If you walk away unsatisfied with the opportunities this cruise provides, then you are probably hard to satisfy. Balcony Room, 9th floor, Mid ship, Starboard. Great staff, buffets way above average, (remember it IS a BUFFET). Top notch specialty restaurants. And the views were spectacular. Were the Excursions bought on the ship more expensive than booking yourself? Yes they were. But that is the price for the insurances that come with it. They will wait if the excursion runs over... etc. Are you confident in your decision making? Book 'em yourself! YOU make YOUR trip. Can things get jacked up? Sure. Your soup was cold, etc. Wow. Suck it up and get something else. The passengers were the only people we had any issues with. Rude, arrogant and demanding. But I am not going to blame the cruiseline for that. I even had a vendor tell me they dislike dealing with people off NCL cruises. That is the same as letting cold soup give NCL a poor rating. Do your research, ships go where they can, SAFELY. They will not risk going to port if it is going to damage the boat and end the cruise. I could go on, but then you might not like me... lol. It was a phenomenal vacation with 2000 plus great people! I personally feel we did not have enough time in Ketchikan , and arrived to late in Victoria B.C. But that is MY opinion, not the cruises fault. Knew it when I booked it! NCL gave me more than what I signed up for. Gave me opportunities to see the beauty of Alaska. And over fed me, wait, once again, my fault! :) Know the menu before you go. Know the length of stays in each port... You'll do fine.