This was our first cruise,as we joined several family members on the Diamond Princess to the inland passage. We flew from Las Vegas to Seattle on Alaskan, and after a smooth flight, we started our next inquiry as to the whereabouts of the Princess charter bus. The bus ride was apx. twenty minutes to the port, and then we proceeded to another pretty long line. Finally after about ninety minutes, we made it aboard. Luckily our flight was on time,as we were told our bus was the last of the day to the port. We did miss the muster safety drill,as they start it about one hour before sail away. It might be wise to give yourself a little more time than we did,to avoid delays. We had a beautiful mini-suite on dolphin deck 9. We enjoyed having some extra room,especially, in the bathroom. The dolphin deck is un-covered,and open to your fellow passengers above, so beware. The Diamond is a huge ship,so it may take you a while to figure the layout,especially trying to find the International dining room. It is located on deck 5,but you have to bypass it above,and then come back down, to get to it,strange? The I.D.R. is a nice breakfast alternative to the crowded and sometimes crazy horizon ct. buffet.The food was pretty good most of the time,we enjoyed the side dishes more than the entrees,on many occasions. I must say the outdoor grills by the main pool, serves up delicious pizza,and burgers for lunch or snack. Princess has so much going on in their entertainment offerings,be sure to read the daily patter so you don't miss out. We had trouble seeing and doing everything,so we always ate early. We chose anytime dining which means you still need to make a dinner reservation,so you wont have to wait. Call every morning.or ask the maitre de to keep the same time for you. The main shows,Piano Man,and Undercover, (secret agent) theme show, were really entertaining,get there early for a good seat.We spent a lot of time in Club Fusion,participating in karaoke,they also had a great band and lots of fun game shows,trivia contests,50s party,and Elvis impersonator contests,fun stuff,especially if you participated! The age group was generally a lot older than i thought it would be,but ,we still had a lot of fun! We refuse to act our age!Princess generally attracts the mid to older generation for Alaskan, and Hawaiian cruises,but nice,classy folks,nonetheless. The ships service was very good. We had good service in all the dining rooms,and our room steward was always available when we needed him. One personal note regarding some of the dining staff,they can come across sometimes as being a little stuffy, or snooty. don't let the few spoil your mood,or meal.Itineraries, and shore excursions were fun, for the most part,they really put an emphasis on shopping up there,especially jewelry! We only had one day of rain in Juneau,can you believe it? September can be iffy,weather wise.Loved the aereal tramway and shopping in Juneau,we could not get in the famous Red Dog Saloon,darn it,it was packed! We enjoyed Skagways, White Pass train excursion,don't think it was worth $100? I loved Ketchikan,it was my favorite town, quaint,cute and very picturesque! The real highlight of the hole cruise had to be Tracey Arm. It was spectacular! Do yourself a favor,if you ever go to Alaska, make sure your cruise goes up Tracey Arm! The sure beauty of the emerald green waters,and the spectacular black rock walls, lined with green pines,and waterfalls is a must see!We were very disappointed in the itinerary for Victoria Canada. We were only there for 5 short hours,at nite no less.A beautiful city that deserves a full day to enjoy! Sorry Princess, you blew that one! All in all it was a terrific cruise for all of us,not perfect,but pretty darn good! The Diamond Princess is a gorgeous ship and i only hope i am fortunate enough to sail again with her,someday? Next cruise, Hawaii,April.07 on the Island Princess,cant wait, were hooked on cruising !