Background: Let me preface this by stating that this was our first cruise. We took our two daughters aged 8 and 11, and we are in our 50's. I wouldn't say we are cheap—just frugal! and expect value for our money. We are also not shoppers. That taken care of, I was a bit hesitant about taking a cruise wondering if I would be bored, if I would like the food, if the kids would have fun, and if we would feel comfortable. Well, the cruise was wonderful and we thoroughly enjoyed it.

Travel to Ship and Embarkation: We flew into Seattle the same day we left North Carolina (6:20 am) and took a cab to the airport (~$35) since we did not know where the pier was, and the best way to get there. We found out after disembarkation that you could get a city bus #194 into the city for $1.50/person if you are willing to walk a few blocks, don't have a lot of luggage are not in a rush, and can find the pier. We arrived at the ship about noon and were able to check in quite quickly (~20 min.). The check-in was seamless with the attendants and security being a lot more pleasant than airport check-ins.

Stateroom: The ship is beautiful as most of you know from posted photos and the website. It was quite clean, easy to navigate, and the room was nice if small (I have nothing to compare it to as this is our first cruise). All 4 of us stayed in the same room. The girls had a bunk bed set-up that came down from the ceiling to meet with a pullout bed on the floor. The parents (us!) had a quite comfortable queen size bed. There is a small flatscreen TV, a desk, and a nice balcony. The bathrooms were tight, but there was a good shower and ample space. We are not very heavy packers, so there was ample storage space for the clothes for the 4 of us. The baggage came quickly (well before 6 PM), but it took some time to get the room made up. (We had not slept in the past 20 h, so we were a little cranky and needed the room made up ASAP.) Read more