I choose this cruise because it worked best for the time frame we had. I also selected it because I believe cruising in one direction in Alasaka is a better way to go. The Jewel is old and needs updates. The food is more than plentiful, but lacking in quality. I know many go to eat themselves silly, but even the dinning rooms with extra fees or paid meals were less than gourmet. Often the protein was fine but side dishes were awful. Multiple restaurants served side dishes in small aluminum pots that didn't hold heat and were just awful in appearance in addition to contents being terrible. At Moderna restaurant we were given a 9:30 seating which was fine with us but it was a Brazilian BBQ so as soon as we started they said it was last call for the foods being offered. Not the waiters fault, but frustrating. Another speciality dinner, we were seated then before we even got our drinks we ordered, four officers from on board came in, they ordered wine and their meals and had everything before we even got our drinks. Seeing as they downed two bottles of wine I hope they were not going back to work, but it was frustrating we couldn't even get our drinks in that time. The excursions were fine, but if you really want to see Alaska extend out before and do it properly. I suggest the guided Exit Glacier ice hike or climb out of Seward if you really want to be on a Glacier and see all of its terrain. What I did enjoy was the staff in the regular dinning rooms, housekeeping and those in the lesser positions. They were polite, friendly, helpful and happy. Ask them for recommendations on local establishments to eat, drink and shop. Or if you need anything above and beyond they were right there to help. The upper level staff at some the better restaurants and those at the various speciality locations were always slow, angry, annoyed and just plain rude. They seemed to be older and possibly burnt out? I don't know, but asking for lemon for my water almost put one waitress over the top. The exception was the guys at the Sushi bar, and the waiters at Moderno. They were fun, attentive, and professional.

The pluses were getting a balcony room facing shore, we simply could sit out and watch the glaciers calving as we passed by. Though it rains a lot, on the southern end of the trip when it was warm and dry, we could sit out and enjoy the scenic views and simply relax. The gym staff was motivating and fun, I enjoyed the classes they offered very much, and tried many new formats. The art talks were interesting and informative though they did get a bit redundant at times. the auctions were a bit too long, and there was some behind the scenes maneuvering to try and get bidders to buy more. The shows and comedians were as expected, and there was certainly things going on to choose from. A naturalist speaking would have been a nice perk.

Excursions were fun, but a bit too pricey for what they offered. We did helicopter to Glacier hike, dogsledding, ATVing, train ride, and were supposed to do zodiac boats but that got screwed up and ended up on boat ride to Fjords. We were disappointed the woman at the excursions desk was unfriendly and unhelpful. She tried to pacify us with a $50 credit towards the ride we ended up on, but made no effort to help us resolve the error in the first place. Read more