This was a pleasant cruise and delivered beautiful views and scenery. I'd give it 4.5 stars.
Pros:
- Very smooth tour - no seasickness, smoother than a car ride
- Pacing was great. There are a few highlight spots, but the scenery in between is nice also.
- The captain slows down at the highlight spots and turns the boat around so everyone can see.
- Outside viewing decks had sufficient space for everyone to get a good view
- The bus driver was a surprisingly good tour guide, with lots of interesting information. She stopped at a very scenic viewpoint and also to see the salmon spawning.
- Lunch was really good. I thought there would be an issue of eating at 1:30 pm and not getting back to Anchorage until 8:30 pm, but the soup was hearty, and included a roll and salad, and I was not overly hungry on the trip back.
Cons:
- I was surprised there was not more mention of this. Seating is extremely and uncomfortably tight, sitting knee to knee (literally, it is difficult to manage a position where your knees aren't touching the person across). It was so uncomfortable being in the space of a stranger, staring face to face, that the people across from us got up and found another seat on the deck above. I could hear them say, "Oh, so much better". If you were a group of four, it would be fine, but face to face with about 24 inches in between your face and a stranger's is very uncomfortable.
- The inside tables did not look like they got good views. We had an outside table, which was great, and I believe they assign "desirability" of seats in order of sign up.
- Con or pro, depending on your view -- the bar could make some passengers rather loudly unpleasant to others. It was not bad when we went, but I could see a potential issue, depending on who the other passengers are. It could be even more uncomfortable nose to nose with a drunk, unruly stranger at your assigned table.
We did like the Juneau Adventure Bound tour better, because there was more wildlife, interesting floating ice bergs, outdoor seating, a smaller, quieter crown and boat, and a more spectacularly calving glacier. However this tour had more glaciers, with some beautiful views, a smooth ride, a good lunch, and was shorter, so it is more accessible. Dress warmly - the boat moves fast, so it is very windy. Overall I'd recommend the tour.