This was our first cruise and we had heard horror stories of crowded ships, mediocre food, congested boarding, tiny staterooms, lack of storage, etc. Therefore imagine our surprise when we stepped on to the Silver Shadow for the first time and entered our very spacious suite (not even close to being the most expensive one available)!

First of all -- from the very beginning this was a wonderful experience. All passengers met in Anchorage for a 4.5 hour train ride to Seward, where we boarded the ship. The check-in process was very smooth -- with staff waiting for us with champagne! We entered our cabin (Terrace Suite 533) to discover our luggage waiting for us and our butler for the week offering to unpack for us!

Our cabin was VERY spacious. We had a queen-sized bed and a separate sitting area with a loveseat, small table, and arm chair. There was also a built-in desk and separate vanity. The bathroom had a shower stall, soaking tub, and double-sinks -- all in a beautiful dark marble. The walk-in closet had plenty of hanging space and a built-in dresser with lots of available drawers. Leading from our sitting area was a door that took you out to our shared veranda. We really liked the location of our cabin. We were steps away from the registration/concierge area, as well as from the casino and private casino bar (our favorite place to hang out in the evenings -- we had the bar to ourselves!). Read more