Our cabin was on Caribe deck and our cabin steward was wonderful. I brought some flowers onboard fro

On July 9th we sailed to Alaska norwegian cruise line norwegian wind with my Brother-in-law and his wife....a first cruise for them but a 4th cruise to Alaska norwegian cruise line norwegian wind for me. It was probably the best for weather and wildlife norwegian cruise line norwegian wind of all my Alaska adventures. I would prefer an itinerary that includes Sitka but we had to do the round trip from Seattle this time round so that was not to be. For all that my wonderful cruise agent did for us I want to say a special thank you! Your advice was invaluable and your generosity...well, I will say no more...my heart is soooo full!
We arrived at the pier shortly after 11am and were dropped by our shuttle in the shuttle area near the door. We gave our luggage to the porter who seemed to be waiting for us...and it was in our cabin when we returned from lunch. Our wait to board the ship was very brief and we were in our cabin in no time at all. We were travelling with my BIL and his wife (first time cruisers) who also received their luggage in a timely manner. Both of our rooms were fully cleaned and immaculate when we boarded.
norwegian cruise line norwegian wind Our cabin was on Caribe deck and our cabin steward was wonderful. I brought some flowers onboard from the Pike Place Market and as we arrived back at the cabin after lunch he also arrived with a vase to put the flowers in...super!! Our cabin was always spotless...bed made beautifully, clean glasses in place, ice in the ice bucket, shining bathroom ... always spotlessly clean, towels and facecloths always fresh, robes in place on our arrival and our cabin was always made up promptly and the steward always addressed us by name, with a smile and fulfilled every request accurately and promptly! He personified norwegian cruise line norwegian wind C.R.U.I.S.E.
norwegian cruise line norwegian wind While food is very subjective we found it to be quite good aboard this ship. We do not expect 5 star cuisine from a kitchen that is catering to so many people at one time! What we do expect is very good banquet quality food and that is exacty what we found. We ate in the Crown Grill one evening and had great service and excellent food. We also enjoyed Sabatini's norwegian cruise line norwegian wind one evening. It was a pleasant experience but I felt the service missed in a couple of areas...just small things like not asking if we would like to have coffee. I ordered the steak here and thought it a little on the tough side. My sister in law said hers was tender and delicious. (Personal differences I think!) We also took advantage of eating at Pub Lunch twice. I enjoyed both lunches thoroughly. At one meal I was not terribly hungry and chose the Ploughman's Lunch....a bit of bread, pate and cheese was just right and very tasty. On another day I chose the Fish and Chips...delicious (though not as delicious as the fish and chips at Lowell's at the Seattle Market...perhaps not so much about taste as about ambiance....the norwegian cruise line norwegian wind Market was so much fun!) and not too much batter on the fish! We enjoyed our meals in the Bernini Dining room...different waiters...all attentive and happy...as well as different tablemates. We usually ate at about 6pm and never had a problem getting a table...usually by a window! The wine service was excellent as was the wine! Of course some dinners were more memorable than others....I personally loved the Beef Wellington.
While my Brother and Sister in Law loved the Horizon Court for breakfast and lunch I avoided it like the plague. I dislike the smell of the buffet...it reminds me of a school cafeteria and looking at all that food in one place sickens me. We had room service breakfasts .... I had to try the Princess MacMuffin and found it to be strange norwegian cruise line norwegian wind but not awful....no, on second thought it was awful and I won't be having it again :) ! Lunch was generally a quick bite of something and a cappuccino at the International Cafe...that spot is a winner!
We enjoyed the shows. I always find the singers and dancers on Princess to be very energetic but the singers are not always on key and when they are off they are awful....especially the female ones! For the most part these performers were quite good and the shows were entertaining. The Princess Theatre was filled to overflowing for the early performance of British Invasion and I was most upset that Princess allowed people norwegian cruise line norwegian wind to sit on the stairs during the performance. I thought they should close the doors and have someone available to let folks know there would be a later performance. To my mind not doing this created a real safety hazard!
The comedian Carlos Oscar was a super entertainer. I am generally not a fan of comedians because of their foul language and reliance on sexual references for laughs. This man relies on the everyday situations we all encounter along the paths of our lives for his laughs. He is funny because norwegian cruise line norwegian wind he understands the human condition! I hope to see him perform again!
For me the highlight of our Alaska ports was Juneau. norwegian cruise line norwegian wind We did a whale watching cruise combined with the Mendenhall Glacier. I've been a fan of Humpback Whales for years and years and love to watch them in Maui. It was such a treat to see how their behaviour is so different in Alaska where their main object is to eat (kind of like a lot of cruise ship passengers ) We were very fortunate to see them bubble net feeding...a norwegian cruise line norwegian wind behaviour that you will never see in Hawaii! The Mendenhall glacier was...well it was a glacier! The visitor center was interesting and quite informative.
What I missed on this cruise....Orcas...I had hoped but I guess a trip to the west coast of Canada is in order so that I can see these creatures in their natural habitat. Somewhere along the way we managed to see sheep, deer, otter, whales, bald eagles, norwegian cruise line norwegian wind and seals so I am not compaining.
Our cabin steward was a delight but so too was the sommelier on this vessel. I had the most wonderful conversation with him at dinner one evening and we shared memories of other Princess norwegian cruise line norwegian wind ships and he shared some tips about visiting Europe with me! I'm booking that European cruise soon!!!!!
I saw more children on this cruise than I have noticed on any other cruise I have been on in the past. Was it a poor kid's program this time round or was it just because it's summer vacation? For the most part they were very well behaved but I do not understand why parents think it's okay to let little ones roam about a ship on their own.
It is not okay to save 10 seats in a row at the Princess Theatre 15 minutes before showtime while a lot of people are searching for 2 seats together. To tell you the truth if it had been me searching norwegian cruise line norwegian wind for a seat I would have said, Tough luck for your people! and parked my backside in one of those saved seats.
This was a wonderful cruise norwegian cruise line norwegian wind on a wonderful ship to a wonderful destination. I found the staff to be friendly norwegian cruise line norwegian wind and helpful, the entertainment definitely entertaining, the food very good. I am always amazed at how well Princess moves the mass of humanity that engulfs the ship on a weekly basis around with such ease. When bottlenecks do occur they are usually very brief and usually a result of passengers not doing those things that they are asked (sometimes begged) to do. I really was sad to have to say goodbye this time round and I am looking forward to sailing again in October!
Thank you for a wonderful review, Beryl. I'm glad you saw so much wildlife, particularly the Humpback Whales. It's also interesting (in a good way) to travel with first-time cruisers. Do you think your BIL and SIL will be booking norwegian cruise line norwegian wind another?
Welcome home! And thanks for the review. I am with you in that a 7 dayer is not long enough. And isn't it wonderful to sail from the west coast? I am also not a fan of the buffet. As my father-in-law said on our first cruise, 'I payed good money for this, so I am going to be served!'