Hi Chris,
My husband and I are leaving for our first Alaska cruise this coming week.
We choose Princess Dawn, because of the atmosphere. Were not much into the rowdy crowd, so Princess seemed like the best choice, not to mention the cost. We enjoy being with older couples, I guess it makes us feel young. BTW we are in our 40's, so we still consider ourselves youngens.
Our room comes with a balcony. We are on the starboard side, we choose this so that we can see everything, plus we wanted the privacy.
At first we chose a inside cabin, but then reading what others were saying about seeing the sites from your own room, we decided on a room with a view. Thus, the cabin with a balcony.
We booked our trip since October 2004 and after many months, we are finally leaving for our voyage.
I hope you have luck in finding what you're looking for.