You’ll never get me on a cruise. Unless it’s to ALASKA! Recap and New PTR Link! 2/1

[eandesmom]

Sunday 8/28.

BFP: Ketchikan. Our no plans day.

What we’d do again: I’d still stroll the waterfront and creek street. Adult pool and hot tub! Pirate night! Character breakfast was a blast even if the food was meh. Rebooking done via card and phone was definitely the way to go, any time that desk was open…there was a serious line.

What we’d do differently: I really should have mapped out how to get to Creek Street. Though there were signs, it still wasn’t terribly clear to me and we wasted some time. I would also do more dining homework as there may have been an even better option but we were happy where we ended up. I wish we could have done the hike we’d planned here. While it was a nice and lazy day it didn’t have quite the wow factor of the other two ports and I’m not sure why. Arguably the cutest of the ports in some ways, I think we still felt something was missing and I think it was the lack of a defined plan or excursion. It was a great day, don’t get me wrong, I think it just fell a little short compared to the other two and we probably could have gone back to the ship, or eaten, earlier than we did. Pirate night, at least the dinner portion, was a blast. Somehow it fell short at the party but I’m not sure if that’s due to it being inside, the Alaska vibe or the fact that my kids are just not into those kinds of shows any more (they had a similar lackluster response to the sailaway party).

Our day in pictures:

Monday 8/29

BFP: At Sea, no plans.

What we’d do again: The second part of the day was golden for me and I think the morning, pretty darn great for everyone else. . Hot tub, pool, reading on deck, Wine and Cheese in the room, sunset on the verandah, great dinner, show and adult entertainment. Perfect really!

What we’d (I'd) do differently: NO laundry! It’s not like we were flying home or going anywhere else after disembarking. I could have just dedicated a suitcase to dirty clothes. Serious waste of a couple of hours. I could have had a workout, and then a beer on deck! I also should have picked up my own souvenir earlier as I did know what I wanted. We also never tried Beach Blanket for lunch and it would have been a great day to do that. I’d also be more organized with the packing as that felt very rushed to get the darn suitcases outside the door and as a result, we had too much to lug to breakfast in the morning.

Our day in pictures:

Ok these aren’t from the last day but since those are pretty much all show pics it seemed like a good spot for them.

Tuesday 8/30

BFP:Disembark, get picked up by my mom and make our way home. Very likely we will stop either in Bellingham (Boundary Bay Brewery and Bistro) or Mt. Vernon (Skagit Valley Brewery) for lunch.

What we’d do again: Gosh, it's such a depressing thing, the end of a trip, but I guess we'd have to get off the ship gain, like it or not!

What we’d do differently: Be bad and leave our bags in the stateroom till after breakfast if I thought we could get away with it. Perhaps, depending on tablemates and servers, consider breakfast at the buffet (if it’s open in the disembarking day, I’m honestly not sure) or even do room service. I’d also try to avoid last minute errands of any kind although they seem to happen whether you plan ahead or not.

Our day in pictures:

Since I didn’t take any on the last day…you get a couple of…..souvies!
I had very good intentions of taking pictures of everything when we got home. However as all 3 boys commandeered shirts right away, I never really had everything together to take any! They do all seem to get worn so that’s a good thing! Here is what we ended up with.

Jeff. Alaska Brewing Company Hat (Juneau), Alaska Brewing Company Shirt (Juneau), 3 different Ketchikan seaplane shirts. One Alaska mug.

Evan. Great north tee (like a northface knockoff) from Skagway. 3 different Ketchikan shirts. Moose Puppet (Skagway). Vinylmation pin. Slinky dog pin. Alaska knit hat (Ketchikan). Baby pooh and owl pins (which killed me to see him pay full price for but it was his money. They are cute but it was surprising choices!) A goofy pillowcase with lots of fun siggies!

Eric. Skagway ziplining tee. Moose puppet (Skagway). Ketchikan shirt. Seems like there is one more shirt but I can’t think of what it is. Mini stuffed eagle, bear, whale and husky (Ketchikan). Disney Alaska pin with Chip and Dale, lanyard KTTW and extra pink holder pocket thing. And of course, a pillowcase!

Me.

Skagway brewing company pint glass. I have a thing for these; will pick them up from cool brewpubs when we travel. My favorite one is from Kona Brewing…”liquid aloha” is the slogan on the glass. LOL! This is actually not the beer I had but I liked it as it referenced the Chilkoot Trail.

Alaska Mug. I actually use this WAY more than I thought I would. In general, I’m not big on plastic mugs for anything and never use any of the refillable mugs from WDW I’ve carted home. This one, maybe b/c it’s the darker color, or just cooler, I do use as my backup travel mug when my favorite ceramic one is dirty. Go figure!

And…an inaugural tee

I wear this shirt ALL the time. My only issue with it is the burnout fabric does pill, but I still really really like it! I really wanted a DCL coffee cup but just didn’t find a mug I loved enough to buy. Major WAH on that one. I passed on a DCL ornament and wish I wouldn’t have but other than that, am quite content with what I bought. This one shirt was the most expensive thing any of us bought. Was it overpriced? Totally. I still love it though. I figure the shutters pics are my souvies! Not to mention the fact that I DID treat myself to a mani/pedi.

So…what’s next?

Come visit my new PTR and see!

Book it. Buy it. BELIEVE it!

 

[MEK]

Thank you so much for that wonderful recap. What a great experience. I seriously don't know if I will ever cruise to Alaska, but it certainly looks like an unforgettable experience.

Cost factor aside, are you happy with the week you picked or do you wish you had gone earlier in the season? I know it can get cool in late August and wonder what it would have been like in july.

Where there many other kids on the cruise considering it was the last week in August? Did the ship sail one more week after that? Inquiring minds want to know incase I ever do cruise there.

 

[eandesmom]

Thank you so much for that wonderful recap. What a great experience. I seriously don't know if I will ever cruise to Alaska, but it certainly looks like an unforgettable experience.

Cost factor aside, are you happy with the week you picked or do you wish you had gone earlier in the season? I know it can get cool in late August and wonder what it would have been like in july.

Very happy with the week. I don't know that it would be that much warmer earlier, and certainly not worth the extra cost. It was a cool summer, period, in the Northwest much more so than usual so we were already kind of used to it. The TR's I read (there aren't all that many for Alaska, not sure why) seemed to be early in the season, so colder actually so I'm not sure how July was. I do know tracking the weather for the 2 weeks prior to the cruise it was fairly consistent with what we had though apparently the week before ours was horrible on Tracy Arm day.

Where there many other kids on the cruise considering it was the last week in August? Did the ship sail one more week after that? Inquiring minds want to know incase I ever do cruise there.

TONS of kids, no issues there. I think b/c the boys kind of hooked up with the 2 girls each evening, they weren't really looking too hard for other playmates, since they had each other but every day in the pool they seemed to have new friends!

It did sail one more week after that. I'd originally looked at that week but decided it was too close to the start of school. Ironically school ended up starting almost 2 weeks later thanks to budget cuts, which meant removing a lot of in service days and a mid sept start date!

 

[MEK]

I forgot to add that your scenery pictures are so lovely.

And - I am freaking out because I can't find the link to your pTR. It's like it disappeared. Is it me or is in the DIS? I am afraid of your answer - just post it again!

Edit: found it! LOL!

 

[mrsksomeday]

I loved the recap !! If we ever did a cruise I would want it to be to Alaska, the pictures were just gorgeous!! Your family looked like they were having a fantastic time. Thank you so much for sharing your trip with us .

 

[eandesmom]

I forgot to add that your scenery pictures are so lovely.

And - I am freaking out because I can't find the link to your pTR. It's like it disappeared. Is it me or is in the DIS? I am afraid of your answer - just post it again!

Edit: found it! LOL!

LOL...your neck huh?



Thanks on the pictures Some of yours were quite helpful recently!

I loved the recap !! If we ever did a cruise I would want it to be to Alaska, the pictures were just gorgeous!! Your family looked like they were having a fantastic time. Thank you so much for sharing your trip with us .

Hi Tracy! I need to get over to your new TR and get caught up! It was a wonderful trip, I can't say enough great things about it!

 

[Chilly]

I feel like my trip has a lot to live up to now - best trip ever! Thanks for sharing its been so valuable to me.

 

[eandesmom]

I feel like my trip has a lot to live up to now - best trip ever! Thanks for sharing its been so valuable to me.

Your trip will be amazing!!!! I love that you have the Vancouver start itinerary and your port times look about the same as ours did, I'm excited for you and hope you love it as much as we did.

 

[Chilly]

Your trip will be amazing!!!! I love that you have the Vancouver start itinerary and your port times look about the same as ours did, I'm excited for you and hope you love it as much as we did.

I've a feeling it'll be amazing!

 

[AAshleySEG]

This TR was amazing! My DH and I are going on an Alaskan DCL Cruise on the 11th of June for our 5th Anniversary, we are also staying in Seattle for 3 days prior to the cruise, I was reading your hotel recommendations and I wondered if you knew anything about the Mayflower Park Hotel? We are counting down the days until our trip and I was so glad to read all about yours! Thanks

 

[eandesmom]

This TR was amazing! My DH and I are going on an Alaskan DCL Cruise on the 11th of June for our 5th Anniversary, we are also staying in Seattle for 3 days prior to the cruise, I was reading your hotel recommendations and I wondered if you knew anything about the Mayflower Park Hotel? We are counting down the days until our trip and I was so glad to read all about yours! Thanks

Thanks and I hope it helps a little!

Mayflower Park is quite good I think! I haven't been there in forever so am not up to speed (which is why I didn't include it, there are a few in that bucket) but the location is great and you still get the smaller hotel vibe. You do have Andaluca right there too, which also gets good reviews.

 

[Charleston Princess]

Great recap! It really was a trip-of-a-lifetime!!! Headed to your PTR now!

 

[Happydog]

I really liked your recap of photos what a good idea! We take so many I think it is worth using them !!! Nice job on this TR! I am so glad you enjoyed your cruise! Alaska seems like a wonderful place to explore, I think we'll consider it in a few years! I want the kids to be a little older for that one, otherwise we wont be able to enjoy all of the excursion options!

Great start to your new PTR too!

 

[HermanTriplets+1]

[/I]

We were off to be entertained by the CM’s. “If I were not upon the Sea” is apparently the traditional last night show. [/I]

First of all - another thank you for all your work on this TR!
What IS that dessert?? All sprinkles and marshmallows - is that just for dipping the Mickey Bar into?!
Love the idea of that last night "adult" show - hope they have it on our 5 night NY-Canada in June!

 

[KatMark]

Cynthia, I finally had a chance to read your recap....it was great. I loved seeing all the beautiful scenery pictures again, and the fun pics with the kids and on your excursions. It truly sounded like a wonderful trip. Thank you for sharing it with us.

 

[eandesmom]

Great recap! It really was a trip-of-a-lifetime!!! Headed to your PTR now!

Thanks! It was an amazing experience

I really liked your recap of photos what a good idea! We take so many I think it is worth using them !!! Nice job on this TR! I am so glad you enjoyed your cruise! Alaska seems like a wonderful place to explore, I think we'll consider it in a few years! I want the kids to be a little older for that one, otherwise we wont be able to enjoy all of the excursion options!

Great start to your new PTR too!

I hadn't really planned on doing the photo recap but it was more fun than a ton of text with what we did. I'd agree on a little older, the boys were the perfect age for it I think. Thanks on the PTR, it is really fun to be writing one again. I didn't really do one for the Alaska cruise as I was still finishing up the Grand Gathering TR and I forget how carried away with the planning I can get!

First of all - another thank you for all your work on this TR!
What IS that dessert?? All sprinkles and marshmallows - is that just for dipping the Mickey Bar into?!
Love the idea of that last night "adult" show - hope they have it on our 5 night NY-Canada in June!

That actually isn't a dessert, it's a bowl of toppings to use with the mickey bar. Or in Jeff's case, a medium to make a very twisted looking mickey bar!

I need to look at the Navigators for our upcoming cruise and see what the adult options might look like. There are adult shows of some sort every night, this was just one that involved CM's.

Cynthia, I finally had a chance to read your recap....it was great. I loved seeing all the beautiful scenery pictures again, and the fun pics with the kids and on your excursions. It truly sounded like a wonderful trip. Thank you for sharing it with us.

Thanks Kathy! It was a magical week. A WONDERful week!

 

[squirrel]

Wow!

It's taken me a while to finish reading your entire trip report. So much information and wonderful photos.

Now I want to do an Alaskan Cruise. Won't be this year as I'm doing a repo to LA and then a few days at DL/DCA.

We had some strange winter weather up here. They closed the schools early twice and they had the other 3 days off. I managed to get one day off without any daycare children. So much snow but no power outages for me. My parents were without power for 7 hours as a substation caught on fire (a week after the snow).

 

[eandesmom]

Wow!

It's taken me a while to finish reading your entire trip report. So much information and wonderful photos.

Now I want to do an Alaskan Cruise. Won't be this year as I'm doing a repo to LA and then a few days at DL/DCA.

That will be a fun trip! I wouldn't mind that one but I don't think Jeff would ever go for it, he'd rather just head straight to Cali and save a cruise for someplace he'd never been before.

We had some strange winter weather up here. They closed the schools early twice and they had the other 3 days off. I managed to get one day off without any daycare children. So much snow but no power outages for me. My parents were without power for 7 hours as a substation caught on fire (a week after the snow).

I'd assume you get a little more snow up there than us, but don't really know. A lot of folks lost power here, some for as long as a week...UGH on the substation, that really complicates things. Of course it is absolutely gorgeous today, clear and mid 50's! Was like that all weekend. Really, kind of a normal winter in most respects other than the freak ice. It will be interesting to see what summer brings, last year was so bleh.

 

[MAGICFOR2]

Loved your re-cap! Sorry about the Shellac. I get shallac manicures and I have to say that sometimes it lasts 2 weeks, and sometimes 3. Alot depends on how much attention the tech is paying to preparing the nail, keeping my nails short, and whether I chip a nail or not. What I like is that I can file the chip down, and it doesn't peel the polish off, so it does stay on and it's my own nail instead of the acrylics. I think I'm being overcharged though - I pay $30 before tip and it's not a cruise ship!

 

[eandesmom]

Loved your re-cap! Sorry about the Shellac. I get shallac manicures and I have to say that sometimes it lasts 2 weeks, and sometimes 3. Alot depends on how much attention the tech is paying to preparing the nail, keeping my nails short, and whether I chip a nail or not. What I like is that I can file the chip down, and it doesn't peel the polish off, so it does stay on and it's my own nail instead of the acrylics. I think I'm being overcharged though - I pay $30 before tip and it's not a cruise ship!

I think my gal here locally charges more than that but I'm not sure. I had a GC but it was another 25 for the shellacing, which is the same upcharge as the cruise ship1 I've done it once here and it didn't last the full 2 weeks but definitely longer than a "normal" one. I do like it, I just can't get in every 2 weeks but will probably do it again from her. It is nice that you can file and it doesn't impact the polish at all. I do wish it was easier to get off on your own, if you need to though!