We arrived in Seattle on Friday, 20 May 2008. Our hotel, the Hilton Bellevue, was a little out of the way, but was worth it! Great accommodations and service. We took a bus to downtown Seattle to see the Space Needle on Friday evening. Locals, to include bus drivers and people walking their dogs, were very courteous and willing to give us information on how to get to the Needle and back to our hotel. What a great evening we had.

The morning of embarkation started with a little drizzle and cold weather. Being from the desert, I was prepared for cold weather as was the rest of my group coming in from the New Orleans area. We were a little early and were able to check our luggage at the Concierge at Pier 55 for $3.00 per bag and took off for a little sight seeing before boarding the ship. We walked to Pike Place Market and saw the Parade of Pigs and then walked around the market. What a bustling place! It started raining an little harder so we headed back to the ship to check in.

Check in: My Mother, Great-Aunt and I were in a Penthouse so we were escorted to the VIP lounge, while the other three in our party were sent to the Lattitudes line to check in. Our check in went quickly and after presenting our credit cards, passports, etc., we went to the Concierge, Simone, and received our silver key cards. After getting our card we walked over to get some refreshments as they announced that boarding could begin. Our butler, Crisol, escorted us to our room where we sat down and he explained how to contact him, Simone, and housekeeping. We also met our room steward, Evi. Everyone was wonderful. Check in for the other is our party went quickly and they walked by our room as the butler was talking to us, so joined us in our room. Cabin: Our penthouse was absolutely wonderful. There were four TVs, five telephones, two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and plenty of space for six people to walk around comfortably. This would also be a great room for a family with three children. The kids room had a couch that opened into a double bed and a Pullman, a TV, as well as a full bathroom. The only thing I could see that could be a problem would be storing luggage in the small room. The "Master" bedroom had a queen sized bed, two nightstands, and a TV. There were heavy drapes in front of the bedroom area if you wanted total darkness, but I liked having the sunlight come in in the mornings so we left them open a majority of the time. There was a clock and telephone next to the bed, along with two storage areas in the bedroom. A large closet with mirrored doors was in the dressing area. The bathroom had a separate water closet and shower with glass doors. The jacuzzi tub was wonderful with a great window view off the ship and on to the balcony. There was also a floor to ceiling window in the shower which also had extra shower heads which we called "the car wash" shower. (Thank goodness there are blinds if you want more privacy.) There were two sinks and a vanity which allowed plenty of space to put necessary items. There was also a scale in the room that came in handy for weighing our luggage before we left the ship. None of us weighed ourselves while on the cruise....we really didn't want to know!!! Our room Steward, Evi, was always available and kept the room nice during the entire cruise. Food: We found the food on the ship to be nothing less than wonderful, except for the buffet, which wasn't that bad, just buffet food. It was also very difficult to find seating during peak times. Some passengers do not want to share "their" table so it could take a while to find a place to sit. We were able to have breakfast and lunch at Cagney's since were were in a suite. This was, by far, the best suite perk!! We ate at Cagney's instead of the buffet or main dining room when we arrived on the ship and couldn't wait for breakfast to see what was on the menu. We ate breakfast and lunch at Cagney's most days. Read more