My name is Laura. I went on this cruise with my husband, Tom; his mother, Dorothy; and his sister, Susan. Dorothy and her husband, my father-in-law, Don, had planned to take this same trip in August 2005. Shortly before they were to leave, Don was diagnosed with a brain tumor and he died in January 2006. Dorothy wanted to take the trip to honor Don because it was something they had both dreamed of doing.

Thursday, July 12, 2007 Dark and early before dawn (4:00 a.m.) Tom and I were up and raring to go. The plan was to be at Dorothy & Susan's house by 5:00 and leave their house at 5:15 bound for Denver International Airport. Right on schedule, we were on the road. The security lines at DIA seemed longer than on previous departures, but the lines moved fast. There is a special line for travelers needing more assistance. Because Dorothy uses a cane and because for this trip she brought a "spare chair"* our whole group got to use the special line! (*"Spare chair" - like a walker but with a seat to sit on when you're tired - or to cart your treasures back after some major shopping.) Through security, and with McDonald's breakfast in hand, we were at our gate with an hour to spare before takeoff. And, thankfully, with the spare chair and cane, our group qualified to be first in line to board our Alaskan Airlines 737 bound for Seattle.

Arriving about 20 minutes ahead of schedule, we touched down in Seattle at 9:25 while the pilot applied major breaking power to stop before we reached the terminal! Our car rental was with Thrifty. We had reserved a full size Dodge Charger, but after taking note of our large pile of luggage, opted for an upgrade to a mini van, a Chrysler Town & Country with all the bells and whistles for a mere $40 more. This vehicle even had two DVD players. We could have watched movies while cruising through rush hour on the Seattle highways! Read more