For our ninth cruise we decided to go to Alaska and celebrate my 75th and my wife's 70th birthday. We flew Alaska Airlines non stop from Ft. Lauderdale to Seattle. Next time we fly that route we will pay the premium for extra leg room. We took a yellow cab to the pier which cost $55 including tip.

At embarkation there was a large crowd of passengers, but the cruise people were well organized and although it took the good part of an hour to board, the queue seemed to always be moving which helped.

Our mini suite was clean upon arrival and we were impressed with the roominess as well as the bathroom. This was a comfortable home away from home for 7 days. The TV surprisingly did not offer a news type of station, such as CNN or Fox. Read more