We are planning an Alaska cruise, 7 days, Vancouver to Vancouver. We would prefer HAL Zaandam, but have seen various reviews which suggest that the major entertainment may be of lesser quality than Princess, RCI, etc. Any comments pro or con would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Friends in Anchorage tell me that the Alaskan people consider Princess as the ship of choice, and that's what they prefer to cruise on when doing the trip themselves. Princess entertainment is great, with 2 different shows to choose from. HAL had a couple of major problems in Alaska this year, and some cruises were cancelled on Statendam & Ryndam. We enjoyed Sun Princess, as we had a balcony stateroom, and could go in and out to get warm. Some people don't want to spend the money, but Alaska and Panama Canal are well worth it.