My wife and I have never taken a real cruise.

This week we are booking a 1 week Alaskan Cruise on Royal Caribbean, through Costco, sailing in August.

Since I know there are a lot of Cruise experts here, are there any helpful hints a novice, such as myself, should know?

A few questions:

How does Royal Caribbean compare to other cruise lines? Looking at reviews, it seems better than Carnival and Princess, but not as good as some others.

In the brochure it says "card room". Does that mean a poker room, along with the casino, or does that mean something else?

Since we don't like to lay out by the pool a lot, will there be enough things to do, especially on the full days at seas, to keep us occupied?

Any other advice would be appreciated regarding what to expect from a Royal Caribbean cruise, that would be helpful to know before it begins.

Thanks for any info..