Scott,
Since you asked... HAL was nice, but not Disney by any means... They had brand new mattresses, which were heaven! The tubs in the rooms were deeper and larger, and the window was nice, though not round...lol. The ship was nice too, smaller at 55,000 tons, but that made it capable of docking at every port instead of tendering in, which we liked. Some of the big ships had to tender everywhere. I liked the huge deck at the front of the ship for scenery watching. It was on deck 7, so it was easy to get to, though up a narrow glassed in staircase from the promenade deck. They have a really great library with loads of books and games to check out and some videos and DVD's to rent, which we did for Eric's dad when he was too tired to venture out. We didn't want to be inside unless we had to because it was so gorgeous at night. They have a full room service menu available 24 hours, and we used it for hot water (for hot chocolate, which they didn't serve at all) and chocolate chip cookies at night after walking on deck in the mid 30* range of temps! That hot chocolate really hits the spot after that!!! The thermal suite at the spa has floor to ceiling windows so you can sit on a heated tile lounger and see the mountains go by. I splurged on a week pass ($99) but only used it once because we were always doing something in town or on deck taking pix... I'd do it by the day another time so not to waste it.
As for things we didn't like, they charge extra for a LOT of stuff! Their 'alternative' restaurant was $49 pp! They charge for anything besides coffee and tea at meals and juice at breakfast, pictures START at $20 and they don't have a package where you buy a set number like Disney. The food would be wonderful on land, but in my opinion didn't come close to 'our' ships (salmon was dry, veggies were undercooked, some food had no flavor, etc.) There were several employees who would say "I"m on break' or 'I'm off for the day, ask someone else', which really bothered me. Some just walked on past if we asked them a question as if they hadn't heard us. Our servers kept forgetting what we had ordered and bringing the wrong meals or giving them to the wrong people at our table so we had to pass them around.
Other than that, it was a nice cruise. The best part was the scenery and the Alaskan people! I'll never forget how fun they were to talk to and how helpful they were in finding our way around the towns. The Saturday Market in Anchorage was really cool, with amazing handmade arts and crafts, and interesting food. There was a gorgeous wildlife museum in Haines that had the best exhibits I've ever seen, and it was only $3! The only excursion I went on was the 'photo safari by land and sea' in Juneau, and it was way UNDERrated! Our guide has been published in
National Geographic, no less!!!!! He helped us with our own cameras so we'd get the best shots, and showed us how to 'lead' eagles with the camera (the way you'd do with a gun when hunting) so we'd get good shots. He helped us to get an eagle to come down for fish near our boat by tossing them high in the air so they'd catch the light before hitting the water. We walked through the rainforest and saw such amazing plants and tiny alpine flowers... I could go on forever.... I couldn't believe how big the gardens and flowers were there this early in the year! There were tulips with the flower heads almost 6" high! All I can say is you have to go, and I really hope Disney goes, because I want to go back!
BTW, in spite of Kay's help, I can't remember how to post a picture.... can I send one to someone and have them post it?
Renae
Hope everyone has a great weekend! 
) at REI.com
...THANK YOU 
