I am considering Ocean Princess for an Alaska <BR>cruise in June and have the following questions. Is a balcony worth the price? The land tour is it worth it with Princess or should I try to arrange something myself? iNSIDE PASSAGE OR GLACIER? Any ideas will be appreciated. <BR>Thanks Janet

We cruised the Inside Passage with Royal Caribbean 2 summers ago. It was fabulous. We had a balcony and really enjoyed it. The seas are calm so sitting there was nice. The scenery was spectacular since we were never in the "open ocean", i.e., there were always views. The day we sailed past the Glacier we went up on deck for the panorama effect but we could have stayed in our cabin. A naturalist aboard annotated the sights thru the pa system. <BR>I recommend a balcony highly. This and the Panama Cruise are when you can really get full advantage of them. <BR>We have been on many cruises and this was by far the best. Have fun.

By all means, get a balcony. On my first Alaskan cruise, I just had an outside cabin. On my second, I splurged on the balcony. During the time you are trying to see the glaciers, everyone else on the cruise ship is also out on deck. There is just not enough room. I ordered coffee and sat on the balcony enjoying the sights. Don't worry what side of the ship to get on. They turn the ship so both sides get a turn. <BR> <BR>Have a great trip.

Janet, I just returned two weeks ago from the Ocean Princess northbound Voyage of the Glaciers. It was really spectacular! We had a group with three outside staterooms on Emerald Deck, which accommodate 3 or 4 people each (we were 2 families traveling with 4 teenagers). <BR> <BR>I have been on 2 other cruises, both with balconies. I thought I would really miss the balcony on this trip, but not having one meant spending more time outside on deck with more opportunities to see wildlife. Go on decks 10 & 11, all the way forward, pass through a door (unmarked or marked crew only) at the end of the passageway and you will be outside on a much less crowded deck, under the bridge. You will have a great view from there. The cruise was really terrific! The ports are basically shopping opportunities unless you book separate excursions, which we found very worthwhile. <BR> <BR>At Seward, we did a small boat excursion around Resurrection Bay which was great, and then on to Anchorage in the afternoon on the 4-day Princess land tour. <BR> <BR>The Anchorage-Denali-Fairbanks (2 nights) rail tour was a disappointment. You will spend about 7.5 hours on the train between Anchorage & Denali, and then about 3.5 hours the very next day (in the same car, same bench seat at a table with the same companions, basically the same scenery throughout). This was way too much train time for me! We had poor game viewing in Denali (which is not the tour's fault, of course). Enjoyed the Jeff King husky homestead tour at Denali. Had a reasonably good time in Fairbanks, but it was a very programmed tour experience. Overall, this land tour wasn't worth it; I would try a different tour up the Kenai Peninsula instead.

<BR>Dear Janet, <BR> <BR>I am a travel agent and have sailed Alaska 3 times. <BR> <BR>The posts you read here are correct. The Denali tours are hype. The mountains in Seward are more spectacular and the Kenai boat tours are just fabulous. I would advise staying overnignt in Seward. The best boat is the Wildlife Quest tour. You can also visit the Exit Glacier in Seward. You can walk right up to it. <BR> <BR>One big mistake is people taking the round trip Alaska cruises. They are more reasonable but you will miss most of Alaska. <BR> <BR>Do sail the one way either Northbound or Southbound. And do purchase a balcony. Only area I advise my customers to purchase one. <BR> <BR>Paul