We are early seating as well. We did switch to late for our upcoming July cruise because all our friends are late, but early works much better for us. We are platinum now and it does make booking really easy.
The book I have that I've been enjoying is Alaska by Cruise Ship by Anne Vipond. It has info on Seattle, Vancouver and the Alaskan ports. Still trying to figure out what excursions we want to do. Also go to
www.travelalaska.com I got a really nice vacation planner from them and get monthly e-mail updates.
Our July cruise is a 5 night with two stops at CC. The wedding is the first CC day and we are looking forward to it. Then we'll just relax and enjoy the second CC day. We also go to Nassau but having been there, done that we're just going to stay on the ship.
Think about Palo Brunch for your celebration. We prefer brunch to dinner. It is more casual (Walt and the boys would be fine in Dockers and Polo shirts while a nice capri outfit or sundress would work for you). The food is great and the view should be fantastic.