An Alaskan cruise was on our bucket list, and as we get older and a bit less mobile, we decided to go for it. We chose Seattle for a round-trip experience because it was easier. No regrets, but a couple of cautions. The airport is a disaster. Trying to get to a taxi was no fun, and next time we will arrange for a car to pick us up curbside. We learned of this option from the lovely folks at the Marriott Courtyard Pioneer Square, where we stayed the night before we sailed and the night of the day we arrived back in Seattle. They are happy to make the car arrangements for you and it is the same price or less than a taxi. I didn't want to feel rushed or stressed in making a flight the same day we docked, and it was the right decision for us. We took a car and headed out to the airport in plenty of time for our flight the next morning, and the nightmare of security lines in Seattle that I had seen on TV was a reality. Fortunately, we had enrolled in the known traveler program a couple of years ago, and for $100 for 5 years, it may be the best investment we ever made. We had absolutely no line and were at the gate about 1/2 hour after we left the hotel. Amazing. So, enough for the land arrangements.

I had made our reservation through the Marriott Destinations Points Program (Explorer option) and we booked a Sky Suite 1, aft corner cabin #2151. While there had been a bit of chatter about the cabin being directly below the bar on 14, and while there were some occasional chair scrapings, they were nowhere near as bothersome as being in a hotel room under a family with a couple of unruly kids. I did use earplugs, just in case, and slept like a baby every night. The cabin was amazing--very large, extremely well appointed and comfortable. The huge porthole on port side gave us a lovely view, and the aft balcony was huge and fabulous. The perks that came with the suite were awesome. Michael's Lounge was lovely--drinks and nibbles with no charge whenever you wanted them, and really fine quality. If we wanted a particular type of wine or spirits and they didn't have it, they found it for us. We bought the $99 per person package for the three specialty restaurants--Murano was our favorite, but all were excellent. We also ate in the suites-only restaurant Luminae, and it, too, was excellent. We had dinner in our room one night and breakfast there every morning. Our charming butler served our meals and afternoon tea with such graciousness and kindness, it truly added to our pleasure.

We took the Duck tour in Ketchikan, a glacier tour on the way to Juno, and an amazing bus tour to the Canadian border in Skagway. On the way, we cuddled Husky puppies, and that was huge fun. We planned this so there would be very little walking for hubby, who has a fair amount of titanium in his back, and it worked out great. The scenery throughout was overwhelmingly beautiful, we had no rain at all, and the trip is one we will always remember. We are not very experienced cruisers--this was just our third, and the first on Celebrity. We'll be hard pressed to choose another line in the future. Read more