Alaska has been on our travel radar for years. Our quintet finally opted to take a chance and booked the cruise months ago including extra days at Denali. We knew the weather could be an issue and Denali could be covered in clouds. We gambled and won. The weather during our cruise was perfect 38 to 58 degrees and sunny 95% of the time. A few mosquitoes were out and about.

Island Princess is a beautiful ship, the staff was very friendly, our stateroom was pretty and well appointed. Somehow we were upgraded from an inside cabin to and outside cabin. No complaints at all. Neither my husband nor I had back issues after sleeping in the stateroom and that alone is historic. The food was very good... some dishes were unforgettable... the smoked salmon, the veal chop at Sabatini's, the minestrone, the cioppino, the chocolate mousse, the prime rib...... Even the pizza on deck was great... We like our crust thin and the pizzeria nailed it. Our group has folks with wildly different taste in food so we often ate at the open seating which worked well for us. It was sometimes a wait to find seating to accommodate a party of five but we managed.

Entertainment was diverse. The folks performing in the atrium were good and that added a festive feel to the trip as you walked around the ship. Ric Steel was a blast from the past, Encore was a beautiful production. Kind of amazing that a stage on board a ship could be so flexible. Loved the chef's cooking class in the Princess Theater and the tour of the spotless kitchen with endless stainless steel. Lectures were lead by folks who clearly know their subject. there seemed to be something for everyone. Read more