Planes, Trains & Antitussives, Alaksan Wonder Cruise - All done! Complete 11/21

[franandaj]

Oh wow, how did I get so far behind!!? That was cool watching the ship come into port. I've heard Vancouver is very nice, but very expensive.

I'm updating this one a little faster than the other. Vancouver has evidently changed a lot in the last 15 years. I didn't remember it being so pricey and trendy.

You know the ship so well! How many times have you been in this ship? The bon voyage package was such a nice surprise!

This was the 6th cruise on the ship, however two of them were Back to Back last year, so it seemed like one cruise, but in Disney's eyes it's two. Only two more and then I will be Platinum. I hope that they add some new itineraries when the new ships come out.

Love the pictures of your room. I am always interested in the bathrooms too!

And ours is especially unique as it is the Handicapped Accessible. The other bathrooms are very different and much smaller.

Okay so here we go off into the Alaska wilderness!! Thanks for including the map, you don't get very far from shore huh? Must make for interesting scenery. Looking forward to the rest of the cruise. Hope Fran gets to feeling better!

I'll spoil it a little. Yes she does eventually feel better, but we're not out of the woods yet.

Finally able to read your latest Alaskan Cruise trip report. I can’t believe it has been over two weeks since you started but at least I am able to finally read it after being away for two weeks.

Hope you and Fran are doing better.

I never been to Alaska but my dad has been there a lot of time where he has gone fishing.

Yes, we are finally no longer coughing. And we are back to cleaning out the old house. Except the last two days which have been so hot.

There were a lot of excursions from Juneau and Ketchikan which involved either fishing or seeing Crab boats in action.

Stanley Park look so amazing and all of your pictures are very nice and clear.

It's a beautiful park and a great place to go for outdoor fun. If you can handle outdoor fun.

All of your meals look amazing and good before the cruise.

Thanks we ate pretty well and with a lot of variety.

Those are very nice pics of Wonder from your hotel room. I would do the same thing like you if I was there. There always a lot to do when going on the DCL. I will have to try it one day but I still don’t know which one to try first. It will be fun to read about your experience on Wonder. Very nice pic with Minnie.

I would go with a West Coast departure for your first one. Less travel is involved. Hopefully once the next two ships are released, there will be a permanent West Coast ship.

Your room look so amazing and the verandah looks amazing. That is so nice that a DIser was able to do a Bon Voyage package for your room.

It's nice that the Handicapped rooms are larger than other rooms. My parents inside room was very tiny. My mom had a similar obstacle course for getting out of bed like Fran did at the first hotel in Vancouver.

 

[franandaj]

Hi Alison,

I'm all caught up after my mini hiatus from the DISWorld. This job is quite stressful and my weekends are all about playing catch up. And do some business-y things I can't do during the week- like mailing EBay sales, ordering stuff, etc...

I hear you. Every day I am thankful for my schedule without restrictions. Although on a good week I'm doing eBay sales every day!

<sigh> I miss being here everyday.

I miss when everyone else isn't here. So often I'll click on the "Watched Threads" link and the only ones that will be there are the three game threads I play. While that provides amusement, there are only so many times you can "Change on letter out of..." I like it when there are people here to interact with.

The room surprises were such a fun added touch to a special day already. How nice! Vancouver looks like such a picturesque city, especially the cityscapes looking back from the ship. Fran is sure having a time of it. Poor thing. To be stiff and sore on top of having her lungs feel like they're on fire is just hard. Looked like a nice, big group of DISers there for you to enjoy company with!

Vancouver is a very nice city, but it has changed a lot since I last visited. There were a lot more affordable stores offering potential bargains. Now it's like shopping in Beverly Hills.

Have Friday, Saturday and Sunday off.
Well, until I got asked to cover off for training on the Friday. But that's still Saturday and Sunday off! Except it's Saturday and I'm at work... but that's still Sunday off!

Don't tell me you're at work today.

Temps around 70 - 80. But we put the pool blanket on which does two things. 1. Keeps the water from evaporating (saves on refilling) and 2. keeps the heat from escaping.

I can't imagine how difficult it would be to put on and take off a pool blanket from ours. We will need something to cover the pool once it gets finished. I suspect we will need some sort of automated device.

Heh. That's probably when I'll be putting ours to sleep for the winter.

We will still have 2 months of the hottest weather of the year.

The government is deleting them as soon as they're posted.

You're talking about the US government. They are not that "together".

Otherwise you'd be check... check... check... check... ?

No. Just one check.

What? That's it, you're off the list!

Fine! Were you going to be paying the fare?

 

[franandaj]

After our little sail away party on the verandah, my parents decided to go back to their room and finish unpacking so I did the same. I finished putting away our clothes. I put Fran’s shirts in the bag for pressing and placed them outside. This is one thing that is a real bargain on Disney ships. It costs half the price of cleaning to have things pressed. I think that works out to around $1.75 per shirt. It’s so much easier than Fran standing over an ironing board in the laundry room. Me? I don’t iron.

Once we were out in International waters the gift shop could open. So we headed down to check it out. But first I grabbed this quick shot off the verandah.



We found some shirts and a shot glass for our collection. My parents didn't find anything and went back to the room.













Fran and I went down to the 3rd floor to put some Disney gift cards on ours and my parent's account. I saw Goofy in his minuteman outfit and had to have a picture.











Then we went back to the room. I loaded up on our "gift" candy, and we headed to dinner. Although I took these couple shots out the verandah, before leaving.





With one extra stop. I learned my lesson last cruise on the last cruise. Don’t order a specialized drink from your regular drink server. Instead, I went to the Cadillac Lounge to get a Martini. It was Le Grand Bleu, Gray Goose Vodka, Blue Curaçao Liqueur, Freshly squeezed Lime Juice, Tattinger Champagne.



They had changed the menu and added some Alaskan themed items instead of the regular one for the Caribbean.



Plus being 4th of July they also had an “American” menu.



My Dad ordered a couple bottles of wine, one white and one red. The drink server came to pour our glasses, and she insisted on pouring them for us, then she wanted to take them away and keep them on the serving station. My Dad had an issue with this. He actually started hassling her somewhat hardcore. She told him that it was the policy that we couldn’t have the wine bottles on the table. Since the table next to us was empty, she placed the bottles at the edge of that table, and my father seemed satisfied with that compromise.

I can’t remember if it was after the last cruise that Magdalene encouraged me to try the Banana Bread, so I did. It was OK, but I really prefer my own banana bread. I haven’t made it in years, I’ll need to do that again sometime soon.





Going into the meal, I was fairly sure what I was going to order, but with the changes and the American menu, it totally changed up my choices. Both Fran and I went with the Watermelon Cocktail. It really was just sliced watermelon, but it was good and refreshing.



My Mom went for the Ahi Tuna and Avocado, she asked for more wasabi and they brought her about as much (if not more) than we had butter in the butter dish!



Dad got the Smoked Alaskan Salmon with Pumpernickel and Cream Cheese and Dill, Shallots, Capers and Caviar.



I skipped the soup/salad course. Fran and my Dad went for the New England Clam Chowder





Mom had the Yellow Pea Soup



Dad went with the Pork Cordon Bleu for his Entrée.



Mom ended up having the Juneau Garden Salad for her entrée.



I was enticed away from the Mixed Grill (which I knew was a TON of food) and the Prime Rib with the American Menu option of Fried Chicken, BBQ Ribs, Potato Wedges, and Corn on the Cob. I was a little disappointed with the Chicken. The Drumstick is my least favorite piece of the chicken



My parents skipped dessert while Fran went with the Apple and Blueberry Cobbler from the American Menu.



At least the drumstick on my dinner allowed me to save enough room for my favorite Date Pudding. Thank goodness this one didn’t get taken off the menu!



After dinner, we sent our wines on to the next restaurant and headed back to the room.

 

[franandaj]

We found our towel animal, perused the next day’s Navigator, and went to bed.

 

[dhorner233]

Nice start to the cruise! Bonus bumping into Goofy! So, all the food is free? You get to choose one from each course? Looks like there is a lot to do on the Navigator!

 

[franandaj]

Nice start to the cruise! Bonus bumping into Goofy! So, all the food is free? You get to choose one from each course? Looks like there is a lot to do on the Navigator!

I wouldn't use the word "free", "all-inclusive" (for food items as far as the main dining rooms go) might be a better way to put it. The price of the cruise is pretty hefty, double that of a lot of other lines. However you're not limited to one item per section. The waiters would be more than happy to bring you one of each item on the menu if they thought it would please you! I've heard stories of servers who bring one of each dessert to folks who are not able to choose! I've ordered two entrées once when I couldn't make up my mind.

 

[dhorner233]

If I ever went on a cruise, I might eat until I exploded!

 

[jedijill]

I forgot you cruised over the 4th of July...how fun to see how DCL celebrated it!

Jill in CO

 

[dolphingirl47]

Me? I don’t iron.

I am with you on that.

I saw Goofy in his minuteman outfit and had to have a picture.

I looks precious in that outfit.

It was Le Grand Bleu, Gray Goose Vodka, Blue Curaçao Liqueur, Freshly squeezed Lime Juice, Tattinger Champagne.

This sounds amazing.

They had changed the menu and added some Alaskan themed items instead of the regular one for the Caribbean.

What a nice touch. I really like this. They did not do this in 2013.

The drink server came to pour our glasses, and she insisted on pouring them for us, then she wanted to take them away and keep them on the serving station.

I had forgotten that this is how they handle it and it does sound strange. On Royal Caribbean they bring a stand with an ice bucket for white and rose wines, which they put next to your table. I am not sure how they handle red wine as I cannot have this and nobody on our table did.

Corinna

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

I don't see some images at the start I don't know if that is my ipad mini playing games on me once more most frustrating! I see the others.

What! $1.75 a shirt for ironing! That is excellant value, I will tell Jo this. I don't iron either but she does it for us at times. No more on the cruise at those prices! Thanks for the tip.

May I ask what is the reason for getting the drink in the bar and not from your server? Does he/she not serve it well?

Dinner looks good. Melon so refreshing. How dissapointing re the chicken in your mixed grill. That for me needs to steal that dinner. Needs to be the hero of the dish. Still if it then enabled you to enjoy that lovely looking date dessert. Maybe not too bad! Frans cobbler looks nice.

How odd about the wine on another table and not on yours. This would be most strange in the UK. We always have the wine on our table to serve ourselves or the server fills your glass from the bottle on the table. I can't think why they did not allow it. But maybe over here they can't wait for you to complete a bottle of wine to sell you another lol..

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

I am curious now Allison what is the custom for wine bottles and serving back home from you in CA?

 

[pkondz]

Don't tell me you're at work today.

Didn't get called. But I wound up putting in a lot of time on the deck.
And wow... was I beat after that.

I can't imagine how difficult it would be to put on and take off a pool blanket from ours. We will need something to cover the pool once it gets finished. I suspect we will need some sort of automated device.

How big is your pool?
Ours is about 15x35.
Automated has to be done ahead of time, doesn't it? I'm thinking $$$ too.

You're talking about the US government. They are not that "together".

No. Just one check.

Check.

Fine! Were you going to be paying the fare?

Of course!!!!





not

This is one thing that is a real bargain on Disney ships. It costs half the price of cleaning to have things pressed. I think that works out to around $1.75 per shirt.

Not bad.

Me? I don’t iron.

Me neither. At least not usually.

Dude's tall.

I learned my lesson last cruise on the last cruise. Don’t order a specialized drink from your regular drink server.

I don't remember. What happened again?

Plus being 4th of July they also had an “American” menu.

Complete with fireworks motif.

She told him that it was the policy that we couldn’t have the wine bottles on the table.

Wonder why. In case of rough seas, perhaps?

Since the table next to us was empty, she placed the bottles at the edge of that table, and my father seemed satisfied with that compromise.

Well if you can do that, then just leave them on the table.

My Mom went for the Ahi Tuna and Avocado, she asked for more wasabi and they brought her about as much (if not more) than we had butter in the butter dish!

I don't do wasabi. Too spicy for me.
I'm a spicy wuss.

Fran and my Dad went for the New England Clam Chowder

mmmmmm.... Can I have yours then?

The Drumstick is my least favorite piece of the chicken

Oh? Why is that?

 

[ACDSNY]

Love your pics with Goofy!

 

[franandaj]

If I ever went on a cruise, I might eat until I exploded!

That is definitely a potential problem!

I forgot you cruised over the 4th of July...how fun to see how DCL celebrated it!

Jill in CO

There were some other things going on, but I didn't see them.

I am with you on that.

I never even noticed wrinkles until Fran complained about how some of her shirts have looked.

I looks precious in that outfit.

Donald had a cute one too, but the lines were too long for me to get both characters.

This sounds amazing.

I'm definitely putting this one on my list for the next time I'm on the Wonder.

What a nice touch. I really like this. They did not do this in 2013.

Interesting. I was looking forward to the Crab dip which they removed.

I had forgotten that this is how they handle it and it does sound strange. On Royal Caribbean they bring a stand with an ice bucket for white and rose wines, which they put next to your table. I am not sure how they handle red wine as I cannot have this and nobody on our table did.

My Dad doesn't like the white wine in an ice bucket. He and my mom complain that it gets too cold. I think they don't want guests pouring their own wine in case they become too inebriated. It could also have to do with the high percentage of kids on the ship. It might be a policy to keep kids from knocking over the bottles.

 

[Flossbolna]

Sounds like a good boarding day! I love it that they added menu items for Alaska now as well. We had that on the Magic for Norway last year and I thought it was a great way of bringing variety to the same old menus.

My Dad doesn't like the white wine in an ice bucket. He and my mom complain that it gets too cold. I think they don't want guests pouring their own wine in case they become too inebriated. It could also have to do with the high percentage of kids on the ship. It might be a policy to keep kids from knocking over the bottles.

I am trying really hard to remember what happened to the bottles the few times we had one... I think it is correct that they were always stored at the serving station. But I agree with you that this is an odd policy. And I think your father is right that the white wine does get too cold in the ice bucket. But then I just let it warm up slightly after it has been poured. Much better than having white wine at room temperature because the bottle is not kept cold... But I guess everyone has their own preferences. My parents would agree with yours there.

 

[elphie101]

I don't know if I've commented before on any previous adventures of yours (I can say with certainty I've lurked!) but I'm in here!

 

[franandaj]

I don't see some images at the start I don't know if that is my ipad mini playing games on me once more most frustrating! I see the others.

I hope that got fixed.

What! $1.75 a shirt for ironing! That is excellant value, I will tell Jo this. I don't iron either but she does it for us at times. No more on the cruise at those prices! Thanks for the tip.

Yes, it makes things much easier!

May I ask what is the reason for getting the drink in the bar and not from your server? Does he/she not serve it well?

First off, they don't have Martini glasses anywhere but the Cadillac Lounge, so if I order it in the dining room, I get a substandard glass. Then on our last cruise, I ordered from the drink server, they have to get it from the Promenade lounge or some other bar, so it took forever, I think I had finished my appetizer before it came. Then I ordered it as a Gibson meaning NO OLIVES, and what was in the bloody drink? Olives!

Dinner looks good. Melon so refreshing. How dissapointing re the chicken in your mixed grill. That for me needs to steal that dinner. Needs to be the hero of the dish. Still if it then enabled you to enjoy that lovely looking date dessert. Maybe not too bad! Frans cobbler looks nice.

Yeah, it all worked out in the end. But her cobbler wasn't actually as tasty as it looks.

How odd about the wine on another table and not on yours. This would be most strange in the UK. We always have the wine on our table to serve ourselves or the server fills your glass from the bottle on the table. I can't think why they did not allow it. But maybe over here they can't wait for you to complete a bottle of wine to sell you another lol..

That's how it is in California. I have no idea why that is the policy. I never noticed it until my Dad started to have a fit.

I am curious now Allison what is the custom for wine bottles and serving back home from you in CA?

At home, they usually leave the bottle on the table. It's very rare that I have bottles of wine when I'm out (unless it's with my parents) as Fran doesn't drink wine (too many calories) generally. I usually get it by the glass or at Disney, I'll get the pairings that are recommended with each dish.

Didn't get called. But I wound up putting in a lot of time on the deck.
And wow... was I beat after that.

That could be taken a number of ways. Did you put in time in a lounge chair on the deck? I can see where that could really wear you out.

How big is your pool?
Ours is about 15x35.
Automated has to be done ahead of time, doesn't it? I'm thinking $$$ too.

Dang! That's pretty big for you to set it up and put it away every year! Ours is about the same, around 30,000 gallons. I just saw a truck parked across the street yesterday with "Automated Pool Covers", advertised. I snapped a picture so when we finally get a pool again, we can see about getting a cover.

Me neither. At least not usually.

My idea of ironing is throwing it in the dryer on high for 10 minutes.

Dude's tall.

I don't remember. What happened again?

Well it took forever to arrive, it was in a cruddy glass (not a Martini glass) and it had the dreaded OLIVES!!!!!!

Complete with fireworks motif.

Because the 4th of July is all about Fireworks, and nothing to do our nation asserting it's freedom from what the Founding Fathers perceived as tyranny.

Wonder why. In case of rough seas, perhaps?

I think it has more to do with controlling guest portions or keeping it out of the hands of little ones who might have grabby hands.

Well if you can do that, then just leave them on the table.

I know, it didn't make sense.

I don't do wasabi. Too spicy for me.
I'm a spicy wuss.

Wow! I thought I was a spice wuss, but I have no problem with a little wasabi.

mmmmmm.... Can I have yours then?

Sure but it might not have been very good by the time I shipped it to you.

Oh? Why is that?

Well the Thigh is my favorite piece, cause it's nice and juicy and lots of flavor. Then I like the wings next best. After that is the breast since when it's cooked right, it can be pretty good. So that leaves the drumstick at the bottom of the list.

Love your pics with Goofy!

Thanks! I seemed to meet him the most this trip!

 

[franandaj]

Sounds like a good boarding day! I love it that they added menu items for Alaska now as well. We had that on the Magic for Norway last year and I thought it was a great way of bringing variety to the same old menus.

I would have liked it better if there wasn't so much salmon, but I'm sure I'm in the minority on that one.

I am trying really hard to remember what happened to the bottles the few times we had one... I think it is correct that they were always stored at the serving station. But I agree with you that this is an odd policy. And I think your father is right that the white wine does get too cold in the ice bucket. But then I just let it warm up slightly after it has been poured. Much better than having white wine at room temperature because the bottle is not kept cold... But I guess everyone has their own preferences. My parents would agree with yours there.

The only thing I can think of is that they are trying to keep the bottles away from little kids.

I don't know if I've commented before on any previous adventures of yours (I can say with certainty I've lurked!) but I'm in here!

I'm pretty sure you haven't commented before, but I've seen you around on other people's Trip Reports! Thanks for delurking!

 

[franandaj]

Day 5


I woke up on the first morning of the cruise at 4AM, I was coughing up a storm. I was saving all the coughing pearls for Fran so I just took another cough drop and put on Cars 2 after it had already started. I tried to sleep, but with the sun already up, I just gave up. I checked the Navigator and made a final plan for the day. Then I caught up on my trip journal in my phone. I was behind from Day 2 our day at Stanley Park. When Cars 2 ended, the Incredibles came on the TV. By this time it was 6:30. I thought about going to the Cove Café for a cup of coffee, but instead laid back down and went back to sleep for about an hour plus. Then about 8AM I threw on some comfy clothes and went up to the Cove Café to get a cup of Cappuccino, a croissant and then to Goofy’s for some watermelon, cantaloupe, and pineapple. Sorry, no pictures. I took these pictures off our verandah. It looked like we might be in for a gloomy day.





Last night the Port Adventures people left a message on our phone that they needed to talk to us regarding excursions as we were booked in a handicapped stateroom, so I went down to talk to them. Fran took it as an affront to her abilities and got a little bit defensive, she started saying we might as well cancel since she wasn't really feeling good anyways, and blah, blah, blah. However, it turned out to be one of those policy sort of things. A) You're in an accessible stateroom B) you booked an excursion C) they have to call and check in with you.

While she may not be up to going because she feels icky, we've passed the cancellation period and either she goes or we forfeit the tour cost. I told her if she doesn't want to go on the tours she doesn't have to.

On my way down there I distributed my FE's for Deck 7 (our deck). Here’s essentially what I handed out to everyone. The marshmallows were for the hot chocolate the day we went to the glacier, as well as the handwarmers. The tissues and Jelly Bellys, well they were Disney themed so that’s good enough!



When I got back to the room, Fran didn't feel up to attending the Naturalist talk at 9:30AM and asked me to call her on the wave phone at 9:50 and leave the presentation at 10, she would then get dressed and ready for Palo. I went to hear him talk and it was slightly amusing, but I wasn't sad to be leaving. It was mostly stories about his buddies and family that related to hunting and fishing experiences. I'm not a fan of hunting for sport. For reference, the Naturalist’s talks were video taped and played on the TV in a loop , so if you missed the actual live talk, you could get the information later while in your stateroom.

When I got back to the room Fran informed me that she was going to stay in bed and skip Palo and Mixology. When I woke up at 4AM coughing Fran had already been awake for over an hour, and she was up for several hours with her cough. While I was at the Naturalist talk she had coughed so hard that she ended up tossing her cookies. She hoped that spending the day in bed would allow her to feel up for dinner that night. Since I had half an hour until our Palo reservation I went down to deck 6 to distribute those FEs. I came back to the room to rest for a bit and then headed up to Palo via my one FE cabin on Deck 8.

As promised Hristo was our server.



I don’t know why we were having trouble getting reservations for Palo Brunch, the place never even filled up.






We started off with the buffet. They had a few new items that Hristo was more than happy to point out to us. There was the meats and veggies section.





The seafood section





They had added mushroom risotto Arancini to the breads and cheeses table.



These hard Italian aged cheeses were new to the menu as well. And there was plenty of honeycomb to go along with the cheeses!



There was the extensive pastry selections.







And Fran’s other favorite, the sticky buns.



There were a few new things on the a la minute menu, however the pizzas remained the same.



In the upper right corner, the Papparadelle pasta with Black truffles was new.



I don’t remember if the Oysters Rockefeller was a new one…



And in honor of Alaska, they added the salmon filet at the front left of the picture.



Then there were the lovely dessert tables.









The dessert tables were decorated with this chocolate masterpiece.



My plate.



I had forgotten to try the Arancini, so Hristo brought us a plate of them, one for each of us with sauce.



After Mom finished her plate from the buffet, she ordered the Oysters Rockefeller.



I had forgotten to get some of the caprese salad so Hristo got me a piece. Then it was time for the Chicken Parmesan.



My Dad ordered the Eggs Julia which substitutes salmon for the Canadian bacon.



Because the Strawberry Soup came so highly recommended from Fran, Mom decided to try it.



My Dad and I both went with the Paparadelle with truffles and parmesan.



It was even better with extra Parmesan which Hristo encouraged us to mix in and combine so that it melts.



Next I picked myself up a few desserts. It was a lot less fun without Fran. I couldn’t try nearly as many different flavors as my parents didn’t want to share things.



My Dad went with these for dessert.



My mom had tea throughout the brunch, but my Dad opted for some coffee afterwards Hristo came by again and again asking if there was something he could get for us, but we were fine. We said goodbye until later that week and went back to our staterooms.

 

[bcwife76]

Ah heavenly, delectable, delightful, delicious Palo brunch....still dream about it from our first cruise.....

I am so sorry to hear Fran had to miss out on it