We chose this cruise because of rave reviews from friends. Alaska was absolutely breathtaking. You really should go to Denali first before you cruise to the other ports of call. We chose several tour options, including whalewatching ( a must); flightseeing in Ketchican (terrific, but only 1.5 hours); White Pass trainride in Juneau (amazing scenery) but after a few days of other ports or Denali, we had seen a lot of mountains, valleys, rivers. We probably would have skipped this one. The train ride from Denali to Wittier is 9.5 hours, but fabulous views through the almost all glass roof and of course windows. Very comfortable, just a long ride. The Island Princess had great staff & service. All the activities were well organized, but does cater to the older crowd...50+. The cruise director (DuVaul) was really fun! The rooms were nice and the beds were comfortable. But the food was very fair. I would give the food a 7 out of 10. Very disappointed in that aspect of the cruise. If you want good food, you may want to choose another ship/cruiseline.