I waited by the customer service counter for about 10 minutes. Guests came and went, asking about their rooms, or events, or whatever. When it was my turn, the ship’s entertainment band was one floor below, but the open-air ceiling a few feet away from us allowed the music to float up to our floor. I proceeded to have to yell my concern about a state room charge above the pounding of the drums, and the bump, bump, bump of the bass. This would go on for about 45 minutes, until the band took its break. I hollered to the customer service rep, “How do you deal with this?” She just shook her head and went about her business. 

This Alaskan cruise was a bucket list item, a desire to see that part of the country, to see the wildlife, a glacier or two while they’re still there, get to learn about those fellow countrymen living in that state near the Arctic. But I never thought about what I would do with all those days on the cruise ship.

There was disappointment. Not with the stateroom with the perfectly sized balcony where my daughter and I could watch the stunning Alaskan landscape pass by, the picture-perfect forests and mountains that came into view after our Vancouver departure. Not members of the staff, who were oh so friendly, accommodating at every turn, ready to greet us in the morning and throughout the day as we went about our business. Not by the amount and quality of the food from oysters to French fries or the desserts from pistachio mousse to Jello.

So, what am I bellyaching about?

Perhaps it’s the cruise experience. My expectations. Or both.

Cruise ships in the waters near the Gulf of Alaska

This is not to badmouth any specific line, but to caution those preparing to cruise to consider what they want to achieve on that journey. Is it to party like it’s 1999, is it to learn about the countries being visited, be amongst like-minded travelers? I wish I had considered my expectations more carefully, and matched them to the specific cruise. 

I guess my first turnoff was the daily activities. The morning began with an 8 a.m. wellness video in the theatre where cruisers could follow along with a tai chi master. As much as I wanted to, I never made it. My bad. From then onto well after midnight, there were choices like movies for the kids, game shows in the lounge, plenty of specialty gatherings hosted by the on-board vendors selling jewelry, expensive watches, and clothing. Nightly shows put on by staffers, a sort of Las Vegas kind of thing. Meh.

The wellness area offered lectures on, of all things, weight management, how to flatten your stomach, and facial treatments to look younger. In my quest for learning, I signed up for a few of them. In the acupuncture lecture, we learned how the needles unblock the meridian lines that run through the body to conquer pain and unblock stuck areas.  And, if interested, we could sign up for a series of acupuncture treatments. Another was on how to get rid of stomach flab, which could be achieved by purchasing a detox package, and for the facial?  For about 2K, one could get a newly created process to look years younger. 

Spa services are a staple on cruise ships, and I did take advantage of a few of them, for the experience but also because I didn’t find much else to take part in. The on-board library was touted as having plenty of books to borrow, but I found the shelves bare, and the ones there looked like books left in staterooms from passengers not wanting to carry them home. I do applaud the cruise line, however, for the idea of allotting space for one. 

Second stop: Skagway, Alaska

There were few lectures during the week given by an Alaskan naturalist who described the state’s history, the whaling industry, and the wildlife and landscape. With a power point slide show, and a long career as a Forest Ranger, his knowledge and experiences were invaluable to those wanting to learn more about the place we wanted to see. Our itinerary allowed us only a short time to be in Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan, so I wish there were more of these informative talks. 

The excursions on land were plenty, but time prevented us from venturing too far from the port or signing up for tours with a return time uncomfortably close to when we had to return to the ship. The tours we took included a thrilling ride up to one of their super high summits, a harbor cruise looking for whales, and a drive to a glacier and waterfall which provided a nice stretch of the legs. The rest of the time included souvenir shopping and getting a bite at one of their frontier-looking restaurants. The food, I have to say, was top notch, as were the servers and those at the shop registers. Eager to please, and patient with the hundreds (thousands?) of passengers from the four cruise ships docking that day.  

Another point to make was the large amount of people on the ship. In my cruise planning, I didn’t make note of how many passengers the ship holds, mostly because my mind can’t make heads or tails from a stat like that anyway. How many is too many, how does that number relate to the size of the ship, etc.  Days before I left for my flight to Vancouver, I received an email from the cruise lines offering me a nice refund package if I cancelled because of overbooking. But, having put too many things into place for this trip, and not wanting to put off, I declined.  Evidently so did everyone else. 

Last stop: Ketchikan, Alaska

What that meant was long lines at the buffet, too many people waiting for a custom-made omelet, waiting for drinks at the bar as harried bartenders worked the orders that came in on the app, via a server, or those standing at the bar.  Their specialty coffee station was not equipped space-wise to accommodate the long lines of those who love their lattes, cappuccinos, and iced coffees.  

I saw other ways this particular cruise could improve, obvious ones like moving the customer service counter to a quieter area because when the live rock and roll or salsa entertainment kicked in, one could not hear oneself think, let alone ask about a room charge, or (my pet peeve) have ship announcements be broadcast in the stateroom so one didn’t have to jump up out of bed, open the stateroom door to listen.  (Of course, that person was me because my daughter figured it wasn’t important. To me, it might have been “to your muster station.” After all, we were in iceberg territory.)

Lastly, we went in July, when almost every kid in the universe was off from school. We had babies in strollers, families with lots of kids and their cousins, and with accents from all over the world; this had to be prime-vacation time for every school district on earth. I think that’s great. For me, and my expectations, it was a bit much. At one point, I said to my daughter it felt like the mall at Christmastime. The number of kids did surprise me because I thought, what kid wants to go to Alaska?  But, again, what kid would not want to have a pool all day, with as much pizza as their little bellies could hold. Did they care if a whale swam by.  Not really. But the parents were having a well-earned break.

Let me start reining in my post-cruise observations with this lesson learned: if you are considering a future cruise adventure, do your homework. Ask yourself: Do you want it to be adults only, do you want a cruise that has a theme you’re interested in, do you want more educational experiences, one that has a lesser focus on selling you stuff on board after you’ve already spent thousands to get there? Try to understand what the number of passengers on board means for you and your comfort in crowds.

As for me, I came away having shared precious time with my daughter, with stunning photos, pleasant memories of interactions with staff and fellow passengers. I saw whales spouting mist in the distance, harbor seals lounging on rocks, and sunsets at 10 p.m. I returned home content but wishing I’d come away with a little bit more. 

But again, it’s all about one’s expectations. 

Top photo: View from our stateroom balcony
All photos by MJ Hanley-Goff