Just back from my first cruise and my first visit to Alaska. I loved it. We booked months in advance with a group to get a better rate and we met in Seattle at the Doubletree Suites the night before our departure.

The day we set sail, a bus picked us up at there and gave us a very informative drive thru of Seattle. My mom, sis, aunt, and I had flown in two days earlier and did our own sightseeing, so the two hour tour before boarding was a little much since we were all anxious to get on the ship, but it was part of the package. We also had to detour to the Airport to pick up several lost bags belonging to others in the group. Luckily, they were recovered and we headed to Terminal 30.

We did the on line check in and had our Set Sail passes and appropriate ID ready, but my sister was in a wheelchair and they set us to the side while they dealt with some others in similar situations and that held us up. Seemed like the main lines was moving people through the process must faster than it took to board the few people in our line. The gang plank was quite steep and long and I ended up pushing her chair all the way to the top myself. From then on, I made sure we found a staff person to assist us at all our ports. All where happy to help, but the day of boarding no one seemed available. Once on board we found our deck cluttered with luggage and we had to move bags to make a path for her chair. She had injured both her feet three weeks before we sailed so it was too late to get a handicap cabin, but we made due and our cabin stewart was always around to help get the chair in and out of the doorway. He was very attentive and appreciated. We had a great time on board and found the dining and entertainment options very nice. Food wasn't as exotic as I imagined it would be, but it was plentiful and pretty tasty. I never complain when someone else does the cooking for me. Our waiters where pleasant, but I felt strange being addressed as "Lady" by our waiter. Read more