Embarkation was very smooth and easy. Being in a Grand Vista Suite (cabin 7347) we had priority boarding and disembarkation. Everyone was very friendly, and extremely helpful. We had friends that the process moved very smoothly also and they didn't board "priority". Cabin was fantastic. A lot of room, magnificent views while cruising, very peaceful. All of the staff that we encountered were very helpful and extremely friendly, with the exception of one person at the Customer Relations desk. In asking them a question about shore excursion, they usually try to be very helpful if Shore Excursion staff isn't working. This young lady wasn't. But everyone else on ship was very kind. Our steward (Rony) was very attentive and great service. We did flexible dining and ate in Bacchus on 3rd floor. Anthony (head waiter) left side of dining room, because there are 2 Anthony's. He was amusing, very good service, and very fun. I have read reviews about how awful the ship is, but we found it to be quite nice.

Would have preferred to stay in Ketchikan longer than 1pm. After our flightseeing excursion we had maybe 30 minutes to see the town and shop. We did Whale watching in Juneau and saw a lot of whales and got great pics. Some even came very close to the boat. Afterwards went to Salmon bake and also hiked to the waterfall. Saw a bald eagle near waterfall. Salmon was delicious. In Skagway, recommend the Yukon White Pass Train. We actually booked directly with them for 12:45pm train ride. You get to ride the train both ways to the Summit. If book through Carnival, ride train one way, and bus the other. Train ride was awesome. Beautiful scenery and very informative. We were in port from 7am - 9pm. Which was kind of long. Brewery in town has a great Ale beer. Spruce tip Ale. We didn't do the Tracy Arm Fjords excursion. The ship got very close to the Glacier, and we got gorgeous pics. Would have loved to see the Sun a few more days than the 2 (1/2) days that we did get sun. But we had no rain, and the temps were mild 59 degrees.

Overall, I would say that this was a great trip. We made new friends and enjoyed a lot of laughs. We stayed at the Hampton Inn and Suites in Seattle 28th Street/Airport. Free airport transfers, and they have a $12 per person shuttle to the cruise port. Will also pick you up upon disembarkation and take you to the airport after cruise, or back to hotel if you plan to stay over extra. They will free shuttle you to the light monorail to ride in to Seattle for sightseeing. Great rates, hotel is only one year old, and rooms were wonderful. Staff there was also very kind and accommodating. Worth checking in to if you aren't set on staying downtown, where the prices of hotels can be a little steep. Even for some "not so nice" hotels.