Wine and Spirits Travel

I had waited a long time to go to Alaska. As I arrived in my 50th state, I couldn’t have asked for a better welcome. Brittany and I were sitting on the balcony and sipping our coffee when we saw the first spout. More followed and as we got closer to Juneau, we saw quite a few humpback whales greeting us! Juneau is one of the best places to see the humpbacks, who are here in the spring and summer before making their way to Hawaii for the winter months. I would be going on a whale cruise later in the morning, while Brittany was heading on a kayaking trip. Before our excursions, we had a private tour of the Lotus Spa and its Enclave section. The spa is huge, and treatments range from massages, facials, and scrubs to derm fillers and acupuncture. They also have a fitness center on the Royal Princess, filled plenty of equipment. I had a treatment scheduled for another time and we had access to use The Enclave whenever we wanted. This is a thermal suite area with a hydrotherapy pool, h

Brittany and I slept well as the Royal Princess very calmly rocked us through the night. Unfortunately, we were also dealing with a time difference, so we were up a lot earlier than we planned. It was too early for breakfast in the main dining room, so we got dressed and went to the International Café. This 24-hour coffee shop was one of the most popular places on the ship, with complimentary pastries, sandwiches, quiches, and other goodies. They also had specialty coffees, which were included in our Princess Plus Package. Brittany chose a breakfast burrito and an iced coffee while I had a peanut butter banana sandwich and a latte. Both really hit the spot and the International Café would become a place we visited frequently during the cruise. I was very curious about The Sanctuary on the ship and had arranged for us to have a tour of it before it officially opened for the day. The Sanctuary is an adults-only area with a relaxing vibe, a unique light menu, and other opportunities such

It had been lots of fun exploring Seattle all morning and into the early afternoon with the City Pass. It was time for us to do what Brittany and I came to the Emerald City for—to get on our Princess cruise to Alaska.   Brittany hopped on one of the e-bikes and kept up with my mobility scooter on the way back to the Homewood Downtown . We picked up our luggage and waited for the van to take us to Smith Cove Cruise Terminal at Pier 91. Since there are so many (mostly Alaska) cruises going out of Seattle there are two different piers in the city. The van wasn’t set up for wheelchairs, but the driver was able to lift my lightweight scooter. into the back and then help me into the van. There were two other women in there who were as excited as we were about the upcoming cruise. It was the first time I went on a cruise when you were allowed to embark whenever you wanted during a five-hour window. We were about in the middle and it wasn’t at all crowded. We checked in and made it on