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By: Toni Barnett
If you have ever thought about
an Alaska Cruise, it's time you packed your bags and head to the
last Frontier, it's a beautiful ride, jam packed with amazing
scenery.
We had always looked forward to
experiencing Alaska and found it all we had hoped. We (my husband
Rick and myself) traveled with our children LeeAnne (20 years
old) and Brittany (13 years old) and all of us agree it was a
fantastic family vacation. 
We started with a few days in Anchorage;
the city is set between two mountain ranges and the Cook Inlet.
A half-day walking tour is a great way to start. We then rented
a car and were off on some exciting expeditions, we hiked around
Independence mine and cuddled husky puppies at the Iditarod center.
Portage Glacier is a beautiful setting with crystal blue icebergs
everywhere; we took the hour boat ride that allows you to get
within 100 yards of the glacier!
Then we headed west to Seward where
we would soon be boarding our magnificent cruise ship the Dawn
Princess. Seward is a quaint seaside city and the drive from Anchorage
is just gorgeous.
As we set sail it was time to get
acquainted with our floating hotel. It is a beautiful, large ship,
only four years old. With 1,950 passengers and yet you rarely
felt crowded. The four-story atrium is quite a grand entrance,
with a string quartet or grand piano playing throughout the day.
There are several bars throughout
the ship and they all offer wonderful views, what a great place
to unwind at the end of the day. The main restaurant was gorgeous,
service exceptional and meals were in "Grand Princess"
style. There were several other restaurants for passengers to
enjoy as well. 
The pools were heated for those
brave enough to enjoy a swim (and trust me we saw plenty of children
having a great time), there were several hot tubs to soak off
any pains we experienced from our hikes or super work-outs. And
speaking of workout facilities they have a large gym with state
of the art equipment and we had a chance to try out some new aerobic
classes.
We actually had our best view of
humpback whales while enjoying a class, I'm sure glad we opted
to workout instead of eating a second dessert. We were actually
happy to have our inside cabins; the 24 hours sunlight we experienced
was getting a little tough to handle. The truth is I would have
changed it for a balcony cabin in a minute. What a way to start
the morning with an incredible view from your veranda and the
beautiful end to each day.
The production show "Pirates
Hi-Jinx on the High Seas" featured the talents of an international
troupe of acrobats, jugglers, trapeze artists and contortionists,
it was spectacular evening. We had to miss many of the other shows
because we found the best entertainment was simply sitting on
the desk each evening with a drink in hand enjoying the enchanting
scenery.
Well, I didn't even get a chance
to talk about the exciting itinerary "Voyage of the Glaciers",
so check in next week for more or even better join us on the 31st
of January for a special presentation from 6:30-7:30pm. Judy Pippin
from Princess Cruises will be here to answer all your questions
and offer a great presentation. To RSVP call LaRue Hadden our
Cruise Specialist 303 442-2340.
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