Alaska Trip: For their 40th Wedding Anniversary, my parents wanted to take their three children's families on a cruise. Originally slated to happen in 2010, unforeseen events caused it to be delayed first one, then two full years. Finally, this year we were able to make the trip. My parents chose a Princess Cruise Lines week-long trip to Alaska's inner passage that sailed during the summer months, when the kids were off from school. While the rest of my family all live in the same area, Peep and I traveled back the the U.S. three weeks before the cruise to first visit with family and friends.
There was a total of thirteen of us who went on the cruise. It included both of my parents, my older brother Mark and his two kids, Calaen and Robbie, my younger sister Becky, her husband Tim, and their four children Ben, Samme, Abby and Nate, as well as Peep and myself.
My parents have attained Princess Captain Circle Member Elite status for having completed at least 15 cruises or 150 days cruising with Princess Cruise Lines. That status gives them, and us by proxy, special privileges while cruising with Princess. We got preferred check-in, allowing us to skip the long lines. We were also able to skip the long lines during our disembarkation.
The Night Before: The night before the trip, twelve of us met at a hotel near the airport to spend the night. We ate at IHOP for dinner and then headed to bed early. The flight the next morning was early, but we already had our bags packed and were just a short shuttle bus trip away. My brother-in-law worked Friday evening, so he met us at the airport on Saturday morning.
Getting to the Ship: The first leg of our journey took us to Chicago for a two-hour layover before continuing on to Seattle. Once there, we collected our luggage from the baggage carousel, walked it down the hall, and dropped it off at the Princess Cruises drop-off area before boarding the bus for transfer to the docks. On our way there, the driver gave us an impromptu tour through downtown Seattle to show us some of the city's landmarks. Once we finally arrived at the docks, we quickly checked in, received our vital Cruise Card, and boarded the Golden Princess.
Lunch: Once on board, we dropped our carry-on luggage in our stateroom. Our checked-in luggage wouldn't be arriving there until later in the evening. We then headed up to the buffet lunch. It was very crowded, as everyone who had just boarded decided to eat right away, and we had difficulty finding a table. After we ate, we headed back down to our room to grab our life vests for the General Emergency Stations drill.
General Emergency Stations: Upon hearing the alarm, Peep and I made our way to our muster area, located in the Princess Theater. We were given instructions on how to act in the case of an emergency. We then practiced putting on our life vests after watching it demonstrated. Finally, we were dismissed. Fortunately, we made it though the cruise without incident and never needed to touch our life vests again.
Sailaway: At four in the afternoon, we left the port of Seattle and headed north to the state of Alaska. Peep and I watched most of the sailaway from a top deck at the back of the ship. We saw Seattle recede to the horizon and eventually disappear before we headed back to our room to get ready for dinner.
Dinner: For dinner, cruise goers have the option of having a table reserved at the 5:30 seating or to eat at open seating. My parents opted to have reserved seats but had to get two tables to accommodate the entire group. The dress code was smart casual and the menu changed daily. There were also dishes that were available every night. Although my sister and her family were given one table and my parents, my brother's family, Peep and I were given another, we switched up seating positions every night so we each got the chance to dine with everyone else. For our breakfasts and lunches, Peep and I ate at the buffet, running into my parent's by chance for about half the meals.
Evening: After dinner, we all went our separate ways. Although there were several activities and shows to choose from, Peep and I spent the evening exploring the ship on our own. Our luggage made it to our stateroom later in the evening, so we were able to get fully settled in before calling it a night.