We booked this as a family cruise and got really lucky when our travel agent let us know about an upgrade to a Deluxe Verandah Suite. We took advantage and we are glad we did.Embarkation: It would have went went as smooth as silk, except there was an outbreak of the Norovirus on the previous cruise and they had to disinfect the ship. We checked in, but could not get onto the ship until after PM. Holland provided us with a shuttle to downtown Seattle and we took advantage of that. We got a little to eat, went to view the Space Needle and than went back to the ship. By the time we got back they were boarding and we got right on the ship.Accommodations: The Deluxe Verandah Suite is just that, deluxe. It had more than enough room for all four of us, with plenty of room to roam. It was about the size of a hotel room and made living with a 13 year old and a nine year old bearable. There was a lot of storage and we did not have to stack things everywhere. The services that are provided at this level were great and it will be hard to step down to a lower level on future cruises.Dining: The code red issue popped up during meals. There was no bread, butter, salt or pepper on the tables. Nothing communal in the dining rooms. I could not get my own cup of coffee until after code red was lifted. The La Fontaine dining room had some of the best food we have had on our 15+ cruises. It had food that even a picky 13 year old would eat. The service was first rate and except for one night, very quick. The Lido Buffet was good, even better when we could serve ourselves most of our own food.Entertainment: Our 13 year old had a great time with the "Loft." He would go out with them until curfew. Our nine year old, on the other hand, did not like the group he was put in, so he spent most of his time with us, or in the suite watching cartoons. My wife wanted to spend most of our ship time in the tiny casino, so that is what we did. We did not see a show at all.Shore excusions: Wow, were they expensive. We spent almost as much on those than we did for the cruise. The should give a family group rate! The were a lot of fun, but not really that much of a good value. Alaska has a lot to see and there are lots of choices. We enjoyed all the ports of call.Disembarkation: We were priority and we had arranged private transportation, so it was nice to leave when we wanted. We had breakfast, picked up our carry ons and left the ship when we wanted.Overall: We all had a great time and will definitely be family cruising again.