We are first-time Princess cruisers and first-time visitors to Alaska who were on the Sea Princess from June 1-11, 2010, doing an Inside Passage tour. I had read so many reviews of Alaska cruises that start out, "It was a trip of a lifetime!" And well, it really was--it was spectacular.

We had a partly clear day for sailaway under the Golden Gate Bridge, and to be honest, the only time I was cold on the entire trip was on my balcony the first night going out of the Golden Gate. I'd brought gloves and an earband and that was the only time on the trip I used them. The two sea days that followed were a little bumpy at times, but fortunately neither of us gets seasick so it wasn't an issue.

We booked a full suite on this trip, in part because I'd heard the regular balcony staterooms on the ship were somewhat small. We considered a mini-suite but the price was so close to a full suite that it seemed silly not to pay a bit more and get the full suite perks. We didn't regret the decision. The suite itself was very good-sized. The living room area had a desk and chair just inside the room, a sofa, flatscreen TV, a couple of armchairs and a small dining table with two chairs. The bedroom (which you could separate from the main room with a curtain) had a bed, another flat screen TV and a small cubby hole with a vanity, mirror, and a window that looked out on the balcony. When we first came to our room there was a beautiful arrangement of pastel roses, and our steward brought us champagne. There was a small bathroom with a toilet, shower and sink and a separate bathroom with a large vanity/sink area and a jacuzzi-type bathtub. Next to the bed there was a large walk in closet with plenty of storage space, and there was a dresser in the bedroom with additional storage space. Read more