My husband and I (now in our 60s) had always been too busy to vacation much. When we decided the time was right to do that, we chose BIG. For us, that was a cruise around Alaska. We chose a cruise line that was noted for its wonderful cruises in Alaska, and that was Princess. We made a great choice. We were on the Ruby Princess with its beautiful cabins, terrific food, and detailed service. Every Princess staff member was courteous and helpful. We took the Inside Passage from Princess and were thrilled with the itinerary. We thoroughly enjoyed the cruise. We enjoyed the two formal nights. I was surprised that more people were not dressed for the evening, but those that did looked lovely. In a world of jeans and tee-shirts, it was a great opportunity to play "dress-up" and lent an air of romance to our nights.

We took our breakfasts and lunches onboard at the Horizon Buffet. Even though there were thousands of people onboard, we never had a sense of that. The one time the seating was crowded, other passengers were friendly enough to offer us seats at their table. We found the food to be very plentiful and good. Food that was supposed to be hot was, food that was supposed to be cold was, as well. I never felt I was in danger of getting sick. Food handlers wore gloves, there was hand sanitizers outside the buffet and the dining rooms, the plates were inverted, and a staff person was there to keep an eye on things.

We had chosen our excursions online at home. That was a wise decision for us, as we had plenty of time to read about our choices. The excursions Princess offered were varied in both time and energy. The ones we took were exactly as described. The tour guides were knowledgeable and very pleasant. We loved getting up early to sail through the Tracey Arm Fjord. The trip could not have been any smoother, the water reflected the mountains with barely a ripple felt. Read more