We sailed from Vancouver on July 9 on Vision. We had a wonderful time. The weather was better than anyone expected. Captain George was courteous to the needs of the crew and to the passengers. He went out of his way to show us whales, dolphins and other wildlife while cruising. On one of our cruising days, he heard of a pod of whales and we cruised out of our path to find them. Lo and behold there were at least 10 whales ... and they were right outside our balcony suite! It was beautiful. He stayed for a while. We had trouble with the ship toward the end of the cruise, when a propeller broke. Capt. George informed everyone on the ship what had happened and what they were doing about it. People's flights had to change, but RC handled it professionally and promptly. They had things running like a well oiled machine.

You just can't go to Alaska and not do a land tour! And Royal Caribbean knows how to do it right. We stayed at only the best hotels in the area. Some of our tours (like the one to the Arctic Circle) took us places only Royal Caribbean is allowed to go to...it was wonderful! Our tour guide - Erin - was knowledgeable and helpful. When we had pictures developed in Anchorage and the camera place gave us someone else's disk, Erin made sure we had the right one at the next town (we had already left Anchorage for the day). She also made sure that we got to destinations before other buses so we could get first pick on shopping or seats for the train or tours.

I'm going to say that the only thing I wasn't prepared for is the influx of older people that vacation in Alaska (not just our cruiseship). Sometimes it made things go slower than if it were a younger crowd. Although, the cruiseship didn't cater to just older people. There was something to do for everyone. The gym was well equipped, the entertainment was very good and staged like broadway shows. The food was good - not as good as I expected, but certainly not disappointing. There was always more if you wanted it. Plenty of "good" food too to help stay healthy. The staff was very friendly. All of the kids from toddlers to teenagers seemed to have a great time - I didn't see one sour face on a teenager and we know how hard it can be to please them! Read more