This was our first cruise and my DW and I have prepared for months reading and trying to absorb any and all details about the ship and the trip. Both of us are in our late 50's and were totally excited about this adventure. We went with her two sisters and their husbands both from Cleveland, Ohio, where we originally came from prior to relocating to south central Kentucky in 1982.

Start of Planning

We started planning the trip in April and my sister in law was going to make all the arrangements for us through AAA in Cleveland. After hearing the cost at $4800/ couple for a balcony stateroom on the 11th deck for cruise and air I became a little concerned. The AAA agent wanted us to fly to Cleveland for an additional $600 round trip so we could travel with the in-laws or she would not be able to arrange the trip. I basically told my sister in law that I'd make our arrangements and we'd meet them in Seattle a day early so we could site see and not be so tired from the flights. As it turned out the in-laws didn't even fly together and one couple had to go to Newark, NJ, and then to Seattle leaving Cleveland at 6:20 a.m. We picked a flight that left at 9:05 a.m. from Nashville since we have an hour and a half drive to the airport. Read more