Pre-cruise days in Vancouver not strictly worth it, because you see a lot of totem poles and nature you'll see in Alaska, but it's a beautiful city so there are no regrets.

The vaunted Viking pre-boarding experience was a disaster, with no one to meet us at the airport or the embarcadero, leaving my wife and I to escort a confused and infirm elderly couple in the same predicament to the boarding area. Apologies were delivered, but I never got the impression anyone appreciated the magnitude of this failure and it remains a smudge on the experience.

Onboard, everything was wonderful. I wondered how flexible the dining options would be on a "fancy" cruise compared to the 4-day Carnival cruises we sometimes take to Baja, but there was nothing to worry about there. Something was always available when needed, and everything from room service breakfast to late night snacks were well prepared, fresh, and plentiful. We did scheduled dining a couple of nights and buffet most others, and never had trouble finding space for up to six. Read more