We just returned from an Alaska cruise on the Amsterdam and after a bumpy start it was overall a great cruise!We found Pier 91 with no problem after driving down from BC. Parking was very efficient. (DH dropped us off with the bags, parked and took the shuttle back). Embarkation was smooth. I was disappointed that the dining room wasn't open for lunch (not that I could tell anyway) as it had been on the Westerdam last year. We headed up to the feeding trough (oops I mean the Lido) and had a light lunch. Our outside cabin (thanks upgrade fairy!) was available by 2 pm and we met our fantastic room steward Budi. Budi and his assistant took great care of us and were always around when we needed them, even calling "this way!" when they saw me turning the wrong direction (again!) after coming down the stairs.We had taken a similar cruise last year on the Westerdam, and seen all the ports, so this was really about relaxing and enjoying the ship, so that's what I will focus on.The Ship: The MS Amsterdam is a beautiful ship! The attention to detail and beautiful artwork are everywhere. Her size, I think is just perfect. Our favourite area was the Explorations Cafe and this area gets very busy. It says a lot for how they've designed it that it becomes such a hub. At times it was actually too noisy to read so I would go across to the Explorers Lounge where there was always a nice quiet chair waiting for me.The outside promenade deck was also a favourite. The movie theatre is also a great feature and nicer than the Culinary Arts Centre/Movie Theatre on the Westerdam. Entertainment: Movies showing were: Confessions of a Shopaholic (OK, I did watch it), Paul Blartt, Mall Cop (Couldn't pay me to watch it), The International (Very good), Escape to Witch Mountain(I'm old enough to have seen the original - so No), Pink Panther 2 (DH and DS dragged me and I actually enjoyed it) and Hotel for Dogs (No).We didn't go to any of the shows as I haven't been impressed in the past with HAL's shows. I wanted to see the Illusionist but the time wasn't convenient. We didn't use the Casino, so can't comment on that. We enjoyed the Trivia and won once.Food: The food was very good. We were never disappointed in a meal. We had open seating which worked well for us last year. This year we felt the service to be really lacking. Our waiter would disappear for 15 minutes at a time after giving me a cold cappuccino, they repeatedly brought milk for our coffee when we asked for cream (maybe they sould have 2 different style containers?) True, this is a small complaint but over a period of days when the waiter is not around to correct the mistakes it becomes frustrating. I don't fault the waiters for the service issues as they seem to have too many tables to take care of. Canaletto restaurant was fantastic. I hesitated to try it as it is really just a modified corner of the Lido, but tried it on "Master Chefs Night". I figured we'd avoid that as service could only be worse if our waiter was expected to sing and dance AND serve our dinner. We liked Canaletto so much that we went 2 nights in a row. The service was great and it felt nice to be taken care of so well.I only went to the Lido for Bread pudding and Tea as I don't really like buffets. Of interest to some though, there were NO trays.  My son actually had got a hamburger from the pool grill and came and sat down with me and had it on a tray one day though! I laughed when I saw him because I thought of these boards. I guess I mentioned it too loudly though, because it was quickly whisked away by the Lido manager. I don't know if they were in the pool area for passenger use or if he just happened to see one and used it. Funny though.Room service was very quick and efficient. We only used it to order tea and snacks in the evening and it always arrived in about 20 minutes.Passengers: The ages on this sailing ranged from babies to 80's with many chiildren and extended family groups. Almost all (except us) seemed to be American from all parts of the country.Rocking and Rolling: The first night it started about 2 am and continued for the next 24 hours. The seas were very, very rough. That morning there were very few people about and many were only up to get seasickness pills from the pursers desk. They also were giving out green apples everywhere as they are supposed to help. A crewmember said he had not experienced it so so rough since they went around the Cape in South America. My DS said someone was sick in the buffet and I saw crew shampooing rugs in a few areas. Thankfully most people who felt unwell stayed in their cabins. I took 1 seasickness pill as a preventive measure and was fine. My DH missed formal night as did many others. The ship did a very good job of reminding people to wash hands, etc. I am always grossed out when I see people licking their fingers while eating and saw this many times on this trip.Weather was nice for Hubbard Glacier which was magnificent! Most of the cruise was overcast and cool though until day 6. We were fine with this though as it is Alaska afterall! The last sea day and Victoria the weather was very nice and sunny.Cabin: We had an outside cabin midship on deck 2. Our cabin steward was fantastic. It was a good size even though we were 3 people. I do think that now that my son is 16 though, we really need the extra space a verandah provides and will stick with that in future.Spa: I didn't really use the spa, but I did use the salon for pedicure on the last evening. A really sweet girl from South Africa named Marle did a wonderful job. Very nice experience. Overall we had a good time. We will definitely select fixed dining next time though and hope for better service.