I had heard a lot of good things about Princess and because I was selecting a cruise tour (additional day touring on land after the cruise as part of a package). One of the things on my want last was to cruise the inside passage to the east of Vancouver Island, Canada and not out in the Pacific. I knew that we would have to fly to Vancouver from Tampa and I used points on my American express cards to pay for that part of the trip. I wanted at least a balcony stateroom and a couple of really good tours, so I knew it would cost a bit of money. Once in a life time trips are worth it. The package included 7 night cruising: Embarked Vancouver BC, Canada, and cruised to: Ketchikan, AK, Juneau, AK, and Skagway , AK. Next we enjoyed scenic cruising in Glacier Bay, AK and College Fjord, AK where we got to see sea and wildlife as well as the glaciers! Wow was it worth it. Next we arrived in Whittier, AK. We disembarked and transferred via motor-coach to Princess McKinley Park. And then on to Princess Denali Park for an overnight. The next day we road the Alaska Railroad with Gold Star Service to Fairbanks. We then spent two nights the princess Lodge in Fairbanks. I got to see Vancouver, and a bunch of Alaska it was well worth the cost. Each part of Alaska is more beautiful than the next! We made the trip in late May early June and the weather was very mild and even warm. Expect changeable weather, dress in layers, to you can add or subtract article to warm up or cool down. Don't miss the seafood, I strongly recommend a crab-fest with Dungeness or King crab, and get to a salmon bake both usually come as all you can eat and some offer the first beverage as included. We did a boat tour so a bunch of wild life, bald eagles, otters, and seals. As part of the boat tour and pulled crab pots and learned about crabs. We also panned for gold and it was an excellent experience and we found gold to bring home! One of the biggest surprise on the trip was just how much we enjoyed the train ride from Princess Denali Lodge to Fairbanks. We had Gold Star (first class), a double decker high domed train car that did not have a bad seat. Our meal and two drinks were included with the fair. the dining car was directly below us Great food and excellent service. It proved to be well worth the cost and we consider it as one of the highlights of our Alaska Cruise tour. The train trip was only four hours (way too short for me). I did hear some travelers say they had a longer train ride and that it was too long. I don't see how but want to share other opinions that I personally herd from other. We saw Dall Sheep, whales, orcas, seals, otters, dolphin, and moose. Many travelers saw black or brown bear but no such luck for me. I enjoyed the train ride so much that I am now exploring a Canadian Rockies train ride vacation. One day in Fairbanks was enough. Doing it over again I would stayed one night at Princess McKinley Lodge, One night at the Princess Denali Lodge, and one night at Fairbanks Princess Lodge. I would also look into adding an additional rail log from Whittier/Anchorage to Princess McKinley lodge. It was a fantastic trip and I loved every minute of it. The main dining food on Island Princess was OK, not of the cruise line food is a good as it was several years ago! The ship was beautiful, good old fashioned elegance. Just the way I like my cruise ships. I am not into early or late Las Vegas as a motif for cruise ships, but that is my personal choice. The specialty restaurant was excellent, the buffets were ok. I would rate this as either my first or second favorite cruise, the choice being between this cruise and a 16 day transatlantic and trans Mediterranean cruise in 2014.