Don't get me wrong, the ship is a miraculous vessel. But having 4,000+ people on a ship was a bit crowded to say the least. That meant when the ship docked, it could take up to an hour to get off for your shore excursions.

Staff made sanitation their top priority, so that was reassuring. But no matter how many times you use hand sanitizer, you still can't escape sharing oxygen with the mouth-breathers while at sea.

There was plenty to do on-board, most of which were experiences you didn't need to be on a ship for. No offense, go-karts are great (except that I needed to make a reservation to ride. Seriously), but that's not why I booked a cruise to Alaska. I booked a cruise to Alaska for the scenery. But trying to find a seat on the observation deck had me hating humanity. Honestly I've never been so ashamed to be a part of this species. Be prepared to see people in front-row chairs with a world class view to be reading a book or napping- doing everything BUT looking out the window! It would have been easier to watch the Bridge Cam on our stateroom TV than to have tried getting a view from the observation deck. Read more