Great first experience with Princess Cruises.

We boarded the Island Princess in Vancouver. The Vancouver port is beautiful, but the embarkation process is spread out throughout the terminal. You went from one end to another end and back which didn't seem very efficient. It was very organized just not efficient.

In my opinion, the ship itself was the perfect size for an Alaska cruise, small and intimate. We had an aft balcony suite and I can't say enough about how wonderful it was. We could sit on the balcony comfortably most of the time, because the wind was blocked. Even in Glacier Bay we did not need heavy coats to enjoy the balcony.

We had Club Class anytime dining. The food was very good in the dining room and our wait staff were excellent. The buffet was ok, but it was hard finding a table and the variety was limited. The pizza on board was very good, great crust! We ate at the Bayou Cafe but not at Sabatini's. The Bayou food was good.

I felt the entertainment could be improved upon. I wish there was a production show every night and that the comedy shows had there own theater. There could have been more activities during the day also, but you come to Alaska to see the sights, not for the ship activities.

Our service throughout the ship was great. Everyone was attentive and helpful. Our room steward was wonderful.

Our excursions were whale watching in Icy Strait Point, dog sled camp in Juneau, and White Pass Train in Skagway. They were all booked through Princess and were all great. Each of them was only part of the day, so we had plenty of time to walk around the ports also. I have to say my favorite was probably the dog sled camp. It was informative and lots of fun.

Disembarkation was a breeze! It was so organized and smooth. Kudos to Princess for making it so stress free, especially when you don't want to leave!

An aft balcony is the way to go for Alaska.