RT vs NB or SB?

[RanDe]

This has probably been discussed at length somewhere on this board, but I haven't seen too much on it lately. I have been reading and researching this cruise since last summer. I finally decided on a round trip from Vancouver on the Serenade for our first Alaska trip for my DH's 50th birthday next summer. The reasons were that we like Royal Caribbean and I liked the itinerary. But now, after reading and researching even further, I see there are a lot more options as far as a SB or NB cruises. I hadn't looked into these before because I always book our own flights and I didn't know how easy it would be to book two one-ways. But after looking into it further, it sounds pretty easy to do and isn't that much more than two round trip tickets.

 

So, now I'm second guessing myself and I have a few questions. What is your favorite route and why? Do you use a TA or book everything on your own? I'd love to do a land tour but my DH is in construction and the summer is his busiest time of the year, plus he does not get vacation time, so any days he takes off he doesn't get paid for. I've budgeted for the 7 day cruise, but I just hope we won't have any regrets in not trying to do more.

 

Your thoughts?

 

De