A Golden-Grand-Slam-Outta-the-Park Alaskan Cruise! COMPLETE 7/18!!!!!!

[CRdisMom]

The pitch can ruin any spa day. I hate it.

I do love the glaciers though. So much prettier than our snow and ice in the winter.

 

[podsnel]

What a great way to start my morning - with an update!

YAY!!

Soup in a bread bowl sounds good - though I'm not a split pea person. May have to give it a try though.

It was soooo good- you might be surprised!

I may have to buy a picture package for this cruise. On our first 2 cruises with the boys, I got the 10 picture package. The last 2 cruises, I just bought the Embarkation pic. I feel like I'm going to have more than 1 picture that I like from this one.

That may definitely be true- we bought 4- the Embarkation one (that I keep forgetting to post) and the other 3 you saw. But I was trying to behave- I felt like I had just bought some on the Fantasy on NYE!

Gorgeous pictures!!!!!

Thank-you!

I was smiling the whole time looking at them. Thanks.

Awww....they make me smile, looking at them, too!

What a terrible view! I would have to drink to put up with it too. I love that girl's costume! So creative!

LMAO!!!!

Oh, that wrap is so nice! I hate the pitch too!

Jill in CO

The girl was from Ireland, and I really enjoyed it and her until she would not let me out of the room! Next time I will NOT be nice- and I will not tip either if they don't shut up!

Man!!! I want to go to Alaska!!! Just gorgeous.

GO!!!!!!

I hate that spa sales pitch too. I have written no pitch on my forms and sometimes still get the pitch. I skipped the spa on on August 2014 cruise and I didn't really miss it.

I bet. They are not DCL employees, that's for sure.

Do you and Pods order one of the wine packages? I wish I could do this, but Mike doesn't drink wine so it never seemed quite worth it for us.

ALWAYS. We get the Premium one. We are on 2 Celebrity cruises in the next 2 years, and we have free beverages packages- so no wine package. It will be interesting!

Awesome pictures.

Thank you!

This picture just says it all, "can't miss a thing"

I am glad your boys are enjoying the cruise.

You are SOOOO rigt! He did not want to miss anything!!

Wow, that ice is goregous but holy moly it looks sooooo cold.

It was cool, it was chilly, but it was NOT cold. It certainly was not anywhere CLOSE to how it feels here in NJ right now in January!!

How cute is rain gear Mickey?!

They were all completely adorable, but Minnie and Mickey were the best- although now I am so sad I don't even have a pic of Donald! He looked very manly in his lumberjack threads!

 

[podsnel]

Great trip report!!

Thank you very much for saying so, it means alot to me! Thank YOU for reading!!

Ellen - thanks for the FB nudge to come on over and relive our DCL Alaska cruise through your TR! Your family really has grown! You all looked great for formal night (something we don't do - just lazy on that score). Glad to see the Chihuly - cuz it was GONE on the Southern Caribbean cruise Sep 20-27 (where I met JediJill - hey, Jill!). Will see you, Jill, and Chris again sometime - soon, I hope!

Hi Ellen! Thanks very much for visiting- I read yours 3 times before we went- it probably was THE TR that made me want to go. My boys have all grown up- it is so funny how quickly it happens when they change from little boys to young men! UGH.

I know the Chihuly is gone- and I hear no one likes what they installed in its place. I guess it will be interesting to see what I think in May....

Hope to run into again someday, Ellen!

Oh my....those girls and their outfits. They had every outfit from Minnie's parka to Donald's lumberjack shirt, so funny to see them every night. I have a few pictures of them as well. They must have had a trunk of outfits/costumes with them.

Yes, you are right, they MUST have! And so detailed! Really something else, huh? Where did you spend Tracy Arm?

I certainly don't blame you for going outside all the time. Those views are incredible!!

Amen sister, they sure were!

 

[podsnel]

Thats totally hilarious!!

Jodie

Those girls were really somethin' to see!

Hi there!
This is the first report of yours I have read and I am loving it! Your pictures and details are amazing and you have a beautiful family! We are hoping to book an Alaska cruise for 2016, and from what I have seen so far, I think we would all love it. I can't wait to hear about the ports!!!

Well thank you so much for saying that, I am thrilled to hear you like it! Disney does such an amazing job with the kids on this ship- and I loved that they heard from the Naturalist, too. I hope you and YOUR beautiful family go and love it as much as we all did!

Love that blue blouse you had on at dinner!!

Jodie

Thanks Chick! It's an Inc blouse- I LOVE their clothes!

Love the Crab Dip and Sticky Toffee Cake. I'm looking forward to Parrot Cay also. Glad to be cruising on the Wonder again before they reimagine it. I wish they would leave one of the ships in its original state.

I know.....but at some point it will go from being nostalgic to being old and yucky....so enjoy it when you go, and take plenty of pics. I actually felt the same way about it- that I was glad I was seeing the (mostly) original Wonder-

The pitch can ruin any spa day. I hate it.

And they are REALLY good at it on the ship- better than any spa I have ever been to on land. This girl was especially talented- I bet she makes a MINT!

I do love the glaciers though. So much prettier than our snow and ice in the winter.

They are really amazing- but that was only our first one- we still have 3 more to go!

 

[jenseib]

Oops...last time I posted I did it between your posts. Didn't realize I missed more!

The shots of the glacier are just beautiful. It is such a stunning area.

I love the girls who dressed like Mickey and Minnie...that is totally up my Alley....I'll have to work on Claire.

 

[dvc4life]

Love seeing the Wonder pictures. We will be on her come February 15th! Cannot wait.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

My goodness, the fjord and glacier are just stunning. Even in the rainy weather, it looks like an amazing place!

 

[poison ivy]

Hi Ellen,

just read your report so far and am really enjoying it. We're enroute to Alaska May 25th on the Wonder in a 7A secret verandah flying Air Canada out of Phila and staying 1 night at the Pan Pacific. So this is such a big help with planning even though the weather conditions will probably be much colder for us.

Quick question: On Tracy Arm Day, did the ship initially turn right or left at the glacier?

thanks for taking the time to share your experience and can't wait to read more. Would love to link it to our cruise meet if that's ok with you.

christine

ps: my husband wants to know what camera you used for all your landscape shots and inside the dining rooms.

 

[podsnel]

We were super excited to pull into our 1st port, Skagway! Well, Pods and I were- the boys were planning on snoozing until the last second, I am sure. They were having a fantastic time in Vibe- which was followed by a fantastic time in Studio Sea every night. They really made some good friends on this cruise, that they still talk to. In Tyler's age group it was more limited (just four 17 year olds!), but for Timmy (15) there were a lot more- and the kids were from all over the world. They still have group chats together- some really nice kids on the ship, for sure. According to the Navigator, All Ashore was 7:15 am- so I would say this was taken around 6:30/45 am?





As you can see, it was going to be another misty and cloudy day- but forecasted to be warmer at 60 degrees. We had booked an excursion through an outside provider called Alaska Icefield Expeditions. It was the same tour (at the same times) as the DCL excursion but for a lot le$$. I did my research- I looked them up on BBB to see ratings, because there is always a concern that you may not make it into port (although this is nearly a non-existent threat in Alaska), and THEN what happens? This company was rated well, some others had a lot of complaints, so plan to do a little investigating if this is the way you choose to go with any self booked excursions. I had picked an 11 am -ish tour, as I knew that would give my boys a break, as well as hopefully let any weather clear up (I had a friend who did this tour and she said the 1st tour of the day was cancelled and they ended up going later when it cleared, so I thought maybe there was something to this). That gave Pods and I time for a sit down breakfast in Tritons.

I started with some Muesli-



which was chilly and good, but the Dream still makes the best muesli IMHO. Pods ordered fruit-



Look! We're under the sea!





I had Eggs Benedict-



which was yummy, yolks cooked just right, Karin! After breakfast, we decided to go outside and have a look around. PLUS- we wanted to stop by Temsco to see what was going on with today's helicopter tours, as they said on the confirmation to call when we docked. But- I did not want to use my phone because of the roaming charges that would incur even when docked. Temsco id literally right next to the dock, so walking over is not an issue.

In port, we had company-





And this little guy who was having a morning bath- can you see the sea otter?







I stopped at Temsco, and they said they had no concrete info yet. Just that the 9am tour was not going out. So we went ahead and explored the town a bit-



This thing sure can clear the tracks!



Yea- that's some snowblower!



Skagway feels like you have stepped back in time. The town has been preserved and restored to feel like you are stepping into the Klondike gold rush of 1897. And it delivers! Here is some background info for YOU, Captain Oblivious, from the NPS- http://www.nps.gov/klgo/index.htm





Maybe some shopping today?



The Arctic Brotherhood Hall- with driftwood facade



These guys have been sittin at this bar a verrrrry long time-



Old beer-



We decided to go back and rally the kids. On the way....



Our first seal!



You always have to keep your eyes peeled in Alaska, the wildlife is everywhere.

The kids were already up and showered, we grabbed a little something for them to eat and were on our way.



At Temsco, we were told we were in luck! We had been cleared to fly up to Denver Glacier and go dogsledding! I almost was surprised it would actually happen, because this is the single MOST cancelled excursion in Alaska, due to the area the dogs are on- it is snow on top, and it often gets socked in.

But that can happen at anytime.....

To be continued.....

 

[dizneeat]

Love your updates, Ellen!

The only thing that gets to me is the misty weather and it looks sooooo cold - can't believe you were there in the summer.

So they CAN cook poached eggs on the Wonder. And I could not agree with you more - Dream makes the best Muesli and Tugboat.

Skagway looks awesome and how awesome that you were in luck with the tour! It sounds like such a great excursion. Can't wait to see pics.

 

[rentayenta]

Wow that driftwood building is pretty neat! Nice history too.


Lumberjack Donald? OMG Pam would flip, he's her favorite.


Dinner looks good as does breakfast. I tried the muesli and thought it was good but not amazing. Maybe I need to try it on another ship? The eggs benny look so yum. That's one of my all-time favorite breakfast dishes.


Glad your excursion is a go! Can't wait to read about it.

 

[jenseib]

I just am living for your updates Ellen. I love seeing every single picture and hearing how your days go. If we ever get to go to Alaska I will be asking you questions for sure. I have done a lot of reading on it, but it is so different when you go to places yourself.

 

[Mickdeb]

Hi Ellen,
We spent most of our time between deck 10 bow, until the puddles got too deep and our midship verandah....we ordered room service and could listen to the narration on our TV. The soup in the bread bowl was good and I don't even like peas!

 

[KristiMc]

Hi Ellen,
We spent most of our time between deck 10 bow, until the puddles got too deep and our midship verandah....we ordered room service and could listen to the narration on our TV. The soup in the bread bowl was good and I don't even like peas!

Were you able to order the bread bowl/soup from room service? That would be awesome! I think we will spend a lot of our Tracy Arm day on our verandah.

 

[pillow]

Were you able to order the bread bowl/soup from room service? That would be awesome! I think we will spend a lot of our Tracy Arm day on our verandah.

We will have a porthole (unless I can upgrade at the port for a decent price). Trying to figure out a strategy for Tracy Arm day - where to go, when to go, etc. Sounds a little crazy!

Jodie

 

[podsnel]

Oops...last time I posted I did it between your posts. Didn't realize I missed more!

The shots of the glacier are just beautiful. It is such a stunning area.

I love the girls who dressed like Mickey and Minnie...that is totally up my Alley....I'll have to work on Claire.

Hey Jen! It is a beyond stunning when you are there- it is really majestic, just magnificent. And I can TOTALLY picture Claire in those outfits!! Get crackin on her!! Can't WAIT for those pics!!

Love seeing the Wonder pictures. We will be on her come February 15th! Cannot wait.

YAY! Please say hi to Luisa if you see her- such a sweetheart!

My goodness, the fjord and glacier are just stunning. Even in the rainy weather, it looks like an amazing place!

It truly is- beyond beautiful, I am so, SO glad we were able to go!

Hi Ellen,

just read your report so far and am really enjoying it. We're enroute to Alaska May 25th on the Wonder in a 7A secret verandah flying Air Canada out of Phila and staying 1 night at the Pan Pacific. So this is such a big help with planning even though the weather conditions will probably be much colder for us.

So then this is a TR about your trip, too!!

Quick question: On Tracy Arm Day, did the ship initially turn right or left at the glacier?

I believe it rotated left first.

thanks for taking the time to share your experience and can't wait to read more. Would love to link it to our cruise meet if that's ok with you.

christine

Sure! I would be honored!

ps: my husband wants to know what camera you used for all your landscape shots and inside the dining rooms.

I have two cameras- the better pics are from a Canon EOS T3I, a DSLR, the others are from a Canon watercamera that they don't make anymore (the newer version is better than what I have- it's a point and shoot).

Love your updates, Ellen!

Thank you Karin!

The only thing that gets to me is the misty weather and it looks sooooo cold - can't believe you were there in the summer.

It was cool, not cold- it felt like a rainy day in spring when the sun was not shining.

So they CAN cook poached eggs on the Wonder. And I could not agree with you more - Dream makes the best Muesli and Tugboat.

Don't you wonder why that is? Wouldn't you think it would all be the same? It's kind of fascinating!

Skagway looks awesome and how awesome that you were in luck with the tour! It sounds like such a great excursion. Can't wait to see pics.

Well...in luck so far....

 

[Mickdeb]

Were you able to order the bread bowl/soup from room service? That would be awesome! I think we will spend a lot of our Tracy Arm day on our verandah.

No, not on the room service menu, we had it on the deck 10 bow area. They were also serving hot chocolate and other hot beverages, cider maybe??

 

[Grumpy's Wife]

Ellen I'm so glad I found this trip report. I've read all your others and love them. I have always wanted to go to Alaska and definitely intend to one day. I just finished reading through and the scenery is breathtaking. I can't wait for you next update.

 

[tdashgirl]

I love your photos and description of the Tracy Arm day. It does sound like the best of both worlds - sight-seeing and being on the ship. I'm looking forward to that day now!

Yay for your excursion being a go!

 

[pillow]

Apologizing in advance for going off-topic, BUT I wanted to tell you that I bought that italian cookbook you raved about on your Hawaii thread (bought the older edition). Looking forward to trying some new things!

Jodie