We just completed our first cruise aboard the Island Princess. We sailed from Vancouver, B.C., to Whittier, AS, and were happily surprised with how much more we enjoyed cruising than we thought we would.

Here are some of the things that we did to make our cruise more enjoyable for us:

1. Took two pair of binoculars.
2. Took an electric teapot and tea.
3. Took our walkie talkies.
4. Took along our laptop and work-out CDs.
5. Sent ourselves a bottle of vodka as a bon voyage gift.
6. Took a case of Perrier on board because I drink tons of it.
7. Took our own wine on board.
8. Took lots of layering clothing which was the perfect way to dress for AS.

We went dancing every single night.

We had a mini suite on the starboard side of the ship which was, in our opinion essential, for a northbound trip to AS.

The internet access was very slow, unreliable and expensive. We usually hit an internet cafe as soon as we hit a port. If we stay with Princess, we get free internet access after four more voyages. We are thinking of maybe doing some one or two day repositioning cruises. That could be a kick, and would give us a chance to see lots of different ships.