We enjoyed our trip enormously. A few things for you to consider if you are thinking about taking this trip:

1. Our #1 favorite part of the cruise was taking the Tracy Arm Fjord catamaran shore excursion. This is a limited-seating option, so you should book early if it sounds appealing to you. But if you go, DO NOT BOOK AN AFTERNOON SHORE EXCURSION IN JUNEAU. Our catamaran spent an extra hour in the Fjord and then it took 20+ minutes for the crew to properly align the catamaran to the ship so people could transfer back to the ship. By that point, we were 1-1/2 hours later than we were supposed to be. Many people missed their afternoon shore excursions. We had not booked an excursion, so we were OK. We went on shore in Juneau and immediately went to one of the MANY tour kiosks right next to the ship. For only $20 round trip, we were taken on a bus to the Mendenhall Glacier where we had ample time to hike to Nuggett Falls.

2. Our only real complaint was that the Skyview Lounge (a large,windowed interior space with lots of comfy seating, located on an upper deck in the front of the ship) was often closed to the public due to some special group gathering or other. At times, the ropes were up but it appeared that the room was empty. On a chilly Alaska cruise, this was prime space where we wanted to be and it was frustrating to have it closed so often. Read more