My family and I traveled to Alaska on the Island Princess, first cruise for my parents and for all of us our first trip to Alaska. I was particularly concerned about my stepmother because she has a long list of food intolerances. Besides the usual gluten and dairy that she can't have, she also can't eat onions, garlic, certain sweeteners and a few fruits and vegetables.

Princess did a phenomenal job helping my stepmother. The head waiter came to our table every evening to give her the menu for the following night. She chose what she wanted, then they prepared it specially for her. But that's not all! Without her even asking them, they prepared a special dessert for her every night! And every night it was a different dessert. One night a meringue topped with fruits, another night a chocolate mousse (how they did it without dairy I have no idea). They even brought her a dish of clarified butter every evening (since that is one thing she can have) that she was able to use for her GF bread and seafood. They were so conscientious and helpful, it made the cruise so enjoyable for her and all of us. And it was completely unexpected since she doesn't expect special treatment like that.

Our cruise itinerary included a stop at Icy Strait Point. Many of the cruise ships don't stop there, but I highly recommend it if you can go on a cruise that includes it. We went on the bear search excursion and saw 4 bears (my first time seeing them in the wild). Such a beautiful place, and I hope to go back and try their zipline (supposedly the longest in the world). Read more