The best part of the cruise was being able to walk the deck on the first full day without a jacket! Of course that was weather dependent. Being on the fifth deck made the motion of the ocean almost nonexistent in our cabin. Also, the hallways in this part of the ship were super wide, two people could easily walk together, kids were seen doing cartwheels at the end of the hall (really got wide there). I think this is where they stage the luggage, but it is only a guess.

The only problem with the cruise is the time difference. I am from the East Coast and couldn't get my biological clock adjusted. We only had a week, but if we had more time I would have loved to do a land tour/cruise and gone to more ports. Highly recommend splurging and taking a helicopter ride to walk on a glacier. We went to the dog camp and had a great time. Everyone was very helpful. Alaska is amazing, and cruising is a great way to get from place to place. The snow/ice from winter was still melting so we saw many waterfalls. Investigate shore excursions outside of the cruise line. We did a sea cycle tour in Ketchican. It was a blast, small group, got up close to seals and jelly fish. Did a bicycle/train tour in Skagway. Again, a small group and got up close with the scenery. Our helicopter/dogsled tour was with NCL. Pricy but worth it. We lucked out with the weather, very little rain (in May, 2015), not too cold. Bring layers, as it can get cold at night.