[QUOTE=olde hornet]
1. There will be 3 senior citizens that will be a part of this trip. They are all in good shape and exercise on a regular basis. Are there any cruise issues that I should be concerned about?
Alaskan cruises tend to have a lot more seniors on them than other cruises, so you should be fine. In fact, they'll probably make lots of new friends. My dad joined a bridge tournament on his cruise in June and made lots of friends. Even if they weren't able-bodied, I've seen some VERY old people who needed wheelchairs on Alaska cruises and they seemed to be having a good time.
2. I would like to leave out of Seattle as opposed to Vancouver. Are there any big downsides to that choice?
I live in the Seattle area, so my advice may be a little biased (come here and spend your money to support our economy!), but I think Seattle is a great tourist town. If you do come to Seattle, take the Underground Tour. Most of the guides are professional comics. And visit the Klondike Gold Rush National Historic Park, which is actually a building, not a park, and then visit their branch in Skagway on your cruise. Don't get me wrong, Vancouver is a great town too. They have a great aquarium, much better than ours.
I think most (if not all) of the Seattle itineraries are round-trip, which means less time in port at some of the stops (on Princess and HAL, you get fairly brief stops in Victoria and Ketchikan). Also, round-trip itineraries usually cost more, but you'll probably save it in airfare costs. Most flights to Alaska are fairly expensive.
In Seattle, the Homeland Security folks are much more thorough than the Canadian border patrol, at least, in my experience. This has caused some delays on some sailings out of Seattle, but I think they've mostly worked it out now. Still, if the threat level gets raised again, or if they get a tip that someone is trying to enter the country on a ship, that could cause delays.
3. A 7 day cruise is what I want to take – any cruise line recommendations would be appreciated.
It depends what you're looking for in a cruise. I'd recommend reading what folks have to say on the boards about each line. I'm pretty knowledgeable about Princess because I have a friend who works there so I've sailed with them to Alaska twice now, both for 7 nights. Had a great time on both trips, but it really depends on what you're looking for.
In Seattle, the pier for Norwegian and Celebrity is right in downtown, and the pier for HAL and Princess is in the industrial district, if that makes a difference.
My favorite cruise stop in Alaska is Skagway, so I'd recommend an itinerary that includes Skagway. Juneau and Ketchican are both great destinations too. I thought Sitka was just so-so.
4. This is my first cruise – should I do a maximum of 2 adults per cabin?
Yes, unless you get a suite. Cabins on cruise ships are generally MUCH smaller than US hotel rooms (think half the size). Plus often the third and fourth beds are overhead berths, not good with senior citizens. In a suite, the extra bed is usually a sofa bed instead of overhead berths, so it's not as bad, but you'd be paying a lot more for a suite than you would to just get separate rooms.