...was fantastic!  We travelled on the "Holland America" cruise line and for our first times, we were generally impressed.  The service was great and there was plenty of fun stuff to do on the ship including a movie theatre, bingo (lol), and a couple of heated pools. 

Of course, the ship wasn't the real highlight of the trip.  That would have to be the sights and sounds of Alaska.  Our first stop at Juneau was mindblowing.  The green trees - HOLY COW - THE GREEN TREES!  The air was crisp and pollutant-free.  There were maybe about 30-40 cars driving around town, which is almost a culture shock compared to Las Vegas. 

My wife threw together a slideshow on her blog about the trip showing alot of great pictures of Alaska and the cruise here.  I figured you guys would get a glimpse of me sooner or later   Be fore-warned, we didn't noticed this until we got back but the camera we used had a smudge on the lense so there's a blur in almost every shot

yes, there are trees when you dont live in a desert.
now for everyone's burning question, did you tour the Palin mansion?

Nah, here's my burning question: Have you tried the caribou?  What does it really taste like? 

Nice photogs!  Alaska still remains one of the states on my list to visit someday. Speaking of taste, how was that waterfall? ;)

Also, I'd just like to make a friendly observation.  With your glasses on (especially in picture 24 of 37), you look remarkably similar to Silicon Knights' Denis Dyack.  (Please tell me you're a Silicon Knights fan -- if not, I apologize wholeheartedly.)

Glad you guys had a good time!  Nice pics too, ya make a good couple.

I went on a Holland America cruise around Australia/New Zealand on the ms Statendam back in Feb.  While it was a really great trip, and the food and service were top notch, I went with my grandma to take care of her, and really the ship was full of old folks (no one really my age at all).  But I went on a lot of side trips and did the Lord of the Rings tour in NZ (although there was no Shire visit, boo).  My parents went on an Alaskan cruise just recently tour and they had a great time.  You look like you had a good time too - vacations are great, and although I didn't think much about travelling in the past, I want to do more of it now that I'm like 30 this year. 

If I ever go cruising again, I think I'd want to pick a cruise line with younger people more my age.

Thanks for the comments everyone!  To answer all the questions:

- no I didn't tour Palin's mansion   (Is she in Anchorage?  That was the one city we didn't stop in).  Although, the entire state was kind of abuzz with excitement - probably because nothing big like that ever happens there.

- Caribou? Not so much, although I did try some reindeer sausage (tastes like regular sausage with a slight kick)!

- I'll take the Dennis Dyack thing as a compliment.   Not too familiar with the company but I did play Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain on the PS1 and that was wicked awesome.

- Thanks Carl, you're awesome   Yeah, she's the one for me!

During the cruise we got used to eating late, staying up late, sleeping late, etc... so much so that my schedule still isn't back to normal!  Oh, and the ship will literally rock you to sleep.

When you go to Alaska you have to get some crab legs.  They're as big as your forearms!

Before the actual cruise we stopped over at the Pike's Place market in Seattle (which is where the ship was located).  My father absolutely loves the Pike's Place market (it's the last name) so we picked him up a neat little print and some coasters from the Pike's Pub.  Everything was so FRESH. 

I am a sucker for Godfather's Pizza.  They pulled-up-ship about 6 or 7 years ago and I'd been dying for some Humble Pie (cheese, sausage, green peppers & onion).  That about made my day!