Disneypoor's Alaskan Cruise June 7th, 2011

[disneypoor]

Today was a day at sea and the beginning of a new addiction for my family while cruising. Turns out that we had our character breakfast today, but we opted to skip out on it. Brian and I had reservations at Palo for brunch at 11:00 and the kids looked at me like I was nuts when I asked them if they wanted to go.

We slept in pretty late, and Brianna had her spa appointment at 9:30. As she left for the spa, Brandon headed up to deck 10 to play basketball but returned quickly. It was quite cold and windy out today. He goes outside and shoots basketball in the freezing cold at home and once I even had to make him come in because it was sleeting, so I knew it had to be pretty darn cold for him to say no to basketball. So, what's a kid to do when he can't play basketball? Apparently, he goes to the arcade and burns through his parents' money in no time at all. The arcade became a favorite past time of Brandon's when the weather was too chilly outside. By the end of this sea day, he had spent $120 in the stupid arcade! We had to tighten the ropes on him, so he then decided to start using his bargaining tactics such as "I will pay you back out of my savings account if you let me have twenty more dollars" and so on. Turns out there was an Ipod Touch he was trying to win and he swore he was SO close. Keep in mind that he already has an Ipod Touch, so I have no idea what he was planning to do with a second one, but we might as well have bought him one by the time he got done in the arcade. I said, "NO MORE", to which his dad caved later on in the cruise when he saw just how close Brandon was to winning that Ipod. Geesh! No one listens to mom! And, someone else won the Ipod Touch.

Brian and I headed to Palo a little before 11:00. We had a table right by the window, and we really enjoyed eating there. We had done this before on previous cruises, and we have found that we really like the brunch. We ate way too much and felt like crud when we got done, but we were glad we did this. Plus, it gave us some alone time. But, who am I kidding? When we cruise, we have plenty of alone time because our kids disappear and act like we don't even exist. This took several cruises for my husband (the big kid) to get used to.

We returned back to our room and found out that Brianna really liked her Salon Taster. She was able to choose five things from a list of several, and she chose a foot and ankle massage, a back and neck massage, a treatment on her hair, a scalp massage, and a facial. She can't wait until she's 18 so she can have a normal massage. We told her to start saving!

Brianna ordered room service, and Brandon decided to head back up to the basketball court to try to play for a while. Brian and I ended up taking a nap after watching t.v. for a bit.

Now, here is our family's new addiction: BINGO! We have always been kind of reserved about spending extra money while cruising, but this time we lived like we had won the lottery or something. The kids actually wanted to do this with us, so we headed to Wavebands at 3:45 and paid $40 for 2 sets of cards. We didn't get one of the machines because we were too tight with our money. Baby steps, people, baby steps. We didn't win, but we were close on a couple of the games, and we had tons of fun. It sure seemed like the people that were winning were mostly playing with those electronic machines though. Hmmmmm......

This must be Brandon's "I better win" look. ???


We then decided to go watch Tron in 3D at 5:15 which meant we had to skip The Golden Mickeys. We've seen that one many times (a million according to my kids), so we decided it would be worth it to go watch the movie. We all really liked the movie but weren't sure the 3D part would have been worth it if we were at home and paying. Of course, my husband always politely reminds me that we did in fact pay for seeing Tron on this cruise.

Tonight is formal night, and we're dining at Animator's Palate. We didn't bring tuxes for the boys this time around because we already have five suitcases and had to pay for each and every one of them both on the way to Vancouver and on the way home. Brianna and I did break out our nice dresses though, and Brian and Brandon were khakis and a black polo.



Brian and I decided to go watch Heath Hyche, the comedian, in Wavebands at 10:30. After that, we headed back to go to bed. Tomorrow was Tracy Arm and our Couples Retreat!

Up Next: Are you REALLY alone in the couples villas? We think not.

Susan

[AStamm]

Originally Posted by disneypoor

I work better under pressure people, so feel free to pressure me.

Just so you know it's not two or three people, thought I'd apply a little pressure, too. I've been reading as many trip reports as I can about this cruise and can't wait to get on the ship myself on July 12th.

[Doingitagain]

Originally Posted by disneypoor

Also, if you are flying in a day early, I can give you the number of a limo driver that will give tours of Vancouver for $75 per hour, and he was one of the highlights of our trip! He was a local, and can give the history of everything and suggest things for you to see while he is taking you around Vancouver. We had him for two hours and were able to go to Grouse Mountain and do the tram, visit Prospect Point, visit the fish hatchery, see Stanley Park, as well as many other things around Vancouver. The homes there are simply amazing and neat to see as well. I'll include more when I actually write my report, but we had five people, a stretch limo to ourselves, and spent $150 to see the city. Well worth it!

Susan, thanks for your suggestion! we were able to book him to pick us up in the limo from the airport, and to give us a tour the next day!

[LuvEeyore]

Loving your trip report so far. Waiting for more

[disneypoor]

Originally Posted by Doingitagain

Susan, thanks for your suggestion! we were able to book him to pick us up in the limo from the airport, and to give us a tour the next day!

Yeah! I'm so glad it all worked out for you and hope you enjoy your limo tour! Have a fabulous trip!

Susan

[disneypoor]

Originally Posted by AStamm

Just so you know it's not two or three people, thought I'd apply a little pressure, too. I've been reading as many trip reports as I can about this cruise and can't wait to get on the ship myself on July 12th.

I'm so glad to know I have more than two or three followers. I'm trying to get groupies. Seriously, thanks for reading. You'll love your cruise! My family just sat down and looked at all of the pictures again. There's just no other place (that we've been to) like Alaska. It's simply breathtaking!

Susan

[disneypoor]

Originally Posted by LuvEeyore

Loving your trip report so far. Waiting for more

Thank you! Keep on me! I will get this thing done before my next Disney trip, I promise!

Susan

[dkmjgal]

Pressure, pressure pressure. Yep...I'm following too and anxiously awaiting your next post.

[vatchr]

Can't wait to read the next post - so excited for our trip on August!

[brackjr]

Good trip report!

Looking forward to more so I can plan ours in about 30 days.

[Shanny145]

Consider me a groupie!!!!!!! More More More!!!!!!!

[eandesmom]

signing on

Were most people dressed up for formal night? Curious to see if more are, it sounds like on the early ones that it was a bit spotty.

Great info about the arcade costs I'll have to keep reign on that.

[ariel39]

Groupie here......We go July 26th and I love hearing about your trip. Keep it coming!

[disneypoor]

We had to set the clocks back an hour last night, so we gained an extra hour of sleep. Not that we needed it though. We've all been waking up super early on this trip due to the amount of daylight and the time changes from home.

I headed to the gym to try to get a five mile run in while Brian and Brianna went to grab some breakfast. Once they finished eating, they came to the gym to work out. No one ever even questioned Brianna. Remember, she needed to do some workouts for her physical therapy due to her ACL surgery, but when I called DCL prior to our trip, they said she wouldn't be able to go in the gym unless she was 18. I got a note from her doctor, but we never needed it. Apparently, she looks 18. I understand why they don't want a bunch of teenagers roaming freely in the gym, but this was a need. The poor kid has been through enough, so I was prepared to make some large waves if they even tried to deny her--especially since I had a note from her doctor! It went smoothly, though, so no sea sickness for anyone.

After I finished working out, I showered and then decided to do some laundry. I have forgotten to mention that doing laundry is something I just have to do while on vacation. It's weird, I know. I had already done several loads prior to this day, but I had the time, so I decided to do some more.

I finished the laundry just in time for Brian and I to attend our Couples Retreat appointment at the Vista Spa. It included 25 minutes in the jacuzzi in one of the couples villas and a 50 minute swedish massage for each of us. Keep in mind, when we did the tour of the spa and I questioned them about the villas, they kept saying it was "alone" time and that you didn't need to even wear your bathing suits if you didn't want to.

We checked in, and they had us each go to the locker rooms to get changed in to our robes. Of course, we both had our bathing suits on under our robes. They didn't tell us we'd be staying in the villa for our massages right after the jacuzzi, so we locked all of our clothes in our lockers, and they lead us to the villas. They explained the whole process, and I swear, they kept emphasizing that this was alone time and that we didn't have to wear our bathing suits. I'm not kidding, folks! I think they may have wanted something to go on in that villa! They told us how they'd knock when we had five minutes left.

We get into the jacuzzi (with our suits on), and all of a sudden, we see several people pulling up chairs to check out the view. Seriously! They weren't looking at us though! They were getting their seats ready for Tracy Arm. It was so strange though! Here we are--sitting in the expensive jacuzzi that was supposed to be meant for our alone time, and we're joined by a bunch of fellow cruisers. We couldn't decide if maybe we could see them but they couldn't see us or what the deal was, but it was very odd! I kept waving to see if any of them would wave back, but no one did. We got to laughing so hard about all of this, and to be honest, I just felt plain awkward. The viewing deck extends out beyond the villas, and although we later discovered that the people on the deck cannot see you, you can see them, and I would think that would be very strange for any couple that may want "alone" time. Fortunately, we just wanted the experience of the jacuzzi while viewing the ocean go past us, and we weren't too worried about "alone" time.

To top off our alone time that we thought we were sharing with several other cruisers, instead of knocking on the door, about 10 minutes in to our 25 minute jacuzzi experience, one of the gals opened the door and asked us if we'd like our champagne at that moment or after we were done with the jacuzzi. Again, it's sure a good thing we weren't taking full advantage of alone time! It was all good though! It just made us laugh even harder! We went ahead and said we'd take our champagne then, and we decided we just weren't the fancy jacuzzi champagne drinking type of people. No big deal--everyone should experience it at least once. Now we can say we've done it, but we won't be renting one of those villas again. Besides that, we were spending money like we were rock stars on this trip, and I'm pretty sure we were one hit wonders, so we'll have to keep the tab down on future cruises.

After we were done in the jacuzzi, we got our robes on. We had two gals that would be doing our massages. They came in to get everything ready. I asked if we were supposed to go back to our lockers to get our underclothes, but she informed me to just stay naked and get under the sheet. Apparently, my husband didn't hear her say that. So, they leave the room, and my husband looks at me and asks how he's supposed to get his underwear back before they do the massage. I told him the gal said to stay naked and get under the sheet. He responds with, "You've got to be @*%*ing kidding me?" I began laughing hysterically while he got his naked butt under the sheet on his bed (rather quickly I might add). Within seconds, the gals came in to start the massages, and I was so glad I was face down and that they couldn't see me. I couldn't control my laughter. I just kept hearing my husband ask if I was kidding and seeing the look on his face, and it just cracked me up. I tried to hide my laughter the best I could. The lady even asked me if I was okay at one point. I finally got myself under control. Actually, she may have got me under control with one touch. She was a tiny thing, but it was obvious that she had full control of me. It was either that or I was just wimpy.

We ended up truly loving the massages. It was a first for my husband, and I'd only had one once or twice before, and it had been a long, long time ago. The massage part was something we'd probably do again, even if it did mean we'd have to get naked.

Once we were done at the spa, we grabbed lunch at Beach Blanket and then headed to deck 10 aft to get a spot for Tracy Arm. The views were getting spectacular once 12:30-1:00 arrived. I had read before we left how someone had sat on the deck for six hours and didn't even realize they'd been out there that long. I can see now how that would happen. It's just gorgeous. It was a bit warmer today with just some light sprinkles occasionally, but nothing major. I really can't describe the beauty of Tracy Arm, so I'm just going to post some pictures so you can see it for yourself.





As we began to approach the glacier, we started seeing some sea lions on some of the ice bergs. My camera doesn't have the greatest zoom, so I didn't get any awesome pictures, but we did even see a momma with her baby. It was so neat!


As we approached the glacier, this was our view:


It was amazing! I have lots of pictures, but they really all start looking the same eventually, so I'll spare you all! Here is a few pictures of my family as we were going through Tracy Arm:



Once the captain made his turn at the glacier, we headed back. I think most people thought the show was over, but it was far from over! My husband and I had gone up to deck 10 to see if Brandon was playing basketball, and we noticed that we were getting closer and closer to shore. In fact, it seemed the captain was wedging the ship into a cove that looked to be too small for our huge ship. He just kept going, and all of a sudden, people began to notice and were flooding deck 10. As it turns out, the captain was just trying to show us how much control he has of the ship. I now believe him! We were within feet of a waterfall and the shore, and there wasn't that much room to spare at the back of the ship either. Even cast members were out watching the show! Here's a picture:


After that, we headed back to our room to relax for a bit. I did head to Guest Services to try to get our Disney Rewards cards added to our account. I had been trying to do this since we boarded the ship, but once you leave Vancouver, there is virtually no internet, so I wasn't able to get the rewards added to my account until we made it to Juneau. My advice would be not to purchase a big internet package. You won't need it because it won't work.

The show tonight was Heath Hyche and dinner was at Parrot Cay. After dinner, we headed back to the room to find a towel animal, and we headed to bed. Tomorrow we'd finally be stepping on solid ground in Skagway!


Up Next: Skagway and Pirates!!!

Susan

[disneypoor]

Originally Posted by eandesmom

signing on

Were most people dressed up for formal night? Curious to see if more are, it sounds like on the early ones that it was a bit spotty.

Great info about the arcade costs I'll have to keep reign on that.

Thanks to all of my groupies out there! I appreciate everyone taking the time to read!

As for formal night, there was a little bit of everything. Some people were dressed very fancy, some were just in nice dress clothes that you might wear to church, and some were not dressed up at all. We saw more people on this cruise not dressed up at all than we've ever seen. To be quite honest, I think it was very hard to pack for this trip, and I can see why people didn't bring a bunch of dress clothes. My family of four took five suitcases, and we had to pay $135 each way for the airline because of it. Of course, if I had to do it all over again, I'd do it differently, and we'd pack differently, but I wanted to be prepared for anything. Hope this helps and do beware of the arcade! It always adds a lot to our bill at the end. Fortunately, our son doesn't spend without asking first, but it adds up very quickly!

Susan