We were a party of 10:my husband and myself (50+) with two daughters 20 and 14, on our first cruise; my parents (70+, active) on their 4th cruise; my sister and her husband (40+) and their kids 5 and 7 on their 2nd cruise. My parents stayed in an Owners Suite, and put us in a Penthouse with adjoining Balcony. The accommodations were exquisite! We flew into Seattle, rented a car through Thrifty and stayed in the University district at the Waterman Hotel -- very cool area and hotel. My husband especially appreciated the loaner bike to cruise around, and with a high school daughter, I wanted to take a look at the campus. Embarkation: We had time to hit Seattle Center first thing in the morning. It was a kick to look at the Pearl from the Space Needle! My husband dropped us off at the dock and returned the car -- but Thrifty was down a shuttle and he took a cab rather than wait 30+ minutes. The embarkation was slow but steady until we got shunted into a VIP lounge for 15 -20 minutes. However, once we were boarded, we were able to go directly to our room, which was fantastic. Cabins: Our rooms were gorgeous -- even more stunning than the pictures. My parents were extremely pleased with their Owners Suite, and they have cruised on other luxury lines. However, my mom was jealous of our bathtub with a view -- which she did not have. We all took at least a bath a day just to enjoy it. My brother-in-law spotted a whale while he luxuriated in a bath with a game on the tv! And we spent hours on our balcony -- we are animal lovers and had numerous sightings of whales, otters, seals, puffins, and more. Ship: We all were very impressed by the ship. Between everyone, we took advantage of just about everything on the ship. The highlights were the Water Therapy Daypass for $20 -- my husband and 20 year old daughter loved it so much they managed it twice the first sea day and said it was not crowded at all. My husband loved the Bridge Viewing room. As someone who needs a lot of space, it was a bit of a game to find peace and quiet on such a large ship. The Spinnaker Lounge was often peaceful early in the morning, or back early on a port day. We came back early in Juneau and found the bowling alley deserted. Food: Overall, I found the dining experiences to be what I expected. Service was spotty at times -- it's a lot of people to process. We loved the buffet when we avoided the crowds, and loved the fresh scones at teatime at the Great Outdoors. We ate at several of the specialty restaurants. When we ordered somewhat ambitious dishes, often the result was not great, but sometimes we stumbled on delicious treats. My parents loved Cagney's for breakfast and lunch, and room service breakfast at Glacier Bay was a highlight. We never had a problem eating where we wanted or making a reservation, which was wonderful. The most outstanding meal was the Teppanyaki -- we all loved both the food and the experience, although with a party of ten, two of us were somewhat separated from the others due to the table configuration. Shows: Some of us saw the opening night show, which helped us decide which other shows we might enjoy. Sharkbait was great. 'Sea Legs' was a little corny for us, but we enjoyed the experience. We learned a lot from the Gold Rush talk, which was great just before going to the ports, and my husband, a sailor, absolutely loved the 'back of house' presentation by the Captain and staff on the last sea day. Overall, I think we all enjoyed it very much. It was a perfect situation for a family reunion. Alaska was even more stunning in person and since we were willing to put in the 'binocular' and balcony time, we were rewarded with an abundance of wildlife sightings -- though sadly no orcas. My parents greatly appreciated the VIP perks they got with the Owners Suite. For us, the Freestyle Dining was the only way to go, though it would have been nice to find one place where everyone did dress up at least a little. We always did for the specialty restaurants, but there was no enforcement of even the 'no jean' rule that we could determine. Service: As this was our first cruise, we were actually a little uncomfortable with the level of 'personal attention' by the room stewards and butler -- though my parents loved it. All staff were always courteous and pleasant. Restaurant service greatly varied meal to meal, which was a bit frustrating -- 15 to 20 minutes one night without menu, water or bread. However, it all worked out eventually, and we tried to stay in 'vacation mode', knowing it was simply the logistics of such a large ship. I would recommend this ship and itinerary to anyone. BUT I strongly recommend a balcony! It made the trip. Last note: Although she didn't go, my 20 year old daughter deeply appreciated the mixer for 18-20 year olds -- who are in a kind of limbo, too old for teen programs, can gamble but not drink. But she had a great time anyway.