We flew in to Anchorage AK and stayed one night at Captain Cook's - then we took the train ride from Anchorage to Seward. This was a delightful experience! Upon leaving Anchorage, we saw an adult moose with a baby moose. We were served drinks and lunch (this is a 5 hour train ride) and saw beautiful, breathtaking Alaskan countryside (including glaciers). This was a fun way to start our adventure. When we arrived to the ship, we checked in and were shown to our spacious suite (where our luggage was waiting for us). A bottle of champagne was on ice as well as a plentiful platter of fruit. Within the hour we were called to MUSTER (safety procedures). Staff was quick and efficient! Next was dinner in LA Terrazza! Delicious and WHAT A VIEW! Hubbard Glacier the next day was just sensational.

We ate at La Champagne that night and honestly, were unimpressed. It's a tiny restaurant (seats 22, I believe) and all was quiet and intimate til a group of 10 came in. Regardless, the food is just not that great. The next night we ate at The Restaurant, while the food is average, the atmosphere at La Terrazza is so much better (along with the variety of foods). My advice- make reservations every night at La Terrazza - you can always cancel later- because once the cruise starts, it is HELL getting reservations. Rarely does anyone cancel their reservations at La Terrazza. The pool restaurant really wasn't an option as it was cold and rainy and very windy during our cruise. At La Terrazza, breakfast and lunch are over the top buffets! I'm not a buffet type person, but this is a deliciously extravagant buffet. Do it once and you will be hooked.

Sitka was beautiful! While in Juneau, a lot of the excursions were cancelled because of weather (our helicopter ride to the dog sled camp was cancelled) so we had massages at the spa! They were wonderful! The next day in Skagway we were able to book a helicopter ride to another dog sled camp! My advice on this is as soon as one excursion is cancelled, immediately try and book another one ASAP! TEMSCO Helicopters in Skagway even added and extra flight early in the morning to accommodate! The excursion coordinator was instrumental in getting us re-booked immediately. I would have been very disappointed if I had not been able to do this particular excursion. The next day we were in Ketchikan AK and it was an adorable town. We took a float plane here and it too, was a wonderful experience. The next day was spent at sea, sailing the INSIDE PASSAGE. Read more