Chapter 7 – Alaskan Cruise

Date: Early Morning, July 3, 2039

The alarm went off much too early for Jane's liking. She was cuddled up with Maura and didn't want to move. It was only 5 AM much too early in Jane's opinion and she shared that thought with Maura. "Maur, it is only 5 AM, too early, way too early." Jane stated as she opened one eye and peeked at the clock on her nightstand.

"Jane, you know we need to be up and showered before Arianna and Mario and the car service arrive. Our flight leaves at 8 AM with or without us. If we miss our flight, we will miss our cruise ship's departure. You know I didn't want to have our flight arrive so close to our ship's departure. We should have left for Seattle yesterday." Maura explained as she broke loose from Jane's grip and got out of bed and went to her walk-in closet to get her clothes that she would be wearing for their flight.

"Maur, I need five more minutes." Jane said as she put the pillow over her head and hid her face from the bedroom's light that Maura had insisted on turning on to get Jane motivated to get up and get ready.

"Jane, you always need five more minutes. I have set the alarm so when it goes off you had better get up and start getting ready." Maura announced as she entered their ensuite.

"Or what Maur?" Jane said as she withdrew the pillow from her head and got up so she could join her wife in the shower.

"Or I will be taking this cruise without you." Maura said as she removed her nightclothes and started the shower.

"You wouldn't dare go on our retirement cruise without me." Jane stated as she was right outside the bathroom door. Jane walked in as Maura stepped into the shower.

"Jane, we cannot shower together." Maura said as Jane slid into the shower with her.

"Too late Maur, I'm here already." Jane smirked as she looked at Maura. She grabbed some of Maura's shampoo and began to wash Maura's hair for her. Maura figured she would reciprocate and poured some of Jane's shampoo into her hand and rub her hands together and then began to wash Jane's hair for her. They traded places under the showerhead so Maura could rinse out Jane's hair. They both quickly washed their bodies and then Jane turned off the water. They dried their bodies off and then worked on their hair before moving into the bedroom to get dressed.

Arianna and Mario arrived promptly at 5:45 AM and they were at the airport in no time due to hardly any traffic on a Sunday morning. They checked their bags curbside and went to the TSA Pre-Check line. Maura had insisted that they all be approved for TSA Pre-Check to speed up their check in at Logan.

Jane grabbed Maura's hand after they had cleared the TSA booth and Arianna and Mario followed close behind arm-in-arm. Jane quickly pointed them in the direction of the coffee shop, she needed coffee. The three others were laughing at Jane, she couldn't make it without her coffee. She had a quick cup before leaving their house but she was ready for another cup before they boarded their flight. Arianna just liked teasing her cousin, she missed Jane when they were in Italy so she was so happy when Jane asked her if she and Mario would like to join them on their retirement cruise. Arianna and Mario were all set to retire at the end of the year so they were counting this as part of their retirement celebration also.

They boarded their plane and Jane automatically got comfortable in her seat and snuggled up to Maura. She was so ready to go back to sleep. Maura just put her arm around Jane and asked for a blanket to wrap Jane up in. The flight attendant brought the blanket and Maura spread it out over Jane. Maura was happy she had the window seat. They were sitting in first class and Jane hated that there was a barrier in between them. Arianna and Mario sat across the aisle from them.

Jane was asleep before they reached their cruising altitude and shortly after the seatbelt required sign went out Arianna got up and noticed that Jane was drooling a little bit. She couldn't help but take a picture. She told Maura and then showed her the picture. Maura took a tissue out of her pocket and carefully wiped the drool from Jane's mouth, startling Jane a little bit. Jane simply repositioned herself and went back to sleep.

Maura asked Arianna to delete the picture but she said 'no way, Jane wouldn't delete it if she had taken it of me.' Maura had to agree, knowing Jane if she had a picture like that of Arianna, she wouldn't delete it. She found it amazing how childlike these two were sometimes.

Sometimes Maura wished the Isles Foundation still had their jets but after her mother stepped down from being head of the Foundation and Maura took over, she asked Karen and Dan how long they wanted to continue to fly for the Isles Foundation. Karen and Dan discussed it and figured they could afford to retire.

Maura had their lawyers draw up a retirement plan for them and within a week Karen and Dan had helped Maura sell the two company jets and Karen and Dan accepted their severance and retirement package with use of all Isles houses worldwide. Maura told them, "You are family and as such your rooms are still yours in all of our houses."

"Thank you, Maura and anytime you need a pilot let us know we can have a jet rented and be available for you. You and your parents have been like family to us and we appreciate all that you have done for us over the years."

Maura completed a great amount of her Foundation business via Skype and Zoom calls. The planes and travel didn't fit in well with her position at BPD so after her discussion with Karen and Dan she was happy to allow them to sell the jets and retire. Karen and Dan had always taken care of anything having to do with the jets and as part of their severance package they were allowed to keep fifty percent of the sale price of the jets after expenses. That was an end of an era.

There were no delays in their flight. The flight actually arrived twenty minutes early which pleased Maura. It took them almost an hour to get their luggage and get out of the airport. Their check in time for the cruise ship was 1 PM and they arrived at the ship just before 1 PM. The check in process was quick and by 1:45 PM they were able to enter their rooms to put their carry-on bags down and then go up on deck to grab some drinks and watch the ship disembark from the port. They would spend the next seven days onboard this ship and all four of them were looking forward to their Alaskan adventure.

The ship departed at 3 PM sharp. Jane was hungry so they made their way to the pool area where hamburgers and French fries were available. It would be almost 8 PM before they sat down for dinner so a quick bite to eat sounded like a good idea, especially for Jane's stomach which had voiced its opinion already. Jane inhaled her burger and fries and everybody went to check out the World Fresh Marketplace for healthy options, now that Jane's stomach was satisfied.

While they sat down for a quick snack, Jane sent a short text to her mother to let her know that the ship was underway and that she shouldn't expect too many text messages while they were cruising but she would try and send pictures as often as she could. Angela replied back thanking her and told her to have fun.

They participated in the mandatory muster event that went over the emergency evacuation procedures. Maura was hoping that was information she would never have to use. She had researched the ship during the time when they were planning their vacation. Jane knew that Maura would do extra research. Cruising on a ship was a new adventure for her and she wanted to be prepared.

They had selected a late dining option so that they could maximize their time at the different ports. Food was always available should they miss their dinner time. Maura knew that Jane would never miss a meal but she still had some snacks tucked away in her purse.

After the muster they walked around and got familiar with the ship. Jane wanted to find the gym. She still wanted to keep in shape. She was so accustomed to working out everyday and she found it relaxing. Maura and Arianna wanted to find the spa as they had appointments set up for the four of them tomorrow. They knew Jane and Mario wouldn't want to do facials, manicures and pedicures but they did book them for the couples massage in the afternoon. They figured Jane and Mario could find something to do while they got pampered.

Dinner was exquisite. Jane loved how they had so many options on the menu. Maura told her she couldn't have a cheeseburger for dinner. She must select something else. She could have cheeseburgers for lunch everyday if she wanted but not for dinner.

Part of their room selection options allowed for them to have two dinners at one of the specialty restaurants so they looked over the itinerary and selected which nights they would like to have dinner at a specialty restaurant. They planned out which nights and then decided they would go to the night club to dance and have some drinks.

The next morning, they had breakfast together and then Maura and Arianna went to enjoy their spa day and Jane and Mario hung out by the pool until lunch. Jane was tired and just wanted to chill, Mario was easy going and figured that sounded like a great idea. They both ended up going swimming for about an hour before Maura and Arianna joined them at the pool. After lunch they had their couples massage and took in some entertainment and checked out the casino until dinner time. They were looking forward to arriving in Ketchikan. The ship arrived at Ketchikan at 6:30 AM the next morning, they would have until 3:30 to see any sights that they planned on seeing.