We have been on the Miracle 3 times and a 4th to Alaska next year. The ship is one of the oldest in the fleet. The ship will go to dry dock this October for needed mechanical repairs and hopefully some updating. The decor is to say the least unusual. We enjoy the ships small size, less capacity than the new mega ships. It's a perfect size ship to do Alaska. Check the You Tube packing for an Alaska cruise. A general answer would be be prepared for any kind of weather. There will be whale sittings from the ship, but what side and will you be on tat side to see them. ( do an excursion, you won't be disappointed ). Juneau and Icy Strait Point are great whale excursion ports. We had a fantastic excursion from ISP on our last cruise. Skagway is a small town, pretty much one street, two blocks long. All wooden buildings, wood side walks. If you want to get a feel of the history of Skagway in the late 1890s there's lots of info on the internet. Victoria is a beautiful city, you dock pretty much right downtown. If you do a dogsled excursion, let's us know how it went. We are doing one next year. Have a great cruise, I will bet you will be going back again. Alaska is a one of a kind place to visit.