Alaska Cruise - Day 1 Day 1 was a time for cruising, eating and getting familiar with the ship.

A Few Words About "The Patch"

My wife get's sick on the water, (Don't ask me how she manages to go on any roller-coaster in the country without even the hint of nausea! ) even in San Diego bay where the water is very calm, she get's ILL! So she decided to use "The Patch" for Sea-Sickness.

It worked well for her, she didn't get sick at all, however, I must say as a supporting husband, I tried the patch and was horrified at the effect that the patch had on me. First of all I should tell you that the patch is available only with a prescription, so check with your doctor before trying it. It could be that my "System" is sensitive to the patch, you may not have the same experience I did.

The patch served as almost a hallucinogenic for me, I was so spaced out from it that I ripped it off after 24 hours, once I took it off, I started feeling a bit more "normal". So the moral to the story is, don't use the Patch unless you get really seasick, it's a really bad ride.

Overall the ship movement was minimal, there were a couple times when things got a little "wavy" but it the seas were fairly calm and I didn't notice anyone getting visibly ill.

Cruising- Day 1

The first day was a day of orientation and figuring out what was going on. On most cruise ships there will be activities planned throughout the day. For example, on our cruise they had many activities, including informational seminars about Alaska and Alaska History. There will also be special information gatherings regarding the paid tour options while in port. There were also many "fun" activities such as bingo, ring toss tournaments, shuffleboard contests for families, "bago" ( a sort of ring toss but with small bean bags), team ping-pong and many other family oriented activities. These activites gave our family to opportunity to meet other familys in an active fun filled envionment.

For adults only there is a casino with slot machines, tables and gambling tournaments, a newlywed game in the entertainment center and also excellent evening entertainment with music, comedy and magic. There was also a nightclub on board with different theme nights such as "Disco", "Oldies" and "80's rock and roll night". In additon there are also a few bars onboard for drinking and socializing.

There is always something to do during the cruise days andthere is food galore in the formal and informal dining areas. We ended up using the informal dining room for breakfast and lunch and we dined in the formal dining room in the evenings. You will probably be placed at a table with other cruisers when you go to the formal dinners. This will make for great evening conversation and a sharing of experiences while your on board.

If you don't care for the table you get placed at, asked to be moved, the dining room attendants are very customer service oriented and will go out of their way to please you. We were very happy with the service we received while we were on Royal Caribbean. At dinner, you will have many choices, don't be afraid to order 2 dinners if you want to try a couple of things. Same with the deserts, order 2 or 3 and pass them around the table, the food was just fantastic on our cruise.

If your feeling a bit stuffed from eating 5 or 6 meals a day, you can always visit the onboard fitness center that will be on your ship. They have aerobics, fitness coaches, weights, exercise bikes and other workout equipment to burn those excess calories. If you want more pampering you can always go to the spa (extra charge) and get a massage, facial, body wrap and many other relaxing treatments.

During our Alaska cruise we had many options to choose from and most of our activities came without any extra charge. On Royal Caribbean you don't pay extra to got to the entertainment or nightclubs, but you will pay if you drink alcohol or even soda pop. Also anything at the spa will cost you extra but the gym is free if you don't order any special consultations or physical therapy.

On our cruise you could not use cash for extras, everything was charged to your "Cruise Card", which was backed up by your credit card when you signed in to the cruise terminal. The only exception I found for the "no cash" was the casino. The slot machines and other games all take cash and change, you can also purchase vouchers at the front desk of the casino.

Lastly, if your not feeling social, you always have the option to sit in your cabin, order room service and watch TV. In additon you can always go to the top deck and walk, take pictures and just enjoy the scenery. I have found that there is something for everyone on these cruises and the value is tremendous when you consider all of the cruise options available to you.

If your interested in reading on please CLICK HERE to read about our day in Juneau Alaska.