I am back at my second day of work after the cruise. Overall the trip was a success and very fun!! Our ship was named the Dawn Princess (Princess Cruise Lines). (It is amazing that something that large can float!) As I sit here writing about it I wonder where to start...hmmm...

Well, obviously, it is hard to get back into the swing of things after being pampered for 11 days! (Even if it is just popping a Lean Cuisine in the microwave, I still like someone else making food for me!:-)) I had never been on a cruise before so this was all new to me. I had my own room and it was larger then I expected. My parents were right down the hall with a balcony (so I spent a lot of time in their room) and my brother, SIL, and niece were on the floor below me. We spent time on the ship watching movies, walking on the track around the deck, whale watching, napping and/or sleeping in, relaxing on my parents' balcony, going to shows, eating (and eating and eating) at one of the many restaurant type places on board, playing Bingo (I know, laugh if you want), playing with my niece, shopping, etc. I'm sure that I am missing lots of stuff!

It was great always having the ship nearby when we were at Port. That made it super convenient for all of us, whether my niece needed a nap or some of us didn't want to walk around the town anymore and wanted to go relax in the room(s). The ports we went to were Victoria, B.C. and Ketchikan, Juneau, and Skagway, Alaska. We also spent a few hours in Tracey Arm viewing icebergs and a glacier (very cool!). While traveling around we did also spend some days at sea. (One night was VERY bumpy!) We sailed in and out of San Francisco so we didn't have to fly anywhere to catch the cruise. The ports were all wonderful. The best part about Ketchikan was Creek Street. The best part about Juneau was walking around the town and taking a tram ride. The best part about Skagway was the White Pass Railroad (saw some incredible scenery). And Tracey Arm was unreal. (It makes you think about the Titanic!)

I have about 300 pics put together and managed to post 60 of my faves on my Facebook account. I am going to try to put them on here (and not in a way that they overtake my page)...so check back soon! There are lots of stories I could tell about things I saw and things I did - so ask me if interested! I should also mention that it was in the 50s the whole time and rained a couple of days. It was hard coming back to the heat after wearing layers and a jacket for over a week!

It was a wonderful time being with family and exploring new parts of the world. Next family vacay definitely needs to be Ireland. Better start saving, mom and dad (hehehe) and in the meantime thanks (mom and dad) for making this trip possible for us all - it was a great time and we will all never forget it!!!