the fjord was by far the prettiest because you had very close mountains on both sides! Dozens of whales were feeding at the opening of the fjord that we could see from the ship for hours between 6am - 11am and again on the way back out around 5pm.

Our weather was perfect, too. It was calm and sunny almost the entire trip, which is unsual for Alaska as I heard it's pretty rainy, but we didn't see a drop. The worst it got was that it was fairly windy after leaving Seattle until we reached the passage and it was foggy the entire last day before Victoria, but by then the mountains were gone.

All the ports had beautiful views but there wasn't much to do besides shop if you didn't go on an excursion. 75% of the shops are jewelry stores who need to make a years worth of money in 6 months, so they can get pushy and are probably over priced. The rest of the shops basically sell the same stuff. We did most of our shopping in Skagway at The Great Alaska T-shirt Company. Prices weren't bad, but I noticed that prices varied quite a lot in Ketchikan. So look around before purchasing and remember where you saw it the cheapest. DO NOT BUY FROM THE SHIP! You can get the same stuff for a lot less in port.

Skagway is the longest stop and we mostly shopped and did a short 'To The Summit' bus tour. The tour was okay. All the ports are very small so downtown is about a couple of blocks long and we headed up to the Yukon. The guide was hilarious and we stopped at some places to take photos, but not a lot. We barely even went into the Yukon after the border because we stopped halfway between the US and Canadian border, so we were sort of in limbo. I would do something else next time, but we had a 6 year old with us who could barely stand the 1 1/2 drive for this tour.

In Juneau we did the Discover Alaska's Whales tour which was awesome! Would love to do this one again. We did the early one for 3.5 hours but I wish we took a longer one. Even though we saw whales from the ship, getting up close in a smaller boat was well worth it. We had enough time after to walk around and shop here, too.

Ketchikan is the prettiest stop but one of the shortest. We saw the 1 1/2 hour Lumberjeck Show and it was a lot of fun. They had a ton of jokes and we got to cheer our side on during the competitions. There was some time after to walk around, etc...

Victoria was the shortest stop and it was at night on a holiday so a lot of places were closed by the time we got off the ship at 7:30pm. It got dark quick and it is a very long walk from the port to downtown, so getting a cab or tour would be a good idea. They did have a lot of nice lights on buildings, though.

As for the ship itself, it was great. We had a balcony room (5196) on the Upper deck on the port side (Left). Our view at the beginning was open sea until we got inside the passage, but we had land coming back to Seattle. Being in the middle of the ship, it didn't rock and there was no noise from any of the main areas because we were 2 floors above them and well below lido deck. We got the king bed and the couch turned into a bed for our son. Plenty of room for the 3 of us and it was kept clean by our room stewards regularly.

There was a large variety of food options for lunch and dinner. Lido changed their main buffet everyday, from Italian, French, Carribean, and All-American. For lunch the Blue Iguana was always open with burritos and tacos, as well as Guy's Burgers. The chinese buffet was available everyday in Lido for lunch only and changed to seafood for dinner, but I believe the seafood was an added cost. Guy's Burgers closed everyday at 6pm and pizza was 24/7. The food was all delicious, but being in Alaska I found my food got cold quickly because of the air temp. I suggest getting your drinks first, then claim a seat with them and then grab your food. If you have kids, like we did, feed them first and then take turns getting your food.

We only went to the main dinning room a few times and the service was really hit or miss. The food was good, but the waiters took a long time and/or didn't offer you everything and you had to ask for things or they were on the ball completely!

The steakhouse is a must, though! It's an extra cost but the quality of the meat you get is fabulous. I had pork belly for my appetizer and the Australian Wagyu steak with baked potato for dinner. Absolutely delicious.

The entertainment on the ship was good. Tons of trivia which was our favourite, as well as life size games, parties, shows, comedians and competitions. They even had 4 blockbuster movies playing in the lounge during the cruise with recent movies like Aquaman, Detective Pikachu, etc... Renting movies in the room was decently priced as well at $4.99 each. Way better than a hotel who charges $10-15.

Most of the cruisers on the Alaskan cruise were seniors, so it's not really a party ship. The atmosphere was very relaxed and quiet as most people were enjoying the views most of the time. But a few families were onboard and camp ocean did a great job of keeping our 6 year old entertained with games, crafts, science projects and a magic show. They also got to build their own build-a-bear animal at an added cost. They always opened at 10am, but then closed for a couple of hours for dinner and reopened around 7pm until 10pm. Late night babysitting between 10pm - 1am was $8 an hour extra. They do not feed the kids during sea days, though, so you need to pick them up for lunch. They will take them to Lido deck for kid food on port days if they don't want to tag along on excursions.

If your child is old enough, you can allow them to sign themselves in and out of camp ocean as long as they have their room key. Otherwise you just drop them off and pick them up whenever. If you have down time with the kids and camp ocean is closed, check out the trump room where they have lots of board games to play.

The pool and waterslides weren't as enjoyable as a carribean cruise. Even though it was August, it was still cold. The splash park and water slides are no where near the two pools and with the wind it was pretty chilly, unless you went during port on a warmer day. They only warmed one of the pools that is in the middle of the ship that has the roof that closes which was primarily used by kids. I have no idea what the serenity pool was like because we didn't go there.

I did check out the spa once. You can use their steam and sauna rooms and hot tub for free but I was disappointed by them. My first and only cruise before this was on the Carnival Liberty a long time ago and their sauna and steam rooms had huge windows that overlooked the water. It was amazing to sit there and relax while watching the ocean, but the Legend's spa windows were frosted over so you couldn't see a thing! I left after 2 minutes.

Overall, we had a great time! The views were amazing, the staff (besides the main dinning room) were fun and friendly, the food was good and we learned a lot about glaciers and whales. Would definitely go again!

We were on the "20-day Land and Sea" package with Holland America. Our sea portion was a 7-day cruise on the Noordam. We chose a cruise leaving Vancouver on June 17th for several reasons. First, the days are long; second, there are fewer children (not that we hate children) and third, the weather is normally good. We stopped in Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway and Glacier Bay. While the ports were all great, the inside passage itself is truly stunning. Definitely, get a balcony if one can afford it (& preferably on the land side).
This was actually our second cruise to Alaska, the first being in 1979. Many things have changed in the past 39 years but not the unspoiled beauty of the inside passage.

Coral Princess from Vancouver to Whittier. The cruise was smooth. The food was very varied and well presented. Our balcony suite was well appointed. The on board lectures and information sessions were educational and comprehensive. The cruise included 3 towns along the way (Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway) each with its own particular character and attractions. The scenery was spectacular and even though the weather was often overcast, it wasn’t enough to dampen the awe and wonder. Can recommend the walking tour of Ketchikan, even though it rained constantly, a great introduction to the First Nation people’s and the Alaskan experience. A must visit in Juneau is the Red Dog Saloon.

Where to begin
Sailed on the 14 night Baltic cruise which was like a nursing home at sea with so many wheelchairs being parked at restaurants it was a parking lot - not to mention passengers across from our stateroom were isolated due to COVID with the cruise line not wanting to admit that this was the case - room attendants it was the case - zero duty of care

Room service breakfast orders not fulfilled 3 times in a row
First day no milk for the breakfast cereal or tea and no butter for the toast
Second day 2 green bananas provided and were green so we placed them in a drawer and they became ripe enough to eat 5 days later as well as the Greek yoghurt not arriving so waited for 10 minutes for that to arrive
Spoke to the Dining room service Manager at the main dining room entrance who assured me to please try room service again as this won’t happen again - chocolates sent to stateroom as a gesture of goodwill
Ordered room service breakfast , Luke warm water arrived with 4 stale croissants and no tea bag’s - called and spoke to a Manager who sent the tea bags but at this stage the lukewarm water was now cold , as this took another 10 minutes
Champagne sent with a note of apology.
The main dining room is a Zoo and the staff seemed overwhelmed - I asked the Manager if this “chaos” was normal and he assured me that after the first couple of days it settles down - Day11 the dining room is like a cafeteria and not an upmarket one - chaos, incorrect seating happening, with our party idling in the dining room waiting for re- seating.
Lido Market is appalling at meal times with rude people pushing and shoving to get served - again due to no doubt “gastro” situation onboard
After having sailed on over 20 cruiselines this is the worst I have ever experienced and would never sail or recommend HAL to anyone
Entertainment is pathetic with one good vocal group and repetitive and uninteresting stage acts.
Dinner - wine -
Throughout the cruise we had ordered what appears on the menu as McPherson Shiraz when in fact the Matre d’ brought a bottle which is a Boom Boom Syrah from Washington state - you need to tell guests what they are actually eating and drinking
It would also be nice to have croissants kept in a warmer for dining room breakfast as each day they were stone cold ? I’m at a loss to understand how this isn’t possible as it’s an easy thing to achieve.
On a scale from 1-10 I’d score it a zero - total service failure - if it hadn’t been for the ports of call it would have been miserable -never again

We have just got home after cruising the Inside Passage on the Nieuw Amsterdam. We thought our cabin was ok and it was nice having a verandah room with a balcony. The bed was quite hard and I had to ask for a topper to make it softer. Even though it has just been refurbished we thought our cabin still could do with updating. The air conditioner was quite loud.

The ships main areas were quite nice and we enjoyed eating in the Dining room rather than on the Lido deck. We had one nice meal at The Tamarind restaurant. In general however we thought most of the food was just ok.

We were a bit disappointed about the shows on offer. One illusionist show, a comedian a couple of dance shows and a movie. Not much on offer really.

We booked excursions from the ship which seemed to work well. On the last day we booked a Hop on Hop off excursion around Vancouver which also offered luggage transfer and storage at the airport. This worked out well and it meant we could make the most of our last day in Vancouver.

Most of the staff are Phillipino and a lot of them don’t even understand when you ask them a question.

We enjoyed the day cruising through Glacier Bay. On the whole I would rate this cruise a 3/5.

We did the 6 hour cruise. There are shorter and longer ones. Highlight was floating near the glacier calving into the bay. We did not do the meal so can't say if it was worth it. They do have snaks and beverages (alcohol and not) for sale without the meal. Our captain was very informative; i just thought it a little expensive for what we saw.

My wife and I saved years for this cruise and trip. We booked airfare through Holland and paid for trip insurance. We had back to back plane delays that lead to us missing our ship. I will admit the air problems are not Hollands fault, but after missing two days of our cruise Holland so far has not been very receptive compensation eve though we booked airfare through Holland and paid for trip insurance. Now Holland did pay for our hotels and airfare to the catch the ship two days later. Holland also gave us 40 dollars each for food while on land. 40 dollars does not go very far for food in Canada or Alaska. Also we had to pay a second time for luggage because we had to use a different airline, again no compensation. They also gave us a 100 dollars credit to use at their stores or restaurants, not a huge sacrifice for them. The hotels we "OK", and they were clean. We paid extra for a veranda room while our hotels had lovely views of the parking lot. All we have asked for was the difference of a veranda room and a normal state for the two days we missed and to pay for the extra luggage expense. We do not fell that is unreasonable. So far Holland has not responded to us other than to say they would refer to customer service and it would be a month before we could expect a response.

To be fair the room on the ship was nice, the staff was nice and so was the ship. Glacier Bay was wonderful. The food was so-so several others on the cruise felt the same.

Main complaint is the lack their concern for correcting the financial compensation.

Maybe I set up the wrong title for the review but they took us there and it was amazing. I even saw whales and seals without taking a tour.
Mendenhall glacier was beautiful...not to be missed.
My pictures do not do the scenery justice.

We did the 7 day cruise from Seattle to Juneau, with stops at Ketchikan, Sitka, Glacier Bay, and Victoria British Columbia. Our arrival in Victoria was delayed by 2 hrs and all excursions were canceled.

The Alaskan stops and a shore excursions were simply terrific. As promised we saw spectacular views in Glacier Bay during a totally sunny day which was rather unusual. In Juneau we were privileged to see number of whales one of which jumped clear out of the water.

The major disappointment of the cruise was the actual time spent on Holland America Eurodam. We were extremely disappointed at every meal. No matter which main course we chose on many lunches and dinners the salmon, pork chops, steaks, and assorted other fish and meats were universally extremely thin cuts with the expected overdone dried out and tough consistency. The vegetables at every station were overly done soft and mushy. We tried different culinary styles at different stations but the results were almost always the same with overdone dried out main dishes.

Our Signature suite was spacious and very comfortable, but we were very disappointed that even non-alcoholic beverages had to be paid for at outrageous prices , a bottle of water was $4.

We signed up for a number of onboard activities. The actual activities such as massage, photography lessons, were universally accompanied by very aggressive selling attempts by the staff to have us buy additional products or services. Our room was continuously flooded with brochures for jewelry watches perfumes Etc. At times we felt as if we were sailing on the shopping channel.

Compared to previous cruises that we have taken on other Cruise Lines this was a inferior product sold at a higher than average price.

Cruising itself we saw lots of sea animals and at time lovely coast but the 3 ports of call have been totally spoilt by over tourism .In all 3 there were 4-5 other huge ships and the towns themselves are really not worth visiting now .Just tourist shop after tourist shop . Little feel of how they once were and teeming with people

The tours are mostly good but we had 2 out of 3 cancelled because they involved flying and the clouds were low and the helicopter couldn’t fly . Saved us a heap of money ,but extremely disappointed

If you like ship life you may enjoy this trip , but we didn’t - just another over done tourist trap . Cheap ,so lots of kids and unruly guests . We had just been in the Rockies in Canada and that spoilt us for beautiful nature and scenery - especially gold leaf trip on Rocky Mountaineer

Go to Canada instead is my advice

My wife and I are currently traveling through the West of Kanada. We started in Vancouver, and then travelled all the way up on Victoria Island to Port Hardy. It is the second time we travel the insight passage. The first time we went from Vancouver up to Anchorage. This time only from Port Hardy to Prince Rupert. But again we liked the trip. We liked the scenery and the landscape. This is just a nice place.

Wonderful cruise going through inside passage. Scenery brilliant and the icebergs were amazing. We also went onto Russia and Japan also very nice and finished in Beijing. A holiday to remember

Holland America Line on the 7 day Alaska cruise was very nice. The inside passage was a real treat to see as many don’t get this opportunity. This was our 2nd cruise with HAL. They run a tight ship when it comes to quality, service, food and entertainment.
ALL service employees provide phenomenal service. Food is top quality and menus vary daily. The specialty restaurants are a must try. We had a 5 star 4 course meal in Tamarind (Asian fare) and our server Rishka was amazing! Our veranda room was impeccably cleaned everyday with fresh linens and ice bucket replenished!
Excursions offered are very nice too. HAL is very organized and I’m ready for another cruise next year!!

Our 7 day Alaska cruise on Holland America Koningsdam was great for the first 6 days. Then, we found out the hard way the ship interior is NOT smoke free. There's a smokey casino in the worst possible location. Its right between the stage showroom, shopping area & BB King cabaret. I was unaware until I got a faceful of smoke, so bad I had to quit shopping. 2 days later after disembarking got very sick, diagnosed mild pneumonia. Still recovering 30 days later. They need to change the casino location or do something to control the smoke. No more HA cruises for me. Casino profits are more important to HA than health of its passengers.

Reflecting on this Uncruise trip in south-eastern Alaska six weeks later, the magic still hasn’t worn off. It was incredible. I know how much thought can go into these booking decisions so this is a detailed review.

This was our first cruise and the Uncruise offering – small boats and plenty of activity in the natural environment – sounded perfect to us. And it was. We also went in the pre-season (second week of April) so did not see one other cruise ship. Yes, there was snow and probably more rain (aka liquid sunshine) but as long as you have the right clothing, it doesn’t matter. There was also less wildlife around than there would be in summer but that didn’t matter to us, we’re not ‘tick a box’ tourists with a list of things we must experience or it’s a failure.

We did a seven day Glacier Bay National Park Adventure. The itinerary was slightly different to the in-season one in that we started in Sitka and ended in Juneau (the cruise before us had done the reverse direction) and the in-season ones start and end in Juneau.

Where do I start? The boat - we were on the Wilderness Adventurer (up to 60 guest capacity) in a Trailblazer cabin (316). This was perfect. There were larger cabins on offer that open onto the outside deck instead of onto the central hall. While their size was good, I wouldn’t want to be walking outside every time I came and went from my cabin. The level 2 cabins cost less but can be very noisy. Particularly the mid and aft ones, which are above the engines and generator (which goes 24/7). If you book one of these, make sure to bring industrial strength earplugs!

The activities – this is a cruise that will be best enjoyed by people who like getting out into nature and being active, but they also cater for people who may be less active. The activities on offer each day depend on the weather and where the boat is and include: skiff tours, hiking (including ‘bushwacking’ off tracks and some gentler walking); kayaking, paddleboarding, snorkeling and a ‘swim’. I think that Uncruise are the only cruise company that has a permit for kayaking in Glacier Bay.

The absolute highlight of the trip (and of all the travel I’ve ever done) was our last day in Glacier Bay where we kayaked through icy waters in front of the Lamplugh Glacier (at a distance as the falling ice is dangerous) then after returning to the boat, took part in the ‘polar plunge’. Willing passengers and crew jump from the boat into the near freezing water – in our group this included an 11yo girl and her grandparents! The crew are close by to take pics and help you out of the water. Thank goodness for the hot tub.

The catering - Before we’d left I read a review of Uncruise that complained about the food, so I was a bit nervous about this. But it was brilliant. We were so well fed. The food was fresh, there menus varied and they completely catered to all dietary requirements. Crab night was a highlight. With a small kitchen with so few staff what they produced was nothing short of miraculous. We never went hungry. The bar was fantastic. Decent wines, cocktail of the day, good coffee and tea and fresh water always available (not in plastic bottles yay!)

Finally, the crew. They were brilliant. They work so hard to make everything seemless – even kept us entertained when we were sidelined by bad weather one morning. The wilderness guides have a genuine passion for the area. They’re knowledgeable, incredibly professional and excellent at keeping bears away!! The hotel staff were lovely – warm and friendly. We were also very lucky to have a wonderful cultural guide from the local Tlingit clan who added so much to the experience.

When we landed in Juneau, the home of Uncruise, the owner Dan Blanchard came on board to farewell us. They also organized complementary onshore activities pre- and post-cruise. And they take photos all the way through and share them online post-cruise.

It’s hard to reduce such an amazing experience to a number - I'd like to rate in 10 out of 5.

Had a great time. Not a lot of children on this cruise. Would recommend a drink package unless you like tea or water. Very hard to get other drinks on board. Very relaxing. Weather was perfect this time of year. It might have been a little cold if you like to enjoy the pool.

I had a wonderful Cruise on th Holland America Cruise line Leaving from out of Ft. Lauderdale Florida... Im A disable person walking with due to a stroke...I was treated like a Queen going and coming on a & Day Carribbean Cruise... I was scared at first.
All The cruise members treated all the passenger with canes and scooters with the upmost respects... I would use Holland America again for my next cruise.... It was just amazing.... I cruised from February 5-12 2023..The best ever enjoyed my best life...

You have to put Alaska on your bucket list and you have to see the inside passage, it is beautiful. You can't put into words how beautiful it is. It also unbelievable while cruising how close the cruise ships can get up close, weather permitting, it was breathtaking.

Horrible Guest Relations. impossible to reach, won't call you back, Promised us credits due to issues on board, now they won't honor these despite having it documented in emails.

Tried very hard to have a phone call with them to discuss, seems like trying to reach deaf ears.

Read the reviews, see BBB, Holland America no longer is the choice I used to think they were. VERY VERY VERY disappointed in them. It's criminal and feel like they are stealing $$ as not honoring the onboard ship credits.

If you do decide to travel them, and run into any issues, rest assured they are unwilling to help, and work with you. Business must be booming if they refuse to return phone calls/and emails.

Just finished a 9 day trip on Kruzoff Explorer with Alaskan Dream Cruises. We made a reservation for the Baranof Dream, but the company bumped us up to the Kruzoff Explorer based on a low reservation level due to Covid. Captain Bruce and his crew are excellent, and the trip was phenomenal. Saw an incredible amount of wildlife and riding the Zodiac at Tracy Arm Fjord was spectacular. We were not charged the extra it would have cost to be on the Kruzoff; but if you can afford it, a 1 staff to 2 guest ratio is a once in a lifetime type of experience. Highly recommend the small boat experience of Alaskan Dream Cruises.

Alaska was beautiful. We experienced a huge, magnificent calving with a wonderful narration and great commentary from our captain. One whale waved at us as we entered Tracy Arm Fjord. I viewed the Glacier from the comfort of the lounge, the icy deck and our room as the ship was turned 360 degrees and then 180. Masterful.

If you intend to book Alaska cruise via Holland America please think twice. Firstly the cruise booking experience is not user-friendly, the response is extremely slow and you may not get the response or help that you need.

Forget about discount etc you will never get it, is just a marketing campaign.

Several excursions canceled, with no refunds. Even thought they were booked through princess. Currently still on land, they had to know beforehand as we have been on the boat a week. Food on the boat was subpar. Will never cruse with Princess again. Understaffed sand un helpful.

It was the first time cruising, I went with my mother to the 7 day cruise to Alaska on August 2018. The terminal in Seattle was easy to get to with an Uber, lots of space, fast check-in service, and friendly staff willing to help you. The Amsterdam ship is kind of small but definitely brings the old European elegance atmosphere at all times, I loved it! The organization provided by Holland America was perfect, every detail was perfectly thought and done. I would not advise this cruise for young adult women who do not travel with a man. Most Asian workers during the cruise made bad comments and jokes when a young woman was not accompanied by a male partner. Most passengers were retired seniors.
Be ready to attend the talks and events expected to sell you something. I bought some products for my feet and my skin and I do not regret at all about them, excellent quality! The shows were really good, but the very best part of all this was no doubt: the food! The food was spectacular! I can't wait for my next cruise with Holland America!

We have had the most fabulous week on The Holland America Cruise Liner Nieuw Amsterdam. The ship is luxurious and comfortable with every little extra thought of and catered for. The staff could not do enough for us and were friendly helpful and extremely polite wherever we went on the ship. The standard of food was amazing and with 3 speciality restaurants to chose from there is plenty of variety but the main dining room and the buffet restaurant never disappointed. The views from the ship are breathtaking and have truly given us memories we will never forget. I would highly recommend this trip. It was a bucket list trip for us and did not disappoint.

Unbelievable views of glaciers and icebergs! One of the very best experiences in my lifetime! The ice is Really Blue!

Alaska Dream Cruise and LiveAboard cancel our cruise ad kept $1045

There we were, two months before departure. ADC and the Government telling us to "shelter in place, not to travel or cruise" and ADC suspending its spring sailings. We had to cancel our vacation plans. Under these pandemic conditions exceptions to normal payment/refund policy should change.

When we asked for a refund for a cruise that would not sail ADC offered a credit for a future cruise. We are in our late eighties. Who knows when, or if, we will be healthy enough for another vacation? We are in no position to make any reservations under current conditions and many forecast a return of the crono virus next year. An other option offered to us was to cancel our booking and receive the stated 45 day before departure (50%) refund. We raised the unfairness of this alternative and were told by Liveaboard, the agent representing ADC, that this was the policy of ADC management and its owners. After numerous attempts by our travel agent and calls to ADC management, “Liveaboard” offered us ADC’s published “early cancellation” fee $350 per person, then added an additional 3% fee for handling booking.

Others may have had great experiences on ADC ships and or booking through Liveaboard but keeping prepaid bookings under pandemic conditions is pure greed from two companies I would not recommend or support.

I was pleasantly surprised how beautiful the inside passage part of our cruise was. It was surreal with many layers of blue colors of mountain scenery; low lying clouds, and amazing sunset. Wonderful part of our cruise.

We were able to see so many great sights. The trees were so tall. I saw a few bears along the coast one day. We watched from our balcony when the ship went thru a very tight spot.

we had a very nice voyage.The views were "Amazing". It's like the land forgotten.So clear and unspoiled. To see the Dolphins race along side the ship was awsome.The weather was nice,so the sights were also. The food on the ship was mediocre at best. (Ms Volendam ) Cabin boys really did a great job, all was good. Canada and Alaska was beautiful.

So pretty & such diversity. Amazing opportunities for stunning photography or just as easy to sip on a glass of wine & take in the beauty as the ship cruises along. Everywhere you look it is awesome. Ports of call had great experiences..... not including the jewellery stores!

In all my international travels, the Inside Passage would have to be rated at the best experience I have had. Don't miss it. Enjoyed a week long cruise in a ship, called in at all the Ports and experienced the locals and all of this amazing scenery. One of the most unspoilt wonders of the world. Would recommend it to anyone.

We cruised from Seattle to Juneau for 2 weeks on UnCruise's 88 passenger boat Safari Endeavor. Superior in every aspect. Amazing food, actually I should say cuisine because of the innovative and beautifully presented meals. Wonderful staff and crew that made the trip extraordinary.

Although the reviews of Uncruise are generally positive, our trip on the Wilderness Explorer left a lot to be desired, did not mirror the comments of previous reviews and is nothing like the brochure or the information provided to us by the travel agent. We booked this at the last minute, paid way too much-it is a poor value for the price, and are sorry we went. We have been to all 7 continents and are firm from this experience that Alaska is just not worth revisiting. I have been on a small ship like this (75 clients) for 3 weeks to Antarctica and a 15 person boat in the Galapagos so I know what is possible-both of those experiences were superb. Uncruise is not a good small ship option or good value for the dollar.

The Wilderness Explorer is in need of an overhaul. The rooms are small, dark and dank. The presence of sewer gas in our room and generally on our side of the ship was overwhelming. The "hotel manager", although responsive, indicated that this was an ongoing problem, could not be rectified, put a wet washcloth over the shower drain and the sink drain and gave us a bottle of Glade. Did not do the trick. Had difficult sleeping it was so overpowering. We kept the window open (it is minuscule) but it was not really much help. Spent most days (both when raining and sunny) with the door propped open but given that the source is primarily the shower and the door to the bathroom swings shut and opens out blocking the door to the room, it did not provide much relief. Over the week, many people shared their stories of sewer gas...it just shouldn't be an issue if the ships were maintained properly.

Our bed was also "broken". Did not retract into a couch, making our room even smaller. But, because they dock on a Saturday around 9am and load new passengers around 4:30pm, they were unable to attempt to repair it. I would imagine it had been broken since the beginning of the season and will continue to be broken until the ship finishes its runs.

The activities are just ok. We enjoyed sea kayaking. But, there is minimal wildlife and there are only so many things you can say about small, orange crabs so shore walks are a bust. Bushwhacking is an attempt to fill time. And the day in Wrangell is a total waste. In Wrangell, you are two hours by boat and less time by helicopter from one of the best bear sanctuaries (on a salmon stream-Anan Bear Sanctuary) and it is impossible to get there because the ship is not in port long enough. The activities in Wrangell are poor at best-brief hike, meeting at the "Chief's house", some petrogylphs (although most have been moved out to various museums so few remaining), etc. Management really needs to figure out how to offer a excursion to the Anan Bear Sanctuary. It might be the only wildlife anyone sees if it could be arranged.

The food was very mediocre. At most meals, fellow table guests were trying to determine what ingredients that were in today's meal had been served in another form the previous day. Ignore the descriptions in the brochure-those are laughable. And although the chef does a good job with the space she has, even the scrambled eggs are terrible.

The staff is good. Most are enthusiastic (but they are being paid) and helpful. They are knowledgeable although sometimes in esoteric subjects that have nothing to do with what you are seeing (but that may be because you are not seeing anything).

The ship has one large meeting area which is basically the bar. There are no places on the ship that you can get out of your room and not have to sit among hordes of people who are also trying to get out of your room.

Finally, they "share" with you that many people have asked about tipping. Our dinner table had a wonderful laugh about that-no one had asked about tipping before it was brought up. They encourage $250 per person, which is essentially, $50 a day per person. We thought that was high although it is getting split among everyone on the ship. We came to the conclusion that it was probably around $750 per ship employee for the week (some employees are exempted-captain, hotel manager, chef, chief guide, etc.). That lead us to believe they were not being particularly well. So, beware the tipping that isn't really optional and they are not upfront about in their brochures.

We were so excited to be on the new Norwegian Bliss to Alaska . We expected lots of activities , music and good food & drinks . The drinks were the only things that met our expectations. The service to get the drinks was awful ! You needed to go to the bar if you wanted another drink because there were no waiters to be found in the lounges or even the casino for that matter. We actually had to exit the casino to get a drink . The buffet was a 4 on a scale of 10 . The food that should be hot was cold and the choices never changed from day to day except the carving 1 item station. You would think a cruise to Alaska at the price we paid for the cruise would include decent seafood ,
Not !!!! . The deserts were great, the soft serve ice cream was just that soft and melted by the time you sat down. Very crowded on the observation deck , people camped out the whole day on the only window lounge chairs provided with an unobstructed view, kids unsupervised while the parents sit and enjoy the view of the water , unconcerned that their children are disturbing people trying to relax on vacation. The observation lounge was more like a playground . In my opinion This is not a cruise for children under the age of 12 . The weather is cool even in July so the kids have little to do when the pool is not an option. The hot tubs meant for the adults was constantly filled with kids under 16 yrs of age while the parents sit at the bar and drink without concern . As a couple you would be hard pressed to enjoy the hot tub at anytime . The room with a balcony was very nice, kept clean daily. The onboard activities were limited to bingo, deal or no deal which cost you $25 a card to play . It was held in the area where guest services is with a limited amount of seating . This should have been held in The Bliss Theater to be enjoyable . During Bingo , 1 waiter to handle over 200 bingo players so you have a better chance getting Bingo before you get a drink. If you are looking for a relaxing cruise to Alaska do not go in the summer months if you're a couple , try an adult only. Our unfortunate very expensive mistake ! Internet was expensive and hardly worked on board , mostly streaming for what seemed to be hours. The elevators were constantly crowded so you had to wait most times for a second or third car to arrive. It seemed that the ship is under equipped to handle 4,000 passengers comfortably. I know it is a new ship but Norwegian is not a new cruise line. Norwegian , Step up the quality of your services as you step up the prices you charge for these inferior services & food. Not a Happy Cruiser !

My 11-year-old son and I took a week long excursion of the Inside Passage aboard the Lindblad National Geographic Quest. It was the experience of a lifetime. The 10 naturalists and professional photographers on board were extremely friendly, informative, and organized. Crew made incredible gourmet meals, and the officers were welcoming in the open bridge. Each day we cruised the passage, we listened to lectures about the area and its inhabitants, rode zodiacs, hiked in the wilderness, and kayaked. We were fortunate to see humpback whales bubblenet feeding, stellar sea lions, puffins, sea otters, harbor seals, Dall's porpoises, and glaciers calving.

We traveled on the Holland American Cruise ship Eurodam, with two adult children and one son's in-laws. The trip was round-trip from Seattle, and traveled to Glacier Bay. We had a room with a veranda and would highly recommend that- our room was a gathering place for the rest of our party when we arrived at particularly scenic locations.

The scenery was outstanding, particularly in Glacier Bay. Considering the size of the ship, we were amazed at how close we got to several of the Glaciers. Lots of great opportunities for shore excursions. We did a kayaking trip on Mendenhall Lake near Juneau, and really enjoyed the opportunity to get close to a glacier. We also went snokeling near Juneau with Snorkel Alaska, and that was an exceptional experience. The thick wetsuits made it comfortable, and the starfish and other critters we saw were colorful and interesting.

Overall, an exceptional trip, well worth considering.

Just getting on the cruise is a major pain. Their website is super slow, even for their staff, and their app is beyond ridiculous. Endless emails telling you to do/ register etc. but when you try to do it, NOT AVAILABLE at this time, but you better do it! 95% of the time my boarding pass was invalid. Couldn't do the medical assessment until 16 hours before boarding. What would a non-tech do?

In contrast to other reviews here, Star Legend (Windstar Cruises) is a small boat, all-suite, with about 200 passengers and a crew of 150. We joined other educational and cultural groups for a week that was well stocked with naturalists and other lecturers. We were very lucky on weather (July 5-12) with just enough cloud cover and an hour of rain to remind you that you were in Alaska. Natives called this a heat wave, at times the sunny decks resembled a Caribbean cruise. The Star Legend has aged well (it was launched in 1992). The attentive and pleasant staff contributes to the sense "I am in a Hollywood movie" (as I heard one well-traveled passenger say). The size of the ship meant that we could explore Tracy Arm and Endicott Arm and dock at Sitka. Zodiak excursions from the boat were excellent and easily handled people with mobility issues. On board naturalists were perhaps the greatest asset, but being on a boat with an open bridge and a witty captain also are outstanding features. Without exception, the crew never disappointed. Is this level of care worth the higher cost of a small boat on the Inside Passage? Everyone I spoke with felt that they had gotten their money's worth.

Just waiting to check in for our return flight home. We have just had a fantastic introduction to cruising. If you want great food, great service and the stunning scenery and wildlife of the Canadian Rockies and the inside passage of Alaska? then this is the trip of a lifetime to choose.

We started with a journey across western Canada, flying into Calgary and journeying west to Banff, Jasper and the Rocky Mountaineer to Kamloops and connecting with the cruise at Vancouver.

I, like many, wanted to see bears, whales and bald eagles. Just one of each would have saved disappointment. Well we were not disappointed. Grizzly and black bear over a dozen times, bald eagles all over the place the further west you went and dozens of whales, tens of dolphins and numerous porpoises. Oh, and a porcupine up a tree!!

Whales can be seen from the Eclipse. Many were close up but binoculars will help you spot many more, humpbacks giving themselves away in the distance with their vertical spouting as they exhale.

Much as been written on this site about the quality of Celebrity Eclipse and Rocky Mountaineer, so I won’t repeat, it save to say ‘just do it’! You won’t regret it.

Our Alaska Cruise was with Holland and America Line - Volendam. We were not impressed with the cruise liner or the floor level 1 but the staff were friendly and really helpful, particularly BUDI and FITONI in the restaurant for dinner, IWAYANUNTUNG PUTRA - Assistant dinning room Manager for breakfast. Our ocean view room was serviced by SILO and TOYO which was to perfection. They were both friendly and helpful. The jewellery shop of Holland America had fabulous selection of Le Vian and Cirari selection. JAYESH RANINGA and OGDIN were friendly and trying hard to sell their items.

We did the 7 day one way trip from Vancouver to Anchorage on Princess Cruises & absolutely loved every minute of it. The scenery, especially in Glacier Bay & College Fjord are out of this world. The three ports of call are all so different & so worth while visiting. We also did 4 days in Denali NP as a part of Princess Cruises & then we spent 5 days on the coast at Seward after hiring a car. Do the Major Marine boat tour out to explore Kenai NP too for an up close look at the Glaciers & wildlife. I’d go back to Alaska in a heartbeat but it’s a long way from Australia & quite expensive with the exchange rate. Don’t let that stop you though as the memories will last a lifetime.

This was a breathtakingly beautiful site. The water was so calm with chunks of ice that looked almost fake. So many unique sites, and was worth taking the trip to Alaska.

We felt disappointed at the lack of wildlife, we were told we would see whales, eagles & wildlife the whole trip.

The Inside Passage is a great cruise route for beginners. I recommend the ten day versus the seven day trips. Try to get a cabin with a tub and not a shower = small.

Paid 100% upfront for cruise to Galapagos. Trip was cancelled. Four months later, still not one cent refunded. Don't give these people your money.

We [myself, wife and our two children] took the Ruby Princess Cruise to Alaska [with Glacier Bay] from Jun 29th thru Jul 6th. I had read reviews of Ruby Princess with 5 and 4 stars as well 1 star, 3 stars. I was worried when I had read 1-star reviews. Our experience was amazing. Here are the details:
Embarkation: I had read reviews on Trip Advisor suggesting that elite, club members and those who have booked Suites and Mini Suites are given preference. Everyone else will have to wait in line for about 2 hours since the Cruise starts at 4pm. We were first timers [no special status] on Princess Cruise. Previously we had taken cruise to Bahamas on Royal Caribbean. We remember waiting for couple of hours in Miami port to get on the Cruise. It was horrible experience. That was in 2010 and now the things might have changed. We reached at 12.33pm to Seattle Pier 91. As soon as we reached, procedure started. We never stood in the line for more than 3 minutes. Line was moving forward quickly and after the passport verification etc., we were in the ship at our room at around 1pm. We proceeded to our rooms.
Rooms: Our [Ocean Balcony] side by side rooms carpet was clean and beautiful. The beds, table, TV, bathroom/toilet and sink were perfect. We thoroughly enjoyed on-demand TV shows with no commercials and HD picture quality. Our side by side rooms ocean balcony had a partition so we used to walk to each other’s room from front door. When our room steward, Joel Bohol saw this on the first day, on his own he asked someone to remove the partition in the balcony. It was such a convenience for us that we enjoyed combined long balcony thoroughly. It is absolutely value to your money when you have ocean balcony.
Service: Our room steward, Joel Bohol was energetic, proactive, cheerful young man. I think he serviced about 10 rooms [may be more] around ours’. He would greet everyone whenever he would see us. Since we had two rooms, he is the one who saw entering each other’s rooms from the front door. Joel saw this on the first day and on his own asked someone to remove the partition in the balcony. This was a great convenience for us. On the fifth day of our stay on the cruise, we had a water clog in one of the two rooms [in sink and shower, not in the toilet]. As soon as I informed this to Joel, he immediately fixed the problem and rest of the two days were perfect. Other room was perfect throughout the stay of 7 days.
Service in the restaurants and buffet area was great. People constantly greeted everyone and asked at the table if we need drinks, coffee, tea, water.
Food: Plenty of eating places. Horizon Buffet was almost open all the time with plenty of Breakfast, lunch snacks, dinner options. Hot plain scramble eggs and also with ham, boiled eggs, several options of bread, butter, lots of fruits. For lunch and dinner, you would find plenty of Veg and Non-veg option. Soup and fresh salads every day as well as we found Steaks, Chines, Italian and Indian food choices every day. We liked the pool side pizza and ice-cream place. Michael Angelo and Da Vinci Restaurants had mostly Non-veg items and only couple of Veg items, but the service was excellent. Soup, Sandwich and Coffee place in Piazza was great. We liked the soup and hot sandwich.
General Appearance of the ship: The theme of this ship is Wood. You would find the polished wood [I think oak wood] used everywhere and it looks clean. Some people may not like the wood because they may find it more contemporary, but we loved it. Piazza on 5th, 6th and 7th deck was beautiful. Everyday there were some activities. My wife participated in one of the activities when guests gathered and danced on the songs played by the DJ. There were sale events of hand painted art, Jewellery, purses, shirts.
Fitness Center: I like to use Treadmill every day. I visited the fitness center on the 16th deck at the front of the ship. It was outstanding! About 15, 20 treadmills, about 8 bikes, bench press, weights and several other equipment, also guided workouts.
Visits to port: Ship itinerary included 10 hours in Juneau, 10 hours in Skagway, entire day at Glacier Bay and passage, 7 hours at Ketchikan and 5 hours at Victoria. We thoroughly enjoyed each place with tours.
Disembarkation: Breakfast was open in the morning at 6am. Great options to go offboard such as take your luggage with you if you want to get out of the cruise first otherwise there were three timings to off-board and pickup your luggage from 8am to 11am. It was as easy and smooth as embarkation.
Overall we had an amazing time on Ruby Princess and no place to complain about anything.

We went on the June 22nd cruise to Alaska. We were excited about doing this trip. But both of us got Covid and were quite sick. It was the first time we had Covid. Many other people on the ship were coughing. You spend all that money only to get sick. It isn't worth it.

Holland American Line cruise. Chaotic and busy terminal to embark with long queues. Difficult for people who can not stand for a long period.
Once onboard we embraced the American experience. Good quality food and some variety. Cabins are very clean with a small balcony. Trips were good especially the Gold Train in Skagway. The crab experience in Ketchikan was average. The Ice Parkway was amazing and we saw lots of wildlife.

From Seward to Vancouver, pretty much one great site/excursion after another. HUBBARD GLACIER was spectacular! "We got as close as we have ever gotten to the glacier", was one persons observation. We were able to see and hear a fair amount of calving during our approximately one hour by the glacier. This was worth the price of admission all by itself.
ICY POINT STRAIT - a Jeep caravan with some good views and some good off road driving fun. Overall rating OK+
JUNEAU - Whale watching - After a short bus ride we boarded our boat and off to see the whales and other sea life. Be aware that these boats, for ecological reasons, cannot get within, I believe, 100 yards of these mammals. However, and it is a big however, they cannot stop the whales from swimming much, much closer to your boat, and they do.
We also engaged with Seals, Sea Lions and Porpoises and saw many Bald Eagles perched along the many small islands we passed
SKAWAY - A short bus ride to our gold panning site where we leaned the process of panning for gold. We found a few flakes which we placed in a vial, bringing it to the 'accessor's' office to determine its value.
Next door is a ranch where musher dogs are raised and trained. We heard from a number of individuals who participated in the Iditarod and had an opportunity to enter a room kept at 40 below F where hot water will freeze in the time it takes to throw it up in the air - before it hits the ground.
Next is a 14 mile train ride with tracks cut into the side of the mountain - the train was up against the mountain on one side and shear cliffs on the other. Trestles spanning gorges which allowed for spectacular views.
An AAA+ day. Would have liked some time to walk around Skaway - it seems like a cute town.
KETCHIKAN - Just some time to walk around the town, though our dock was next to an area where Sea Planes were landing and taking off. Fun to Watch.
All in all a great trip.

I took BC Ferries from Prince Rupert to Port Hardy in August 2022. It was amazing. Not fast and furious. Not opulent or luxurious. It was slow, steady and very real. I saw porpoises and humpback whales, seals and salmon. What a trip! Here's a rundown of how I organized the journey. I flew from YVR Vancouver with Air Canada to Prince Rupert, where I stayed at the Crest hotel and had most of my meals there. It was well situated opposite a grocery and liquor store and an easy walk through the town. Book a water view; I saw porpoises from my room, which was equipped with binoculars. The restaurant was solid and the food was well prepared and fairly priced. I visited the Museum of Northern BC, right next door, very good, and did a highly recommended whalewatching trip. I organized a taxi for the morning of the ferry departure and arrived at the terminal far too early. Once onboard, I took my seat in the Aurora Lounge, strong recommend to spend $40 on a seat in here. Very comfy and amazing views across the front of the ship. I was waitlisted for a room, which became available so I spent the money and thought it was a good use of funds on an 18-hour ride. My only complaint was the quality of the food available on the ferry. This was a holdover from the pandemic, short staffed on the grill so variety limited. Such a pity. I spent time moving around the ferry during the trip, lounge, room, back deck and never got bored. In Port Hardy, I had booked a taxi to town. The ferry arrives late, and this was a good idea! Stayed in town a couple of days and then flew back to YVR. Strongly recommend this experience, though next time, I'll drive to Port Hardy and have the vehicle with me (this is more costly on the ferry but a savings overall).

Just come back from cruise on Ruby Princess. Since we came home i have been in bed with a fever, the air con in the cabins was useless felt trapped as though i couldn't breathe. Some cabins close to ours were closed off with quilted padding, (what was that all about) it was like an episode of the Golden Girls all rich women spending their dead husbands insurance. Most of them were ill.

Spent two weeks cruising the inside passage vancouver to whittier on board princess cruises with my wife and had the most breath taking views from our balcony. Our land excursions were also exceptional .would absolutely recommend this part of the world to everyone.

Well, I was not on the Island Spirit, but it was extremely rude to the other ships around it. We were on another cruise looking at Dawes Glacier and wanted to get a photo of the calving of the ice. We were there first, but then came chugging the Island Spirit. It went right past us, and blocked our view of the calving. There was lots of room and to tell the truth there was no need for the Island Spirit to get that close to the Glacier. It could have been dangerous.

Overall, the rudeness of just going right in front and blocking others views to me tells me that if they are willing to disregard other people, they would also disregard what is right for its passengers too.

I have attached photos I took from our view. They by no means have the rights to use these images for their marketing in any way.

They ruined my mother’s 60th birthday celebrations! We were promised that we’d get some treats in our room for our mum in celebration of her Birthday, but instead they gave us a $100 on board credit, which was then cancelled. Their customer service are like robots and only quote rules and regulations, instead of using their initiative and trying to be helpful. They also knew we were gluten free and there were very few gluten free options. We complained two days before the end of our cruise and were promised gluten free dessert/cakes, but still, nothing! Only a pavlova or a jelly! They charge so much but don’t cater to everyone! They also treat you differently if you’ve booked through a tour operator instead of booking directly, in spite of the fact they still take your money. The internet that you pay extra for is slow and unstable! They promise the world and deliver little! I wouldn’t book with them if I were you. Their excursions are over priced and their $100 credit doesn’t go far, so you end up losing your money! It’s all a con and if I were you I’d go with a more professional and reputable brand like Royal Caribbean or Disney. These guys need training in customer service and customer satisfaction.

We took a northbound cruise from Vancouver to Seward (Anchorage) from july 23rd to 30th- THATS PEAK SEASON and the best time to visit- It was a awesome experience with landscape changing every morning.
If you want to discover alaska take the Northbound (preferably) or southbound . A return cruise as a northbound one would go from Vancouver to Ketchiken , Juneau and Skagway . The return cruise will then start returning back to your starting port whereas the One way cruise would go Further North to unexplored areas of Glacier bay and Hubbard Glacier sailing further northward to the Gulf of Alaska and finally arriving at Seward . From Seward you can take a bus or train for a 2 hour journey to Anchorage from where you can fly back or further explore the Denali National park.
We took a inside state room(SEE ATTACHED PICTURES) and we have no regrets. Beautiful , clean rooms which we needed for sleep and rest . Rest of the time we spend in various complimentary restaurants and activity areas. The best was the buffet Garden Cafe(SEE ATTACHED PICTURES) - find a window seat and its awesome .
Only problem was there was no drinking water in the rooms - they sell water (SEE ATTACHED PICTURES)
There is frankly too much to do on the ship, so choose your priorities from shows , games , pool, bars or enjoy landscape -like we did.
Every evening they leave the next days schedule (SEE ATTACHED PICTURES) so that you can plan your day accordingly.
BON VOYAGE.

Amazing cruise on Celebrity. Excellent
room (we booked a verandah in Alpha class). Really clean ship, outstanding service and very good food. The buffet quality was exceptional. Scenery beautiful.
Staff worked very hard to make every aspect of our trip really nice. We will cruise Celebrity again for sure. This was our first cruise. We purchased a classic drink package ahead of time which was worth it since it covered lattes and speciality coffees.
Every aspect of the cruise was great.

There were 10 in our group. Each person had a different problem to contend with. Holland America cancelled one of the shore excursions and promised that the refund would be given the following day. Then we were told it would be given on disembarkation. Our tour continued with Holland America by coach. We were left with a different representative at each stop. We asked about the refund and were told that it would be given. The representatives only stayed for a few hours then we were left alone. It is now over 2 months and still no refund. There is no one to speak to once you disembark. Except for guest services who are not interested. I won't be using them again as apart from the refusal to provide a refund, we had to pay for the internet despite having the elite package which includes the internet. Our reserved table for dinner was given to someone else. When our shore excursion was cancelled, we were left waiting. I'll have to find a different cruise line for my travels.

Our 8 nights Inside Passage Sojourn from Sitka to Ketichikan was a special expedition cruise with 38 passengers. Every day brought different highlights whales, glaciers, bears, puffins and breathtaking scenery. The catamaran was comfortable, not luxurious. However its small size enabled it to visit further into narrow inlets at Glacier Bay & Misty Fjords. The flexible timetable meant that if we spotted some humpback whales bubble net feeding we stayed to watch. The crew were well trained, well informed & fun. The food was good ( halibut cheeks a highlight) and plentiful.

We just completed a cruise of the Alaska inside passage on the NCL Bliss. We booked the Haven class. It was wonderful. Our daughter and her husband and four children were also on board. The Haven staff were tremendous. We had not planned on ever taking a cruise again. Our daughter convinced us to accompany them. What a great experience! I would highly recommend visiting the inside passage and strongly consider the Haven.

We cruised on Island Princess July 11–18, 2018. Vancouver, Icy Strait Point, Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay, College Fjord and Whittier. We traveled as a couple in our mid 40's, first time cruisers (actually we had 2 river cruises before Yangtze and Nile) and we had a wonderful time. Our balcony cabin was on the top deck 12, Aloha closer to the elevators. As we booked only few weeks in advance, we had no much choice. I was worried about the noise coming from the elevators or from the top deck from the buffet restaurant as I am a light sleeper. I had no problem with any of these. The cabin is very well insulated. It is a big cabin and I strongly advise to book a balcony cabin for this trip since you can see so much from your own balcony (glaciers and whales). If you sail north choose a cabin on the right hand side of the ship so you can see the shore. Also, make sure you bring very good binoculars.
We had an amazing weather all the way. We saw Humpback Whales, Orca, Stellar Sea Lions, Harbor Seals, Sea Birds and Shore Birds, Bald Eagles, glaciers, the Tlingit villages, salmon fishing, sled dogs, amazing views.
Island Princess is a very nice ship and it offers everything you would want / need activities, food, entertainment for all ages and personalities. There is not enough time to experience everything. I would like to thank the crew everyone was fantastic.
We booked these shore trips with Princess: Icy Strait forest hike, Juneau Mendenhall Glacier and whale watching, Skagway -White Pass Scenic Railway. We loved all of these. Glacier Bay National Park was amazing and park rangers were also onboard and answered all our questions and explained everything we saw.
We were worried how to get from the airport in Vancouver to the ship and from the ship to Anchorage and we booked it with Princess. You don't need to. You can arrange your own ride. From Whittier there is a train to Anchorage or buses. Everyone takes the same route.
I was a little bit seasick which I did not expect and the sea wasn't too rough. I guess you just need to be prepared for it. I bought drugs and bracelets from the store on the ship.
Bring layers of clothes.
We enjoyed our cruise very much and do not be alarmed of the age of group. Yes the Alaska cruise tend to have more of a mature older crowd however Princess is more family oriented so there were also kids and honeymooners.

My wife and I visited Alaska's Inside Passage the last two weeks of May, 2022. When we go on vacations, our priorities are viewing scenery and wildlife. The Inside Passage has amazing scenery. Misty Fjords National Monument (near Ketchikan) with it's snow capped mountains, low hanging clouds and numerous waterfalls. Tracy Arm Fjord (near Juneau) one ups Misty Fjords by adding amazing blue icebergs from Sawyer Glacier. The White Pass Summit train ride (Skagway) giving an up close view of steep mountains with snow that is taller than the train cars at the summit. Glacier Bay with endless views of snow capped mountains and several glaciers. The variety of wildlife we saw in Alaska's Inside Passage can only be beat by taking an African safari. We saw whales, sea lions, sea otters, porpoises, brown bears, black bears, mountain goats, a moose, a porcupine, lots of eagles and other birds. We really had an unforgettable two week visit to the Inside Passage.

I read a Tripadvisor review that said "If it had not been the only way to see Alaska's Inside Passage I would not have chosen a cruise." I am here to tell you that you CAN see Alaska's Inside Passage without taking a cruise. My wife and I just did it. It takes patience, investigation and planning but it can be done. If you wish to know how to do it, continue reading. If you are not a good planner, are on a cheap budget or want your vacation to be more about the experience of a cruise ship then skip the rest of this review.

I live on the east coast of the United States. For over 15 years I have planned week long vacations to scenic areas of the United States. We fly to the nearest big city, rent a car, travel for a week or so, return the rental car and fly home. We stay in hotels (My wife needs a bed, hot shower and bathroom). The first day of the trip we almost always visit a grocery store and buy food and drinks for breakfasts, lunch and snacks. Our dinners are mostly in restaurants. Alaska's Inside Passage is not conducive to this type of vacation. I had to plan differently.

My planning process:
Step 1 - Figure out what we wanted to see. Tripadvisor with it's Top Things To See along with travel guides from Fodors or Frommers from the library were my tools. I eventually decided upon visiting Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Sitka and Glacier Bay.

Step 2 - Figure out when to visit. My wife and I take our vacations before Memorial Day (last Monday in May) and after Labor Day (first Monday in September). We avoid the crowded summer months. I picked May since the mountains would have more snow and the waterfalls from snow melting should be numerous.

Step 3 - Figure out transportation. When I first started the planning process, I had hoped to use the Alaska Marine Highway ferry system to get me from town to town. This caused the first major problem for me in the planning process. I like to plan my vacation a year in advance. However, the ferry schedule for May 2022 wasn't posted on the Alaska Marine Highway website until October 2021. I say that because my first reservation emails are dated Oct 5, 2021. Analyzing the ferry schedule, I realized the ferry system doesn't run often enough between the 5 places I wanted to visit. Somehow I discovered the Alaska Seaplanes air taxi system. Several other things slowed down the planning process. Alaska Seaplanes didn't have their 2022 schedule posted yet. At some point I decided we would fly into Ketchikan, ride the Alaska Marine Highway ferry to Juneau, then book round trip tickets on Alaska Seaplanes from Juneau to Skagway, Juneau to Sitka and Juneau to Gustavus (Glacier Bay). I can't recall what prompted the round trip ticket decision, but once that decision was made, the itinerary came together quickly.

Step 4 - Figure out lodging and tours. My main focus for lodging would be bread and breakfasts that supplied shuttles from/to the ferry or airport and was within walking distance of tour meeting spots. Since the towns in the Inside Passage are small, the tour meeting locations wasn't much of a problem. I based my lodging choices on good reviews rather than price. I figured I am visiting only once, so don't skimp on price. The same with the tours. Some tours/excursions weren't taking reservations yet. However, by December 2, 2021, I was able to make all my reservations except for one excursion. By January 5, 2022, my reservations were complete. I was banking on Covid-19 restrictions no longer limiting our vacation and that turned out to be correct.

My final itinerary:

Alaska Airlines to Ketchikan
3 nights at Inn At Creek Street
Misty Fjords Cruise - AK Hummer
Misty Fjords Seaplane Tour - Island Wings Air Service
Rainforest Zip, Skybridge & Rappel Adventure - Kawanti Adventure's

Alaska Marine Highway ferry to Juneau
3 nights Capital Inn B &B
Tracy Arm Fjord Glacier Cruise - True Alaskan Tours
Mendenhall Glacier Ice Adventure Tour - Liquid Alaska Tours
Juneau Wildlife Whale Watching Tour - Alaska Tales

Alaska Seaplanes to Skagway
2 nights Historic Skagway Inn
White Pass Summit Excursion
Klondyke Gold Rush National Historic Park
Reid Falls
Alaska Seaplanes to Juneau

Alaska Seaplanes to Sitka
2 nights Eagle Bay Inn
Alaska Raptor Center
Sitka National Historic Park
Fortress Of The Bears
Alaska Seaplanes to Juneau

Alaska Seaplanes to Gustavus
3 nights Glacier Bay Lodge
Glacier Bay Boat Tour - Glacier Bay Lodge and Tours
Glacier Bay Sea Kayaks - full day kayaking in Bartlett Cove
Alaska Seaplanes to Juneau

Alaska Airlines home

I wrote an earlier review of an inside passage cruise on Holland America and I wanted to update some things we experienced. We just returned from a 14 day up and back cruise from Vancouver to Seward and back, on the same ship, the Noordam. We needed some time away so this was a good way to relax, enjoy cool weather, and just relish the scenery and sights. We chose an upgraded Signature Suite and that was wonderful (2 sinks, separate tub and shower, more room, larger veranda). We love going into Glacier Bay, and this time did it twice. We also arranged a 6 hour national park boat tour out of Seward and were able to leave the ship for the day, spend time in Seward, and then get back on the ship for the evening and travel south. HAL made this very easy for us. I love the fact that HAL focuses attention on the natural wonders of Alaska and brings NP rangers on for Glacier Bay and has an onboard naturalist that you can talk to and get answers on things to see and do. One thing that has changed with HAL is the smoking policy and that is important for us non-smokers. No more smoking in the cabins, verandas (YEAH), and casino. That means you can walk the ship, or enjoy the beauty of the outdoors on your veranda without dealing with someones smoking habit. I love the fact that HAL keeps a walking deck that goes all around the ship and 3 rotations equal a mile, so keeping healthy is easy. Staying for 2 weeks allowed us to really get to know our dining room wait staff and for them to know us and meet our needs. We never went into fancy dining choices this time (sorry HAL) but found we could get excellent dining choices in the regular dining room.

Well where do I start what scenery if it doesn’t blow your mind seeing bears whales otters birds just nature in general then stay home in front of your idiot box it was a dream that I got too actually go and live it and I’m grateful that we have this on our planet thanks but the downside is that it’s tourists prices on everything you touch or buy so be prepared too have everybody in your pocket

My wife and I had an incredible experience on the NatGeo / Lindblad Quest cruise of Alaska’s inside passage. We always wanted to do an Alaskan cruise and we researched many options. We are sooooo glad we went on a small ship (88 passengers). We took 3 zodiac boat trips, launched off the back of the ship. We kayaked multiple times. We hiked in the woods and got awesome photo tips from a very nice NatGeo photographer. You cannot get this experience on a big cruise ship. The onboard naturalists were smart, extremely nice, and could safely drive a zodiac boat. Food was good and the cabin was great. We paid extra to get a room with a small balcony which was great for taking photos. Our ship could go where no big ship could ever reach. The trip was exceptionally well organized. Truly a trip of a lifetime.

Extremely poor customer service. We were looking at the Alaska cruises and initially booked one in August, paid the $350 deposit, then found a better cabin on a June cruise instead so we booked that one.. I tried to contact them immediately, so within 10 minutes of booking the August AND June cruises so I could cancel the August and their customer service was closed. When I called the next business day, they said they will NOT refund the first $350 deposit even though we booked a second cruise and tried to call them within 10 minutes of the booking. We still owe them $4K for the June cruise.. what a bad taste to start with.. they wont even just move the extra $350 to the new cruise.. I just lose it?????? That's absolutely bad customer service.

What can I say but Bravo. I cannot commend Princess Cruises enough. The staff - amazing - activities - amazing - price of alcohol - amazing - destination incredible - more on that separately but the food my goodness the food was deliciousness personified. (The buffet was typical buffet - definitely the seated dining rooms worked best for us). The kids loved the pizza, burgers, fries, ice cream and being treated special. Voice of the Ocean was fabulous (sorry about my song choice 😂😂) Thanks Princess for making our first cruise one we will remember forever. We had one obstructed view room and one interior room for the kids. This worked perfectly for us. I recommend E630 - the obstruction is minimal and for this cruise, you spend most of your time out of your room. See photos. Thanks for listening 💕

We were excited to cruise the Inland passage. The best thing about our cruise was the beautiful mini suite we had. The views from the balcony of the glaciers and the inland passage were spectacular. We could have had the same view however on a better quality cruise line. We rarely could find our room steward. We would put out the :make up room sign and it would never be made up. The room steward made our room up 3 times with us in it. He was hardly ever anywhere to be found. So disappointing as on other cruise lines the room steward is all over you. And no towel animals at night, although the photo shop had lovely photos of the towel animals on the wall. The activities onboard are boring and almost non existant. The worst however is the food. We ate in the main dining room a lot at it was like cafeteria food. Very bland, sometimes uneatble. Really low class. Service was ok. One of the 3 specialty restaurants we ate at was sub par. My crab cake was dry and the food was bland. The other 2 )the brazilian steak house and the French Bistro were good and what main dining rooms used to be like on cruises. The buffet was almost impossible to get to. It was over run with people because this ship is designed for warmer weather cruises and allowing people to spill out onto the pool decks to eat. Many times we just took our food to our room to eat. We were bored stiff. This ship has limited activities. Even Bingo was a dud one day as they canceled it. The class and atmosphere we used to enjoy on Norweigan is gone. Never ever Norweigan again.

We have taken 5 Alaskan Inside Passage Cruises with Princess. We always book a Land Tour with Princess to precede the Cruise. Princess has a few land tours available and we like the Connoisseur Tours that are guided with a Tour Director. You can't go wrong with any of them: Fairbanks south via Train including Denali, across Canada from Jasper via Train, Copper mountain via Coach, Kenai Peninsula via coach and MORE. Always take the Land Tour first as you get up early to get luggage out as you are usually on the move. The experience is worth the early wakeups. Once you are on the ship you can relax. Schedule excursions that work with your bodyclock. Even a walk into town in Alaska is a great experience. Pick the early tours if your body likes that. Pick the later tours if that's what you need. Skip a day early to rest from the land tour. Alaska via Land and Sea could be one of the best vacations you've ever taken if you like the outdoors. The Alaskan Inside Passage Cruise makes a Carribean Cruise look like a walking tour through hell!

The Inside passage with UNCRUISE on the Wilderness Explorer. An adventure is the description of the best cruise we have had. From day one,the utmost attention was given to providing a cruise of a lifetime.And That Andrew(Skipper)and Dawn (program manager) did. The sights and creatures were as good as it gets. The food and beverages almost Michelin,with service to match.The day excursions very good , catering for any taste. Departure from Juneau and return made available most of the sights that one can view away from the bigger cruise boats,getting into the small inlets to Glaciers they cannot see up close. A stunning cruise not to be forgotten, with a crew to match.

Amazing going through the Inside Passage. I have never seen so many many trees! Scenery amazing too. Hubbard Glacier was jaw dropping and then stopping off to other towns was fabulous. Great cruise.

A great experience, on the whole due to staff, the sights and facilities on board the ship.
The staff cannot fo enough to help. Many people celebrating and all offered little special treats. Nice touch!
The sights are awesome.
The facilities onboard in the case of the number of pools, jacuzzis, movies, etc were surprisingly good.
I agree with previous reviews that more time in Ketchikan & Victoria would have been very welcome.
The only things I didn’t like were the art sessions, the cost of the professional photographs (more people would buy if these were more reasonable), plus I felt some of the things (like milkshakes, hot drinks like hot choc & frothy coffee) could have been included in upfront cost. I hope Ruby Princess will consider these minor comments, and like my friend & mine attempts to show we had a great trip!

This was our first cruise and we loved it. Being the Inside Passage it was like we were not even moving. Our balcony room was very spacious however I don't recommend the sofa bed. I know space is limited but perhaps a topper would help make you more comfortable. This is the only reason I didn't give a higher rating.
The food was excellent in both the Horizon Court Buffet and in the dining room. There was so much to do and the staff were just great, especially Nikki our steward and Charles in the dining room made it a real experience.
Our shore excursions were so much fun, and of course the day in Glacier Bay was stunning despite the rain. We booked the Sanctuary for the day and even though it rained we had prepared by bringing the waterproof wet weather gear. I also had the advantage of having a waterproof camera so didn't have to worry about it getting wet. The rain kept most people away so there were very few of us and therefore had the run of the back deck almost to ourselves.
I must admit I was very impressed with the organisation for boarding and disembarking. Very well organised and fair.
Would love to do this trip again.

Our cruise was from Los Angeles to Buenos Aires on Star Princess.

Los Angeles port facilities are so third world. We had paid for Club Class which is supposed to include priority boarding. But some idiot had allowed priority boarding to be over sold so much that there was NO priority boarding. This was made worse by Princess supplying far too few staff to support the known booking demand and the staff appeared to be mostly retirees. They were very slow workers. Is this the NEW cheap labour policy for Princess ?
When we arrived at the port the passenger queue stretched way out into the open air. Very lucky it wasn't raining. Best advice, never start a cruise from Los Angeles Port. The facilities are totally inadequate for 21st century travellers.

Princess do some things extremely well. Like staff training, security, many on board facilities, cleanliness throughout the ship and positive staff attitude across all departments.

But so much of Princess fails to deliver because of extremely poor and thoughtless senior management decision processes and outcomes.
Princess is an American based company that has established itself in recent times as an international tourism provider to many nationalities throughout the world.
Yet their food and beverage services are still only catering to an aged american travellers preference for bland, tasteless and mostly carbohydrates and sugar rich food choices. It's as if all their chefs have never embraced the use of herbs, spices or exotic ingredients from the Indian sub continent or Asia. This cruise was 31 days and the food was unimaginatively designed, repetitive on a weekly basis, extremely bland in taste. Once when I ordered roast duck, I sent it back three times to be replaced with another serve. Each time it was impossible to separate the flesh from the bone it had been so poorly prepared. A curry dish I had on one meal had virtually no curry flavour at all. And this is the era where television reality shows are teaching all of us throughout the world how to improve our culinary standards, dining appreciation and experiences.
Shame on you Princess for such a poor effort.

The main reason though that we will never be traveling again with Princess again, is because of their new bed mattress policy. Before this cruise we had taken two short cruises with Princess.
We only had to tolerate the americanisation of their food for a few days. But their bed mattresses were so firm and comfortable.
We always had a great nights sleep on their superior mattresses. They were firm but very comfortably supportive.
But management conducted a survey with some Princess passengers. In that survey, apparently, many passengers complained about how "hard" their mattresses were. "Hard" ? I don't think so.
So at great expense, a decision was made by senior management of Princess to change all bed mattresses on all Princess ships to what is now a ridiculously soft mattress. At the start of our cruise we complained and the room servicing management and staff were extremely considerate and helpful over four days to try and give us a more comfortable mattress. What was finally supplied was an improvement, BUT we never had a night of sleep on the whole cruise that we considered rewarding.
I spoke to maybe 150+ guests during the cruise about these VERY soft mattresses. My survey results were:- all male passengers hated them, and more than 50% of the women I spoke to didn't care for them either. WELL DONE Princess. Your survey is a raging success !!

No more Princess cruises for us !

We took an Alskan cruise on Holland Amercia from Seattle to Seattle what an amzing experience right from picking from the ariport and drop back to the airport was an amazing expereience. The cabins were quite spacious compared to the other cruise liners. we had an excellent life time experience on this cruise liner. Thanks to their staff for providing a very good vegetarian food. Some times we did get nice Indian food as well. Overall worth the money spent.

I have to say what an amazing cruise on the Solstice to Alaska we just experienced. Every staff member we encountered were incredibly happy, polite and courteous.
I do have a big shout out though to the guys at the Martini Bar. Amazing and incredibly entertaining.
Jono was an absolute gem. So good. He made the entertainment team and that is no disrespect to the others who were also great. He just, in my opinion went the extra mile to make you feel special.
Then to my absolute brilliant and most friendliest bar tender I have come across. Pankey, what a star. He was so friendly and so attentive. We had some great chats and he always knew who I was and what I wanted. Incredible memory. The best and I hope i am fortunate to meet him again on another cruise with celebrity.
Big up Captain Theo and the officers who gave us an out of this world trip. He gave us some unforgettable memories.
Thanks again to Celebrity for an amazing experience.
James

Fab. Worth it. Awesome and picturesque.
Everywhere you look seems like a perfect picture.
Lots of green, lots of flowers wide open space in Juneau, Sika and Ketchikan

While the Inside Passage was nice.. I'd like to talk about the Princess Cruises .
First thing.. obviously you will have your US visa..but please do ensure that you have a Canadian visa as well as you will be entering Canadian waters. They do not allow you to board the ship if you don't have the Canadian visa.
Our trip started and ended in San Francisco. We stopped in Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway and Victoria before setting sail for San Francisco.
The ship is nice.
We were most impressed with our cabin steward who cleaned our room twice a day. Always very cheerfully.
The food was average although it certainly did not lack in variety.
I have to say that the cheerful staff made up for the absolutely average food.
The entertainment, although enthusiastic, was definitely reminiscent of high school productions.
The embarkation and disembarkation process was smooth.
Highlight of the trip was definitely the Glacier Bay.
To end I'd like to emphasize again that check your Canadian visa status again. You HAVE to have it The company does NOT emphasize it enough.

This was my first cruise, and my last. We know BC Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast well and have seen these cruises ply this route. In many ways it lived up to expectation. In other it did not. Without doubt it is a rip off. The cost of everything from water to beverages is way overpriced even before you add 15 % to everything. It's not as if there is a choice. What HAL expect you to spend is taken off your card when you board. If you use a pre-paid it can take ages to get any Pending charges back, and these are not itemised so you have no knowledge of what they are for.
The organisation for both embarcation and in Juneau disembarkation was arduous in
the extreme. We could have boarded anytime afternoon but arrived at the recommended 1.0 clock .After we picked up our key cards we were herded into a holding pen withh 1000 other International pasangers, off two ships, for about 3 hours. US and Canadian passengers strolled past though empty US customs points. In a cold hall on hard plastic seats without refreshment or any indication of how long we would wait. Once on board tired and thirsty we were in the lift when the Muster Drill started. We were hustled out of our room by the steward last to the Muster point. This could all have been avoided by HAL sending us out to Canada place for an hour when we picked up our key card and telling us when we boarded to wait until after the drill. Or escorting us to our room.
Juneau was equally badly organised. Clockwise around the boat passing another line anticlockwise along narrow corridors while others came down the lifts and stairs and waltzed off.
The is no wi fi to the outside world. If, as we were, the ship is diverted, telling your planned tour you will be late is not easy. Telling your pick up your disembarkation time is equally hard. Monitoring expenditure, or loading pre-paid travel cards is difficult. Skagway library has free fast access but not the boat alongside in port.
That's all the bad news. The cabin was excellent. We specified a walk in shower so had an adapted room. Wide doors lovely angled shelterd balcony it was ideal for watching the inside passage and it is amazing. We saw Whales and Orca quite close. In Glacier bay a pair of Perigrine Falcons swooped close enough to touch. Seals huge Sea Lions one guy even claimed he saw Wolves on the shoreline. Every stop we saw Bears and Eagles even a huge Porkupine. Best tour Skagway half day to the Yukon with Fountier.
The food was very good only spoilt by the exorbitant cost of beverages.
At the end of the trip we agreed there are two types of people who cruise. Those that are addicted and do not care where the boat goes, they are there for the casino and entertainments And those who are there for where the boat goes and what's ashore.. We are the later. The entertainments we did see were too loud so we did not stay. The best bar coffee shop was the Crows Nest. Without the diversion the days at sea boring except the narrows, but Juneau and Ketchikan can only be visited by boat or plane. The weather in September was fine dry and sunny throughout. 6052 best room.

The inside passage is a beautiful transition from USA to Canada to the Coast of Alaska. The Islands, wilderness and wildlife will capture your spirit. I have been many times and always see something new and enchanting.

Our trip was most enjoyable. The weather was good and the sailing was smooth. The staff were excellent as usual. Also, the food was of an excellent standard. We didn’t see much in the way of wildlife such as grizzly bears.

Holland America Line really caters well for the older passages. Both my wife and I are in our 70s and we feel well looked after on these cruises. This was our ninth cruise with HAL and we are now four star Mariners.

Beautiful. Good sea day. Very confrontational and very good food. Nice laid back and well appointed

This was our second trip to Alaska for myself and my husband. Words cannot express the natural beauty!

The day before arriving in Vancouver from Seward, Alaska we cruised the Inside Passage. It was a sunny day with clear skies and we really enjoyed the grand vistas of the mountains and hundreds of islands we passed by. It really pays out to stay on deck and watch for wildlife as I learned from a german who showed me a photo of an orca near the ship. Apparently a whole pod of orca's passed by, but we weren't on deck on time. Fortunately I could enjoy this mighty creature from the screen of a dslr with a humongous telelens on it. So, best stay on deck with a telelens or binoculars, cause other people also saw whales and dolphins! Unfortunately no unicorns :) Anyways, before cruising the Inside Passage on day 7 we had a fantastic cruise, great staff, great musicians, comedians, dancers and performers every day. Food was good and so was the room, lots to do on board. But the real magic was out there: leaving Seward cruising along the Kenai Fjords, on day 2 the Hubbard Glacier, the 4 ports of call and the great tours we did there, it was a great experience!

My wife made reservations for a trip with her mom on an Alaska Inside Passage cruise. They selected the Princess trip because of the advertised itinerary. Unfortunately they found that the itinerary was nothing but a big lie even before the cruise began. Ten days prior to the cruise she received the following email from Princess Cruises.

ITINERARY CHANGE

Please be advised that due to scheduled engine maintenance, Crown Princess will not be operating at full speed during your upcoming cruise. This requires us to make some revisions to your cruise itinerary.
We will no longer call to Ketchikan on Thursday, May 12, and have added a call to Icy Strait Point from 5:00 PM to 8:30 PM on Wednesday, May 11. Additionally, we will now arrive in Juneau at 3:30 PM on Monday, May 9 rather than 12:00 noon as previously scheduled, and will arrive in Skagway at 6:00 AM on Tuesday, May 10 rather than 7:00 AM.

Because of the “scheduled engine maintenance” her ship and the following cruises on the same ship would be cruising slower and all of the advertised stops would be shorter or changed. Since this was “scheduled maintenance” they knew the ship would never make the stops they had advertised when she purchased the tickets but they failed to disclose that info.

Ketchikan has a lot to see, the substitute stop, Icy Strait Point has very little to see and it was going to be only a 3.5-hour stop. They really wanted to see Ketchikan so she called Princess to see if she could make a change to another cruise but they wouldn’t let her. Three days prior to the cruise they sent the below email allowing a change.

IMPORTANT NOTICES
SPECIAL OFFER!!

SPECIAL OFFER! Princess is extending a special offer to guests booked on May 7th 2022 Crown Princess Sailing. Change your date to any 2022 7 DAY Round trip Seattle voyage and sail in a balcony! Your current fare will be protected

That’s a little late to make changes when you have to fly to the cruise departure port!
Once aboard the ship, changes to the itinerary were announced over the ship’s loudspeakers. One of the changes was to put Ketchikan back on the itinerary but for a shorter stop. The Skagway shore excursion was cut short due to a late arrival so the Skagway White Pass & Yukon train trip was cut from 40 miles to 28 miles round trip.

One of the highlights of the cruise for her mom was going to be the excursion to Butchart Gardens near Victoria, which they paid for in advance. They found out only hours before that it was canceled due to their late arrival in Victoria.

In addition to itinerary changes caused by not operating at full speed many of the passengers had rooms with plumbing problems including toilets not working. Once the ship unloaded, it was going out again that day with the same issues. If you’re considering going on a cruise I’d recommend a different cruise line.

We had a fantastic time on the cruise. The food was great, the staff couldn't have been better. The only things I could knock are the elevators seem a bit slow and the ship vibrated a lot. We actually watched one of the spiral staircases on the Royal Princess going up and down in the atrium. Of course we had to get on it and experience the feeling. Don't let that hold you back though, it is a great time.

The hardest thing was finding a reasonable, clean, safe area hotel in Anchorage. Wild pick, Inlet Towers. Not bad and free shuttle from airport and to train station. Bar and restaurant too. Boat was PRINCESS SAPphire, ABOUT 2,500 people. Not overly crowded, and hand washing taken seriously. Aug 2 to Aug 9, 2023. Dress nice but no sport coat for men really needed to pack. Best,must, side trip= helicopter tour from Juneau to walk on the Glacier. Dress for mild chilly weather and warm days. Lots of people wore shorts. The side trip excursions give you cold weather gear and rain gear. Several pools, heated. Lucked out, no rain ex last day. And very light. Saw no whales, or wild bears.

A small section of Alaska's vast land, beautiful to see from the comfort of your cruise ship. Service was great, excursions were well planned .

The view of the mountain peaks and glaciers were so breath taking I cried. Only God could make something so beautiful.

Very striking and spectecular. The views of the mountains are, sometimes 5 deep, which gives a very striking 3D picture. Interestingly we were told that the mountains are of 2 differences. 1. Those that were born of the sea, during the Ice Age, and had no growth at all.
2. those that were formed by Volcanos which had incredible green growth.
We were told that the reason the Mountains from the sea had little top soil, when formed, caused by the avalanches clearing the top soil leaving just rock with nil growth despite these differences they all had plenty of snow and glaciers to marvel at. Recommend.

I’ve been a business owner for 27 years I know what service is all about. I am a avid cruiser with lots of cruise lines as I love to travel.

Holland America needs desperately new leader ship and learned the meaning of customer service. No matter what time of day or night or watt day of the week you call them you are on hold forever if you end up speaking to someone nobody never knows answers to your questions. The service has been pathetic for years. Me and my girlfriend from Singapore were told we did not have to have a booster shot to take the northern Baltic cruise we go to the port and not allowed to board the ship after I had proof that two customer service reps told me I did not need a booster I had proof and documentation when I went to Copenhagen with my girlfriend to board and they still would not allow us the board. Folks remember this you have choices out here this company is all over the place I highly recommend you choose another company for your cruise. And just wait till you have an issue like I have had I have emailed them several times I’ve been waiting over three months and have heard nothing from them no phone call no nothing so I finally took it to myself to call them back after waiting three months and somebody was finally able to tell me they were going to credit me $10,000 that I had paid for a future cruise and refund my port fees I would think after three months I would finally have a check for the port fees and I still have not received. When I went to try to look to see what was going on when I logged in to there company website they’re only showing a $4500 credit. I waited on hold for over 45 minutes on Sunday, September 4, 2022 to get answers and address this problem as I have approximately a $10,000 credit and once again nobody ever came to the phone I have discovered with my years of dealing with this company this is a routine thing. I would FIRE the CEO in a flash he or she is a certified joke ! If any of you want to get the real deal about this company CALL me any day of the week Kenneth Garrett 919-775-5802 I tell it like it is

You will regret traveling on Holland American cruise line if you have an issue I can promise you that !!

After 30 years we returned to Alaska on a very relaxing 7-day cruise with Holland America, on the Amsterdam vessel. Unmatched scenery, nice ship, outstanding crew and service, good entertainment, delicious meals and several restaurant options! If you live in Texas where we get too many 100 degree days, a cruise to Alaska in August is absolutely a winner! Highly recommend it!

This was a favorite voyage on our cruise. God has created some beautiful things in the world and you will see some of them at this location.

I typically cruise the east coast, this is my first west coast cruise, and first Holland America ship. Dinning area and buffet were quiet bland. Fruit was never ripe or just poor in quality. Pinnacle restaurant was very good. Burger lounge was good, but the confined hours were ridiculous. Production Shows were poor compared to cheaper and shorter 3-5 day cruises. Cocktails in the Gallery Bar, Tamerind, Billboards, BB Kings, were straight insulting to be considered cocktails. Your bartenders do not follow recipe guidelines, nor do they have the bitters/shrubs, or the top shelf spirits required to make the cocktails you advertise. (seriously a 3 day carnival ship to the bahamas offers a legitimate certified mixologist on board. Bar name Alchemy.) You're located in the prohibition epicenter of our nation near San Francisco and LA, what gives... You clearly do not give a rats hoot about your bars, I'm certain their pay is no different than your service room clerks. The port on-boarding secuirty staff from cabo, mazatlan, and puerto vallarta have zero personality / hospitality are straight aggressive in their process and it was disheartening each time we had to go back to the ship. The room service and food buffet staff were polite and whats to be expected but I must say they go out of their way and it was appreciated. This ship was a waste of our time, and out money, I will personally be quite the advocate against this cruise line...

I write this review with a heavy heart. Someone needs to tell people that they won’t see glaciers at glacier bay other than one last little one that will probably be gone by the time you make it there. What you see on TV and news is all real, glaciers are melting before your eyes. The only way to see glaciers is to go on one of the plane excursions in Juneau which is what we did. The temperature was hot, not warm but hot. Scenery is still beautiful but only go if you’d like to see green forests and may be some wild life (All tours said, low tides, bear sightings today but I haven’t heard anyone seeing much of wild life), not glaciers. You need to go out on pretty much all the excursions to experience the natural beauty, there’s not much of a town anywhere, it’s all about hiking and fishing trips which we loved but it all looked like New England.

My husband and I went on an Alaska cruise late September. We took the Westerdam by Holland America Line, stayed in state room 4185 a corner suite (best choice ever). I love photography so it had a corner balcony were I could see everywhere.

The cruise line: it is a relaxed cruise-line, more for elderly than youngsters, yet since we like relaxation and wanted more quiet, it was perfect.
Internet connection was very very poor even though we paid the highest internet plan that there was available.
Food was good and service overall was very kind. I won’t recommend buying the beverage cards or any cards on the cruise. You can just charge your consumption to the room. We didn’t use all cards an lost over 100usd because no refund were made.

The landscape: Perfection stays short! The weather was excellent, the cruise went over unthinkable places. I definitely recommend this trip.

The offshore excursions: we booked it through the cruise line and was a good experience.

We went to 3:
Mendenhall Glacier and whale watching: very nice walk and afterwards whale watching! Really nice and worth it!

Helicopter ride over a glacier: worth’s every penny! Really nice tour! Well organized and perfect landscape.

Misty fiords and hydroplane ride: I would skip this if I were to do it again. It is a nice landscape but it is something that you would see with the cruise. So not worth it.

Best thing ever was the glacier stop that the ship did. We got to spend the whole day watching the Johns Hopkins Glacier and it was just amazing.

I would definitely recommend this trip, the cruise line and offshore activities.

This was our first cruise of any type so were complete rookies. We were so impressed with the Princess Cruise on the Coral Princess. Services and amenities brilliant, our mini-suite great, comfortable and clean - with the staff regularly maintaining our room inconspicuously.
We had the dining anytime option and used the Bordeaux Restaurant for almost every meal on board. They was always something new to choose and the service and the food were perfect.
At one stage there was an engine issue which resulted in our arrival at one port being delayed - everyone on board was re-imbursed for tours unable to be used as well as a bonus payment so can't complain about that.
The port tours we selected were excellent. Ours was the first cruise of the season but the weather held up pretty well with very little rain. Cool but not too bad at all.
The vast majority of travellers were in the older age groups with only a few families with small children - but I think it would be suitable for any age group.
If you can afford it definitely go with the mini-suite. Very spacious, terrific balcony with unimpeded views, great service and special dining treatment 'club class'.
The only negatives were: 1. The rather blatant and over the top sales pitch from the diamond sellers on board promoted as being advice for shopping in ports. Many like us exited about 10 minutes in. 2. We had an on board credit at the end of the cruise which was to be reimbursed within 4 to 6 weeks. We are now 9 weeks out and no refund yet despite a couple of follow up emails from us. Those aside it was a brilliant cruise experience and I would not hesitate to go with Princess Cruises again.

Visit Skagway, Ketchikan and Juneau by cruising into port while you sleep and spend the day exploring the towns. The real highlight is sailing into Glacier Bay and getting up close to glacier over 1 mile tall. Plenty of wildlife to see too. Whale watching from your balcony

We chose the 7-day cruise on the Celebrity Millennium, Vancouver to Anchorage. It was a great experience and one we will never forget. The 1st stop was Ketchikan, a small town with shops extending over a creek running thru it. A great walk thru town and the shops. The 2nd stop was Icy Point Strait. Don’t pay for a whale tour, there are plenty to see in the port for free. If you opt for a bear search tour, make sure it is the right time of the year for a better chance to see them. The 3rd port was Juneau. We caught a transfer to the Mendenhall visitor center for $45 that included our entrance to the park. We saw the glacier and there are several good trails to hike. The 4th port was Skagway. Lots of people took the train to White Pass, but we chose a White Pass Summit & Beyond van tour and had a great time. The viewing of the Hubbard Glacier while we were at sea was totally worth the trip….it is fantastic! The trip ended in Seward, so you need to get transportation from there to Anchorage if you are flying out. It’s about 2 hrs travel. A cab is $400, but we just got a tour that stopped at an animal rescue zoo for about $150. Tip – If you have the time, you may want to consider the return cruise back from Seward to Vancouver. The reduced cost of the round trip flights out of Vancouver rather than 2 one-way flights could have offset much of the extra cruise costs. Also, we booked all of our own shore excursions on the web prior to the trip…no issues and probably saved 10-20%.

I can't figure out how to review a cruise line, so I'll use this spot. We sailed with Holland American in July from Seward to Vancouver. There were a few minor issues along the way which were dealt with. After arriving home, I got sent an email telling me that I still owed them $256 for transfers that I had book from Anchorage to Seward. Seeing as how I didn't make that trip (booking private transfer from Alyeska Resort to Seward on my own), I shouldn't have that on my bill. I also searched my own bills, and it doesn't show. However, they keep emailing me that I owe them. When I tried getting in touch with them on the phone, I kept getting transferred around, and no one will discuss this with me. I have sent repeated emails back to them. While the cruise was fine, the customer relations at company headquarters isn't. I doubt we'll ever take another cruise - but certainly not with Holland America.

The cruise itself was okay. Food and service were excellent! Entertainment was poor except for the last comedian and the last dance group. Their post-cruise experience is ridiculously poor. They charged me an extra $169 USD AFTER I had left the ship and I've contacted them 4 times in the past 6 weeks to get it returned and am still waiting. Everytime I call they say they will look into it and still nothing. Now they have changed their contact line to be Monday-Friday 10 am-4pm rather than 24/7. Very, VERY poor. I'm still waiting for them to return my money.

Some breath-taking views as you travel through the inside passage. There are snow topped mountains, islands covered with trees and if you are lucky you might spot a whale or two

Amazing landscape with smaller or broader water between mountain, view on glaciers. We preferred ferry against cruizing ship and felt well.

Cruising inside passage is, maybe a once in a life time experience.
A fabulous view of so many glaciers.
Hope the glaciers will be around for many more centuries.
Well worth the experience.
It was awesome.

I had traveled to every state, a lifelong dream, saving Alaska as my “final frontier”. It did not disappoint. There is no place like it in the rest of the United States. My only regret is that I wish I had not waited so long. I falsely felt it would be an expensive venture, but it can be taken very economically and still in luxury. I traveled by cruise on the Island Princess, and it did not cost any more than many of my trips. Don’t wait!

Lovely scenery but Holland America nieuw Amsterdam was not. Food was excellent, staff nice but pushy alwYs asking you to have special meals in restaurant that ou had to pay for, a bottle of wine instead of a glass etc. Queues to get in boat and queues to get off boat at ports, first port 45 min to get off, late for trip. Trips were a rip off, very e pensive and wate if money. One to Haines eagle preserve along a river on a raft where it said teaming with salmon so bears, eagles could also possibly be seen was a joke. The tide was out and river muddy so no salmon, no other wildlife except eagles 40 to 50 ft high up in the trees. The raft was a rubber dingy and you had to sit on the edge and hold on to a rope behind your back. Lucky there was no wildlife as picture taking was extremely difficult. We felt the whole thing was a rip off, they even charged 15% each service charge on the cabin. This was our first cruise, admittedly we were a bit naive but it is also our last as we did not know we could cancel the service charge when you first got on the boat. I have emailed Holland America about the Haines raft trip but 3 weeks later still have not have the courtesy of a reply - I suppose I sort of expected it.

Not only was this something completely different from your archetypal cruise in terms of venue but such is the nature of the Inside Passage that on occasion you feel that you can shout to anyone who might be frequenting the opposite bank so narrow are the straits down which the ship must sail.

The wilderness at your front door with eagles and humpback whales abounding .... but regretably no sight of bears on this occasion.

Exceedingly green and beautifully chilled fresh air (even in the summer - lol) - if you're in the market for something different and you enjoy the wilderness then this is the place / cruise for you.

For the most part, our experience on the Holland America Eurodam was pleasant. But I know the byproducts of an overly and improperly incentivized sales force. Whoever manages the Spa on this boat is the reason we will never choose Holland America again. The sales tactics and pressure to buy overpriced products were outrageous and discomforting. If you pressure people to buy "prescriptive" products - lotions, 21-day-cleanse, etc and you give the same "prescription" to everyone, it is not a prescription, it is a scam. And the closing invoice was next to impossible to decipher. After multiple sessions with customer service agents, who clearly could see we were overcharged and double charged for some services there is ZERO follow-up. One agent agreed we were owed something more than$400 but stated they would need a week to get back to me as they needed to reach out to the Spa Manager and the boat was already back at sea (apparently the manager was too busy making certain other customers were being ripped off to respond to shore to ship communication), two weeks later after ZERO follow-up I called again, invested another wasted hour, the csr stated we were only overcharged $82.50 but now 2 weeks after that still no follow-up from Holland America. They happily take your money but if there is an issue they go silent. I am done wasting my time dealing with their customer service and will write-off the money they essentially stole from us. Our revenge will be our next cruise will be with a different carrier.

Even though Princess Cruise Line and Land Tour was very lacking, Alaska was beautiful, and everybody should travel here at least once in their lifetime. With global warming it may not look the same for future generations. We saw beautiful mountains, vistas and wildlife! Bring your binoculars.

Departed northbound via the Norwegian Jewel (Norwegian Cruise Lines) from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, in June 1 for 7 nights. Incredible journey with stops at Ketchikan, Juneau, and Skagway before disembarking at Seward AK.

Incredible scenery. Lots of exciting excursion options via NCL and independent.

This cruise was ridiculously inexpensive and a thrill of a lifetime, even for my retired sailor husband.

If you want to see the beauty of Akaska’s inside passage, this is the way! We spent days at sea in Glacier Bay and Hubbard Glacier Bay.

Ten stars aren’t enough to explain how wonderful this place is. Breathtaking.

Notice the huge brown bear swimming effortlessly across Glacier Bay!

Everyone needs to see the glaciers on the inside passage at least once. This was our second trip. Alaska is awesome. Can't say enough about it.

We had to leave as my spouse is confined to a wheelchair scooter and no accessible room with roll in shower, and they SAY they won’t refund our money on a 40 day cruise. Oh boy, will they and more when I am done with them. Oh, and It just came out of dry dock....I have some disgusting photos.

We took the Golden Princess ship from Whittier to Vancouver the last week of July and it was amazing. We started with a land tour to Denali and our adult kids/spouses joined us in Whittier to celebrate our 40th anniversary.

We had three balcony rooms and did anything dining all week.

We did not take the liquor package, even with 4 young folks - we could never drink enough to justify it - unless you wants to be drunk all day,night.

We took advantage of just about everything, the casino, the outdoor movies, the shows, the art auction, but clearly, it's the sights of Alaska, the glaciers and the wildlife that was amazing.

We did some excursions together and some apart, we generally ate dinner together and 1/2 of the time breakfast and lunch.

We did bring the two bottles of wine allowed each, the corking fee is cheaper than a good comparable Cotter of wine from the ship.

My wife did the galley tour and it was great.

We bought pictures from the boat - and YES it is a rip off but this was a once in a lifetime trip.

Go to the nightclubs - dance and drinks are fun even for us old folks.

Get a fact sheet about the ship (see picture)
----------------
Regrets

Not going on the helicopter tour of the glacier because some of our group are nervous flyers - if necessary split up - how many times will you be back ?

Not getting to exercise as much - too much food and liquor and not enough exercise - working to get off the extra pounds now.

Not taking the $150 behind the scene tour of the ship.

The kids had adjoining rooms which allowed them to open the balcony bigger, we should have had an adjoining room also.

Not using the on board laundry before the last day,we still had 7 days of travel after the cruise and we had to wait for all the other folks who waited until the last day to do laundry.

Overall priceless - will likely do it again.

The inside passage cruise meet all our expectations and more. We were blessed with glorious weather every day and almost mirror finished sea and very little wind making it possible to get much closer to the glaciers then usual.The ship, M.S. Vollendam, was a lovely smallish ship with lots of comfortable places to sit and watch the world go by.Through a mishap in booking we didn’t get the veranda cabin we were expecting but can’t say it made much difference as probably wouldn’t have used it much anyway. The cabin was smallish, but they always are on boats. It was very clean and the stewards were excellent.I only mentioned that the bed was a little hard and they got me a memory foam topper for it.The food was very good. Especially in the dining room in the stern of the boat,with lovely views out over the sea.We chose to have breakfast on the buffet deck but could have had it in the dining room.Our waiters were excellent. Nothing was to much trouble.My only negative was the optional tours off the boat. Although these were good ,they were expensive. I think you could get the same things a lot cheaper by just going ashore a booking them.i would recommend this cruise.

High expectations were surpassed on this 8 day 7 night cruise of the Inside Passage on Juneau-based, locally owned and operated on the Chicagof Dream. We cruised this spectacularly beautiful part of the country from the July 15-22nd with about 50 other passengers and an incredibly friendly, service-oriented and competent crew of about 25. I researched ad nauseam before selecting this cruise line as Alaska has been high on must see list and I'm very discerning. I honestly don't know where to start, as there's so much to say. I chose this cruise line, because I didn't want a large cruise experience and I wanted an experience that highlighted the natural, untouched beauty of the area, which for me, meant not being on a vessel that was intrusive to the wildlife and nature. Being on a vessel this size translated into not having to take any excursions - our vessel took us directly to every untouched spot. Our crew included a naturalist and a local culture expert (we visited her community of 600 in Kake) - btw, our entire crew hugged all passengers on departure day; this was one of the once in a lifetime experiences. The ship itself is comfortable - nothing fancy, but plenty of inside and outside space to relax in, including a himalayan salt room that I enjoyed twice. The food was good to very good (I'm a foodie from NY and have a high bar for food) and the kitchen was accommodating. There were always plenty of choices and servings were ample. We all enjoyed fresh baked cookies daily at 3, and we could help ourselves to coffee, tea almost all day. The beds were super comfortable. The activities were 10+ - we kayaked twice in pristine waters with seals, and bears visible on the mainland. We hiked, went on guided walks, visited with local peoples in Petersburg and Kake, and danced with them too. I couldn't recommend this cruise line more highly; I believe all of their ships and itineraries would be equally wonderful.

I booked Holland america for Alaska and was told of a deposit, upon checking they took the whole amount. I contacted them and they said it would be reversed. Two months later and two e-mails no response from them. Terrible customer service. Do not sell a produce you can not afford to back up.I will never book againth this shady company.

I take 5 cruises a year. I had not cruises with Holland in years. I booked a suite. We did not get the suite experience we get on other ships. The food in Club Orange was the same as the dining room with 1 extra menu item. The food was really bad throughout the cruise. No priority boarding at anytime and the concierge room was a tiny dungeon. No deck for suites only. If you want to use the premium deck its $105 each a day. Holland has no idea what high end is. Cannot even find premium liquor on board that we were willing to pay for above our drink package. I am so glad it was just my sister and myself testing it out. I cannot book my clients on Holland ever I would lose business. When we take clients we can have anywhere from 40 to 200 with us and we like to be able to cover all clients from cheap to high end. Holland was a huge disappointment and I would be embarrassed to take anyone on this line. So sad because years and years ago they were really good on board.

We have taken two cruises with Holland America. One to Alaska (one week, Inside Passage) and one in Europe (two week cruise from Barcelona to Venice).
Both cruises were just fantastic! We had such an amazing time and there were so many details involved that is hard to mention them all. But to keep it short, the food was always fresh, delicious and well prepared. I'm a bit picky with food due to some food sensitivity but I didn't have any issues at all during both trips and I ate a lot!
The service was excellent, the rooms were always clean and customer service was fantastic. The crew made us feel welcomed and special during the whole trip. Also, my husband and I went with my parents and we found great activities/ shows/ entertainment that worked well for all of us.
Can't wait to cruise with them again!

What a stunning journey through (only a tiny part) our grand 49th state! Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay National Park, Ketchikan & Victoria, BC. Ive been back 2 weeks & I'm still stunned by all we saw combined with the way we got to see it. From the sea, the air & land excursions. Getting Alaska in a fire sale from the Russians for only 7 million was one of our best moves!

This is a once in a life time must do!! The best time of the year is June to August. You can do this cruise either from Vancouver or Seattle

We sailed the Ruby Princess through the inside passage. This was my 1st cruise and Alaska was on my bucket. From the time we boarded the ship and all the way to the end, we were never disappointed. The staff, on every level, were kind, friendly, helpful and understanding. The food was incredible with so many different choices, you never got tired of anything. There were also many different types of dining areas. Our cabin was very comfortable, up graded to a balcony since this was our first cruise and it was a big birthday for me. I loved standing on the balcony when we were at sea and looking at the vastness of the ocean
There was always something to do or see. At each port of call, we got to experience the local communities and people. Juneau. Skagway, Glacier National park, Ketchikan and Victoia BC. All these places where amazingly beautiful and unique. We saw whales, sea lions, iceberg calving, mountain goats and beautiful scenery every where we went. I was in ah of the splendor around me. I would highly recommend this trip. It truly was a trip of a lifetime.

Island Princess and their Inside Passage cruise was OUTSTANDING. My wife & I travelled on 27th June cruise northbound from Vancouver. Right from the start at embarkation in Vancouver Princess staff did an amazing job, they were so slick and professional they made everything look easy. First the itinerary, yes we were aided by some beautiful weather but regardless the route, the sights and the views were out of this world, I cannot rave or recommend this voyage enough and if you are a reader thinking of doing this cruise, you will not be disappointed, book it, do it! We booked a Mini Suite Club Class, the cabin was more than large enough plus we had a bath. Also as someone who regularly stays in luxury hotels, the Princess bed and in particular pillows have to be the best ever, so extremely comfortable. Being in Club Class we enjoyed anytime dining in the Bordeaux restaurant, club class allows you to turn up and be guaranteed immediate seating in a dedicated area of the restaurant where we were fortunate to have waiters Addo and Rix serve us. Both from Indonesia and were brilliant, very attentive in a nice way, not creepy, they really added to the enjoyment of the dining occasion. They quickly remembered our preferences and many of the so called luxury dining outlets in the world would be lucky to have them, they could certainly teach some about the importance for customer care. In Club Class we also enjoyed a couple of additional menu options, overall the food was excellent and I judge a good meal by a clean plate afterwards and every plate was clean! We did snack a bit in the Horizon buffet but not that often, this is really the ships cafeteria where you can just eat and eat, the food was average but never the less an excellent selection. Then if this was not enough there were poolside Pizzeria, Burgers and ice cream bars so no one could EVER complain there was not enough food! For the excursions we personally chose to book our own options direct rather than via the ship, we saved some money this way but you have to factor the saving v the ease of booking with the ship. Either which way when the ship arrives in port this effortless task of disgorging 2000 guests on excursions was a logistics dream, so smooth and plenty of staff on hand to help with directions, all so easy. The Island Princess itself is a big girl, you cannot miss her but she has character and charm and the crew and officers do an outstanding job in keeping her constantly clean throughout. One of my reflective thoughts was how effortlessly she 'floated' past all the amazing scenery, it was impressive to experience. The key question would we do it again, without hesitation,fantastic value, fantastic scenery and fantastic crew.

Princess treated us like royalty the entire trip. We stayed in a penthouse suite and it was worth EVERY PENNY!!! The ship was clean, comfortable and the views were just absolutely amazing!!!!!!!! I just cannot say anymore other than it was FABULOUS!!! We even had some luck in the casino which is rare on ships.

5-star all the way and we will be back next summer!!!

We took a three generation family trip on an Uncruise small ship cruise. This was my third time in the Inside Passage and it is different and more amazing every time!

This is our second time for cruising the inside passage on Princess Cruise Lines. This time it was the Golden Princess. We wish it would have been one of their newer ships as this one had some issues. But the Inside Passage is magnificent on it's own. Glacier Bay was amazing and the most personal way to see it is by water.
It can get very crowded on top deck, and to see it from your balcony is much more pleasant. The ship turns around so each side gets a view. You can hear the thunder of the glaciers, see the colors and you will probably see some calving. Research your excursions well. Some are very touristy and so are the 3 main stops, the towns of Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway.

I booked the Princess Alaska Cruise round trip from Seattle, however I could not board the Royal Princess ship because of my sister's Canada visa issue. Then I was shocked by three facts that I encountered.
1. First fact is that neither Royal Princess ship or Princess company knew that I was not on the ship. I got messages and emails that charged my account or asked for my review. It makes me wonder whether the Princess Cruise knows anyone missing on the ship.
2. Second fact is that the checked-in luggage could travel without the owner on the cruise ship. We checked in our luggage before the check-in point. At the check-in point, the port representatives told us that my sister could not board the ship due to lacking Canada visa. I have to stay with my non-English speaking sister, so I did not board the ship either. Then we were told that our luggage would be pulled off from the ship. However our luggage was not returned to us when the ship was sailing. We had waited for 3 hours only to hear the news. At any airport, we all know that bags without ownership would be a security issue. The cruise ship definitely has different security rules.
3. Third fact is that Ocean-Ready Green Line on Princess Medallion APP may means not-ready. We provided our documents for the cruise before we left our home, and Medallion APP gave us Ocean-Ready Green Line. It made us think that everything was fine. However we got the shocking news that my sister could not board the ship. Why did not the Medallion APP ask for more documents when the foreign passport was loaded into the APP? At least the Blue Line should not be changed to Green Line, because Canada visa is required.

We sailed the Inside Passage with an outfit called Fantasy Cruises. We had just 19 passengers and 11 crew onboard which made for a very cozy, fun trip.

1. Website - it is a shame! Absolutely useless. Every time you need something - call customer service, which is great: well trained, helpful and always on call.
2. Check in, check out, board in boarding out - perfect. Organized so well, you just walk in and out like from your house.
3. Excursions - quite expensive, but so various, to find a right for you - have to do a homework. Give yourself a gift of a few hundred $$ - buy them in advance, not on board.
4. Ship is in a perfect shape. Very clean, every single thing is working, kept perfectly well! Cabin was taking care of just amazingly - thanks to Mr. Santana. He is always in hallway waiving Hi, but when you out of cabin for a sec it is cleaned again and again. Thank You.
5. Food and service at Blue was absolutely perfect and various! It is not usual to have Zagat rated level restaurant on the cruise. It is a waste of money to go to specialty restaurants. Have to admit food and service at Murano was perfect as well but costs $100 more. Special thank to our server Orlando! Guy so helpful, so nice, so funny, so "love me", so you really fall in love with him every morning and evening and looking forward to listen his stories again and again.
Now a huge drawback: this restaurant does not take reservations. Every evening it was 20 to 50 min wait. They give you a pager which reads: "Bring me to a specialty restaurant and get 30% off", or you can go to the bar and pay $12 for a drink. If you have plans for tonight just forget about it. To schedule dinner in advance for about 200 customers - it is a task for beginner hostess. And I think it is not done just because $1000 per night is not enough and Celebrity needs a few more $$ to keep things running.
6. Gym just perfect. Equipment is up to date, various and well kept. Very clean and 100% working. There is a Gym master always there for help and advice as well as a hole lot of different programs and exercises. Different saunas and steam rooms with herbal treatment above all expectations. I cant say nothing about spa - I did not have time to use it, but people say it was amazing.
7. Evening entertainment was Vegas level and there is nothing else needs to be said. Lectures about Alaska History, Wildlife and points of interests: Mr. Nixon and Mrs. Amanda you are the best. To get this amount of info by yourself - you have to spent time in library and I mean it: Time. It was performed with so much love and fun, I cant call it lecture it was one man SHOW every day. Thank you!
8. It was so much going on board: sales, auctions, games, presentations, tastings, classes and on and on and on. To get everything you have to buy two or three more cruises.
9. Stuff on board so friendly, so helpful, so nice. Looks like they work not for money, but they just like it.
10. Captain Zisis. Your every day information announcements most of the days were not very nice - rain, but at least once you gave us a sunny day at Ketchikan and we get the best photos there. Thank you.
11. The last, but not the least: ALASKA. If you have never being there - it is a MUST. It was so colorful, so beautiful, so different, I am running out of adjectives: so GREAT! Am I going again? Not now, but I am glad I made it once!
Go and enjoy!

We cruised the inside passage with Princess Cruises onboard the Coral Princess. We added on the land tour before the cruise and all the princess lodged we stayed at were well furnished and ideally situated to experience great sightseeing. Hi lights were Denali National Park where we saw bears, foxes and moose. Kenai National Park Fjords tour was amazing and we saw a pod of Orca Whales which was breathtakingly beautiful. The ports we stopped at were Skagway, Juneau and Ketchikan where took part in great shore excursions, the list is endless but book early or you could be disappointed. We cruised Glacier Bay and the glaciers were breathtaking. It was an amazing holiday and certainly one for the bucket list.

Food and amenities are great. But, be aware when turning your bags over to them to bring to your room. Do not leave any kind of valuables in your bags. They will steal your jewelry!!

Suitcase was damaged upon arrival in Amsterdam. Completed a claim form together with the representative. And also sent an email.
Over a month ago. HEARD NOTHING YET.
Next time I'll go with a better cruise line

Contacting Customer Service after the cruise is over is non-existent! We had questions about a post-cruise charge on our credit card, there isn't anyone to speak with only write an email, their response: "expect a response in 8-10 weeks (more that 2 months). Well we did write in August and September 2022, it is now January 2023 and we had zero response. The ship was the Nieuw Amsterdam embarked on August 7, 2022 from Whittler to Vancouver inside pass. We booked the 10 day double Denali package. The trip to Denaly by train was a day long and picturesque, return was by bus. It is way too expensive for what you can see or what you can't see due to weather and nature cooperation.
The ship was of manageable size for the area of navigation and very comfortable, The food at the buffet was mediocre comparing to many other cruises we been on. Evening-night entertaining was very limited and not good except for the piano player, he was excellent, unfortunately he performed at the bar with very limited seating. At theater there was an amateur jazz band. The staff in the ship was very friendly and they sincerely try to please their guests. Much of the food at the buffet was Asian infused that is not for everyone. Dining at the specialty restaurants was good at a price and limited availability. We felt as the cruise was ok but not great. Our biggest disappointing fact was a customer service that does not exists, so their attitude is "we got your money and goodbye", well we got that; and so GOODBYE HOLAND AMERICA because we would never sail with you again!

Holland America provided the very worst guest experience of any cruise line we have sailed with (Carnival, Celebrity and Princess). There is something strange going on with the Eurodam's management. We can't quite put our fingers on it, but the onboard staff are indifferent and disconnected. They are mostly flat and expressionless. With rare exception (the lovely married couple on the Ocean level), the Eurodam team appears to be largely unconcerned for guest comfort and satisfaction. Why is this not PRIORITY #1? And why are the staff so miserable?? Many told us they couldn't wait to get off the ship! We realize the ship is older and doesn't have all the bells and whistles that more modern ships have. However, we feel this can be overcome with creative programming and bright smiles. The Bon Voyage party, for example, was nothing more than a fruity drink. No live music, no streamers, no attempt to excite and impress incoming guests. Our first dinner took almost 3-hours. Breakfast in the dining room was blah and the service veeerrry slow. Eventually, we gave up on the dining room and opted for the Lido buffet but the offerings were repetitive and predictable with no pride in presentation or service. The seared Ahi salad was especially awful, bits of fishy, over-cooked, cold, brown chunks of chewy yuckiness. But most importantly, where are the smiles Eurodam?? We learned that the front desk and room service phones are automatically routed to an answering system/recording. Many times we were on hold for ages or received no answer at all. Requests for ice service in the cabin went unanswered multiple times. A quesadilla and chicken soup arrived cold, greasy and over salted to the point of being inedible. Similarly, we sat on the Lido Deck one afternoon for over an hour before anyone approached us to ask if we needed anything. And we gave plenty of indication that we DID want assistance - by making eye contact, waving a hand in the air, etc. Disembarkation was terribly disappointing. How about a thank you? A kind word or gesture? You know a vacation has been a total failure when you can't wait for it to be over. Instead of dying to travel with Holland America again, we feel ripped off, used and in need of a true getaway experience. The guests are so bored out of their minds with nothing to do for 3-days at sea besides drink and gamble. This makes for a rather poor cruise. Get creative with programming - poolside games, guest competitions, more interactive education programming that's not a constant pounding of buy this. And buy this. And buy this too. Same goes for the daily publications. They read more like an obituary than a daily schedule of offerings. But with no fun going on, lack of creativity and failure to focus on THE GUEST EXPERIENCE, it is hard to make the onslaught of sales flyers exciting too. Will not return. And we got overcharged for several items that we now get to spend the next few days on the phone correcting. Extremely unhappy are we! We have already shared our experience with our travel agent and fully intend to post these same comments across multiple online media outlets. Yes, that's how strongly we feel about the whole Holland America cruise experience. Very, very bad indeed.

My review is in two parts: 1) Our cruise on the NCL Jewel, and 2) the Inside Passage itself. We took a 7 day cruise on the Norwegian Jewel cruise ship with stops at Ketchikan, Juneau & Skagway then cruise Glacier Bay and Hubbard Glacier before disembarking in Seward.

The Jewel is an older ship and does not have any special kids pools, climbing walls, race tracks, mini-golf, etc. The kids club was poorly run and our kids only went once after being disappointed. The dining experience was way subpar in the main dining. My steak was the worst I have ever had...anywhere. We tried several of the specialty restaurants: Maderno, Le Bistro, Teppanyaki and Cagney's Steak House. The Le Bistro and Teppanyaki were much better for food quality. These venues were a part of our package for free (plus 20% gratuity). Maderno & Cagbey's were subpar. The entertainment was hit & miss. We have sailed many times with NCL but overall we were disappointed with this cruise and will probably not sail again with them.

As far as the Inside Passage Experience, it is amazing to see. If you have not done it before, you really should. It is amazing how close to various islands you get. The smells of pine trees wets your appetite for the port stops and glaciers to come.

BOTTOM LINE: If doing the inside passage, I would recommend the cruise leaders to Alaska, Princess & Holland America. We have done all three companies and would definitely not recommend NCL.
MY NCL JEWEL RATING: 4/10
MY INSIDE PASSAGE RATING: 10/10

First time for Cruise, and it was amazing, better than expected. The scenery was mind blowing. Loved it. Definitely recommend

My mother only cruises HA but this is the first time I've cruised with them. I'm not impressed. The train ride was horrible. The AC didnt work and was miserable for the 10 hour ride. To make it up to us they gave us a cookie. Seriously??? The man at customer service when we embarked was rude when I went to ask for assistance. Our room was only set up for 2 even though we booked 3 people. They even said it was only booked for 2 even though it clearly has 3 names on the envelope. For the cost of the trip go with any other cruise line. Maybe I've just been too spoiled by Disney cruises.

My wife and I sailed on the NatGeo Lindblad Quest. It was the trip of a lifetime. The ship only carried 100 guests and a team of some 12 highly trained naturalists and photographers, including Flip Nicklin, The chief National Geographic whale photographer. Very comfortable boat and a full program.

I embarked on one of the small ships operated by the Un-cruise company. Small means one is able to do so much more than on one of the liners carrying thousands of passengers. We were only 74 guests which meant everyone was able to enjoy the intimate and friendly atmosphere on board.
We sailed from Sitka to Juneau and were able to enjoy sightings of breaching humpback whales, sea otters, porpoises riding the bow wave and many more.... we watched bears fishing for salmon for an hour from a kayak..... bushwhacking was enjoyed as were shore walks and skiff rides. We were able to go where the huge 12deck liners cannot go....
The food was plentiful, fresh, healthy. Local fish was on offer every day. Vegetarians were catered for and meat was on offer for those who really wanted it.
All in all a great trip.

amazing trip on Holland America scenery breath-taking, would defo recommend this trip.skagway lovely booked trip to the Yukon with Alaska tours highly recommend Patrick the guide fab seen bears along the way

I would rate this trip 5 stars, but the experience with staff is very poor on this ship, so I only give it 2 stars just because ALASKA IS AMAZING.

Think about it, you pay a fortune to get on the boat with balcony, yet it is not all, you pay more for packages or extra $$$ for other services. You would think with the price the service would be better, but NO IT IS NOT! THE STAFF ON THIS SHIP IS LIKE "I AM TOO GOOD FOR THIS JOB"

70% of your time is interacting with staff in this vacation. Such as ordering drink, food, deserts, room services etc.... Those are important moments for you to feel like you are on vacation, and this vacation is not another 8 hours of work that you must try figuring out how to deal with terrible attitude of crew members. AND IT RUINS YOUR TRIP.

I hope these messages somehow go to the management team of the Princess crew. Otherwise, until things get figured out, DO NOT BURN YOUR MONEY ON this crew. Find AMAZING ALASKA ELSEWHERE!

BEWARE!!!!!! DO NOT BOOK With NCL!!!!! Me and my husband booked this cruise in advance and 2 months before the sail date they lowered the price for the same room by almost $1000. We called for a price adjustment and they refused! Said they could give a 25% on board "credit". We said that was ridiculous and then they refused to even give us the on board credit! horrible customer service, I will NEVER used this cruise line again. I read other posts about how this company will nickel and dime you in every way possible. I should have listened! I cant imagine this company lasting with these type of cheap sales tactics.

Seeing the enormous snow-capped mountains set behind the Hubbard Glacier while cruising was amazing. Viewing the spectacular glacier right in front of my eyes was undescribably impressive. Standing at the balcony of our stateroom, staring at the massive iceberg, as the chunks of ice drop into the water almost every few minutes make me wonder will these iceberg eventually disappears totally due to the global warming? This trip is highly recommended. Seeing is believing!

Cruising through the Inside Passage is impressive whether you are in Alaskan or Canadian waters. The journey to Vancouver through the Inside Passage was truly spectacular with great views and dolphins and whales swimming close to the ship. Great.

We spent the 4th of July week in 2018 on the Royal Carribean Explorer of the Seas. Perfection! Sensational views of snow capped mountains while back home in Phladelphia there was record heat. Can't wait to go back to the Mendenhall Glacier!

I don't know how the cruise will be because the reservation process has been a nightmare. I first submitted a request for 2 cabins on an Alaska cruise with my son and granddaughters. A few days later, I was notified the cruise was full. I called and after being on hold for over 30 minutes, found a cruise that had space, just a shorter cruise. After consulting my son, I went back online and and requested 2 cabins, paid the deposit and waited. After a few days I hadn't heard back so I called. Again hold time was long then the representative couldn't find my request. She was able to locate it which included - 2 cabins - highest class level. She said the reservation was complete and sent the invoice. I noticed it was only for one room. I called back (again long hold) and clarified - 2 cabins - highest level. I received another invoice for one room at the highest level and one room at a lower level. I decided it wasn't worth the hassle to try and change it. Now I've been trying to pay for the cabins which I was told was by phone if I'm using a credit card. I haven't been on hold for over an hour, (still holding) . I left a call back number 8 hours ago and they haven't returned my call. My reservation expired today if I don't pay the invoice. I've never had such a hard time paying for a $25,000 + vacation!!! Unbelievable .

If it had not been the only way to see Alaska I would not have chosen a cruise. We booked a cabin with a window and ended up with 2 potholes about 18” deep and partially obscured by black spatters of paint. It was like looking through unfocused binoculars.

The cabin was otherwise adequately furnished with plenty of storage space but the lighting was dismal especially over the dressing table.

The did not seem to be any heating in the shower room but large towels and Elemis toiletries were a feature

Fruit was available from the stewards and the room breakfast was good. Water was an added expense if you wanted bottled.

The information provided was in various formats; an app with the days events, paper daily programmes and cabin booklets

Finding times was a toil as there was so much to go through and each medium contained not quite enough detail. Why can they not print 1 document with all the info. Start times AND finish times of events?

This cruise is a glorified market, touting jewellery and any other goods they can find. Everything is extra from service charge - a mandatory amount taken each day per person. Try disputing this at the end and you end up with a grand inquisition and form filling. The additional service charge on drinks or other purchases is iniquitous Staff are only motivated to sell and even rude if you are not buying. This holiday was spoilt by the constant in your face pressure with little peace and quiet wherever you were. If you want a supermarket at Harrods prices choose HA.

Entertainment in the evening was poor with the comedian telling the same jokes on the same night. Why do they have the quartet playing when you are likely to be getting changed for dinner? Why are the naturalists talks held in the smallest theatre where there is standing room only and people sitting on the floor?

Tours are expensive and make sure you book ones that will go rain or shine.

If you want to drink at exorbitant prices (when you add 15% service charge to 1/2 pint bottle beer costing £6.00) during cruising days when the weather can be grey and wet or pay ++ for beauty treatments or other extras that’s fine. If this is not for you, think again about HA as there are other cruise lines that are inclusive with more polite staff

Breathtaking- Amazing - weather was fabulous. Enjoyed cruising for the first time with Holland America.

My wife and I enjoy cruising quite a bit as such we try to plan one every so often. This particular time was shaping up to be an awesome trip because we would be also having our friends cruise with us. I had recommended we cruise Holland America because we’ve enjoyed our trips with them every time so far. We booked almost 6 months prior to the trip (2/13/19). Through their cruise consultant Jeff Spencer who had be subbing in for our normal cruise consultant Elizabeth Mason. I feel like this was our 1st mistake. We paid a premium for our rooms that came up to about double what others who booked later would have paid. I called these price drops to their attention (3/8.19). I was told they would price match up to 3 months prior to the trip at the time of booking so I decided to call in for the price match. I didn’t get through, so I sent an email and left a voicemail indicating my desire to have our cabins rates properly adjusted. No one responded to me that week or the week after and calling was fruitless. The week after, I was told there were notes saying I wasn’t clear on whether I wanted the rate lowered or not. But now it was within 3 months of the cruise date, so their hands are now tied. This set the tone for the trip. I eventually got ahold of Elizabeth and gave her the run-down of what happen in her absence and she offered to give a slight bump in the cost of each cabin, give us free diner at the Pinnacle as well as the Canaletto, cover the rest in $100 in shipboard credits, $100 in excursion credits and $100 in drink credits for each person in all 3 cabins. She said this would be the best she could do to close the gap according to her supervisor. With that we were in agreement and confirmed we were fine with it. I double check once more before the trip about the Eurodam which would set sail August 3rd 2019. When we boarded the ship, we found that the ship was mostly unaware of any previously mentioned complimentary items. My wife and I received a card to cover the mentioned onboard credit. That is it. No reservations, no drinks card, no excursion card for us, and nothing at all for the rest of our part at the time of embarkment. Of course, I go to guest services to get this matter discussed with management. They asked for proof of the conversations which I was happy to have in email form. They did not have on board anyone who could make an executive decision. They had to send an email back to corporate. I ended up having to check on the situation almost every day of our trip. In the end, corporate did not respond until 2nd to last night of the cruise around 4pm we suddenly had most of what we were promised with a caveat. We had a struggle to get our reservations at Canaletto and Pinnacle, we could not fully use the credits provided because there just wasn’t enough time to do so. It was hard to enjoy ourselves in part because of the miscommunications and the lack of deciding power allotted to the ship managers. Worst of all the notes between the ship and the consultant we booked with said I missed some deadline and didn’t qualify for the things she promised. After the cruise, I was advised to speak with Elizabeth regarding all the mishaps and she told me to list all my complaints in an email for her to send up the chain. She also said it would take about a month for them to investigate the situation. The whole thing just is disappointing to say the least. And, I’ve come to think after the cabin is paid for guests are screwed. I sent an email to corporate a week ago on top of all of this back and for as well they only reached out to my travel companion (not me) and offered them what we were supposed to have this trip, on their next trip. They do not trust Holland America. Holland America of course knows they’re not likely to take up on the offer, I guess. In that email, I did tell them if our matters weren’t resolved sufficiently, I’d bring my matter public. My take-aways: don’t book too far ahead, check the competing companies for deal that are actually competitive and, if they screw up giving you what they claim they would don’t come back for more and make sure to tell everyone you know this is how they run their business.

Where to begin. We took Holland America's MS Koningsdam from Vancouver with stops at Skagway, Juneau and Ketchikan with a seaborne visit to Glacier Bay National Park. Our captain bravely took us right into a storm so we wouldn't miss a day.

Thanks, captain. We were miserably seasick. They cancelled our excursions anyway. It rained incessantly. While the food was good (to their credit), nothing else was pleasurable.

Boarding and deboarding were cattle herd events although we had barcodes instead of ear tags. When they finally bused us to the airport it was with a load of persistent, hacking coughers, prophesying our very own two weeks of microbiological misery when we got home.

And it cost plenty. The end.

We approached the cruise with some trepidation and probably wouldn't have travelled by ship if there was another, practical way of seeing Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan etc. Cruising from Australian waters has a very mixed reputation and we had no idea what we would find in Canada and Alaska. The main fears were quickly allayed - there was no party crowd - I would guess the average age of passengers at 60+ and many had infirmities or disabilities. A safe adventure for those with mobility issues. (My wife and I were travelling with my 82-year-old mother-in-law who is marvellous for her age but has her limits when it comes to distance, stairs and uneven walking surfaces.) The verandah cabins, where we stayed, were very good - roomy, comfortable and well appointed - bathroom included. The beds were a bit hard for my taste but it must be impossible to get a bed which suits all 2,000 passengers. The food was of a very good standard and there were many options. The majority of meals are included in the price unless you choose to go to certain restaurants. There was a risk of overeating rather than the reverse. Alcohol is expensive. The atmosphere on board doesn't suit me - too brassy and noisy - but there is a great variety of activities, bars, lounges, shops, health facilities (gym, massage etc), observation areas, decks etc. which allow almost everyone to find a space to suit them while on board. The cabins provide a comfortable retreat. There is a not too subtle message to spend, spend, spend and some of the charges are a bit rich. In this day and age, to have to pay $70, $100 or $130 dollars for 5 days of slow medium or fast wifi is ridiculous. Even worse, all three options were glacially slow. Everything is made worthwhile, however, by the stops and excursions. We didn't see a lot of Juneau as we headed straight out on excursions which lasted till dark. My fit, adventurous wife took a helicopter ride for a two-hour trek (all kit supplied) on the Mendenhall Glacier. She described this as 'the experience of a lifetime'. Mum and I took a safer, bus tour to the glacier followed by a whale-watching boat ride and a salmon bake at an island lodge. All were very satisfying. We arrived at Skagway with time to look around but there isn't a lot to see. The town is like a Western movie set with nothing behind the facade. It is about 90% jewellery stores which all close up for the winter, leaving around 800 permanent residents. Great for photos though! In the afternoon we took the train journey up to White Pass along the route taken by the Klondike gold 'stampeders'. Historically interesting and quite spectacular. The following day we cruised, on the main ship, around Glacier Bay, This was probably the highlight for me. The whole area is awe-inspiring, with over a 1,000 glaciers in the surrounding mountains, but to get close to the large glaciers which reach the sea, and to hear the roar of ice 'calving' from the face,, is unforgettable. It is also tragic for anyone who cares about the effects of climate change, to learn that the glaciers are retreating at an ever-increasing pace. The final stop was at Ketchikan which is an attractive 'working' town of about 8,000 people. There are still plenty of places for the tourist to spend a dollar. We took a guided, boat tour out along the coast and then to a secluded cove to see a display of crab-catching. In the late afternoon we were taken to a coastal lodge for an 'all-you-can-eat' crab fest. Good fun. Nothing much more to say except that the staff, particularly hospitality and housekeeping, were universally friendly helpful and efficient. You need to watch the on-board billing system. I had no problems but many other passengers had to spend time at 'Guest Sevices' having errors corrected. The billing is live on the ship's intranet so you can check as frequently as you like. Would we cruise again? Probably not unless there was a similar situation, with no viable alternative. Our preference remains for self-organised, self driven holidays but I realise it's not for everyone and I might one day welcome an option with limited decision-making or exertion.

Great cruise! Loved having the Naturalist on board to help us identify wild life. It's best to be where you can hear her speaking and directing you where to look for the whales especially.

Amazing, Awesome, scenery spectacular. Highly recommend. Holland America Fab ship, friendly staff, great entertainment, food very good.

Had a fabulous journey along the inside passage. The scenery was even better than we expected. Highly recommend this trip especially as the weather was very mild in August. Sea life was average but did see some orcas which was awesome

An inland passage cruise, visiting such locations as Ketchikan (to take an excursion to the Misty Fiords National Monument) and Glacier Bay should be on the bucket list of many people. We are glad we went. Travelling on the NCL Pearl, though, left me a bit unsatisfied. The vast majority of the staff we interacted with were truly great, and the Pearl was clean, nicely appointed, and you have beautiful ocean views in almost every venue. Nonetheless, we were not happy with quality of the food in the table-service restaurants (not the premium restaurants you pay extra for; we didn't try any of them), and some of the ship's ammenities were lacking what we tend to expect and enjoy.

After trying meals in the Summer Palace, Indigo, O'Sheehans, and Asian Fusion restaurants (can't remember the actual name of the Asian one), we pretty much stuck with the buffets. There, you can see the food and judge its freshness, but it can get crowded and you may have to wait for a seat. At one point, we realized the adjacent "premium" Italian restaurant's doors were open, and it was used every morning as breakfast-buffet overflow seating. No one offered that little tid bit, as we looked and looked for a table, we just finally figured it out. We were happy with the buffet's variety, and each thing we tried was far better than the restaurants. Let me use a well-known corporate restaurant for comparison, Applebees. We aren't regulars there, but have eaten a number of their meals over the years. We've always enjoyed the meals and felt they were a good value. The 4 lovely, table-service restaurants on the Pearl have nothing on Applebees. For example, the salmon turned out to be a pale, bland, slightly overcooked farm-raised Atlantic Salmon--this on the coastline that produces the best salmon on earth. The prime rib--ordered medium--was a thin, rubbery, uniformly gray-brown peice of meat, served with a petrified peice of corn-on-the-cob, and a little baked potato. The potato had a thin slit cut along the top with less than half a teaspoon of sour cream. The Irish stew turned out to be a small bowl of almost-clear corned-beef broth with some chunks of meat (some quite fatty), some peices of under-cooked cabbage, and one little peice of diced carrot; no potatoes, no onions, no substance to the broth. The Asian dishes were very common tasting and the fried rice was dry. Oh, and there was one little buffet on the pool deck that served hamburgers raw in the middle. I experienced this twice and noticed other people's burgers looked the same.

As for the other ammenities I would change:

A real dea-breaker for me is the many lounges on the ship do not serve food. You are on deck 13, sitting in a beautiful lounge with a 180 degree forward view of the ocean--seeing what the officers on the bridge one deck below are seeing--but, if you like a nice cheese plate to snack on while sipping a glass of red wine, you have to go to the buffet at the opposite end of the ship. Depending on the time of day, the buffet will have cheese cubes on the salad bar (cheddar and something white), and sometimes they have olives. You can also grab some bread, but the only crackers are packets of saltines.

Also, their promotional materials are proud of the Irish Pub, called O'Sheehan's, and talks about the authentic atmosphere. There is the use of dark woods and some Irish-pub things on the walls, but the place is literally the mezanine above the ship's main lobby/lounge/customer-service counters/jewelry store. This areas also has a huge screen where microphoned staff lead people in various games (a very loud activity), show movies, and introduce small-scale musical performances. That's where we tried the Irish stew described above. They did, though, serve tall cold glasses of draught Newcastle Brown ale.

You know how hotel rooms have a binder that pretty much explains the features and amenities you'll find in the room? Not so in the staterooms. It was a learning experience. I suppose we could have asked the steward to come in a reveal/explaine everything to us. The one that really stands out was the little "welcome" sign below the room number. Low and behold, if you reach below it, you can turn a little wheel that changes the sign to things like, "please clean room," "do not disturb," "turn down bed." You would think that would be mentioned somewhere.

Furthermore, while sailing, you are pretty much cut off from the world, unless you want to purchase their internet access for $25 a day, or $150 for the week. That's OK, I can use my cellular-service provider when we get into any of the port stops, but I do like to keep track of the weather, especially when considering various shore excursions. Maybe a few of the many TV screens on the ship could display weather forecasts for the cruise, but no. You have to stand in line at the customer service counter and convince the agent that, yes, you DO expect them to log onto the internet and provide you the forecast. But, at least you can--roughly--track the ship's location on the TV in your room, if you stumble upon the right channel.

Oh, and although this was a "freestyle" cruise, I embarrassingly learned there is a dress code in the Summer Palace restaurant--men can't wear shorts or hat. This may be true for the Indigo, but I didn't try wearing shorts or hat there.

Lastly, and delicately, I need to point out that American-English speakers may find the accents of some staff difficult to understand. I love my sister-in-law, she is from Taiwan, and sometimes I struggle understanding her. With many of the ship's staff, you listen closely, ask them to repeat, but you just don't have any idea. I respect them, they've come from all over the world, and they can speak at least two languages, but it makes asking questions very challenging at times. And when you are frustrated because so many things aren't otherwise explained to you. For example, I asked someone about a lounge decribed on the ship's intranet page as being midship deck 8 (turns out it didn' actually exist). The staff member kept saying Oceans lounge and restaurant. I finally figured out she was refering to O'Sheehans Pub.

A bunch of sour grapes, you say? Well, I paid alot of money for those grapes.

We went on the Star Princess Cruise from Santiago, Chile to Buenos Aires from Feb. 14, 2019- Feb. 28, 2019. This was our first time on Princess Cruises and will be our last. We have been on Celebrity cruises a few times and it is definitely superior to Princess. The food was mediocre at best, the steak, other meats were overcooked, and raw on several occasions and the level of service in the dining room and guest services was not up to par. The coffee in the buffet was awful! Many times it was watered down and very weak. I complained several times but it remained awful for the entire cruise. One of the issues was lack of understanding of the English language and poor attitudes at Guest Services. Guest services never seemed to want to assist us, always felt like we were inconveniencing them when asking questions, etc. I did not feel like I was a valued guest as on Celebrity. There were a few employees that shined and I do appreciate their service but overall that was not the case. I was going to complete the survey by Princess Cruise but after two weeks the survey is no longer available. I guess they don't want to hear from me!

Just returned from a great holiday in Canada. We joined our cruise in Vancouver and sailed the inside passage. The cruise itself was stunning visiting some amazing places and seeing some wonderful wildlife. We booked an excursion before leaving the UK to do whale watching and a bear hunt. Sadly we did not see any bears but did have the luck of seeing Killer whales which was amazing.
Whilst we enjoyed our cruise I do have to say that the quality of some of the food and drinks on board was dissapointing. Also noticed preferential treatment being given to some customers in restaurants with food off menu and extra dishes not offered to everyone. Food in the buffet resturant was good with plenty of choice but it was always a struggle to get a seat. Was dissapointed with the lack of choice of restaurants for freedoms dining ( only 1 resturant unless you wanted to pay extra for speciality) Staff on whole were friendly and helpful but some front desk staff and bar staff could be off hand. Chic (formal night) was very casual and whilst it said there was a dress code it did not appear to be followed at all with only minority dressing up.
Loved the cruise but would have to think twice about another celebrity cruise.

This waterway really left us amazed and wondering of how the glazier impacted Alaska and the whole world. Another moment to where you appreciate God and his creations in our lifetime... Just magnificent!!!

We were booked on a cruise with our own balcony. Thank goodness we did as we watched all sorts of sea creatures through out binoculars. The scenery is simply beautiful. Clean, well looked after and incredible photo opportunities. We loved every second of the Inside passage. I want to go back.

After spending over ten grand every year on their ships, they managed to upset me big time. Becoming cheaper and cheaper service over the years and trying to make your life difficult if you have kids with you on board.

This is my 4th cruise and first on Princess. I took a recommendation from a co-worker to try Princess. What a disappointment. The one standard I had on each cruise was friendly staff. People going out of their way to ensure you had a good experience. Times have changed.

Outside of the person maintaining our cabin, the dining room staff were uncaring, not listening to the order to get it right. Bartenders were overworked and undertrained (I am a former bartender and it was embarrassing). The food was subpar and did not meet expectations for a “premier” cruise line. In fact the only really good food and friendly staff was in specialty dining.

The Princess app was a challenge to connect to and didn’t have all of our information. We booked four excursions and two specialty dinings. None of these showed up on our activity timeline.

The couples massage was money well spent, however minutes after getting dressed the spa staff started pushing follow up products that cost in excess of $250.

I almost forgot, the security staff, clearly TSA trained security team. Confusing directions and as nice and helpful as a pissed off Grizzly Bear.

Don’t worry about following any of the dress codes or rules. Nobody else does. Dining room attire was a special treat on “formal night”, saw a guy wearing shorts and a T-shirt. Smart casual in the other nights translated into wear whatever you want. Peaceful evening on the balcony ruined by a guy smoking weed. We weren’t the only ones affected. No smoking in the cabin is more of a suggestion.

The happiest day of my vacation will be getting off the ship. I am on day 7 and will be getting off the ship in the morning. The unfriendly inattentive staff and subpar food have really soured a long sought vacation destination in Alaska.

Princess Cruise line has clearly demonstrated that customer service is not company philosophy. Once they have your money, who cares. The people of Alaska are warm and friendly, I will remember the experience with them.

For Princess you fooled me once. I would say goodbye but their was nothing good about it. I will say, never again.

we sailed through the inside passage sight not to be missed , stunning view especially if you have a balcony to watch in private and enjoy while sipping on a bottle of wine.

Booked a Cruise thru Cruises Only on Holland America. 47 days before the cruise the fare was reduced $500 to $600. I called Cruises only and Holland American, Both stated they could do nothing. So now you know do not use Cruises Only or book Holland American until the last minute they both are a rip off.

We took a cruise on the Star Princess. The trip was spectacular with so much beauty. We enjoyed every port, the ship was comfortable and enjoyable. We lucked into good weather. Our excursions included the Bight StateTotem Pole Park, a corny lumberjack show, The Mendenhall Glacier, kayaking, the Skagway train ride. But it's the beauty of Alaska that wins the 5 stars.

Is an awful company and cruise experience. AWFUL! Do not use! Trying to navigate their app is difficult and user unfriendly, Their Wi-Fi did not work and so with the first port they had to get new additional antennas placed, there was supposed to be a wheelchair for me available due to an injury and they couldn’t find my reservation the wheelchair was not in my room, the food was either over dry from being under the heat lamps or too cold and no flavor, the people were rude, The cabins were extremely hot even at lowest Air conditioner setting, the rooms and boat were old dingy dirty and not taken care of. Whenever we ask questions at customer service, no one ever seems to know anything and can’t answer any questions. I had to disembark the second day of my cruise and they are not refunding anything back to me even though I had a standard protection package. The boat is not handicap friendly at all, you have to step up to go to the bathroom therefore can’t use the wheelchair , nobody is willing to help or push when they see someone in a wheelchair or crutches and the space between dining rooms don’t allow for wheelchair access or scooter and the elevators close to quickly and don’t have sensors so it closes when someone’s trying to wheel themselves in. There are so many special needs items ignored. I can go on and on I ended up just disembarking on the second day of my cruise for a family emergency and they have done nothing but just say I’m sorry there’s nothing we can do so no one’s been able to help me while on the boat during the boat and after the boat. Not even refund my unlimited Coca-Cola package, which is a joke in itself you’re not loud to get a canner bottle but have to ask for it in the dining room and it takes forever because they bring you a glass from the bar filled with Coke but you’re not allowed to take any with you or have some in the cabinets because everything they’re cost extra. They always seem to have a little fine print or exception to every rule so they don’t have to help you or refund or do anything that they don’t want to do. Save your money don’t ever use Holland America!!!

If you really want to see the splendor of Alaska the easiest way possible, this cruise is excellent and I have no complaints except that we will probably not go on another cruise again. Since these places are hard to get to a cruise is a reasonable option, although I have read that you can organize the same trip yourself using local ferry boats. Service was superb and it is really nice to have meals and activities onboard without having to pay every time. You do have to pay for all onshore activities and it is good idea to book through the cruise company because that way you will be compensated if the ship arrives late and you miss your tour. In our case the ship was held up because the wind was too strong to dock. We hit an unusual heat wave in Alaska causing lot of ice to break off the glacier and we could not get up the Fiord safely. Saw plenty of whales and also dolphins and went dog sledding.

The problem is that the cruise boats are huge. This one (Explorer of the Sea) held 3000 passengers and arriving in a town of say 1200 population where there are 4 cruise boats offloading about 12000 people it is pretty ridiculous.

Can this really be what tourism has become? I am afraid cruise boats have ruined the kind of tourism that we experienced backpacking and driving our VW Combie camper through Asia, Africa, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.

The main problem is the shear number of people on cruises and the long lines it causes, but also mass tourism of this kind leads to many people who are more interested in partying on the boat than truly experiencing the unspoiled culture of other countries. You are not going to have the best kind of experience when thousands of people descend on a town. Instead you can expect to find cookie cutter tours laid on for mass tourism. The one advantage is that most cruises cannot take you far inland. So perhaps the answer is to fly somewhere, pick up a rental car and travel inland far from any ports. Bed and Breakfast's provide a great way to meet local people.

We were first time cruisers and thought this cruise would be a good one as only 7 days and largely inside passage so a smoother time at sea. We were right! A great ship with super crew who always had a smile and time for you.
Food was very good, the signature restaurants excellent. Well worth taking the 'have it all' package. Entertainment was really good, especially the 'Rolling Stones Lounge' where the excellent house band got you boogying!
Alastair is clean and interesting. We were lucky and had some sunshine. The trip we took were good, but wished we had taken a float plane (as we had in vancouver) as you would see a lot more. You will see wildlife, you just have to be patient. Our trip was end of July.
Day 2, disaster struck for us, told we had covid and quarantined to our cabin. This is when a company really steps up or fails. We were so well looked after, in particular, Mia, the customer services manager on the zudamme took over and really looked after us, always cheerful and positive, she is a credit to Holland America and we truly thank you.
We think Holland America are super and couldn't recommend them enough.

We had never been on a cruise prior to this one. We took the Alaskan cruise to see Alaska. As far as I'm concerned, there is no better way to see this state than by ship... especially if it is your first visit.

Holland America Lines (HAL) has this tour down to a science. We went from Vancouver, BC, to Fairbanks, AK, and every detail was taken care of by HAL. Our luggage was where it was supposed when we arrived at each location.

There were many activities on the ship to keep us entertained (during those "at sea" times), and we were free to decide what you wanted to do. We had our own freedom. And, if we need help... they were there to guide us.

The good was fantastic. There was a huge variety of meals and deserts to choose from, and they were all delicious. We actually spent our whole time in the Lido Market (buffet), which meant that we didn't have to get dress-up for dinner.

The have a great observation room to see all that is going on outside, and we spent a lot of our sea time in that room. (We spent very little time in our cabin.

There are plenty of On-Shore excursions to purchase that we did that enhanced our trip even more. And, we really enjoyed the land trip to Fairbanks (By bus and train). We got to see much more of Alaska's beauty.

The HAL staff was perfect, each and every one. We did not run into one member who wasn't in a good mood. The all appeared to be enjoying their jobs. And, they truly wanted to make sure we were having a good time.

We went on this cruise to see Alaska, not to eat (which as I said the food was great), and not to live a grand and exotic ship life, so, here is wat we would do if we did it again. First, pack light and get the laundry package. They will pick up your laundry every morning, and have it back to you by the end of the day (usually). Secondly, unless you are going for the glamourous life, leave your dressy clothes at home. Jeans work fine, unless they are really a mess. Lastly, make sure you take clothes that are suitable for some cold, and or, rainy weather... It could happen.

All in all, it was one of the best vacations we ever had. HAL does it right.

We experienced both the land and sea Alaskan cruise- we were very pleased! There are a few things on board that are important- drinks, even water was a bit of a surprise- we purchased drink cups and drank water for the most part- we used our cups and got drinks from the buffet area - no problem. We didn’t have any type of alcohol package but took advantage of the 2 for 1 deals at happy hour in different parts of the ship. The food at the buffet was as expected- good and plentiful but nothing exceptional- the food in the dining room was excellent- the service, the preparation, and quality was quite good. The entertainment was good- lots of options but by the end of the cruise we were ready for it to be over.
The area that I have to be most complimentary to Holland is the quality of the accommodations on the land portion- beautiful brand new hotel rooms in Seward and Denali- so impressive- everything on the land portion was well coordinated and no issues. Fairbanks is a dud - really nothing to get excited about but Holland made up for that with the Gold Dredge your and the River boat. What an experience- amazing time in Alaska- thanks Holland- you made us feel welcome and comfortable the entire trip

A trip I’ll never forget. My son and I did this trip together and it did not disappoint. I could go on and on about how picturesque the landscape is; just sitting on the deck while we passed by the terrain would have been worth the trip by itself.
Glacier bay is breathtaking and I recommend taking a bus to visit Mendenhall Glacier if you have the chance.
We did a few excursions but my favorite was the whale watching in Juneau. Don’t book this on the boat... you will get a much better deal from the tour companies once you port. Most of them will negotiate with you if you ask for a better deal.
The boat is clean, the service was to notch and the entertainment was excellent.

Holland America cruise, 7 nights, from/ to Seattle. Enjoyed veranda room, portside. Service was top-notch, Dining rooms and food selections were most enjoyable. Food selections pleased any diet. Cafeteria /buffet area offered unlimited choices of food for breakfast, lunch and dinne;,.this seemed to appeal to families traveling with children. Evening entertainment pleased most any taste- from jazz to classical music. We did not purchase land excursions but enjoyed walking around the towns. I would like to see internet service made minimally available for email. I purchased the service for email use only for about $60 for 4 days. Otherwise - a lovely voyage.

As a first time cruiser I’ve nothing to compare against but I was very impressed with the ship and service provided. All crew were without exception very efficient and ever smiling.
Our verandah stateroom was spacious, comfortable, clean and spacious and we were well looked after by our steward.
We quickly decided the buffet wasn’t for us but the service and quality in the main dining room for breakfast and dinner was excellent. When we wanted something else during the day we opted for the burger and pizza bars on the lido deck (freshly prepared) or afternoon tea in the dining room.
For entertainment we were blown away by the musicians/singers in B.B. Kings blues club and ended up there every night.
The cruise itself we very much enjoyed but didn’t do any excursions. The weather was very kind to us and we were able to relax on deck on days at sea.
All in all a great experience.

My husband took our first vacation in many years. Booked with Holland through Expedia and just got back from the cruise. I had no point of reference as we had never cruised before. We got aboard in Seattle, the staff and process to get on the ship were awesome. The issues on board were rude staff in guest services, the Lido deck and other areas of the ship. Our Porter was awesome and kept the room very tidy, our waiter for formal dinning was also very good. I found the staff in most all the areas other then the ones mentioned very disinterested and somewhat agitated if I ask them for anything. We sailed on the Amsterdam and felt the ship was clean, a great size for us and had ample activities available to us. Guest services was the worst and quite rude in general. Staff did have a lot of difficulty understanding and communicating. For what we paid for the cruise and suite I had hoped for better. Will cruise again but try another line.

Royal Caribbean cruise line was an excellent choice for our trip to Alaska. Hubbard Glacier was spectacular with perfect weather to view it, Each stop was well worth doing and our excursions were great, especially our white water rafting excursion in Juneau. But the excursion in Kitchikan where we did lighthouses - eagles and totem poles also was fantastic with a wonderful crew to entertain us, with Andrew singing " drunken Sailer" a highlight.

Too few officers and a jobs worth at our original embarkation drop off because we were 2 MINUTES early!!!! . So we ended up behind in the queue, took over 3 HOURS to clear customs and immigration. Officers unhurried and chatting while we were waiting. 8 officers for 8000 passengers. The boat safety muster and sailing delayed. Should have been on board for lunch and ended with afternoon tea.
The ship just refitted in social ares but the cabins were very tired. Two of our fellow passengers had to evacuate their room due to an overnight sewerage leak which affected their bedding
Our stewards however worked their socks off to keep our room clean and fresh and were very helpful. Sigit and Heri .Stateroom 6165. They were ace!!! The shore excursions we chose were arranged on shore cheaper and in some cases better. We actually saw whales and seals on a dedicated trip and were not stuffed with crab or salmon on shore. You can get that included on the ship without paying extra.
The ship charges extra for EVERYTHING , even the water , discouraging filling your own bottles. We still filled ours when we could by tipping the water provided at table from our glasses to our bottles. Beware the offers for extras at the table, charges are high plus tax. Eg espresso coffee etc.
This push ,push ,push for sales is annoying and typical of American ships. Anyway griping over , the places we visited and the people we met ashore were amazing and made the cruise well worth any aggravations.

My wife and I traveled the Inside Passage on the Explorer of the Seas, Royal Caribbean Cruises, between the 31st Aug and 7th Sept as part of a 19 day Canada/USA/Alaska package from Australia. This was our 3rd cruise and first with Royal Caribbean.

The ship sailed from Seattle with stops at Juneau and Skagway; sailing up the Tracey Arm Fjord for glacier viewing, then onto Victoria, British Columbia before returning to Seattle.

This is the first time we have been to Alaska and were looking forward to seeing the mountains, glaciers and the towns. Sailing out of the Seattle we traveled through the picturesque Puget Sound then past Vancouver Island, to open water as night fell. A day of sailing enjoying the ships activities (or not) before we again saw land on the 3rd day as we entered the inside passage. The sights of the islands and white capped mountain ranges appearing, provided a great morning of sailing before we arrived at Juneau around midday.

We had purchased tickets for the Mt Roberts Tram ride on the ship at a cost of $36 USD. At the actual Tram ride office the tickets were $34 USD. There were two other ships in town so the shops were busy as expected and the queue for the tram ride long. There are many tour providers along the wharf area for some of the other attractions as offered on the ship (choose wisely). After 20 minutes of queuing we finally were on the tram ride to the top of Mt Roberts. The view of the Gastineau Channel as you ride up is incredible. From the restaurant/shop/info area there are many viewing areas and a choice of readily marked tracks leading out . At the time we were there some tracks were wet and a bit muddy so wear covered shoes with good grip. We spent nearly 2 hours walking around enjoying the views and taking pictures before hitting the long queue to head back down on the tram. Once back in town we had plenty of time to walk around and visit the many shops and old buildings. The town is small and easy to walk around. There are the usual souvenir shops (pay attention to prices, some shops were dearer than others for the same items). It was a public holiday in Juneau that day so a small amount of shops closed around 5.00pm.

Back on the ship and onto Skagway. We arrived in Skagway early in the morning and had purchased tickets on board for the White Pass Rail & Bus ride and Sled Dog Tour. A 5 1/2 hour tour. We chose the early tour which departed the ship at 7.30 am and finished around 1.00pm. We started with a short tour through Skagway with our driver pointing out the many unique buildings and stories attached to them before being dropped off at Alaska 360 for the Sled Dogs. Great little attraction with very passionate operators. The dogs were great and not what you would expect (no spoiler here - must see for yourself). The pups were cute and received many cuddles from our tour group. Back on the bus as we continued our drive up to and through the White Pass back into Canada for a short time before returning to Skagway on the train. Heaps of scenery and photo opportunities. Once in town we chose to walk from the train stop instead of getting the shuttle bus. Had plenty of time to look around and find a place to have lunch before more walking and returning to the ship.

The following day we sailed up the Tracey Arm Fjord to the glazier, stopping a few hundred metres from it. The ship was then rotated very slowly on itself within the passage so everyone could get a look at the glazier wall. No mean feat with a ship of this size (modern propulsion systems!). Along the fjord we saw small icebergs, seals and a variety of bird life. The scenery - indescribable - high cliffs, snow/glazier covered mountains, varied rock formations and more water falls than you could count. The only down side was that we were at the glazier wall early in the morning and the sun rising directly above the glacier didn't allow great pictures. Tip - it was freezing so you'll need to wear good warm clothing.

Onto Victoria, British Columbia after cruising the rest of that day and the next. We decided to wing this part of the trip and not pre-purchase tickets on the ship for any of the tours. From the dock we and a few of our group took the shuttle bus into town ($13 Can each) while some took a 2 1/2 hour rickshaw tour. The shuttle ride driver gave a running commentary of the trip into Victoria City Centre, before dropping us off outside of the Empress Hotel. There we purchased tickets to the Butchart Gardens ($70 Can). There was no time limit on how long you spent at the gardens with these tickets as the buses returned to the city every 30 minutes (ship tours only give you about 1 1/2 hours). On the bus to the Butchart Gardens we were given a tour of the city with running commentary and after about 40 minutes arrived at the gardens. We spent a casual 2 1/2 hours looking around and could easily have spent a longer time. No spoiler as it is a garden to be visited in person, just to say though I took a lot of general and close up photographs. Back on the bus and into town. The town is very clean with plenty of well kept gardens and arrays of trees and flowers lining the streets. We had time to walk around the CBD and wharf areas of Victoria, before catching the shuttle back to the ship. Could easily just visit Victoria and Vancouver Island again as a separate holiday. All too soon we sailed overnight back to Seattle to finish the cruise.

All in all a great cruise. We were lucky and only experienced a little bit of rough seas during one night but overall very smooth sailing. The crew we had the pleasure to meet on the Explorer of the Seas were exceptional; nothing was too hard, they were always friendly and greeted you when you passed. The food on most occasions in the main dining room was of a high standard with only a few exceptions. The bacon took a bit of getting use to for breakfast - thinly shaved and appeared to have been deep fried (similar to what we experienced throughout Canada and USA on the road trip part of our tour). I was surprised that we could order double ups on most of the dining selections, as our group excelled in with the prawn cocktails and on one night with the lobster tails. I thank Maddi, Labrador (our evening waiters), Nino our cabin staff and the drink waiters in the Schooner Bar for making this a great cruise.

We only dined in the Windjammer (bistro dining) on two occasions. Lunch on arrival and breakfast after viewing the Tracey Arm Fjord. There was a large selection of food which would please everyone's tastes. The only down side here was that particular foods were only in one area (different from other cruises we have been on with the bistro dining doubling up). If that particular food was popular then you had to endure long queues. The food was good and again the staff friendly. Just be wary of peak times in the Windjammer as seating can be a problem. The staff helped look for seating where they could during these busy times so do not expect a table to yourself.

One negative we experienced was in the drink packages offered by Royal Caribbean as they had been explained to us on arrival. Basically 3 types of packages - alcoholic package ($57 USD per day/person), non alcoholic ($26 USD per day/person) and soft drinks ($8.50 USD per day/person). Each person in your cabin as explained on the day had to have the same package. We later found out you could have different packages ( for example 1 alcoholic and 1 non alcoholic) but both had to have a package of sorts. Also you couldn't knowingly buy alcoholic drinks for the person with the non alcoholic package or something not available on their particular package. If caught out your drink package is cancelled with no refund!!! The other gripe is if you didn't have a drink package and you ordered a drink, you had to allow for an added gratuity and taxes which add to the displayed cost. Why not just display the total cost of the drink in the first place so a person can make a better informed choice?

The other was that we chose the late dining option (8.00pm) and missed out on a few of the ships shows as they were only on when we dined. There were only 3 shows which had a early dining and late dining option. The other 2 cruises and cruise lines we have been on always had the early and late options.

Overall we had an enjoyable experience with Royal Caribbean and we would cruise with them again should the itinerary suite our needs. We would however allow for the extra's next time!!!

One of the most beautiful places in the world,
A nature that enters the soul,
Of a unique beauty,
Protected national park.
It can be visited by sea.

Inside Passage trip on Celebrity Solstice was amazing even whether was not great. We still were able to make great pictures and had a lot of fun.