Alaska

We just got back from a fantastic cruise to Alaska. I'd never been on a cruise before, and I loved it! We brought plenty to entertain ourselves on the days we were just cruising, and weren't bored for a minute. And - despite others' experiences - there was totally a 24-hour buffet, 24-hour pizzeria, 24-hour deli sandwich bar, and 24-hour ice cream bar. We chose to be seated in the dining room for most meals, but I guess Carnival is the cruise line with all the buffets.

Anyway, we arrived in Anchorage pretty late, ate dinner, and went to bed. My dad sprang for the Presidential Suite at the hotel - the one where you have to put a key in the elevator to get it to go to your floor. It was pretty extravagant seeing as we were only in the rooms for like 12 hours, but it was pretty swanky.

The next morning, we all piled into a limosine (another extravagance!) and our driver gave us a small tour of Anchorage and drove us through a wildlife preserve. We stopped by a beautiful glacial lake and finally made it to the boat.

Check-in was super-easy, and the first thing Jonathan and I did was book ourselves the spa special - a one-hour full body massage and mini-facial. It was pretty awesome, and a great way to start a relaxing vacation.

The bed on the boat was surprisingly comfortable. The first night I didn't sleep very well because of the movement of the boat and the engine rumbling, but I got accustomed to it pretty soon, and by the end of the trip I actually found it pretty comforting. I'm going to miss that rumbling!