Traveled on Serenade of the Seas to Alaska Aug 2008 in a group that included people in their 40s, 70s as well as 2 kids age 11. All enjoyed the trip a great deal but here is the breakdown: Flew to Vancouver on Cathay Pacific from JFK. While you can't argue with the service both flights (there and back) were at least 2 hours late getting us to Vancouver at 3:40am and home in NY at close to midnight. We were told that flight is delayed quite a bit. Embarkation was not particularly smooth. We were given numbers and had to sit in a large area for our name to be called to proceed to passport control. There was also a long line to check in as well. SHIP LAYOUT AND CABIN: The ship is very nice-looking but a little difficult to orient yourself (we went on Norwegian Sun this April and found it better planned) We had a balcony cabin and while everyone says it is a must on this cruise I disagree. One of the pleasures of a balcony is staying, sitting on it, etc. One minor complaint - no hair conditioner (I don't expect fancy lotions but at least a conditioning shampoo would have been nice) While it is pretty chilly out there most of the time - and that is in Aug. You get better views of Hubbard Glacier from the front of the ship (since you only have a one-sided view from your cabin). We did not use our balcony much - it was fairly uninviting. FOOD:The main restaurant was pretty good but the buffet area was not very tasty. It was often super busy, it was hard to find a table and the service was just OK. The waiter staff at the restaurant was superb. We did eat at the steakhouse Chops Grille ($25/pp) one night - it was excellent. KIDS' CLUB: Our daughters (11 yr twins) usually love kids' clubs on all cruises and resorts. Here they went once and did not want to go back - said it was boring and the staff was not nice. ENTERTAINMENT: varied from OK to great. SHORE EXCURSIONS: these things cost big bucks but they make the trip. On Icy Point we booked the bear search on Spasski river. We stumbled on a bear right in front of the tour bus but did not see any by the river. $99 a person inc kids was a bit steep to pay for a bus ride into the woods with nothing to see. Skagway - did the White pass train. We were lucky to be there on one of the two sunny days all summer, so it was particularly stunning. Juneau - big disappointment awaited us. My daughters had been dying to go dog sledding on a glacier getting there on helicopter. I had bought Era helicopters months ago. It turned out that the weather was particularly bad in the direction that Era flies so our tour got cancelled. I guess I appreciate that they cancelled instead of flying us in the fog. Apparently all other helicopter companies fly in the other direction so they were all operational. However, but that point all the dog sledding tours were booked up. We did end up using Coastal Helicopters for a flight on a glacier without the dog thing. It is a stunning experience. Landing and walking on a glacier felt as foreign as being on the moon. DO NOT miss the helicopter! It is expensive but worth every penny. DISEMBARKATION: was easy. I do not think transfers are worth it if you are more than 1 person. The cab to the airport was $32 plus tip. There was no line for the cabs. You have to walk 1 min from baggage pick up to the cab, and the driver loads and unloads stuff for you. Beats the $25/pp prepaid transfer. Overall, Alaska is a do not miss experience. Serenade is a pretty decent choice for it.