Questions for early Alaskan cruisers!

[Lollipop's Mom]

Go to the first post of this thread. They are all there

 

[mlsmith703]

We set sail May 24th and looking forward to our first ever Alaskan Cruise. We hope they are still doing pirate night because we are looking forward to seeing the new Pirates movie on board. We are watching the weather each day and changing our packing plans every hour.

 

[jdb in AZ]

Love all the pics. I'm glad they were able to get up close and personal with the glacier. When we were there in June of 2009 there was so much ice in the water we couldn't get close enough to see the glacier. Now that they're in the inside passage the water is much calmer. The fjords are so gorgeous. And it is a navigational feat to get in there. The mega ships don't have enough room to maneuver.

 

[M&C]

The webcam picture is sooo coool! I'm getting excited and we don't go till August!

 

[Michelle2]

I won't be sailing until July 5th, but will have lots of time to learn from everyone's experiences! LOVE it!

 

[PeterPanFanWDW]

Tuesday - Vancouver port deparure 5pm
Evening attire: cruise casual
WD theater - Let the Magic Begin
Dinner Menu - rotational

Wednesday - At Sea
Evening attire: formal
WD theater - The Golden Mickey's
Dinner Menu - Golden Mickey's

Thursday - Tracy Arm
Evening attire: cruise casual
WD theater - The Comedy and Hypnosis of Ricky Kalmon
Dinner Menu - rotational
There was a scenic narration, unable to hear on deck 10 due to volume restrictions. Listed from 1:45 to 5pm
There was a special deck cookout option but did not go as we enjoyed the views from deck 10 all afternoon.

Friday - Skagway
Evening attire: cruise casual
WD theater - movie special (African Cats)
dinner Menu - Taste of Alaska

Saturday - Juneau
Evening attire: cruise casual
WD theater - Toy Story the Musical
Dinner menu - rotational

Sunday - Ketchikan
Evening attire: semi formal
WD theater - Showtime Michael Holly
Dinner menu - captain's gala

Monday - at sea
evening attire: cruise casual
WD theater - Disney Dreams
Dinner menu - Till we Meet Again

Hope this helps
PPF

 

[wendy151950]

From Carol's trip report
The ocean was tossing with 20 foot waves and the swells were almost as high in the pool. All three pools were closed and the pool water was washing from side to side and from front to back in the pool, crashing over the sides onto the deck on all sides.

Sounds like our eastern carib trip on the way to Castaway Key!

 

[Lollipop's Mom]

I wonder if they will switch up golden mickeys to another night for future cruises due to outside passage rough seas?

 

[jdb in AZ]

I don't see anything about Pirate's Night on the schedule.

 

[Lollipop's Mom]

Oh Yah...forgot about pirate night.
I won't miss it.

 

[Makayna]

I don't see anything about Pirate's Night on the schedule.

Oh Yah...forgot about pirate night.
I won't miss it.

So, we're sure now - there's no Pirate Night?!

I wonder if they'll have one on the repo back to LA.

*hopes* *hopes* *hopes*

 

[NHdisneylover]

Above is the map of this current voyage that Erik and Jason included in their blog post from yesterday (sorry I cannot get it any larger).

I am not sure where they got the image--but perhaps it more acurately displays the route than what is on the website At the least it seems to display what has happened so far correctly.

 

[Disney Dreams]

So, I don't know if Nick wants to take this on, but some of these questions have been answers and it might be easier to have the answers with the questions as they are provided since there is so much information starting to form out there (in sooooo many different places).

The answers I have provided below in purple are provided by me, based on information I have read in at least one of many different places.

- Dreams

...Questions Needing Answers

01. Navigators - pretty,pretty please with cherry on top?
02. Merchandise - Are there special Alaska merchandise in the onboard shops? Yes. Shirts, pins, and much more.
03. Timing/Open- Since the sun comes up so ding-dang early, do the fitness center and cove cafe open any earlier than normal?
04. On Deck - Are there blankets, hot cocoa, etc. on deck?
05. Naturalist Talks - Are there naturalist talks, especially on Tracy Arm day? Yes, at least on the first cruise, there was a naturalist that gives a presentation in the first few days of the cruise.
06. Tracy Arm - How close to the glacier did you get on Tracy Arm day? The Wonder went in as far as it could go based on ice in the water.
07. Swimming pools - how well heated, were many people swimming?Various reports have supported the fact the the pools are heated and warm enough to swim if you want to do so; however, other reports have shown that there are definitely not the crowds at the pools that other Disney cruises typically have. Also, when the waters have been very rough, there have been reports of the pools being closed.
08. Dinner menus - anything different, what night was what?There have been reports of a BBQ with halibut, salmon, steak, potatoes, and - yum! - pretzel rolls. (If you've never had them, ooooh, just you wait! ).
09. Excursion and port reviews?
10. Boarding and Vancouver Cruise Terminal - wait times, boarding numbers, set up at terminal?
11. Tracy Arm - How far did you get into Tracy Arm? See above.
12. New - Anything at all new/different than normal for Alaska?
13. Weather - What was the weather like? (both on ship and in ports)So far, I have read reports of sun, rain, snow, cloudy, and clear. LOL
14. Wildlife - What wildlife did you see? So far I have read about seals and whales.
15. Mickey Bars - Can we get mickey bars from room service in Alaska?
16. Repellant - Did you need mosquito repellant?
17. Characters - What characters were onboard in "special" attire? I saw an ADORABLE picture of Minnie is Alaskan fashion all bundled up in a great jacket with hood and boots. Sooo fun!
18. Shopping - Is there an Alaska scrapbook and refill kit for sale in the gift shop? Yes. Someone very specifically mentioned on being sold.
19. Upgrades- Did anyone upgrade at port or look into upgrading, and how were the prices?
20. Pools - Were the pools open? See above.

 

[Tinked]

Thanks for the update and to Nick too for the page one summary.

 

[2boys2girls]

So, we're sure now - there's no Pirate Night?!

I wonder if they'll have one on the repo back to LA.

*hopes* *hopes* *hopes*

When I called Disney to ask about this, they said that there was a Pirate Night and it is on the 5th night, after the day in Juneau. Our TA said there would be no fireworks and the celebration would be indoors.

One review I read today from someone on the repo last week said that although there was a pirate buffet, due to a simplified Navigator, unless your server tells you it is hard to find out about. So I'm going to be sure to ask.

4 more days

 

[NHdisneylover]

So, we're sure now - there's no Pirate Night?!

I wonder if they'll have one on the repo back to LA.

*hopes* *hopes* *hopes*

I have an email that just came in from Erik (on the ship now). Pirate night is tonight and there WILL be a deck party and it will be outside--just no fireworks.

He also says that the captain announced as they were leaving Vancouver that according to maritime law they could NOT go up on the inside pass----he thinks it had to do with the early cruise date (the Wonder is only the second ship to Alaska this season----the other used the outside pass, as well and skipped Tracy Arm altogether----and it was the first ship of the season to land in Skagway-----some of the seasonal shops had not even opened yet in town because apparently ships don't start arriving for another week or two).

So that is the info that is coming out on the ship this week about pirates and inside vs. outside sailings anyway.

 

[Dayita]

He also says that the captain announced as they were leaving Vancouver that according to maritime law they could NOT go up on the inside pass----he thinks it had to do with the early cruise date

That is the simplest and best explanation I've heard so far. Now if Disney would post that tidbit on their website, I would be as happy as a clam.

From Charlene (living in my frozen igloo on the east coast of Vancouver Island, just a couple of inukshuks away from the icy southern Inside Passage...)

 

[mmmears]

That is the simplest and best explanation I've heard so far. Now if Disney would post that tidbit on their website, I would be as happy as a clam.

 

[jdb in AZ]

the Wonder is only the second ship to Alaska this season----the other used the outside pass, as well and skipped Tracy Arm altogether----and it was the first ship of the season to land in Skagway-----some of the seasonal shops had not even opened yet in town because apparently ships don't start arriving for another week or two).

Next year when the Wonder starts the Alaska cruises two weeks later, that should give more shops a chance to open for the season, and perhaps warmer weather. It's good that the crew will have a week to reacclimate between Hawaii and Alaska, gradually coolling off as they head from the tropics to the tundra. 8^)

 

[mmmears]

Another question: What did DCL do (either to the ship or otherwise) to help you stay warm? (hot drinks, blankets, wind breaks added... anything?)