So, who would have believed our May spectacular to Alaska would produce everything required, including great weather? And not only for our group.
The earlier unaccompanied group, on the first sailing in May, had even more sunshine.
This trip was, for Rose and I, the holiday of a lifetime.
I dislike long-haul flying.
That's why we, and 17 other 'followers', decided to have four nights in Las Vegas followed by three nights in San Francisco.
Let's put our pre-cruise story to bed quickly.
Las Vegas was something else.
Not for gambling reasons, but for a city over the top in glitz and glam.
We loved it.
20 hotels.
3 shows.
Numerous spectacles.
Shopping malls.
Two packets of corn plasters.
Wow! It brought back memories of our first trips to Paris when we'd give up walking after three days and pray to get back home to more comfortable shoes! But it was special.
I'm really glad we stayed at the Aladdin.
We can't think of anything nicer or better.
The Dolphinarium and Zoo were great.
Mind you, once we were inside the Mandalay Bay Hotel we had to join the escape committee to find our way out! San Francisco.
Well, in the words of the wonderful old crooner, I left my heart in San Francisco.
A city not to be missed.
Lovely people and a feeling of the ultimate way of life.
We chose to stay in the Sheraton Fisherman's Wharf, close to the port.
This was a plus not a minus.
The old tramline stopped outside the door, taking us along the various piers before turning to travel to the main shopping districts through to the Castro area.
The cable cars were five minutes walk and not to be missed.
Alcatraz ferries and trips left from the pier down the road.
When we go away, we use local guidebooks and local papers, and often choose to do something unusual.
On two nights we ventured out into the unknown by cable car and tram and ended up out of our depth - a crêperie and bar in the Mission district (don't ask!), and a superb cosmopolitan restaurant called 'Home' in the Castro area! Add to that a day out at the Berkeley Jazz Street Festival, several miles out of town, and you'll understand why we had such a good time.
The Sheraton was only five minutes from the port, so close our taxi driver said he'd only charge $5.
That's how honest they are.
No effort.
No trouble.
Even the trip in from the airport was easy.
$15 by minibus per person, or $45 by taxi for 2, 3 or 4 people.
Celebrity Mercury was, as always, a lovely ship for the cruise of a lifetime.
I won't, however, bore you with ship information.
It was Victoria, British Columbia, first stop.
Lovely, clean, inoffensive and a town we'd have liked more time in.
Alas, it wasn't to be, so it saved another minor hammering on the card! Cruising from then on was really special.
We sailed along the Inside Passage with beautiful scenery and, remarkably, no civilisation! On the way up we saw porpoises by the hundreds.
Binoculars were poised on every balcony awaiting the inevitable spout of water from a whale.
Over the next few days some people were lucky with sightings, some not.
Some, like us in the end, couldn't care less unless it happened! The stops were all magical for different reasons.
None of them looked or felt the same.
Skagway has a real 'western gold-rush ' feel to it.
The train journey was a well spent three hours.
We missed dinner that night to sample real fresh halibut and chips at the local bar next to the ship.
Icy Straight Point was a first - we were the first visitors from a cruise ship - and it was so unspoilt.
Ketchikan, Juneau and Sitka completed the Alaskan ports of call.
It would take too long to describe all the wonderful things we all did.
From float planes to helicopter trips, from glacier visits to whale watching.
Of course, it all ended far too quickly.
But one thing's certain; it was well worth the effort to go!