the review below is actually a compilation of 17 review postings I made on the Alaska Board of Cruise Critic. It is almost 70 pages long, so beware, I'm not kidding when I say it is long. I started out to give a factual description of our trip, but it evolved into a very personal journal that is full of facts, but also delves into my inner soul and feelings. Many have asked me to compile it into one document; so with that introduction, here's my journal.

We returned last Sunday from our 16 day journey to Alaska. As I have so much to write, I believe the best way to do this will be to post a day or two at a time so I can be as detailed as possible. I learned so much from this board over the last year, I am happy now to give back and provide this detailed report of our trip.

When writing a review I think it's vital that the writer let the reader know as much about the writer so the reader can understand the source from which the information was derived. So to that end, my wife is 53 and I am 55 years old. I guess we would be considered to be a little above middle class. We have lived in Orlando for the past 23 years. I was born and raised in Columbus, GA and my wife, Amy was born and raised in Columbus, OH. We have a son who will be in his 3rd year of Law School and a daughter who will be in her senior year in college next fall. I run a service company in the Hospitality Industry and Amy teaches Nursery School. This cruise was our 15th cruise, but first to Alaska. We have been to the Caribbean 14 times on Princess, NCL, RCCL, Carnival and HAL. We have no allegiances to any particular cruise line. We have never had a bad cruise and you would be hard pressed to find either one of us ever complain about anything on a cruise vacation. Read more