Biography- We took this cruise for our 10th wedding anniversary. I'm 35 and dear wife is 37. We left our two children with grandma. This was our 4th cruise, sailing twice in Hawaii (1st aboard the Independence and 2nd Pride of Aloha) and then sail Disney's Wonder twice.

Seattle- Flew in a day early, stayed at the Comfort Inn in Kent, WA. Was comfortable, clean, nice continental breakfast, and free internet (Wi-Fi and computer station). However there is not a lot of shopping or restaurants around. Went to the Museum of Flight the first day. Nice museum with all types of aircraft from the early gliders to spacecraft. Missed seeing Air force One and the Concord. Later I learned you have to go out the front door and cross the street. Rented a car from Thrifty, very affordable and can be drop off near the pier (remember to fill up with gas before getting into downtown Seattle), had a nice walk along the waterfront with shops, restaurants, and The Seattle Aquarium. Check in was easy and only took 20 minutes (we were Latitudes members). The only trouble we had was in dropping off our luggage. Did this before we returned the car, Wife stayed with the car while I took the bags in. Had to go back to get the Passports and tickets because they were with her, still had trouble because she wasn't with me, but did manage. At the end of the cruise we carried off our own luggage and had no trouble. We also took the Seattle City Tour which was nice and dropped us off at the airport. The Cruise Ports - Juneau- It was cold, rainy, and foggy during our sea day, so we didn't see much of the inside passage. We arrived in Juneau at 1:45pm, after a day and a half of being at sea, everyone was itching to get off. It took a while to disembark, but it went well. Rented a car from Rent-a-wreck and drove to Mendenhall Glacier and drove around Tongass National Forest. While Rent-a-wreck was fine, I didn't think renting a car was worth it for the 6 hours we were in port. I heard that there was a $6 shuttle or a city bus which we could have used to get to Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center. We also stopped at Wal-Mart, which we found to be more expensive than some of the stores next to the pier. The Alaska Shirt Company and Alaska-Juneau Mining Company were better for sweatshirts, hats, t-shirts, and Ulu knifes. - Skagway- Was the highlight of the cruise. We booked the Ultimate Yukon & White Pass Railway Tour and felt every penny was worth it. Took a bus ride up to Caribou and Carcross, Yukon Territory, Canada. Then met the White Pass & Yukon Railroad in Bennett. The ride back with breathtaking, we saw a black bear just a few feet from the train. The train stops in downtown Skagway which was a short walk back to the ship after walking around shopping (we could have also taken the bus back to the ship if we wanted). - Glacier Bay- Had a beautiful sunny day in Glacier Bay, with good views of the Grand Pacific, Marjorie and John Hopkins glaciers. Saw some ice caving. Heard reports of sea lions, but didn't see any. Did see an otter and a whale swim by the ship. - Ketchikan- Is a very walkable city. Did do the Duck Tour, which was right at the dock. Then walked up to Eagle Park, Whale Parks and City Park. Would have like to see The Hatchery & Eagle Center, Totem Heritage Center, and Southeast Alaska Discovery Center but didn't have time. Tongass Trading Company is another great souvenir stop. Also there are free Wal-Mart shuttles from downtown. - Victoria- Had an enjoyable walk to Beacon Hill Park, it has beautiful gardens, a playground, and a spray garden. There was a shuttle that took you downtown for $6, but you could also walk it if you wanted.

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