Aquahound

That's almost one side of the spectrum vs the other. There is A LOT between. I've cruised Caribbean Sea, and never will again. It was an extremely crowded feeling ship, and very dated. I've never cruised Viking but have only heard glowing reviews from friends who have.

I very highly recommend a cruise that goes to Glacier Bay, especially if this might be your one and only Alaska cruise. I'm a little confused by your activities comment if Disney is your line of choice but if you truly want to avoid the amusement park atmosphere, Holland America sounds like it might fit your needs. Koningsdam is cruising out of Vancouver, is a beautiful ship, and hits Glacier Bay.

Some of the clearest water I ever swam in was in the Florida Keys. I've seen it at times where the water was so clear, it looked like my boat was floating on air. But those spots shall remain a secret to cruise guests. 😉 Besides, you would need a boat to get to them. The Bahamas comes to mind for really light turquoise waters, and Bonaire for crystal clear blue water.

Bingo. I honestly have nothing to add. As always, my chief engineer friend nailed it.

Maybe, possibly a 3-day cruise on one of Carnival's old garbage-barge Fantasy Class ships...but even that's a stretch. I still don't see the metaphor to a box store shopping center.

My last 4 cruises...and a cruise I have coming up shortly...have been on RCI Quantum Class ships. They are definitely mainstream mega-ships, and I only return to them because of my terrific past and continued experiences. Walmart? I guess I just don't get it. Oh well.

Do you have a rental car in Juneau? Across the channel on Douglas, there is a beach called Savikko Park. The beach is all sand, unlike the rocks you'll find everywhere else. My guess is this would be one of the best places in Juneau to swim.

This whole idea sounds weird and clingy to me. Out of curiosity, I looked at the NCL thread and was weirded out even more. How can so many people think this is fun or a good idea?

IMO, the gardens are not worth the time and hassle you will need to endure in order to get there.

Not sure what you mean by the Auke Bay tour with a walk on the shore on Mendenhall Lake, unless you're saying the tour takes you to the 2 different locations. I'm assuming the walking part would be near the skaters cabin, which is ok. Kayaking Auke Bay doesn't seem all that great to me, especially with the boating traffic in that area. I think rafting the river is the better option.

I wouldn't say this if I hadn't heard of it happening. 😉 Don't forget to take your passports. Otherwise, enjoy! IMO, this is the absolute best thing to do in Skagway.

I can't remember how long it took because we took it slow and made a lot of stops. We actually made it all the way to Whitehorse (which I don't recommend). What I can do, is assure you that you have plenty of time. Robinson Roadhouse is a great turnaround point.

I've only been on one NYE cruise, and it was on a RCI Voyager Class ship. There were a few parties across the ship, but the main one was in the Royal Promenade. It was a blast. There was a live band, free champagne, confetti, and all the usual NYE trinkets. RCI does a great job with the sound and lighting.

The couple times I've been to ICP since they built the gondola, buying the tickets on site was the better option, and that appears to still be the case. I'm almost certain they gave a military discount at the counter as well....if that applies to anyone here.

I've cruised Quantum and Ovation 4 times out of Seattle in the past couple years. 10-10:30 is about when boarding begins. Look at your reservation. It'll tell you on what day your online check-in opens. To snag an early boarding time, you need to jump on it right away when it opens. I'm cruising Quantum again in a few weeks. I wasn't able to get online until the afternoon of the day mine opened and the earliest I could snag was 11. I'm struggling to remember if JSs were included in priority check-in. Either way, I think the app SeaPass says "suite", so it can't hurt to try. 🙂