THE LAND OF GOLD AND GREEN - ALASKA

After taking this cruise, I have convinced my husband to do it again.  The attention of the crew was great, they greeted us when they saw us, would stop and chat when asked a questions, already to assist.  This was a celebration of our 25 wedding anniversary and it could not have been better.  We had a balcony room for the first time and if your going thru the inside passage of Alaska, it is a must.  Loved when cruising the Tracy Arm Fjord, the narrator could be heard from our balcony, so we could enjoy our breakfast and enjoy the outstanding scenery.  The food was great in all venues, however the specialty restaurants should not be missed, they are amazing.  And the introduction of the drink cards (both for alcohol and non-alcohol) were worth their wait in gold.  Loved how they had an adult pool and the movies under the stars was so much fun, went at 9:30pm, still sunny out, but cold.   The only thing I wanted was a towel animal in our room and I asked our steward every day.  He said they only did it for kids, but I asked, but never got one (found out my steward didn't know how to do them, oh well).  They decorated our door for our anniversary which was cool.  The rooms were clean, had plenty of room for our things because I over packed as usual.  Our room was at the back of the ship and our bed vibrated while we were sailing, interesting experience!  The beds are so comfortable, I had no trouble sleeping during the cruise.  But the scenery of an Alaskan cruise is not to be beat.  Our favorite excursion was in Ketchikan.  We took a crab tour out of St. George's Inlet.  The boat was covered, so it was warmer and weren't rained on.  The crab feast afterwards was amazing, they never stopped bringing you crab.  The staff was fun and educational and our bus drivers were a hoot.  We took the Evening Whale Watching with buffet in Juneau.  The buffet was average, but we lucked out that we saw the whales hunting with a technique called bubble netting which they only do for 2 weeks during the summer, saw it 3 times, awesome.  In Skagway, we did the dog sleds, got to be pulled by a group of dogs. At base camp, got to play with pups that ranged in age from a couple of weeks to a couple of months.  The views in Skagway are not to be missed.  But some of my best times were at sea days, there were so many things to do for any age.  The spa and salon were top grade, the staff was so friendly, I went back for three appointments and treated my husband to a hot shave, facial and manicure and they took very good care of him.  They were wonderful, plus if they saw me in port, they always said hi, so friendly.  My hubby and I are now talking about taking our kids on this cruise and do the Panama Canal next for just the two of us.  By the way, if you don't like crowds, room service in the room is your cup of tea.  We did this 5 out of the 7 days and it was nice to relax, eat breakfast and enjoy the view from our balcony.  Even though it was July, it's still chilly with the sun shining, so bring a warm jacket, gloves, hats and scarfs.  Use a backpack to carry items such as sunscreen, outerwear, camera and anything you need with you all the time.  Keep your money, cruise card and/or passports on your person.  Even on an excursion, there is room to take a backpack.  I use a cane and the crew and port staff was always helpful in getting me from point a to point b.  Let the cruise line know ahead of time on their websites if you need anything, can be as simple as robes in the room, to your diet needs, or handicap assistance.  I've done two Mexican cruises and had a blast and its a great warm weather cruise, but you cannot beat the scenery and ambiance of Alaska.  Pictures never do it justice.