We also just returned from our Alaska cruise on the Spirit - my husband, me, our 16 year old daughter and her friend (age 17). This cruise was actually our daughter's idea; she mentioned it a year ago and we booked it right away. We had an absolutely fabulous time, but like the other poster said, it is much different than cruises to the Caribbean - not bad, just different. I think one reason for the older passengers is that this is a very expensive cruise once you factor in the airfare and shore excursions, and many young families just aren't at the place yet where they can afford it. We knew going into it that it would cost more, but we also realized that Alaskans have such a small window of opportunity during the summer to make their yearly income, so we didn't mind at all. Also like the other poster said, the scenery takes center stage every step of the way. It is breathtaking, amazing, awe-inspiring - you fill in the blanks! We did the northbound from Vancouver to Whittier. We live in Georgia and flew out the day before. We had a nine hour layover in Salt Lake City, so we rented a car and drove over to the Great Salt Lake. We went to the park there, took a little hike and saw bison and antelope, and had our first glimpse of snow-covered mountains. It was a very enjoyable afternoon. We arrived in Vancouver at 11:30 p.m. and stayed at the Holiday Inn. They have a free shuttle to Canada Place (the port) so we took that the next morning. Embarkation was a breeze, as has been our experience on our previous cruises. We weren't VIP this time because of paying for a fourth passenger, but we did have a balcony cabin for my husband and me, which was a great decision. The girls were across the hall in an interior cabin because I knew they would be coming in late from the teen activities. The first full day was a sea day, which I always like because it gives us time to check everything out and not feel rushed. I especially enjoyed the talk given by the naturalist, Michele. She gave a wonderful introduction of what we might be seeing in terms of wildlife, and also explained glacier formation, etc. She constantly announced whale, seal or otter sitings and whether they were portside or starboardside. My husband attended a veteran's get-together which he enjoyed and appreciated very much. It's the first time we've been on a cruise where that's been offered. Our first port was Ketchikan, which looked just like pictures I'd seen. We walked around a bit, toured Dolly's (the old local bordello, which was a hoot), then took the Misty Fjords floatplane tour. Oh, how amazing it was! And I'm very scared in small planes, but I was absolutely spellbound! At one point we landed on lake in the middle of these magnificent mountains, where we could get out and stand on the floats. The stillness and the beauty I will never forget, even though I could only muster the courage to stand outside about 30 seconds. Our next port was Juneau, where we did the glacier view kayaking. That also was wonderful. We had seals playing around our kayaks and bald eagles sitting on the buoys. We were six miles from the Mendenhall Glacier but we still were able to get good views of it. We all had a good time, especially watching the girls try to paddle in sync! The next port was Skagway, where again we walked around first. We went to the Visitor Center and watched a nice film about the gold rush and the construction of the White Pass & Yukon Railway. We took the three hour train trip and enjoyed it very much. Again, the scenery was beautiful and I tried to imagine what it must have been like for the men trying to make their way through on foot. At one point a bear walked out of the woods and crossed the tracks as we went by, not a care in the world! The final port was Sitka, where we just walked around on our own. We attended the New Archangel Dancers show, visited the tiny aquarium where we could pet starfish and all kinds of strange creatures, and we went to Totem Park, which features a native Alaskan carving a totem pole. When we debarked in Whittier, we rented a car and drove up to Denali, where we stayed at McKinley Creekside Cabins for two nights. We toured Denali National Park and saw grizzlies, Dall sheep, caribou, moose, hares, foxes, and two gorgeous horned owls. We attended the free sled-dog demonstration and got to pet the dogs and play with puppies. We drove back to Anchorage, stayed at the Holiday Inn Express and flew home the next day. Our trip lasted a total of twelve days and I would do it all again. About the cruise itself - We had two wonderful waiters, Archie and Kanoksri, and the food was very good - even the lobster, which can sometimes be hit or miss. Our cabin steward, Albert, was also top-notch. We gave both the waiters and Albert extra tips personally. I agree that the piano singer in the atrium was not very good; just listening to him in passing made me not want to sit and listen to him. I agree too, that the shows seemed to not be as spirited, although I thought the dancers themselves were some of the best, choreography-wise, that we've seen. I especially like the male singer Rudy. As far as the teen activities, there were around 25 teens in Club O2 (15-17), and Ria, the director seemed to do a good job. My daughter and her friend and five others formed a group and were practically inseparable. They are all still texting each other! My daughter said that this was actually one of the best Club O2 groups she's been in. The weather was unseasonably cold. Going through College Fjord the temp was 40 degrees, and with the wind it was frosty! But going inside was out of the question! Sorry this is so long, but I just wanted to share our adventure. If anyone is thinking of doing this trip you will not be sorry! Renee R.

Thank You for the story...We are going on this same cruise on 7/22/09. Very informative!!