Tips for the Alaskan traveler

10. Do not leave home without your motion sickness medication! We both needed it at different times, and the doctor on board the ship has the best working hours I've seen; one hour in the morning and one hour in the evening.
9. Do not hold your breath in anticipation of seeing Mt. McKinley or anyone who is actually from Alaska! Everyone seems to be a transplant from some other state, and all of the staff working at various locations tend to be college students from Eastern European countries.
8. Do take warm clothes and rain gear. Hypothermia may set in for Texas residents used to 100+ temperatures when the daily temperatures in Alaska are in the 50s and 60s.
7. Do not stick to your frugal budget when it comes to excursions and side trips, they are worth every penny! At least the ones we did were, and they also almost added up to the amount we paid for the cruise. (For those that need some help choosing, let us know.)
6. Do make sure to bring several memory cards for your camera. Stan took over 1800 pictures! Of course, if you know him, you know that this is one of his OCD areas...
5. Do make sure you use the "Privacy Please" card on the cruise if you intend to linger in bed past 7:30 am. The cabin stewards get an early start to perfection!
4. Do make sure you attend all of the evening shows on board the ship, especially the ones featuring people the ship brought on just for that day. We felt like we were on late night T.V.!
3. Do leave the kids at home with a trusted college student looking to make some summer cash. However, don't call home too often because the kids tend to get upset and then act terrible.
2. Do pack lightly and then do laundry on board the ship to make traveling easier. But, make sure you choose a day that you are at sea, get started promptly when it opens, and make sure you pick it up on time, or little old ladies will be folding your undies!
1. Do enjoy the perfection and beauty of God's untouched wilderness because there aren't many places like it left on this Earth. (And really think about whether we should destroy it for our own selfishness.)