My friend and her family (early 40s and a teen girl) went to Alaska with her inlaws last year. The inlaws paid, so they did t have much input. The inlaws picked Holland America. My friend raved about Alaska, but said they were bored in the ship. The daughter downloaded a lot of movies to watch on the ship. My friend said she spent a lot of time sitting on the balcony or eating (she gained weight) out of boredom. Now, they did get to sail thru Glacier Bay and she enjoyed that.
We are going on the Ovation of the Seas. I've never been in RC. I haven't been on a cruise in over a decade. It doesn't go thru GB, but it does do a glacier day. The ship seems to attract a more active crowd. It also leaves from Seattle which is easier to get to from Memphis (don't know if you are in north MS or closer to Jackson). Yeah, we could have taken the train to Vancouver, but we are a family of 4 and all of that adds up. And we interested in seeing Seattle pre cruise. RC seems to be always having some kind of "sale" but if you can book ahead, you can get your choice of room. We were interested in a mini suite, but they were sold out for the slim window we have after sports and before school starts back.
I also recently watched a YouTube video of young family that sailed on Carnival for Alaska. They seemed to enjoy their cruise. Good luck planning.