We chose this cruise line and boat because we were a group of 16 consisting of 10 kids. Carnival seemed a better option for kids, since other cruisers with kids or in a younger age group cruise carnival. We were on somewhat of a budget but that wasn’t a huge deciding factor in our selection. The itinerary was good but I think they are all pretty similar. I was not a fan of this boat at all. Yes the decor has a certain flare but the layout of this ship had me perplexed. Common areas are cramped. For example the atrium area was not open as in most ships and on the formal nights when they had photo stations set up it was impossible to move around. Accessing areas (like kids club) required you to walk down interior hallways past staterooms. Nearly all traveling on the boat from one area to another took you though stateroom hallways which I thought was odd. Usually there is a central hallway you can view other floors from while walking around. Also the casino layout was unlike I have ever seen before. You have to walk though the casino floor, stations and slots are on each side of you. Usually there are windows and seating on one side and the casino on the other side. The food was mediocre. The pool was nice (they covered the top to keep it a bit warmer in the one pool). The kids liked the slides when they could use them (winds) The spa was ok my massage wasn’t the best but I should have given more input on pressure and focus areas.

Overall the experience was what we were there for. Seeing parts of Alaska you can really only get to by boat. We had wonderful weather. No rain and calm seas. The captain was great and our naturalist was informative. The ports were fun. We booked all our excursions independently (helicopter tour to Mendehall from Temsco. Jeep rentals in Skagway from greenjeep company and a zodiac boat tour in Ketchikan through Ketchikan outdoors). All highly recommend! If we did this again I would like to try one of the bigger newer ships like the bliss which just sailed this summer. I was a bit disappointed our travel agent didn’t inform us of the new sailing.