Very very good, not my personal favorite

I had a great time, and really no complaints that affected my satisfaction with the trip.  The ship was beautiful and very clean, I was very happy with the itinerary and the on-board services,and staff were very friendly. Specifically we had wonderful staff in the Cascades dining room (especially table #591 on 5th floor) and our room attendant, Salil  We decided to try taking Royal Caribbean to Alaska, which was a change since we usually use Carnival Cruise Lines.  I would say that, comparing the two, I prefer the overall atmosphere of Carnival over the Royal Caribbean ship we took.  The atmosphere for Royal Caribbean was more laid back, which is great for those people who want a more restful trip.  The activities offered on-board for the most part did not appeal to me or probably those in my age group and younger, which left me to spend an awful lot of time vegging (I'll let it be said many people want that from a vacation- so this is the cruise for them! I personally prefer to be entertained while cruising).  I would have liked to see a greater variety of live music and missed wait staff circulating in pool areas so guests could order drinks from their lounge chairs.  I do highly recommend the body sculpting boot camp with Matthew.  It was awesome and really kicked my butt.  The food was great.  For most of the trip, food in the buffet had to be served by staff due to a norovirus outbreak on the trip right before ours, but I was happy to see the measures they took to ensure a safe and healthy trip.  It created a lot of congestion in the buffet lines, but I felt it was necessary.  Embarkment was troublesome for this same reason (they were sanitizing the ship, so we had to wait an extra 2 hours to board when in Vancouver) but procedures for getting on and off in ports during the cruise and at the end in Seward were nicely handled except for the continuous changing of decks for disembarkment that occured at the last minute without notification to guests.  These things truly aren't complaints, but just a factual review of my trip.  the only real complaint I have is that you cannot sit alone (as a couple) in the Cascades dining room.  If you show up there with only two people, you are seated at a table with a bunch of other people you don't know, which can be very awkward.  It was nice to meet new people, but I also would have liked to be able to have dinner alone with my husband sometimes.   I would suggest this trip to those who want a more laid back and restful vacation. It just wasn't my favorite because I wanted a more upbeat environment but I also loved it.  I would take the trip again!