This was our first cruise, after checking several websites we decided that we wanted a medium size vessel and chose "Travel Best Bets" from Vancouver to complete our plans. They did a wonderful job and Megan Stone was most helpful with her suggestions and tips. We chose to travel with Holland America's Volendam.

It can be very daunting to find the day you are leaving that there are three cruise ships, all headed to Alaska within an hour of each other. We had completed our paperwork prior to boarding so the whole operation was even more simple than getting on an airline. we parked our vehicle in the Cruise Ship Parking area, which really saves time and effort.

We had decided to select an outside cabin with a window, and on Megan's suggestion chose one on the third deck near the stern. Comments about engine noise were really unfounded and after a while one gets used to the minor vibration, which you can feel throughout the vessel. Read more