We just completed our first ever cruising experience with the last Alaska cruise for the Coral Princess this season in Sept 2013. We also booked the Princess pre-cruise land package to Mt. McKinley & Denali Nat'l Park.
1. Pre-cruise tour was very good, saw some of Alaska in the shortest time possible but you spend more time in transportation then enjoying the destinations. We will want to cruise Alaska again but next time we will book our own land hotel & train arrangements & spend more time in Denali, Fairbanks etc.
2. We choose this southbound inside passage cruise as it visited both Hubbard Glacier & Glacier Bay whereas many cruises only see Glacier Bay. Hubbard was well worth it!
Great stateroom & Steward! Bed was very hard and my wife has prior shoulder injuries so hard beds cause her a lot of discomfort. But Steward put a foam topper on the mattress which made things much more comfortable. If you don't like hard beds, ask your steward for one.