Seattle - The start of our trip was almost a disaster.  Our flight was to leave from DFW to Seattle with a connection in St. Louis.  As we were about to take off to St. Louis, the captain told us of a radio problem on the plane.  We then had to try to find an open gate to return to and for the mechanics to work on it.  It was really stressful as we sat on the plane.  I knew that most of the direct flights to Seattle were completely booked and we needed 4 seats if this plane was not fixable.  It turns out it could not be fixed and they found everyone new flights.  Problem was our bags.  American was not willing to transfer bags to all the new planes and our bags would not arrive in Seattle until the next day at 1pm.  My husband ended up talking to a pilot who was sitting in first class.  Apparently, he was supposed to be our pilot from St. Louis to Seattle.  My husband explained that we were going to Alaska on a cruise and we really needed our bags.  The pilot personally went down to the baggage handlers and found all our 5 bags for us.  This pilot was amazing and we were so grateful.    We got on our new flight and when our bags came through baggage claim in Seattle, we jumped for joy. 

Embarkation - We had Already There Towncar pick us up at the Embassy Suites by the airport at 10:00am.  Got to the port at 10:20 and dropped off our bags by 10:30.  We then walked to a little deli by Pier 66 to buy some mixers for the bar setup I had ordered a couple of weeks back for our cabin.  At 11:30, we were on the ship getting our champagne and pictures taken.  This was by far the easiest embarkation we have ever had on a cruise.  Since we couldn't get into our cabin until 2pm, we checked out the kids club (smaller than other lines we've been on), the spa, fitness center and walked the ship to check out the dining venues.  We ended up eating at the Garden Cafe which was a madhouse.  I waited ½ hour for a table as not only do people eat here but they camp out here as well waiting for their cabins to be made up.  We were going to go to Summer Palace and eat there but for some reason which I can't remember we did not.  There was not any food served by the pool because of the Seattle weather (wasn't raining though) so the Garden Cafe is jam packed and not relaxing in the least bit. 

Cabin - Our AF portside minisuite (11586) opened up at 2pm.  It is under the kids club although it wasn't noisy at all throughout our entire trip.  Cabin has a decent sized balcony.  Bathroom was really good sized with a separate toilet area and shower with tub.   My kids slept on the pullout sofa sleeper which was fine for them.  I suppose 2 adults could sleep in it too if they had to.  The one and only gripe I had about the room is that you cannot blowdry your hair in the bathroom.  The one outlet in the bathroom is for an electric razor which could not accommodate my blowdryer.   The blowdryer in the cabin is located on the desk by the tv about 25 - 30 ft away from the bathroom.  I had brought an extension cord but not long enough to go from the desk to the bathroom.  My kids slept in a lot and I had to blow dry my hair 1 ft away from them every morning.  Next time I will bring a 25 ft extension cord with me.   I am so grateful I listened to the cc board and got a balcony for this trip.  We spent a lot of time on the balcony looking for wildlife and at the glaciers.  Now I understand why everyone recommends a balcony for an Alaskan cruise.  Lots of towel animals for my kids during the week.  Got the info on the laundry special but never got the bags from the cabin steward.  Read more