Great weather in Alaska!

We enjoyed our Alaskan cruise on the Ruby Princess. The ship is very attractive, and our balcony stateroom was comfortable and spacious. We ate breakfast at the buffets daily and found the food to be tasty and plentiful. Lunch was usually enjoyed at the buffets or the International Cafe at the Piazza. The buffet lunch menu was not themed each day as other cross lines do, but the variety was impressive and the quality was fine. Seating at the buffet for breakfast or lunch was crowded and sometimes difficult to locate; and it took a little getting used to the staff practice of placing glasses and silverware on vacant tables (their presence usually means that the table is occupied on other cruise lines). Dinner was enjoyed nightly in the Michaelangelo dining room. The quality and quantity were both uniformly excellent. The wait staff was generally efficient, but most of them lacked the personal touch which we had come to enjoy on other cruise lines. (We used open dining, so we were able to interact with different wait teams, and we only found a couple who were enjoying their work and having fun with the guests.)  The stateroom staff did a fine job of keeping the cabin tidy and stocked, and Mariana was very pleasant and personable. (We did miss having any towel animals in the Cain, however.)  Our travel agent from , Glenn Gajewski, had advised Princess that we were celebrating an anniversary and Princess recognized the event with balloons and signage and a delivery of fresh fruit to our cabin. Glenn also provided us with complimentary canapes in our cabin at sailing. As part of our cruise package, Cheap Cruises also paid our daily gratuities and provided a free dinner for us both at the specialty restaurant, The Crown Grill, which was fabulous - service was excellent and food was outstanding. The entertainment onboard was high quality and high energy. The Princess Theater, unfortunately, has very seating with insufficient leg room for guests to pass by seated passengers. The cramped quarters detracted from the enjoyment of the shows. We scheduled excursions through Princess at Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway. The weather cooperated fully, with clear skies and warm temperatures each day ashore. Each excursion lived up to its billing and full value was enjoyed. The embarkation and disembarkation were efficient and smooth in Seattle. A good time was had and we look forward to out next cruise.