Upgrades

The weather in Santa Rosa for the past two weeks has been unseasonably cool -- Saturday's high reached only 69.  We're being acclimated for our cruise.  Here are the high/low temps for three of the cities we will visit:

Skagway  73/44 clear

Ketchikan  76/46 clear

Juneau  83/44 clear

We received a booking summary/confirmation e-mail today that requested a double-check to verify all information and to make sure that required documentation had been rendered.

When we initially booked our cruise, we reserved a smaller, port side, twin-bed stateroom configuration with a two-person teensy tiny balcony.  Imagine our surprise to learn that our stateroom had been upgraded to a mini-suite with a separate sitting area, two television sets, a refrigerator, full-size bathroom with tub and shower and a four-person balcony.

Perhaps because we are celebrating our 35th anniversary while on the cruise, or perhaps because the economic recession has the ship sailing with empty rooms.  Either way, we're getting more bang for our buck and more room in which to relax, rejuvenate, and enjoy each other.

Here are a few facts about our ship:

Class and type:	Grand-class cruise ship
Tonnage:	109,000 gross tons
Length:	951 ft
Beam:	118 ft
Speed:	22 knots service speed 24 knots max
Capacity:	2,600 passengers
Crew:	1,200 crew

Next Sunday at this time, we will already be in our stateroom with bags unpacked and settled in, all comfy cozy, for the next seven days. We will either be exploring our vast playground or maybe just settle into our balcony chairs as we enjoy a glass of wine, while our ship, the Star Princess, prepares to disembark Seattle at 4:00 p.m.

There is a cyber-cafe onboard, so we'll be sure and update with daily reports and photos.

ALASKA the final American Frontier

We have wanted to visit Alaska for sometime and only recently decided to make the trip in celebration of our 35th wedding anniversary.  Sounds like a good reason for a celebration!

Less than two years ago, Horizon Airline began serving Santa Rosa's Charles M. Schulz Municipal Airport.  This proved to be lucky for us because we can catch a direct flight out of Santa Rosa to Seattle, WA where our cruise aboard the Star Princess begins on June 7th.

We've taken two previous cruises (both out of Long Beach to Santa Catalina, San Diego and Ensenada, Mexico) and enjoyed both, but this will be a cruise on a much grander scale.  Our first cruiseliners had a passenger capacity of less than 750.  The Star Princess has room for 5,000 passengers.  Wow!

We've carefully studied ports of call and land cruise options and of course chose land cruises with a culinary bent.  How does a wild salmon feast on the Mendenhall glacier sound?  We also couldn't resist a vist to the musher's camp and kennel where husky puppies are raised and trained to compete in the legendary Iditarod.

We've also been taking private dance lessons for the past three months so we can dance under the dusky skies of an Alaskan summer!