- Joined
- Jan 9, 2006
Well, I finally decided to break down and begin a trip report so I'd feel obligated to actually get my packing done and keep track of the things we do on our upcoming cruise. I lurk on these boards quite often and have even written a trip report before, but it's been a while so I'll just apologize ahead of time if I bore all of you to death!
Before I get started, I should probably let you know who you're dealing with here. My name is Susan. I'm a little obsessive compulsive in more than one area and probably drive my family nuts. I try to have things planned out well in advance and typically have vacations booked out for at least the next year or two. Isn't that normal? I drive my family crazy with all of the details, but when mom's happy, everyone's happy, so the rest of them go along with me.
I'm married to a wonderful man named Brian. He really is my better half (but don't tell him I said that) and he's really the reason I have this huge thing for Mickey Mouse. He took me to Disney World years ago for our honeymoon, and he had no idea I'd fall in love with someone else while we were there.
We live in Ottawa, Kansas (just south of Kansas City) on a dairy farm. I'm a technology teacher and my husband is a dairy and crop farmer. We both love to travel, but I'd say I'm more passionate about it than Brian. He gave us the name Disneypoor years ago because he is pretty sure that the Mouse is going to drive us straight to the poor house one of these days. We did a "once in a lifetime Disney Cruise" several years ago and the Alaska cruise will be number 7. We had to do a once in a lifetime Eastern, Western, Bahamas, and oh, the Bahamas again, a double dip, another Bahamas, the Dream, you get the idea.
We have two wonderful children. Our daughter, Brianna, is sixteen years old and just started driving on her own.
My husband insisted that she have a manual transmission, so riding with her is absolutely NO fun for me. She does alright, but I'm not sure what her dad was thinking when he bought her that car! It makes me a nervous wreck! Of course, she doesn't really like me much anyway because she's sixteen. I keep telling her she'll love me again some day.
Our son, Brandon, is thirteen years old. I'm really just his taxi service. He keeps me super busy! I keep telling him he better grow up and get a good paying job because he is going to owe me ALL kinds of money by the time he becomes an adult! Seriously, they are great kids, and my husband and I cringe at the thought that they won't always live with us. We think we're pretty cool, so maybe they'll stay.
We kind of have a "Bucket List" of vacations we want to do before our daughter graduates, so when Disney announced they were going to Alaska, it was a no-brainer!
Here is our family picture from our cruise on the Dream in February:
We fly in to Vancouver on Monday, June 6th, and we're staying at the Fairmont Pacific Rim for one night before boarding the Wonder on the 7th. We've never been to Vancouver or Alaska, so this is all a new adventure for us. In fact, I typically always book our air and stuff on my own, but I let Disney do everything this time. Sure, we probably paid a bit more for it, but it's nice to know that they are taking care of things.
I was worried about the flight times they'd give us, but it turns out that our flight leaves Kansas City at 7:00 a.m. and will arrive in Vancouver at 11:00 a.m., so we were really happy with that. We aren't real sure what we'll do in Vancouver yet, so I'm open to suggestions. It sounds like it might take us all afternoon to figure out our hotel room. I didn't realize the Pacific Rim would be so fancy, but I've read that you have to push buttons to open the blinds and that there is a tv in the mirror in the bathroom. We're just country folks, so this might be too high tech for us. Since my husband is really a teenager stuck in a grown man's body, this should be lots of fun for him. Knowing my luck, he'll get us kicked out of the hotel or something. He likes to play with gadgets and things, and I'm sure he'll have buttons worn out before we leave.
He'll be the one playing on the elevators on the Wonder and sliding down the railing to the atrium. And, I'm not kidding. Sorry if anyone that is reading this is going on the same cruise as us.
On to our cruise plans! I finally finalized our excursions. In Skagway, we've booked the Yukon Suspension Bridge, City, and White Pass Railway excursion. This was a must do for my husband. He said he didn't care what I booked for this trip as long as he got to do the railway. I've read GREAT things about this one, so I think we made a good choice. My husband wanted to do the Steam Train and has no idea we don't actually have that one booked. I couldn't get it. It was gone! It will be a surprise for Brian when we get there.
Again, if you're cruising with us and hear a man cursing, I apologize. He'll get over it.
In Juneau, we booked the Alpine Zipline and Glacier Adventure. We ziplined in Hawaii, and my husband and kids LOVED it, so we thought we would try it in Alaska too. My daughter is still recovering from ACL surgery, so I'm just praying she doesn't need surgery again when we get back from vacation after this excursion! Her physical therapist says she should be fine, but her doctor would say no, so we just didn't ask her doctor.
We like her physical therapist better anyway. I'm sure I'll get flamed for this, but remember, my daughter doesn't even like me, so I didn't have a say in this one.
While we are at Ketchikan, we're doing the Misty Fjords and Wilderness Explorer excursion. I've also read a few reports on this one, and it sounds like it will be good. One thing I know for sure is that these excursions really might just drive us to live up to our name: Disneypoor! Ouch! They were super expensive!
I haven't really disclosed to Brian how much they really were. I don't want to ruin his vacation before we even get there. I'm nice like that.
Let's get back to the obsessive compulsive disorders that I have. When I go on any vacation, I have to clean the house from top to bottom. I spent an hour and a half just cleaning out the refrigerator yesterday, and I'm not joking. I'd hate for something to happen while we're gone and for someone to see the way we really live. I've been washing bedding and rugs this week too. I do know I have some minor issues, so you don't have to tell me. I'm getting ready to head to the car wash in just a few minutes to completely detail my vehicle inside and out because there is no way I'll put our luggage in a dirty vehicle. My husband says I'm going to wash the paint right off of my new vehicle, but I highly doubt that can happen. Can it? So, being able to admit you have a problem is the first step in any rehabilitation, right? I think I'm doing pretty darn good!
Okay, I've probably already lost the one reader that was keeping up with me, so I think I'll just stop right here for now. Maybe someone else will be suckered in since there aren't that many Alaska trip reports yet. You can probably tell that I'm long winded and can go on and on and on. My husband and kids are pretty sure I don't know a stranger because I talk to people everywhere we go. I think it's called the gift of gab but not sure my family would think it was a gift. Anyway, off to the car wash I go!
Susan
Before I get started, I should probably let you know who you're dealing with here. My name is Susan. I'm a little obsessive compulsive in more than one area and probably drive my family nuts. I try to have things planned out well in advance and typically have vacations booked out for at least the next year or two. Isn't that normal? I drive my family crazy with all of the details, but when mom's happy, everyone's happy, so the rest of them go along with me.
I'm married to a wonderful man named Brian. He really is my better half (but don't tell him I said that) and he's really the reason I have this huge thing for Mickey Mouse. He took me to Disney World years ago for our honeymoon, and he had no idea I'd fall in love with someone else while we were there. We live in Ottawa, Kansas (just south of Kansas City) on a dairy farm. I'm a technology teacher and my husband is a dairy and crop farmer. We both love to travel, but I'd say I'm more passionate about it than Brian. He gave us the name Disneypoor years ago because he is pretty sure that the Mouse is going to drive us straight to the poor house one of these days. We did a "once in a lifetime Disney Cruise" several years ago and the Alaska cruise will be number 7. We had to do a once in a lifetime Eastern, Western, Bahamas, and oh, the Bahamas again, a double dip, another Bahamas, the Dream, you get the idea. We have two wonderful children. Our daughter, Brianna, is sixteen years old and just started driving on her own.
My husband insisted that she have a manual transmission, so riding with her is absolutely NO fun for me. She does alright, but I'm not sure what her dad was thinking when he bought her that car! It makes me a nervous wreck! Of course, she doesn't really like me much anyway because she's sixteen. I keep telling her she'll love me again some day. Our son, Brandon, is thirteen years old. I'm really just his taxi service. He keeps me super busy! I keep telling him he better grow up and get a good paying job because he is going to owe me ALL kinds of money by the time he becomes an adult! Seriously, they are great kids, and my husband and I cringe at the thought that they won't always live with us. We think we're pretty cool, so maybe they'll stay. We kind of have a "Bucket List" of vacations we want to do before our daughter graduates, so when Disney announced they were going to Alaska, it was a no-brainer!Here is our family picture from our cruise on the Dream in February:
We fly in to Vancouver on Monday, June 6th, and we're staying at the Fairmont Pacific Rim for one night before boarding the Wonder on the 7th. We've never been to Vancouver or Alaska, so this is all a new adventure for us. In fact, I typically always book our air and stuff on my own, but I let Disney do everything this time. Sure, we probably paid a bit more for it, but it's nice to know that they are taking care of things.
I was worried about the flight times they'd give us, but it turns out that our flight leaves Kansas City at 7:00 a.m. and will arrive in Vancouver at 11:00 a.m., so we were really happy with that. We aren't real sure what we'll do in Vancouver yet, so I'm open to suggestions. It sounds like it might take us all afternoon to figure out our hotel room. I didn't realize the Pacific Rim would be so fancy, but I've read that you have to push buttons to open the blinds and that there is a tv in the mirror in the bathroom. We're just country folks, so this might be too high tech for us. Since my husband is really a teenager stuck in a grown man's body, this should be lots of fun for him. Knowing my luck, he'll get us kicked out of the hotel or something. He likes to play with gadgets and things, and I'm sure he'll have buttons worn out before we leave. He'll be the one playing on the elevators on the Wonder and sliding down the railing to the atrium. And, I'm not kidding. Sorry if anyone that is reading this is going on the same cruise as us.On to our cruise plans! I finally finalized our excursions. In Skagway, we've booked the Yukon Suspension Bridge, City, and White Pass Railway excursion. This was a must do for my husband. He said he didn't care what I booked for this trip as long as he got to do the railway. I've read GREAT things about this one, so I think we made a good choice. My husband wanted to do the Steam Train and has no idea we don't actually have that one booked. I couldn't get it. It was gone! It will be a surprise for Brian when we get there.
Again, if you're cruising with us and hear a man cursing, I apologize. He'll get over it. In Juneau, we booked the Alpine Zipline and Glacier Adventure. We ziplined in Hawaii, and my husband and kids LOVED it, so we thought we would try it in Alaska too. My daughter is still recovering from ACL surgery, so I'm just praying she doesn't need surgery again when we get back from vacation after this excursion! Her physical therapist says she should be fine, but her doctor would say no, so we just didn't ask her doctor.
We like her physical therapist better anyway. I'm sure I'll get flamed for this, but remember, my daughter doesn't even like me, so I didn't have a say in this one.While we are at Ketchikan, we're doing the Misty Fjords and Wilderness Explorer excursion. I've also read a few reports on this one, and it sounds like it will be good. One thing I know for sure is that these excursions really might just drive us to live up to our name: Disneypoor! Ouch! They were super expensive!
I haven't really disclosed to Brian how much they really were. I don't want to ruin his vacation before we even get there. I'm nice like that. Let's get back to the obsessive compulsive disorders that I have. When I go on any vacation, I have to clean the house from top to bottom. I spent an hour and a half just cleaning out the refrigerator yesterday, and I'm not joking. I'd hate for something to happen while we're gone and for someone to see the way we really live. I've been washing bedding and rugs this week too. I do know I have some minor issues, so you don't have to tell me. I'm getting ready to head to the car wash in just a few minutes to completely detail my vehicle inside and out because there is no way I'll put our luggage in a dirty vehicle. My husband says I'm going to wash the paint right off of my new vehicle, but I highly doubt that can happen. Can it?
So, being able to admit you have a problem is the first step in any rehabilitation, right? I think I'm doing pretty darn good!Okay, I've probably already lost the one reader that was keeping up with me, so I think I'll just stop right here for now. Maybe someone else will be suckered in since there aren't that many Alaska trip reports yet. You can probably tell that I'm long winded and can go on and on and on. My husband and kids are pretty sure I don't know a stranger because I talk to people everywhere we go. I think it's called the gift of gab but not sure my family would think it was a gift. Anyway, off to the car wash I go!
Susan
However, tomorrow's plan is to clean all of the floors and actually get the suitcases out of the closet!
I'm hoping someone actually reads and responds to my report. I need someone to be accountable to. Who's going to ask me if I actually got the suitcases out tomorrow? Come on, DISers! Help me out here!
We also have someone from Pittsburg, Kansas on our cruise. We are both leaving from Kansas City early Monday morning but we're not on the same flight. It's a small, small world.
They even changed up their tour a bit for me so I could rest assured we'd make it back to the ship in time for the evening show. I'm so excited about this one! I remember doing Disney's Eastern cruise and seeing those float planes at one of the ports. I thought they were super cool! So, now, here I am. I'M GOING ON A FLOAT PLANE!
Thanks for reading!
