JohnGinPBG

My wife and I did the SS pre-cruise Denali trip in June followed by our sailing on the Shadow from Seward to Vancouver. For us, it was the trip of a lifetime.

The Denali trip was very well organized and executed. We had an exceptional tour director who took care of all the details and requests, however minor. On the two trips on the Alaska Railroad, our group had a private car, and the bus was very comfortable (which is a good thing, because you spend a LOT of time on the bus). Hotels were excellent - Grand Denali Lodge had an incredible hilltop location and great food and Alyeska Resort is the top resort in Alaska.

The day trip inside Denali was awesome (great weather helped). Saw grizzlies, caribou, moose and Dall sheep and the big mountain itself. Eight hours on another bus, but that's the only option. The stop at the Iditirod champion's home/kennels was tremendous fun. Overall a great experience and we are glad we didn't try to organize it ourselves.

Favorite port was Sitka - took a 5-hour whale/wildlife boat with only 5 passengers arranged directly with the captain (gallantadventures.com) and it was unforgettable! Saw a bear on shore, countless eagles, seals and sea lions, sea otters and many whales. One was so close to the boat he sprayed my wife. Also incredible scenery.

In Skagway, we passed on the town and the train ride and booked a tour to Haines, which is an authentic Alaskan town with more great scenery and no crowds. Ketchikan was extremely touristy and disappointing except for our incredible floatplane trip to Misty Fjords. Juneau was our only real rainy day the entire trip, but we enjoyed our hiking and glacier visit. Unibok, I highly recommend taking the tram to Mount Roberts and hiking from there. You can go as high up into the alpine environment as you like.

Hope you enjoy Alaska as much as we did!

Unfortunately, on three different occasions it was sub-standard.

In all deference to the Knighthood, I appreciated the temporary title.

I too was sworn to secrecy. My suggestion is to get on a first-name basis with your favorite servers and bartenders. After two days, I became "Sir John" and my wife was "Miss Sue" which spread among several venues and was a really nice touch.

We sailed on the Shadow 6/28 to 7/5. Not much to compare it to as this was my first cruise ever. But we were thoroughly impressed by all aspect of our experience.

Our terrace suite was roomy and comfortable - we didn't miss having a private balcony. Some might consider the ship's decor a little dated, but we loved the deco touches and general warmth. The cruise was sold out, yet the public spaces were never crowded and frequently almost empty. There was no evidence of excessive wear and tear as has been mentioned in earlier posts.

Staff and service were exceptional (save for the pool grill, which could use a fix).Very friendly - made us feel at home. Our favorite bartender even shared with us the unique system they have for memorizing guests' names. Interesting!

Breakfast and lunch buffets were ideal and cuisine in restaurants was generally superb. Only glaring issue was the sub-par quality of the steaks and chops. I get better meat at Publix.

Getting on and off the ship for excursions was a breeze, and debarkation in Vancouver was seamless. From the time our color was called, it took literally 15 minutes to get our rental car and head out.

My wife and I fell in love with the Shadow and the Silversea experience and have already booked on the Spirit in the Med for next October.

Thanks for your positive post about the Shadow. We're cruising on her in Alaska next month to celebrate retirement. It will be my first cruise ever and we're super excited! We've booked all our dinners and shore excursions (independently) and now are just counting down the days.

After reading previous negative reviews, I had some concerns. But I imagine many of these were from veteran cruisers and, as a first-timer, I won't be that particular. We've been very impressed with the service so far from Silversea and are looking ahead to the Med next year on the Shadow, so I hope she doesn't disappoint.

The Alaska Cruise Handbook by Joe Upton is awesome! Detailed info about every port, including lots of history and photos.

Best of all, book includes a giant map with cruise routes and mile-by-mile info.

https://www.amazon.com/Alaska-Cruise-Handbook-Pap-Map/dp/B004MQ9F8Q/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1523816297&sr=8-6&keywords=alaska+cruise+handbook

You sound a lot like my wife and me. We live in South Florida and I wear long pants and socks about once a year. We'll be cruising on the Silver Shadow from Seward to Vancouver this June - it's my first cruise ever. We chose Silversea because of the smaller ship, the high-end food and amenities and the itinerary. We added a Denali trip prior to the cruise. I expect the dress on board to be casual during the day and somewhat dressy in evenings depending on the dining venue. On Silversea, you can dress casually at all times at the hot rocks grill and there's also room service. That said, you wouldn't want to miss out on the great food at the other dining venues just because you didn't have long pants, a nice shirt and a jacket. It's been said that Alaska cruising is all about the excursions and we've lined up some great-sounding day trips. Whatever you decide, I hope you have a great trip.