We’re heading back to Alaska, but this cruise is going to be very different. We’re sailing aboard Norwegian Bliss for our first-ever Norwegian Cruise Line cruise — and our first Travel Agent Seminar at Sea.

In this episode of PKAT Chat, we break down what a Seminar at Sea actually looks like, how much training is involved, and how we plan to balance the travel-agent side of the trip with actually experiencing the ship and Alaska. We also look ahead to Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay, Ketchikan and Victoria, including whale watching, exploring on our own, our Ketchikan Duck Boat tour, and whether that short nighttime stop in Victoria is worth getting off the ship for.

We’re especially excited to finally experience Glacier Bay after weather kept us from getting the full glacier experience on our previous Alaska cruise. And because this is our first NCL sailing, we’ll also be checking out Norwegian’s Freestyle Cruising, dining, Norwegian Bliss and what the cruise line offers from both a traveler and travel-agent perspective.

Follow PKAT Chat for the post-cruise episode when we’ll come back and tell you what the Seminar at Sea and our first Norwegian Cruise Line experience were actually like.

Cruising from Galveston for the first time? So are we! With Boo’s Cruise 4.0 getting closer, we brought in Jeremy and Sheryl to help us figure out everything we need to know before sailing from one of Texas' busiest cruise ports.

We get into the differences between flying into Houston Hobby and George Bush Intercontinental, options for getting between Houston and Galveston, cruise shuttles, Uber, parking, hotels and what to expect when you arrive at the terminal. Then we get into the fun stuff — places to eat, things to do around Galveston and some local tips that could save you headaches on embarkation and debarkation day.

Plus, our particular sailing comes with an extra wrinkle: a huge motorcycle event will be happening in Galveston around the same time, making advance planning even more important. Whether you're joining us for Boo’s Cruise 4.0 or planning your own Galveston cruise, there are plenty of tips in this episode.

Follow PKAT Chat for more cruising, RV travel, trip planning and adventures with Ryan and Mel from PK Adventure Travels.

Cruising today looks a LOT different from when we took our first cruise back in 1999. Ships are enormous, phones and cruise apps have replaced paper planners, specialty restaurants are everywhere, dress codes are more relaxed, and getting on a ship is easier than ever. But did all those changes actually make cruising better?

On this episode of PKAT Chat, Ryan and Melinda go back to the early days of their cruising adventures and compare them with the modern cruise experience. We talk about formal nights when people really dressed up, assigned dining with strangers, live orchestras and production shows, terrible old-school cruise ship Internet, paper deck maps, walkie-talkies, muster drills and the rise of today's mega-ships packed with everything from water parks and ice skating to go-karts and Formula One simulators.

Some changes we absolutely love. Others have us wishing cruise lines would bring a little of the old-school experience back — especially those live orchestras and midnight buffets. Plus, we get into the explosion of cruise line private destinations and whether cruising is starting to become more about the ship than actually visiting somewhere new.

Follow PKAT Chat for more cruise, travel and RV conversations with Ryan and Melinda.