Our WONDERful first trip "home" to Alaska- A Trip Report -Finished 1/8!!!

[jedijill]

Great report so far!

Welcome to Denver! I second the recommendation to go to RMNP...absolutely gorgeous. Drive over Trail Ridge Road. Mt Evans is cool too. Lots of great places to eat here. The green chile is fantastic. I like Little Anita's (New Mexican) or Jack N Grill (was on Man vs Food for its ginormous burrito!). You can venture up to Golden and take a tour of the Coors brewery.

Jill in CO

[Chilly]

I'd have gone mad if my hairdryer went bang on holiday and would def have just paid the money for a new one, I never go anywhere without it!

[franandaj]

I'm in! We love to visit your hometown. Back in the 90's my day job brought me to Vancouver often, so the shots of Stanley Park brought back some fond memories. We also took an Alaska Cruise before there was a Disney Cruise Line so it will be fun to see how Disney does it. However, the main reasons are the food porn and to see the Wonder, we're on one of the last Mexican Riviera Cruises they offer so any report with pictures of/on the ship are of interest to me.

Looking forward to more!

[Leshaface]

So glad you got a Palo Brunch reservation!

Can't wait to hear about the rest of your day!

[RGirl]

I'm so excited that I stumbled across your TR!!!! My DD and I (plus my mom and her friend) are setting sail on the Wonder to Alaska in just about a week!

Just seeing you get on board, check out your stateroom, etc. is so exciting for me! Can't wait to read more!

[happenin2you]

Originally Posted by DisSarahK

Yay, you're on the ship!! Not so good though to have a waterproof jacket leaking before you make it to Alaska!

We did get it on clearance at Target for like $6, but we thought it would at least serve it's purpose...

Originally Posted by Linda67

Woo Hoo, you are on-board

Can't wait to hear about the rest of your trip

This is where the fun part starts

Originally Posted by jenf22

We're in Aurora, about 30 minutes south of Denver.

I guess it depends on how much time you have... I can't recommend Rocky Mountain National Park or Mt. Evans enough. RMNP has a cute little town called Estes Park at it's base. Lots of great things to do. But they're 1-2 hours away from the heart of Denver. As far as downtown Denver, you might want to wander around 16th street mall or go see the big, blue bear at the Convention Center. Most of the places we eat downtown are chains - Cheesecake Factory, Rock Bottom Brewery, Rodizio - we don't venture out into the unknown often Hope you have a great time!

Thanks for the tips! I'm going to do a mini-update on our side trips so you'll see where we went.

Originally Posted by towels

There's always the unique Denver dining experience of Casa Bonita...

My husband and his parents both talk about that place. My husband says he remembers how horrible the food was even from when he was little, visiting his grandparents.

Originally Posted by jenf22

You know, I lived here for 17 years total (mixed between college and now) and have NEVER been to Casa Bonita! Now that we have a 5 year old, people keep telling us to go. They all say the food is awful, but that we have to go!

The family was talking about Casa Bonita one night and mentioned that some of the locations have closed and they don't know how much longer the last onos will be open. If you wanna experience it in all it's glory with your little one, you better jump on it

Originally Posted by SirGoofy

Enjoying reading your TR. The pictures are great. We're on the Aug 27 Alaska cruise, so am eager to read your future posts. (If you get an opportunity, would you post the navigators from your cruise?)

Thanks!

Thanks! I'm still trying to figure out what to do about navigators. I don't have a scanner at home anymore. My husband can scan them at work, but they'll be black and white, and probably difficult to see. I might try to borrow them from somewhere else on the internet.

Originally Posted by Señor DonDuck

Sounds like you had a mini-adventure getting to the ship. Nice to see the updated rooms on the Wonder. Can't wait for the next update.

We did. My husband called this trip a meal with Vancouver as the appetizer, the Wonder as the entree, and Seattle as the dessert. And he was so right!

Originally Posted by jedijill

Great report so far!

Welcome to Denver! I second the recommendation to go to RMNP...absolutely gorgeous. Drive over Trail Ridge Road. Mt Evans is cool too. Lots of great places to eat here. The green chile is fantastic. I like Little Anita's (New Mexican) or Jack N Grill (was on Man vs Food for its ginormous burrito!). You can venture up to Golden and take a tour of the Coors brewery.

Jill in CO

Thanks! We did get to some of those places. I'm going to post about our trip so stay tuned!

Originally Posted by Chilly

I'd have gone mad if my hairdryer went bang on holiday and would def have just paid the money for a new one, I never go anywhere without it!

It was really frustrating, but, at the risk of angering many women, my hair is super easy to deal with. It's naturally very straight, so if I just let it airdry, it basically looks the same as if blow-dried. The only time it was a problem was formal night, I was planning to use the dryer for volume, instead my hair just looked like every other night. Oh well.

Originally Posted by franandaj

I'm in! We love to visit your hometown. Back in the 90's my day job brought me to Vancouver often, so the shots of Stanley Park brought back some fond memories. We also took an Alaska Cruise before there was a Disney Cruise Line so it will be fun to see how Disney does it. However, the main reasons are the food porn and to see the Wonder, we're on one of the last Mexican Riviera Cruises they offer so any report with pictures of/on the ship are of interest to me.

Looking forward to more!

I love Niagara Falls! Did you see Nik Wallenda walk across on a tightrope last week? I didn't even know it was going to happen. This was our first time on DCL, and we were constantly comparing it to Carnival and Royal Caribbean. There will be plenty more pictures of the ship and food, don't worry

Originally Posted by Leshaface

So glad you got a Palo Brunch reservation!

Can't wait to hear about the rest of your day!

It was amazingly delicious! Better than words or pictures can describe.

Originally Posted by RGirl

I'm so excited that I stumbled across your TR!!!! My DD and I (plus my mom and her friend) are setting sail on the Wonder to Alaska in just about a week!

Just seeing you get on board, check out your stateroom, etc. is so exciting for me! Can't wait to read more!

Have fun! Hopefully your Tracy Arm day will be warmer than ours was.

[happenin2you]

Before I get back to the main trip report, I wanted to share why I've been so busy and haven't been on here posting.

June 12 was my 28th birthday. My husband planned a surprise day on the weekend prior. He told me I had to have a bag packed for an overnight stay and swimwear and be ready to leave the house by 7am. We got up and went to Babystacks Cafe for breakfast where we met my mother in law. They have pancakes inspired by cupcakes. If you ever come to vegas, I highly reccommend this place. It's a bit off the strip, but it's worth it. Their website is babystackscafedotcom. I always get the same thing, red velvet with cream cheese icing syrup with the piglet omelet. Amazing!

That photo is from their website. I'm kinda new at documenting my food porn, but I do better in Denver, I promise.

From here we went to the Palazzo and checked into our suite around 10am. I love early check in!

View of the Wynn and Encore from our room.

The living room area

Bathroom



Wynn and Encore from my pool cabana. It was around 11am at this time, but we were in the shade of the hotel, so that's why it looks dark.

Cabana 122, a perfect location for me.

The Palazzo

Us in our cabana and the Yankees playing the Mets on the TV. A perfect day

We stayed in our cabana until 5pm, when we returned to our room to get ready for dinner. We had reservations at Maggiano's with some of my friends. Again no food porn, but I was distracted by all the surprise destinations and guests. We had a great time and the day couldn't have gone any better.

[happenin2you]

Originally Posted by happenin2you

I love Niagara Falls! Did you see Nik Wallenda walk across on a tightrope last week? I didn't even know it was going to happen. This was our first time on DCL, and we were constantly comparing it to Carnival and Royal Caribbean. There will be plenty more pictures of the ship and food, don't worry

Or were you talking about Las Vegas as my hometown? I was really confused trying to figure out if I mentioned I was from Niagara Falls, NY. I've lived in Vegas for quite a while now, but I'm originally from NY. Either way. They're both great places to visit and I'm glad you enjoy doing so

[franandaj]

Originally Posted by happenin2you

Or were you talking about Las Vegas as my hometown? I was really confused trying to figure out if I mentioned I was from Niagara Falls, NY. I've lived in Vegas for quite a while now, but I'm originally from NY. Either way. They're both great places to visit and I'm glad you enjoy doing so

I've been to both, but I was referring to Vegas. I've been to Niagra a few times, but we uses to go to Vegas several times a year. Now it's more like once a year.

[happenin2you]

I left off with our Goofy encounter. It was totally unexpected and we were in such a great mood to have encountered one of the characters on accident, without having to wait in some massive line. After this we took the stairs up to deck 9 where the Beach Blanket Buffet is. We found this nice mural of The Little Mermaid on our way up.

Some photos walking along the deck to lunch.



Chris' lunch, clockwise from the top, chicken salad sandwich, greek penne, rosemary chicken, smashed potatoes, cauliflour, broccolli, focaccia bread, cheese cubes, salmon in the middle, a squash soup on the side, and water to drink.

And mine from the top, cheese cubes, smashed potatoes, pork cutlet, cottage cheese, chicken salad sandwich, penne, salmon, chicken, mac and cheese on the side, and sprite mixed with pink lemonade to drink.

I hate buffet food, but this was all delicious! It was my best buffet experience in years. Unfortunately, the BBB was not ever as good as this any other time we came. Not bad, just not as amazingly yummy. I was really surprised at the salmon. It was great and it didn't taste like it had been sitting on a hot plate getting rubbery. The flavors on everything were perfect. The least exciting thing, mac n chese. It was good, but everything else was so much better.

This is a 30 second video my husband takes from outside the BBB. It's funny because I tell him he needs to use "eh", but it shouldn't sound forced. He cracks me up!

More deck


A few seconds of FunnelVision and dancing
Next we went back inside the ship to explore the common areas. We ran into this lady on our travels.



Ship artwork


Before we knew it, it was time for our embarkation drill. It was easier than I have experienced on other cruise lines. In the past we have been directed to line up against the wall, and then when the wall area is covered, they will line people in front of the row against the wall, and then another row, and then another row, until we are all there. On this ship they had the tallest person in your cabin against the wall and everyone in the same cabin lined up infront of them in size order tallest, to shortest. It makes sense. Everyone can see what is going on infront of them and you're not getting squished by strangers infront of you. The drill was quick and easy, and then we were dismissed to go on our way. We saw that our luggage was being inspected by some talented dogs.

Back inside to see the sail away party that had been moved inside due to rain. This is the sculpture I was trying to photograph when Goofy found us earlier.

Those balconies near the elevator are not a good place to watch the show because they force those people out so that those in wheelchairs can see. I know I'd be frustrated if I had staked out that spot and then told I needed to move, but it's only fair that those who cannot stand be allowed a good viewing space as well. There were also people riding the elevators up and down to try to watch.

Chris playing with the fish-eye effect on our camera. I told him he looks like a homie here.



Sail Away show part 1
Sail Away part 2
Sail Away part 3 Characters

Sail Away part 4 characters

The show was cute. We didn't have the best spot to view it from, but we didn't know it had been moved inside, we just stumbled upon it. I'm glad we saw it, but I don't think I'll need to see it again.

Next we went outside to see us sail away! My favorite part of embarkation day
A few seconds of downtown Vancouver



Stanley Park from the ship
And we're on the move!



Chris really liked this floating Chevron


Up next: Goodbye Vancouver, dinner, and fun!

[ByKnight]

Loving your Report Great Job!

You are fortunate in the US to have way less taxes built into the cost of your Alcohol. It wasn't that you were down town Vancouver that affected the cost of the crown or the vodka it is just that expensive up here in Canada. So it is a great tip for those of you planning on bring a couple of bottles on board, when leaving from the Vancouver Port to get it at the duty free shop as you cross over into our beautiful country.

[big jack 2002]

We were amazed at the floating gas station,too. We couldn't figure out if it was for the sea planes or the boats!! You had really nice shots of the Wonder before you got on. We had a great time on our cruise. We were just down the hallway from you near the midship elevators. We really like Deck 2.
Barbara
Good job on your trip report.

[RGirl]

Have fun! Hopefully your Tracy Arm day will be warmer than ours was.

Thanks! We are really excited for the trip!

Loving seeing your first day. Too bad the party had to be moved inside, but it still looks like fun!

[DisneyGyrl]

I love seeing other people's versions/perspectives on the same cruise that I was on, because you took pics of many of the same things I saw, but didn't stop to capture the moment. Thank you so much for sharing these memories and photos. I'm feeling very reminiscent of this particular cruise (my best so far!) Also....I'm 99.9% sure that my son is in your pic of the Mickey pool, Hahaha!

[Leshaface]

@ the 'homie' part! He really does look like one!

Great pictures! And how random that there is a floating chevron!