This was my second cruise, the first being a 4-night RCCL sail to Key West and Cozumel with my sister in August 2003. It was the first for my husband, and it was our honeymoon. Overall, we had a wonderful time, and thoroughly enjoyed our vacation. We did, however, experience some disappointments that I'll mention below.

GETTING THERE & EMBARKATION -- We flew into Anchorage on Thursday, and awoke bright and early (New Jersey time) on Friday morning. After an early breakfast at the Sheraton, we walked around Anchorage for awhile. Since nothing was open, we went back to the hotel, grabbed our bags and caught a lift to the Egan Center from the bellman. The line to check in was about 15 minutes long, and we were relieved of our baggage. We had about 2 hours to kill, which we spent in the galleries of Anchorage, buying our first souvenirs.

Our departure for the train station was delayed somewhat, but we were eventually on our way. The train ride was beautiful, and a wonderful welcome to Alaska. It took almost 5 hours to get there, however, and due to the aforementioned jet lag I was a little sleepy. Read more