When the msZaandam left the dock in Seattle, Washington, on Friday, August 14, the first concert was already underway. It was certainly a full day by the time everyone was aboard, settled in their staterooms, and attended the mandatory lifeboat drills, but Bill and Gloria wasted no time getting this week started off on a wonderful note. They were both beaming as the music "took over" and transported everyone - artists and passengers alike - into a very special celebration of hope. The first concert of the 2009 Alaskan Homecoming Cruise set the pace for what promises to be a week that nurtures the souls and the bodies of everyone aboard.

On a more technical note, our crew has been working constantly since before we left the dock in Seattle. Several trucks filled with lighting, staging, cameras and sound equipment were loaded onto the Lido Deck using a giant crane that took boxes of equipment from the ground below up to Deck 8. Work began immediately on assembling a stage over the swimming pool on the Lido Deck for Monday's outdoor video-taping. The set-up is still underway this update is being written, but I have snapped a few photos of the load-in and set-up and I will continue to follow the crew's progress as the set comes together.

Since this particular cruise is also a video-taping, our camera crews are roaming constantly so we can capture this Homecoming cruise experience as accurately as possible for you to enjoy when the DVD releases next August!

This morning, Mr. Gaither led devotions in the Mondrian Theatre at 7:30 a.m. Then, just a half-hour after devotions were over, the first morning concert was underway. The Gaither Vocal Band greeted half of the passengers in attendance to give an opportunity for photos and autographs. The second morning concert began at 10:45 and was a rousing good time! Right now, there are many passengers shopping at the Gaither bookstore, as well as the wonderful shops on the ship.

Everyone is eating well, too! Which brings me to one of my personal highlights so far (although there have already been many). Last night, Larnelle Harris stepped up to the front of the stage and began a wonderfully original "Larnelle-style" arrangement of "Let Us Break Bread Together On our Knees". His unique and passionate delivery of this familiar song, in this setting, gave it new significance. Sure, we're "breaking bread" constantly on a cruise like this - not to mention "breaking ice cream" and "breaking gourmet dinners" and every other manner of delicacy. But somehow it is better together.

View the photo album here.