For wife and myself this was our 9th cruise and 7th on RCI and second to Alaska. Our stateroom was # 8530. It was appropriate, comfortable, and as expected. Following our first Alaskan cruise (Inside Passage) although beautiful, we did not feel like we "experienced" Alaska. To remedy this we booked the 10 day pre-cruise tour. This included additional nights in Anchorage, Talkeetna, and Denali. We also spent an additional night pre-tour in Anchorage at the Marriott, as we have friends living in Anchorage. It was quite worth it. Our Knowledgeable and friendly guide was Shelly and bus driver was Rick. I have found that RCI hires the best in tour guides and drivers and this was the case this trip as well. Our land tour went very quickly and ended at the port of Seward for our South-bound cruise to four Alaskan Ports and Vancouver CA. Embarkation was a breeze. We had no unusual or unwanted smells or sounds in our stateroom. Both my wife and I have some back aches/pains issues when sleeping on foreign beds, however all of the beds (ship, Marriott, and tour hotel/lodges) were quite comfortable and did not cause any discomfort.

We booked excursions at each port with RCI and were very happy with each. On the whale watching and Orca Point Lodge lunch tour at Juneau was exceptional. We had the pleasure of meeting (and snapped photos) of 8 different whales. Outstanding! People frequently write about the money they save booking own tours. Sure RCI takes “their cut” of the tour money, but so well worth the quality and hassle free. Just show up and go.

This was our first experience with “my time dining” and I am still not sure how I feel about it. We pretty much booked the same time nightly with the same server and assistant waiter; shout out to Geraldine and Abhay, as they were awesome from day one! This was our first experience with the Specialty restaurants as well. I personally am not a chef or food critic, but living in Las Vegas every renowned chef has an establishment (or two or three) so Wife and self are conversant on fine dining. I will tell you that the steak in Chops was not only flawlessly prepared and perfectly cooked to my medium liking; it was so tender that I literally cut it with my fork! The sea views from the tables provide unparalleled ambiance not found in restaurants anywhere in the world. The service was world class as well. We will make reservations with Chops on future cruises. Read more