A WONDERful way to celebrate Independence Day! - Disney Wonder July 1, 2013

[Mackie Mouse]

...Who else is booked on this cruise? DH and I (no kids to speak of here!) just moved a 2012 dummy date to this cruise. We're looking forward to celebrating my birthday and America's in the Land of the Midnight Sun!

We have a website set up to assist in our group's planning, which can be found here: http://alaska2013.jimdo.com. The website is password-protected, so please message Mackie Mouse (or any other DISBoarder on the roll call) for the password if you would like access to the site. You will find useful information there, as well as our FE Exchange list, the day and time of our meet-ups, and photos of your fellow cruisers to aid in recognition on-board!

We have two Meet-Ups planned:
July 1, 2013 (Mon) at 2:30 PM - Embarkation CruiseMeet in the Promenade Lounge (Deck 3, Aft)
July 7, 2013 (Sun) at 9:30 AM - Family Pajama Breakfast at Triton's (Deck 3, Midship)

As of 4/12/2013, our FE is FULL at 25 cabins. We will be capping the list at 25 cabins, or on June 1, 2013, whichever comes sooner. NO EXCEPTIONS. If you would still like to participate, contact Mackie Mouse, who will organize a wait list, or a second group (if there is enough interest). You must include your cabin number to be added to the list.

We also have a closed Facebook group set up for more open communication. You can request to join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/514013955296762/

Here are some links to help everyone with their planning:

Alaska Excursions Thread: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2723087

Vancouver FAQ Thread:http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2283011

Comparisons Between DCL and independent excursions (follow the links in this post for each port) http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43663757&postcount=5

If you have any suggestions for additions to the site...let us know!

Roll Call:

Mackie Mouse
Heather (DW)
Colin (DH)
from Philadelphia, PA

Pixiedustdawn
Dawn

dsnydaddy
Steve (DH)
Laura (DW)
Stuart (DS, 11)
Leah (DD, turning 9!)
from Central Valley, CA

supernurse99
Cathy (DW)
DH
from Headingley, Manitoba, Canada

emum
Sally
DH
DD1 (16)
DS (12)
DD2 (11)
DD3 (8)
from Sydney, "Down Under"!

JeannieBlueEyes
Jeanne (DW)
DH
DS (7)
Jeannie's Mom
from Oklahoma

babeogeorge
DH- Shane
DW- Karen
DD- Callie (who will be 16)
DS- Chad (18 and on college break)
from Azle, Texas

Quagmire
DH
DW
DD (teenager)

comet1
DH
DW
DS (8)
from someplace in the midwest!

rlcook
Lora (DW)
Bob (DH)
Mackenzie (DD, 12)
McKenna (DD, 9)
from West Virginia, near DC

clarefb
Clare (DW)
Ade (DH)
Luke (DS, 9)
Lola (DD, 6)
Jill (DGM)
Trevor (DGF)
from CA...but originally the UK!

nandzmom
Susie (DW)
Chris (DH)
Nick (DS, 13)
Zach (DS, 11)
from Maryville, TN

ua1992
Kelly (DW)
DH
DD (11)
DMIL
DFIL
from mystery location!

Dancin Mom
Lori (DW)
Scott (DH)
Violet (DD age 7)
from So Cal

lynnemcb
Lynne (DW)
Ivor (DH)
Emily (DD, 12)
Jonathan (DS, 9)
from Scotland

racingfandj
Jill (DW)
DH
DD (5)
Niece (14)
Lynne's mom (61)
From Arkansas
The additional tag-alongs from Kansas...
Nephews (15, 10)
Niece (9)

Alaska2013
DW - Kathy
DH - Rich
DD - (12)
DD - (9)
From Sacramento area, CA

amybethchristiansen
Amy (DW, 35)
Eric (DH, 45)
Bennett (DS, 11)
Lindsay (DD, turning 9)
Grant (DS, 5)
from Chicago area, IL

barefootmark
Mark (DH)
Kathy (DW)
Tyler Anne (DD 8 years)
Xander (DS 4 years)
plus grand ma and grandpa!

shaggy430
DH
DW
DD (7)
DS (5)
from ??

missnanc
Nancy
Larry
Destiny (DGD, 11)
from Alabama

disneyjex
disneyjex
DM
Friend
From Oregon

Meghanabc
Meghan
Hal (DH)
Julia (DD, 13)
Ryan (DS, 10)
Ava (DD, Almost 6)
DGM
DGF
Friends of Grandparents - and their six-year-old daughter!
from ??

hiclarke
DH
Hanne (DW)
DD1 (12)
DD2 (8)
from Florida

tersalew
DH
DW
DS - 15
DD - 12

Rieckhoff Family
Rachel
Scott
Helen (DD, 9)
Audrey (DD, 7)
from Southern California

Emily (Rachel's sister)
Walter
Owen (DS, 7)
Abby (DD, 11)
from Texas

cupcakesmmm
Jennifer (DW)
Felipe (DH)
Nicolas (DS, 12)
Lily (DD, 10)
from Southern CA

darling996
DM
DD (16)
DD (11)
from Minnesota

 

[IrishCowboy]

I have added your thread to the cruise meet list

Have a great cruise!

 

[Pixiedustdawn]

We are booked with you! I may have sailed with you before. Your name looks familiar.

 

[Mackie Mouse]

Hi Dawn! We've previously been on the 8/22/09 Magic Western cruise (on our honeymoon!) and this past summer were on the 8/7/11 Dream cruise (on our second anniversary . Were you on either of those sailings? If not...looking forward to meeting you and your family anyway! An Alaska cruise will be a huge check off my bucket list - I cannot wait.

 

[dsnydaddy]

Hi Guys! We swapped cruises. We were on the Fantasy eastern and decided that Alaska would be more worthwhile. It'll be me, Steve, my wife, Laura and our kids Stuart (11 nearly 12) and Leah who will be days from her 9th birthday.

We've been on a total of 6 Disney cruises (2 on the Magic, 2 on the Wonder, and 2 in the Dream.). As much as I like the new ship I've got a real soft spot for the classic ships.

 

[dsnydaddy]

An Alaska cruise will be a huge check off my bucket list - I cannot wait.

Me too! Biggest reason that I swapped cruises.

 

[Mackie Mouse]

Nice to meet, you disnydaddy/Steve!

So - where are we from so far? Hubby and I hail from outside Philadelphia.

By the way, I love the little image in your signature! We may have to steal it and make magnets out of it over the course of the coming year...

 

[dsnydaddy]

Hi! We're from California. We live in the Central Valley. West Coast cruises are pretty convenient for me. We plan to drive up to Canada with our fifth wheel and stay in the Vancouver area for a while either before or after the cruise.

 

[supernurse99]

Hi all,
My DH and I are booked on this cruise. We're from Manitoba, Canada and love to sail with the Mouse! We are so excited

 

[dsnydaddy]

Glad to have you! The group is still small, but hopefully will grow some as we get closer to that one year out mark.

 

[Mackie Mouse]

Hello and welcome!

 

[2gr8DisneyKids]

Hi guys!

We were on an Eastern on the Fantasy and switched to this!

So excited for Alaska! We are me, DH, DS (9 at the time), and DD (6 at the time) and are Americans living in Montreal, QC.

We have cruised 3 times (2 on DCL and one on Carnival) and love cruising with Mickey!

 

[dsnydaddy]

Welcome! We, too, switched from a Fantasy Eastern to this cruise. I sometimes question the logic of it but I am saving a few dollars with not having airfare. (This is an long drive for me but certainly doable.)

 

[Mackie Mouse]

Hello and welcome, Canadian crew!!

So with over a year out...does anyone have other trips planned to tide them over? We are lucky in that we have a few set to go...which is unusual for us!

This summer we'll be spending a week with friends in California near San Francisco, hopefully visiting Yosemite, taking in a Giants game, drinking lots of wine in Sonoma County, and doing lots of other fun stuff we didn't get to do during our last California visit two years ago. My husband's best friend lives there, and ten-ish friends will be joining us.

Later on (date not yet set), we'll be driving 12 hours down to Nashville, TN for somewhere approximating a week of fun with one of my best friends from college, who is originally from the area and whose parents still live there. We'll likely bring the dog with us on this trip, which will consist of seeing the city from a local's perspective, eating a lot of barbecue, playing more than a few nerdy board games with our best pal and family, and bringing our friend some much-wished-for Philadelphia microbrews

I'll have to survive most of a school year, but over my spring break in 2013, a few months before Alaska, we're also going to head out to Arizona, where said great friend from Nashville lives now. DH's sister lives in Phoenix, and friend and his wife live in Tucson, so we'll spend some time with them and also trek out with friend and DW to DISNEYLAND that week.

Needless to say, the next year is going to consist of some amazing travel. Looking forward to seeing all of you for the grand finale!

How is everyone else passing the time until next July?

 

[2gr8DisneyKids]

We are actually US citizens who live in Montreal (DH works for the UN), but have been up here for more than 3.5 years.

While DH is in St. Petersburg, Russia I am taking to kids to visit my parents in Ohio and then for a SURPRISE trip to WDW! We are also visiting Quebec City in August.

There is a very small chance that we might also go in October for DS's 9th birthday and the MNSSHP.

Then... I am running the Goofy!!! January 2013 first ever solo trip as the kids will be back in school, and first ever Goofy!

The kids are begging for DL next March, but we are also saving for a house and have to draw the line somewhere...

 

[Mackie Mouse]

We are actually US citizens who live in Montreal (DH works for the UN), but have been up here for more than 3.5 years.

While DH is in St. Petersburg, Russia I am taking to kids to visit my parents in Ohio and then for a SURPRISE trip to WDW! We are also visiting Quebec City in August.

There is a very small chance that we might also go in October for DS's 9th birthday and the MNSSHP.

Then... I am running the Goofy!!! January 2013 first ever solo trip as the kids will be back in school, and first ever Goofy!

The kids are begging for DL next March, but we are also saving for a house and have to draw the line somewhere...

Now now - WE are going to DL in March! Please feel free to give into the adorable, adorable children with great ideas, head to California, and stage a pre-cruise meetup in CarsLand with us

Sounds like you have lots of Disney planned in the interim! I was actually just in FL two weeks ago for the same great friend's wedding - his fiancee is from Winter Park, just outside Orlando - and got to set foot on property because we kicked off his bachelor party with brunch at 'Ohana. (Before you ask...yes, I was on HIS side of the bridal party! My husband was a groomsman, and I was actually his "Best Lady" rather than Best Man.) Having that tiny taste of WDW made me sad I couldn't actually hit up the parks...so I'm a bit jealous of you! Our other travel will ease the sting, though.

Would love to make it up to Montreal for a trip sometime. We actually toyed with the idea last spring break but decided the drive was too long (we only wanted a long weekend away) and did DC instead. So now it's on the "someday" list!

 

[2gr8DisneyKids]

Now now - WE are going to DL in March! Please feel free to give into the adorable, adorable children with great ideas, head to California, and stage a pre-cruise meetup in CarsLand with us

Sounds like you have lots of Disney planned in the interim! I was actually just in FL two weeks ago for the same great friend's wedding - his fiancee is from Winter Park, just outside Orlando - and got to set foot on property because we kicked off his bachelor party with brunch at 'Ohana. (Before you ask...yes, I was on HIS side of the bridal party! My husband was a groomsman, and I was actually his "Best Lady" rather than Best Man.) Having that tiny taste of WDW made me sad I couldn't actually hit up the parks...so I'm a bit jealous of you! Our other travel will ease the sting, though.

Would love to make it up to Montreal for a trip sometime. We actually toyed with the idea last spring break but decided the drive was too long (we only wanted a long weekend away) and did DC instead. So now it's on the "someday" list!

Dh says we do Disney too much, but DD and I can not have Dairy and they make it so easy and it is so much fun! Not to mention that there is no such thing as too much!

My kids totally want to go due to the DL explorer app on the iPad and the adds for DL from the (Disney) Family channel. If we go it would be sometime over March 3-17. When will you guys be there?

Saw you are outside Philly, I have one uncle in Marion Station, PA, and one in Haddonfield, NJ.

DC is much closer and their weather is better than up here (I was in DC for 10 years) as we still get days where is snows 12" in a day in March. Good for skiing, but not so great to see the city. June and July are much better with temps in the 80's and tons of free festivals and kid activities.

Did you get to see the cherry blossoms? I miss seeing them!

 

[Mackie Mouse]

Saw you are outside Philly, I have one uncle in Marion Station, PA, and one in Haddonfield, NJ.

DC is much closer and their weather is better than up here (I was in DC for 10 years) as we still get days where is snows 12" in a day in March. Good for skiing, but not so great to see the city. June and July are much better with temps in the 80's and tons of free festivals and kid activities.

Did you get to see the cherry blossoms? I miss seeing them!

We're not too far from Merion Station. I'm a teacher on the Main Line (north and west of Wayne) and live in King of Prussia (we have a giant mall - you may have heard of it!).

Unfortunately, we missed the cherry blossom festival by a week or so. I'm a teacher, so my vacation time when it isn't summer is very limited, generally to times when I'm otherwise off (spring break and Christmas). The good news is that we actually got slightly better hotel rates because the cherry trees were past-peak. The good news is that there were still few blossoms left to see Mostly we enjoyed the free museums of awesomeness (I hadn't been since I was a kid, and neither had DH)...and the awesome food scene. Had one of the best meals of my life there at Birch and Barley!

Maybe Montreal will have to be a 2014 trip

 

[dsnydaddy]

Hey Guys, in answer to the question. We are planning a more low key year. We'll do Disneyland this summer and Christmas with possibly short trips at Halloween and in January. I bought AP's so I'm getting my money's worth out of them. (DL is only about a six hour drive from where we live. After January though, I will be in full blown savings mode to have the money for the excursions that I want to do on the Alaska cruise.

 

[emum]

Hi All,

Just a quick post to say "Hi" We're booked on this one, and fingers crossed it will come to fruition. Nothing is set in stone until the flights are booked, tho', so hopefully around late July I'll know for sure. Four of us will be flying on frequent flyer points, so I hope I can get the dates we're after.

We'll be a family of 6, with DH, myself, DD1, who will be days away from 16yo, DS aged 12, DD2, who will be a month shy of 11, and DD3 who will be 8.

We've booked the same two NV cabins that we had on the Panama Cruise last year, and I can't wait to start planning in earnest the other bits and bobs we'll get up to. I haven't yet worked out a firm itinerary, other than a week in Anaheim (fingers crossed again for the VGC), then a few days in Vancouver before the cruise. We can take up to three weeks to travel. Wondering if it's worth factoring anywhere else on the West Coast. San Francisco, maybe ?

Looking forward to posting more.

Cheers,
Sally