**WARNING*** This is going to be really long. I will try to put sub-headings so that you can skip to the parts you want to read :)

My family of first-time cruisers (except for me, who had done 1 Caribbean cruise on Carnival) set out for Alaska southbound on Radiance of the Seas. We were a group of 9 - my grandmother (80), my aunt (50), my mom and dad (50), me (29), my sister and her husband (26), their baby aka the cutest baby in all the land (6 months), and my brother (23). Although we booked through a travel agent, I did a lot of the research, mainly through the Cruise Critic boards - thanks, everyone! A quick note about travelling with an infant - be sure to take lots of people with you! Abby really did well most of the trip, but it was nice that there were so many of us eager to take charge of her. I spoke to another couple travelling with their infant, and they said it was tough with just the two of them. I am sure there were some people who thought we shouldn't be on the ship with the baby, but we never heard from them. I loved getting to spend the time with her! We were all booked on deck 10 - my aunt in balcony room 1088, my grandmother and myself in balcony room 1070, my sister's family and my parents in connecting junior suites 1080 & 1082, and my brother in inside room 1005. The balcony room was nice, and plenty big enough for my grandmother and me. However, having those connecting junior suites really made the trip for my family. They were plenty big enough for all of us to go and hang out in one of them, and served as great meeting spaces. The room and the balcony were significantly bigger than the regular balcony rooms. If you can swing the price - go for the junior suite! The balcony is one of my favorite parts of cruising, and I can't imagine cruising without one - especially in Alaska where there is constant scenery. However, my brother's inside cabin was definitely sufficient, and he was happy with it.

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