This is a long review but I wanted to cover everything. Day 1 - Pre Cruise - stayed the night in Seattle. Enjoyed staying at the Holiday Inn Express. The room was nice and clean and the bed was comfy. For a one or two night stay it was perfect! The best part was the close proximity to the Needle! To find a good place to eat...as you walk out the doors take a left then another left then go to the lights and take a right. You should find a place to eat with no problem. If you have any questions the people at the desk are more than happy to let you know where to go. It was a tired but happy mother and daughter hitting the hay that night.

Day 2 - Embarkation Day - Mom and I woke up early, showered, dressed, packed and went to discover more of Seattle. After exploring more of this wonderful city we headed back to the hotel where the express shuttle took us to Pier 30. We then boarded the ship. The check in was so fast it seemed effortless. The only down-side I thought was lack of porters to help with your luggage. After maneuvering our own luggage into the building we went to the check in line and there was no line. Effortless check in!

We got on board and checked out the spa where they had a special $20 off a massage if you had it done that day. I went for it and at sail away I was enjoying a relaxing massage. After checking out the ship mom and I went to the Windjammer and had lunch out on the pool deck. It was then time to take our carry - ons to our Jr. Suite, the Jr. Suite had plenty of room for both of us. Mom loved the tub. Dinner that night was casual. We met our traveling dinner companions for the week and enjoyed the company. Read more