We, my husband and I, sailed ms Westerdam on July 26, 2009. It was a seven night cruise of Alaska, sailing out of Seattle and calling on the following areas/ports: Glacier Bay, Juneau, Sitka, Ketchikan and Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. My husband is in his mid 50's and still somewhat recovering from several surgeries, and I am a few years younger. This was our 14th cruise, our third on Holland.
We flew in a day early and spent the night at the Waterfront Marriott in Seattle. With such a long flight, it was just easier to fly in a day early. Embarkation went very smoothly, and probably took less than 15 minutes.
I was surprised by the passenger mix... I don't think I have ever been on a cruise with so many pre-schoolers as this one. Also, there were a lot of nature buffs on board, complete with expensive looking cameras with very large lenses.