Day 1 We flew American Airlines out of Charlotte, NC. Royal Caribbean booked our flights the same day, so I was a bit nervous, but all went as planned. The flights went smoothly(Charlotte to Chicago, then Chicago to Seattle), and my husband and I will fly with them in the future. From SEA-TAC we were greeted by the Royal Caribbean representatives and our bags were checked at the terminal, after which we boarded a bus to the port. There was a bit of a wait for the bus, however it did not dampen our excitement. Once at the port, we were told the procedure to get on board, and were on the ship in just a few minutes. All I can say is WOW!! The centrum is beautiful beyond words, and the art deco decor of the ship is impressive. We found our room quickly, and proceeded to check out the rest of the ship. She is easy to navigate, with layouts of all the floors at each elevator in the centrum. Our stateroom was pleasantly larger than expected. It had a very comfortable bed and lots of storage. Of course, we headed to the Windjammer for lunch and found the delicious honey stung chicken. Our luggage was already at our door after we returned from seeing the dining room, and various lounges on the ship, and the casino. Time for the muster drill, then sail away. We met Martin, our cabin steward, and he explained about the room, room service, his duties and asked if we needed anything special. He even got us robes(from my understanding, we weren't supposed to get them). First seating dinner was yummy! We met Ahyar(our waiter), and Marco(our assistant waiter). Both were very personable and gave us great service all week. We were seated at table 102, a four top, but ate alone, since our tablemates didn't show up this night. After dinner, we saw the parts of the ship we had not seen earlier, then turned in early, since we had been up since 2am eastern time.

Day 2 Sea Day Our day began in the Edelweiss dining room at open seating breakfast. Upon returning to our room to freshen up, I became very sea sick. I had taken Bonine the previous day, but it wasn't helping. I read the box, which said I could take 2 tablets in one day, so I took another one and lay down on the bed. DH went to a photography seminar. During the time I lay sick in bed, and finally drifted off to sleep, the Meet and Mingle we were invited to came and went. We missed meeting all of the Cruise Critic buddies I had made in preparation for the voyage! I was bummed out! I really just wanted my DH to get the captain to stop the ship! Since that wasn't an option, I got up and found some crackers to munch on. They seemed to help, so I tried some ice cream, and that chocolate cone must have had magic properties. I finally felt better! We found a quiet corner to relax and watch the ocean go by until it was time to dress for dinner. Formal night was truly elegant. Not a pair of jeans in sight! Lots of cocktail dresses and dressy pantsuits. We met our table mates. They were from Oklahoma, and very nice. We got along well. I managed to eat a little, then we changed clothes and headed to the casino. Focusing on the video poker machine kept my mind off the motion of the ocean. After losing our limit, we headed off to the comfortable bed I mentioned earlier and got a good nights rest for the next day. Day 3 Juneau This day I woke feeling fine,and made sure to take 2 Bonine from then on. We had breakfast in the Windjammer, since our excursion in Juneau was coming up soon. We also participated in the morning trivia challenge in the Schooner Bar, with Nikki. We didn't win, but it was pure fun! Now it was time to zip line, using a company called Alaska Canopy Expedition. It was a blast!! First we rode a speed boat across the Gastineau Channel, then we were harnessed and helmeted up and rode a 4x4 up the mountain. The last trek was on foot and very steep. I had to stop and catch my breath before we reached the first platform. Once there, the guides showed us how to position ourselves on the zip line, and how to speed up, slow down, and most importantly, stop. There were 9 zip lines and 2 suspension bridges that we crossed. It was very breathtaking. I mean literally and figuratively. The scenery was gorgeous and the "zipping" was awesome. At the end, we ate a snack they provided and headed back across the channel to sightsee in Juneau. I would recommend this excursion for anyone wanting a thrill ride. It was fantastic! In Juneau, wee did the tourist thing. Looked around the shops and watched the people. We took the shuttle back to the pier and ate another fabulous dinner that evening in the dining room. We also saw the show called "Piano Man" in the Broadway Melodies Theater on the ship. What fun! It featured the music of lots of people in the music industry and the singers and dancers were very professional. After that, off to dreamland!

Day 4 Skagway We had an early morning excursion, so opted for the Windjammer for breakfast. At 8 am we were on our way up the mountain in the White Pass Scenic Railway. It was a relatively clear morning, so we saw most of the sights until almost at the peak of the mountain. DH had a bad disc in the camera, with no spare, so we bought the DVD of the excursion, so as not to miss the pictures that we didn't get to take. No worries, he purchased a new memory card on the ship. Back in Skagway, we shopped around and found the perfect birthday gift for the both of us. A beautiful framed photograph of a night scape in the Alaskan wilderness. Yes, it was OUR birthday. It's funny how that worked out, but we were born the same day, different year. We also bought the souvenirs for our family and friends in Skagway. We walked back to the ship in order to catch the bus at the pier to Liarsville, for the Salmon Bake and Gold Rush Trail Camp. It was an actual trail camp set up, with a small show and gold panning. We didn't strike it rich, but did get a few flecks to take home. The best part was the fresh salmon, that was cooked outdoors, with all the trimmings. Well worth the price, for the food alone. It was back to the ship then, to change for dinner. Our head waiter, Vivek, came by this night and helped us select a good wine to go with our meal(another treat for our birthday). We had requested to change to second seating for this night only, due to eating late on our excursion, and were accommodated. The wait staff all sang "O Solo Mio" and Vivek and Ahyar brought us a piece of cake for our big day. After dinner, we closed down the Shall We Dance Lounge, and headed up to the Viking Crown Lounge for "70's night". We danced until around 2am, then it was time to fall into bed. What a great day!! Day 5 Endicot Arm Fjord We were scheduled to go to Tracy Arm, but the captain said it was too foggy, so he took us to Endicot Arm instead. We saw a beautiful glacier, lots and lots of floating ice, and wonderful mountains on both sides of the ship. We got up early to see the sights, then took a nap that afternoon, so we would be refreshed for, are you ready?, the Captain's Table!! We were sent an invitation to dine with the Hotel Director, Jean Claude Salvadero. What luck!! We thanked Ahyar and Vivek very much, because we think they had a hand in our being selected. We ate with 3 other couples and Monica Pavel,an operations director, as well as Mr. Salvadero. It was the second formal night, so everyone looked beautiful and we, again, felt so special. Since we were still dragging from the night before, we turned in early this night, shortly after dinner. Read more