Conorama
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 18, 2012
Well, I can't confirm it, because I was asleep, as you're right, it started at 9:45 or something like that. There was a rumour though, that it happened...
The UnDisney family's unintended grand(ish) slam trek to Alaska - July 27-Aug 3, 2015
- Thread starter Conorama
- Start date
Well, I can't confirm it, because I was asleep, as you're right, it started at 9:45 or something like that. There was a rumour though, that it happened...
Conorama
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 18, 2012
Reflections on Day 4- Skagway
We were more than ready to get off the ship by day 4, and I think we really picked a good tour for our needs (thank you boards and other blogs for helping with that). It's great when you get to meet people who love their adopted home, and are not just pretending to be excited about it - and Stanley was great. We very much lucked out on the weather on our train ride back to Skagway. I forgot to mention there was a tour guide who pointed out key things and shared stories - but mostly, we just stared out the window, or perched on the platform.
So, for folks who are only so-so on organized tours, this was a great organized tour.
I think this was the first excursion we'd done with or without DCL where I felt we got a bit of a feel for the real place we were visiting/invading. I'm not delusional enough to think we got the whole story- but it was nice to hear about the schools, and the parks, and the fact that the restaurants take turns opening over the winter- very different than tours we've done in the Caribbean- but that's probably because there we usually choose the "point us at a beach and leave us there" options. Conor still talks about things he learned, especially about Inukshuks (which he loved before), fireweed, and glaciers.
And, once again, being experienced DCL folks helped us navigate (pun intended) how to avoid most of Frozen-palooza. I really almost forgot it. Conor still has his snowflake, though, which he loves and is hanging on his bed right now... but as he points out all the time, there was snow long before there was Frozen. What we remember that day is very much Skagway.... so much so that I almost forgot the DCL part of things.
So- a great day for us.
Up next: We break free from the masses in Juneau.
We were more than ready to get off the ship by day 4, and I think we really picked a good tour for our needs (thank you boards and other blogs for helping with that). It's great when you get to meet people who love their adopted home, and are not just pretending to be excited about it - and Stanley was great. We very much lucked out on the weather on our train ride back to Skagway. I forgot to mention there was a tour guide who pointed out key things and shared stories - but mostly, we just stared out the window, or perched on the platform.
So, for folks who are only so-so on organized tours, this was a great organized tour.
I think this was the first excursion we'd done with or without DCL where I felt we got a bit of a feel for the real place we were visiting/invading. I'm not delusional enough to think we got the whole story- but it was nice to hear about the schools, and the parks, and the fact that the restaurants take turns opening over the winter- very different than tours we've done in the Caribbean- but that's probably because there we usually choose the "point us at a beach and leave us there" options. Conor still talks about things he learned, especially about Inukshuks (which he loved before), fireweed, and glaciers.
And, once again, being experienced DCL folks helped us navigate (pun intended) how to avoid most of Frozen-palooza. I really almost forgot it.
Conor still has his snowflake, though, which he loves and is hanging on his bed right now... but as he points out all the time, there was snow long before there was Frozen. What we remember that day is very much Skagway.... so much so that I almost forgot the DCL part of things. So- a great day for us.
Up next: We break free from the masses in Juneau.
Conorama
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 18, 2012
Day 5 - Juneau - and our sweet ride!
(Just a note- I'm on day 5 of 7 ... and one day is an at sea day - so I will finish on time, I think/hope!)
The plan for Juneau was very complex:
A) Get off the ship.
B) Find our rental car.
C) BEAT THE BUSES to the Mendenhall glacier.
(Eat lunch somewhere in here)
D) Explore on our own schedule.
E) Return car and get back on the ship.
After a quick breakfast scavenged from Beach Blanket and brought back to the room, we were dressed, ready, and off the ship at 8:00 a.m., reveling in the freedom of not having to meet up in a lounge, and not having to follow any paddles of power, and on the hunt for our rental car.
We had prepared appropriate layers based on this forecast:
Juneau Rental Car Company
In reading a blog, I had found a reference to these folk, and I thought the idea was brilliant - rent a car for the day, and explore Juneau. They are located right at port, so there was nothing complicated there. It was easy to book on-line, and we checked that our regular insurance covered us, which it did. We are used to traveling with Conor's booster seat, so that was simple - and we were ready.
When you get off the ship and get out to the port, it's very complex: Turn left, walk past the buses and you'll find the Juneau Car rental hut.
The hut on our day was occupied by a large husky dog (much to Conor's dismay) and a teenaged attendant, who was lovely. Once we confirmed who we were ("Hi, we're X and Y and we have a car reserved.") he handed over the keys to me, so that DH could sign the paperwork, etc., once he printed it off.
Conor and I walked along the short line of cars to find our (drum roll here.....) 2002 Chevy Malibu. Black. With sun roof. SPIFFY.
We loved it.
Conor and I arranged our stuff in the car, and got the booster seat in place. DH ambled over after about 10 minutes, grinning. It seems that our friendly neighborhood teen was unable to get the computer to work to print out the contract, so instead, he just went over the terms. He gave us a nice map of Juneau with what turned out to be some priceless insider tips (more later) and answered DH's questions.
We were instructed (I kid you not) to just return the car, leave the keys in the visor, and to NOT lock the car.
Now- if you were not aware, it helps to know that Juneau cannot be reached by road. You have to either fly in or sail in. So... what are you going to do with a rental? Drive away? Nope. And if you were going to drive away, you were probably suddenly less inspired to do so when you were confronted with the glory of the 2002 Malibu, even if it was black.
You can see here that the sun roof was a bit of an optimistic feature, but Conor thought it was super-cool anyway.
Having sorted out all of this complex, fine-print paperwork (ha!) we hit the road.
It was misty and a bit foggy and lovely and surreal. And raining a bit -but (for us) not too much.
Our goal? To hike to the Mendenhall Glacier BEFORE the busloads of folks arrived. Which is what I'll write about next....
More later!
(Just a note- I'm on day 5 of 7 ... and one day is an at sea day - so I will finish on time, I think/hope!)
The plan for Juneau was very complex:
A) Get off the ship.
B) Find our rental car.
C) BEAT THE BUSES to the Mendenhall glacier.
(Eat lunch somewhere in here)
D) Explore on our own schedule.
E) Return car and get back on the ship.
After a quick breakfast scavenged from Beach Blanket and brought back to the room, we were dressed, ready, and off the ship at 8:00 a.m., reveling in the freedom of not having to meet up in a lounge, and not having to follow any paddles of power, and on the hunt for our rental car.
We had prepared appropriate layers based on this forecast:
Juneau Rental Car Company
In reading a blog, I had found a reference to these folk, and I thought the idea was brilliant - rent a car for the day, and explore Juneau. They are located right at port, so there was nothing complicated there. It was easy to book on-line, and we checked that our regular insurance covered us, which it did. We are used to traveling with Conor's booster seat, so that was simple - and we were ready.
When you get off the ship and get out to the port, it's very complex: Turn left, walk past the buses and you'll find the Juneau Car rental hut.
The hut on our day was occupied by a large husky dog (much to Conor's dismay) and a teenaged attendant, who was lovely. Once we confirmed who we were ("Hi, we're X and Y and we have a car reserved.") he handed over the keys to me, so that DH could sign the paperwork, etc., once he printed it off.
Conor and I walked along the short line of cars to find our (drum roll here.....) 2002 Chevy Malibu. Black. With sun roof. SPIFFY.
We loved it.
Conor and I arranged our stuff in the car, and got the booster seat in place. DH ambled over after about 10 minutes, grinning. It seems that our friendly neighborhood teen was unable to get the computer to work to print out the contract, so instead, he just went over the terms. He gave us a nice map of Juneau with what turned out to be some priceless insider tips (more later) and answered DH's questions.
We were instructed (I kid you not) to just return the car, leave the keys in the visor, and to NOT lock the car.
Now- if you were not aware, it helps to know that Juneau cannot be reached by road. You have to either fly in or sail in. So... what are you going to do with a rental? Drive away? Nope. And if you were going to drive away, you were probably suddenly less inspired to do so when you were confronted with the glory of the 2002 Malibu, even if it was black.
You can see here that the sun roof was a bit of an optimistic feature, but Conor thought it was super-cool anyway.
Having sorted out all of this complex, fine-print paperwork (ha!) we hit the road.
It was misty and a bit foggy and lovely and surreal. And raining a bit -but (for us) not too much.
Our goal? To hike to the Mendenhall Glacier BEFORE the busloads of folks arrived. Which is what I'll write about next....
More later!
Last edited:
jeffbear
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 25, 2008
Sounds weirdly similar to our plans for the day, except we just hired a driver to take us Mendenhall and then privately booked whale watching for a couple of hours post-lunch. Interested to see how your day came out. Ours was great.
Conorama
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 18, 2012
Day 5 - Juneau - Mendenhall Glacier
(Apologies for the delay. Work interferes and we had an unheard of number of dinner guests this week ... yep, it's the end of summer in Ontario, so everyone is realizing they need to visit folks before school starts.)
It was, I think about a 15 minute drive to the Mendenhall Glacier, and very well marked. While we weren't the first ones there by any means, we had succeeded in Beating the Buses - so there was a minor celebration.
It was still raining a bit, so we suited up and grabbed our umbrellas just in case, and chose to walk the trail that takes you to Nugget Falls.
It's an easy-ish trail, though it's not always this smooth or flat.
It took us about 30 minutes to get to the waterfall (read: the "45 minutes round trip" doesn't apply to all), due to the 7-year-old exploring factor, and the need to marvel at moss, water, different plants, and imaginary bad guys who needed to be put in their place. (Please don't interpret this as frustration- this is the best part of hiking with a 7 year old... but I wanted to clarify that it's a much shorter hike if you want it to be. )
As is always the case, it's hard to capture waterfalls in photos, but DH did his best.
Conor thought it was noisy but AWESOME and wasn't bothered in the least by the rain (or the spray from the water fall).
And then, of course, there was the glacier (edited: With the whole Photobucket mess- I can't find the glacier photos right now...
)
We spent about 20 minutes at the waterfall, frolicking (some of us), gazing in awe (the rest of us), and taking photos. The walk back to our fierce ride was much faster than the walk to the waterfall due to some newly found focus (Dude had to go to the bathroom). We encountered many stickered folks meandering down to the falls - from DCL and other lines -and we felt oh-so-slightly smug that we had succeeded in our quest.
Having exerted ourselves, we felt we deserved a break, so we drove off in Chevy splendor to a Starbucks we had spotted on our way in, to plot our next move, which turned out to be a quest for an early lunch (beat the buses again!).
Next up: A most yummy lunch, and why you ask the 16 year old teen boy where to go in Juneau with a 7 year old boy- the discovery of an incredible trail and beach.
(Apologies for the delay. Work interferes and we had an unheard of number of dinner guests this week ... yep, it's the end of summer in Ontario, so everyone is realizing they need to visit folks before school starts.)
It was, I think about a 15 minute drive to the Mendenhall Glacier, and very well marked. While we weren't the first ones there by any means, we had succeeded in Beating the Buses - so there was a minor celebration.
It was still raining a bit, so we suited up and grabbed our umbrellas just in case, and chose to walk the trail that takes you to Nugget Falls.
It's an easy-ish trail, though it's not always this smooth or flat.
It took us about 30 minutes to get to the waterfall (read: the "45 minutes round trip" doesn't apply to all), due to the 7-year-old exploring factor, and the need to marvel at moss, water, different plants, and imaginary bad guys who needed to be put in their place. (Please don't interpret this as frustration- this is the best part of hiking with a 7 year old... but I wanted to clarify that it's a much shorter hike if you want it to be.
) As is always the case, it's hard to capture waterfalls in photos, but DH did his best.
Conor thought it was noisy but AWESOME and wasn't bothered in the least by the rain (or the spray from the water fall).
And then, of course, there was the glacier (edited: With the whole Photobucket mess- I can't find the glacier photos right now...
)We spent about 20 minutes at the waterfall, frolicking (some of us), gazing in awe (the rest of us), and taking photos. The walk back to our fierce ride was much faster than the walk to the waterfall due to some newly found focus (Dude had to go to the bathroom). We encountered many stickered folks meandering down to the falls - from DCL and other lines -and we felt oh-so-slightly smug that we had succeeded in our quest.
Having exerted ourselves, we felt we deserved a break, so we drove off in Chevy splendor to a Starbucks we had spotted on our way in, to plot our next move, which turned out to be a quest for an early lunch (beat the buses again!).
Next up: A most yummy lunch, and why you ask the 16 year old teen boy where to go in Juneau with a 7 year old boy- the discovery of an incredible trail and beach.
Last edited:
Conorama
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 18, 2012
Conorama
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 18, 2012
Day 5 - Juneau - A feast of crab, then a feast for the soul
Lunch
DH, being from a island in the middle of the North Atlantic, loves his seafood, and despite my landlubber status, so do I. Conor's genes are strong, so he's a fan too, most of the time. Thus, we only had one choice for lunch: Tracy's King Crab Shack.
We parked in a municipal parking garage in downtown Juneau, and wandered over about 2 blocks to Tracy's. It was about 11:15 or so when we arrived, which meant we could actually sit in the sheltered area out back. We let DH order, which was a bit of a mistake, as he went a bit mad, overcome with joy at so much crab. For the 3 of us, for lunch, he ordered a trio of crab, (different types, including a most awesome crab salad sandwich), crab soup, plus an add on King crab leg. However, since marrying me he has been forced to live away from the sea, so we indulge him.
Voila a portion, only, of what we got, including DH's foray into local beer.
It was just about perfect. And messy. VERY messy. Do not attempt this in your fancy duds.
We got through most of it. All of us cleaned up (they provide a nice big sink), and Conor wrote a few post cards to friends (which meant the world came to an end for the 10 minutes it took him to do this, because, well, 7 year old boy), as we had spotted a mailbox on the way back to the parking garage.
We had thought about wandering around the stores in Juneau, but it was really raining by then, and it (the boy) was really whining by then, so we decided to head away from civilization, where, ironically, we are all more civilized.
Treadwell Historic Trail
We drove over to Douglas, the island across the way, to the trail that our rental car friend recommended. I had not researched this in advance (perish the thought) so we had no idea what to expect.
What we got was a highlight for us - an incredibly beautiful, peaceful, surreal experience, where the only people we saw were obviously "real" Alaskans, as they were all walking dogs.
This is a forest that grew up around an abandoned mining site - and all kinds of things are left over from the mines. The trail we took led us down to a beach, which was perfect for exploring and, as you'll see, incredibly peaceful.
This is about as UnDisney as you can get, and I really, really hope (to be perfectly honest) that it stays that way. I even hesitated about posting it, but since I don't think I'll have a readership of 100,000 folks, we're probably safe.
Now- the photos - and when you look at them, try to imagine that the only sounds we heard were from the rain or the water, and the occasional dog-human duo.
Some of the structures that are left over .. and a boy who is trying to convince us he can jump over the water (which we would have OK'd, except I didn't have extra clothes handy... Mom Fail).
Random "bits" of machinery.
Structure being overcome by nature.
Cool old equipment to ponder.
This incredible beach.
It's hard to believe this is about 10 minutes away from the other universe where the cruise ships dock.
Some still life photography by Conor - who was fascinated by these (ewwww) bits of nature.
Finally, DH found a play structure at the end of this beach, and Conor has never met a play structure he didn't like, so his inner monkey got a work out as it had stopped raining for a bit.
And with that, faithful readers, I can assure you our souls were refreshed - and it was just about as UnDisney as you can get. This ranked up there with Tracy Arm day for us, and all because of the lovely teen at the rental car hut.
We finally extricated ourselves, and headed back to port, where, as instructed, we left the keys in the visor, did NOT lock the doors, and adjusted our heads to the idea of going back to the land of the Mouse.
Next up - wrapping up Day 5. I CAN finish this by September 1. I know I can!
Lunch
DH, being from a island in the middle of the North Atlantic, loves his seafood, and despite my landlubber status, so do I. Conor's genes are strong, so he's a fan too, most of the time. Thus, we only had one choice for lunch: Tracy's King Crab Shack.
We parked in a municipal parking garage in downtown Juneau, and wandered over about 2 blocks to Tracy's. It was about 11:15 or so when we arrived, which meant we could actually sit in the sheltered area out back. We let DH order, which was a bit of a mistake, as he went a bit mad, overcome with joy at so much crab. For the 3 of us, for lunch, he ordered a trio of crab, (different types, including a most awesome crab salad sandwich), crab soup, plus an add on King crab leg. However, since marrying me he has been forced to live away from the sea, so we indulge him.
Voila a portion, only, of what we got, including DH's foray into local beer.
It was just about perfect. And messy. VERY messy. Do not attempt this in your fancy duds.
We got through most of it. All of us cleaned up (they provide a nice big sink), and Conor wrote a few post cards to friends (which meant the world came to an end for the 10 minutes it took him to do this, because, well, 7 year old boy), as we had spotted a mailbox on the way back to the parking garage.
We had thought about wandering around the stores in Juneau, but it was really raining by then, and it (the boy) was really whining by then, so we decided to head away from civilization, where, ironically, we are all more civilized.
Treadwell Historic Trail
We drove over to Douglas, the island across the way, to the trail that our rental car friend recommended. I had not researched this in advance (perish the thought) so we had no idea what to expect.
What we got was a highlight for us - an incredibly beautiful, peaceful, surreal experience, where the only people we saw were obviously "real" Alaskans, as they were all walking dogs.
This is a forest that grew up around an abandoned mining site - and all kinds of things are left over from the mines. The trail we took led us down to a beach, which was perfect for exploring and, as you'll see, incredibly peaceful.
This is about as UnDisney as you can get, and I really, really hope (to be perfectly honest) that it stays that way. I even hesitated about posting it, but since I don't think I'll have a readership of 100,000 folks, we're probably safe.
Now- the photos - and when you look at them, try to imagine that the only sounds we heard were from the rain or the water, and the occasional dog-human duo.
Some of the structures that are left over .. and a boy who is trying to convince us he can jump over the water (which we would have OK'd, except I didn't have extra clothes handy... Mom Fail).
Random "bits" of machinery.
Structure being overcome by nature.
Cool old equipment to ponder.
This incredible beach.
It's hard to believe this is about 10 minutes away from the other universe where the cruise ships dock.
Some still life photography by Conor - who was fascinated by these (ewwww) bits of nature.
Finally, DH found a play structure at the end of this beach, and Conor has never met a play structure he didn't like, so his inner monkey got a work out as it had stopped raining for a bit.
And with that, faithful readers, I can assure you our souls were refreshed - and it was just about as UnDisney as you can get. This ranked up there with Tracy Arm day for us, and all because of the lovely teen at the rental car hut.
We finally extricated ourselves, and headed back to port, where, as instructed, we left the keys in the visor, did NOT lock the doors, and adjusted our heads to the idea of going back to the land of the Mouse.
Next up - wrapping up Day 5. I CAN finish this by September 1. I know I can!
Last edited:
jeffbear
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 25, 2008
Not a huge fan of Coffeebucks, so we got a cup at Heritage Roasting instead. Pretty good local roastery.Our day was great too- did you get to visit Starbucks?
jeffbear
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 25, 2008
Aw man ... I got the tip on that trail from a friend of our who used to be posted in Juneau with the National Weather Service, but we only had time for two legs of exploring if we were going to save some time to relax a little. And we opted for Mendenhall and the whale watching boat. Both were terrific, but I'm such a HUGE nerd for abandoned structures that your pictures are making me question my choices.
Still ... whale watching was exceptional fun (small group meant plenty of room on the rials and at the windows) and Mendenhall is just spectacular. So it's not like we blew it or anything. And now I'm inspired to go find another abandoned mill house or tobacco barn to explore around home. We've got scads of both here in central North Carolina.
Oh ... and the Alaskan Brewing White Ale is good, but the Amber Ale .... yowsa, she's special.
TestingH2O
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 10, 2014
I totally need to add this to my life. I'd be willing to skip the glacier. Between my very curious DD and my surrealist painter DH, I cannot exist without knowing that I can find a way to share this with them. Now to get DH to sign up for a trip to Alaska...Day 5 - Juneau - A feast of crab, then a feast for the soul
Last edited:
Conorama
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 18, 2012
We've done lots of whale watching on the East coast where we spend more of our summer trips, so it was much easier for us to pass up. It is a great experience, though, especially with small groups and great guides.
I am a beer-avoidant human, so I can't comment, but DH tried many Alaskan beers, and the only t-shirt he bought (this is a sign) is the one from the Skagway Brewing Company for their spruce tip ale (I think it's an ale... the shirt is in the laundry, or I'd check). All I know is that the motto on the t-shirt was read aloud by Conor this week as he was putting on his sunscreen: "Fighting scurvy for (insert some number here that I forget) years"
Good luck finding a cool abandoned something or other!
Yes! It sounds like you do need to add this to your list. We could have spent all day, I think.
Alaska fell firmly in the pile of "vacations that lived up to our expectations", and it's really very special ... worth the negotiations, I'd say.
OneBadApple
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 31, 2007
I love your TR so far. It has definitely increased my desire to see Alaska. I can't wait to read about the rest of the trip.
Conorama
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 18, 2012
Thanks! I can't believe it has almost been a month since we got back. It was truly a great vacation.
Definitely very similar! Not many from North Carolina know Newfoundland - but if you know it and love it, you'll definitely love Alaska. It's not just the scenery- there was a general similar feeling from the people we met- super-nice, no pretense, and proud of where they live.
We did not see any puffins, though.
Thanks for reading, and have a great time! I'm going to try to finish up Juneau and Ketchikan at least by Sunday, so perhaps that will help you. Happy packing! (That is EXACTLY the same as packing for Newfoundland.)
Conorama
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 18, 2012
Day 5- Wrapping up Juneau
Once again, the lovely hot chocolate and chocolate chip cookies greeted us. Once again, it seemed impolite to not take some.
SPOILER ALERT - the great Frozen Scavenger hunt prize.
Upon return to the cabin, we were greeted by our prizes for having successfully (or rather, I have learned, unsuccessfully, but apparently Uncle Walt doesn't care) completed the hunt.
Now, we will recall that the main reason I went along with these shenanigans was because this is supposed to center around chocolate. I was looking forward to chocolate. That's what That Princess promised in her note.
Instead ... we came back to 3 of these:
(Due to photobucket fiasco- the photos are missing... but they were silly Rice-Krispie type things with white chocolate and Frozen things on them. Bleck.)
There was a moment of stunned silence. This was not chocolate. Apparently, I am told, the topping on the thing is white chocolate-esque. (No, I did not eat any, so I could be wrong, I will admit.) Now, in my universe, white chocolate is an evil interloper into what would otherwise be a perfect food group. It's NOT CHOCOLATE. And, it's definitely not chocolate when it is mixed with all kinds of other things.
Conor was still excited ... because he's a fan of the Rice Krispie treat (and I have nothing against them, but they are NOT CHOCOLATE). One month later, though, he has not chosen to eat his, and the 2 others we brought home have been given to friends.
I coped, resiliently, with the disappointment.
Pixar Party
After a bit of a rest in the cabin (where I recovered from my trauma), we realized the Pixar Party was happening. We have never done a "real" Disney party (since beating a hasty retreat from our first sail-away deck party) except for one pirate party.
We donned Conor's Pixar shirt (it has a super-cool, artsy silhouette of Wall-E and Eve - his favourites) and off we went. We took the stairs. We got to Deck 5, and we were informed by the boy that we were NOT getting any closer.
Here is where he parked. And would not budge.
He lasted about 10 minutes. And then we were done.
Too Disney for us.
Palo Dinner
We were supposed to be in Parrot Cay, but we had dutifully told our servers that we would be at Palo. We ordered room service for Conor ahead of time, and fed him in the cabin before dropping him off at the club.
Dutifully buffed and polished, DH and I were ready to eat.
Palo was lovely, peaceful, and yummy. Unfortunately, it was very rainy out, so we didn't get any spectacular views, but it didn't matter.
My chocolate issues were resolved with the soufflé.
We took a bit of a walk, and then went to fetch Mr. Club-a-lot, and had a restful time in the cabin getting ready for a somewhat early bedtime. And I was relieved to get REAL chocolate, as usual, from our cabin attendant.
Next up: Reflections on Day 5.
Once again, the lovely hot chocolate and chocolate chip cookies greeted us. Once again, it seemed impolite to not take some.
SPOILER ALERT - the great Frozen Scavenger hunt prize.
Upon return to the cabin, we were greeted by our prizes for having successfully (or rather, I have learned, unsuccessfully, but apparently Uncle Walt doesn't care) completed the hunt.
Now, we will recall that the main reason I went along with these shenanigans was because this is supposed to center around chocolate. I was looking forward to chocolate. That's what That Princess promised in her note.
Instead ... we came back to 3 of these:
(Due to photobucket fiasco- the photos are missing... but they were silly Rice-Krispie type things with white chocolate and Frozen things on them. Bleck.)
There was a moment of stunned silence. This was not chocolate. Apparently, I am told, the topping on the thing is white chocolate-esque. (No, I did not eat any, so I could be wrong, I will admit.) Now, in my universe, white chocolate is an evil interloper into what would otherwise be a perfect food group. It's NOT CHOCOLATE. And, it's definitely not chocolate when it is mixed with all kinds of other things.
Conor was still excited ... because he's a fan of the Rice Krispie treat (and I have nothing against them, but they are NOT CHOCOLATE). One month later, though, he has not chosen to eat his, and the 2 others we brought home have been given to friends.
I coped, resiliently, with the disappointment.
Pixar Party
After a bit of a rest in the cabin (where I recovered from my trauma), we realized the Pixar Party was happening. We have never done a "real" Disney party (since beating a hasty retreat from our first sail-away deck party) except for one pirate party.
We donned Conor's Pixar shirt (it has a super-cool, artsy silhouette of Wall-E and Eve - his favourites) and off we went. We took the stairs. We got to Deck 5, and we were informed by the boy that we were NOT getting any closer.
Here is where he parked. And would not budge.
He lasted about 10 minutes. And then we were done.
Too Disney for us.
Palo Dinner
We were supposed to be in Parrot Cay, but we had dutifully told our servers that we would be at Palo. We ordered room service for Conor ahead of time, and fed him in the cabin before dropping him off at the club.
Dutifully buffed and polished, DH and I were ready to eat.
Palo was lovely, peaceful, and yummy. Unfortunately, it was very rainy out, so we didn't get any spectacular views, but it didn't matter.
My chocolate issues were resolved with the soufflé.
We took a bit of a walk, and then went to fetch Mr. Club-a-lot, and had a restful time in the cabin getting ready for a somewhat early bedtime. And I was relieved to get REAL chocolate, as usual, from our cabin attendant.
Next up: Reflections on Day 5.
Last edited:
Conorama
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 18, 2012
Reflections on Day 5 - Juneau
Juneau worked out very well for us. We really enjoyed the freedom of just doing our own thing with our oh-so-sexy Malibu. The hike was great at the beginning, lunch will be remembered for years, and our off-the-beaten-track trail was just about perfect for us.
Renting a car meant we were truly operating on our own schedule, at our own pace. This is one thing I struggle with on cruises- too many schedules. I am overrun with the things at work, so I resent them on vacation. A lot.
This approach helped my control issues a lot. Yes, we had to be back on board by whatever time, but we didn't feel rushed in the least. We did have a Palo reservation, but really, even I can't complain about having that on a schedule.
It was also nice to spend time together as a family without a gagillion (plus or minus 2) of our not-so-close friends/fellow passengers. Or other ships' passengers.
All in all - it was another great day. We have no complaints and I'd recommend all of what we did ... but please don't overcrowd our lovely Treadwell path.
Juneau worked out very well for us. We really enjoyed the freedom of just doing our own thing with our oh-so-sexy Malibu. The hike was great at the beginning, lunch will be remembered for years, and our off-the-beaten-track trail was just about perfect for us.
Renting a car meant we were truly operating on our own schedule, at our own pace. This is one thing I struggle with on cruises- too many schedules. I am overrun with the things at work, so I resent them on vacation. A lot.
This approach helped my control issues a lot. Yes, we had to be back on board by whatever time, but we didn't feel rushed in the least. We did have a Palo reservation, but really, even I can't complain about having that on a schedule.
It was also nice to spend time together as a family without a gagillion (plus or minus 2) of our not-so-close friends/fellow passengers. Or other ships' passengers.
All in all - it was another great day. We have no complaints and I'd recommend all of what we did ... but please don't overcrowd our lovely Treadwell path.
RedHatDisney
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jul 10, 2015
Lovely........thanks so much for this wonderful trip report!
jeffbear
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 25, 2008
Yeah ... I scrolled up from the bottom of the page and saw that you had Palo on the docket and figured your chocolate issues would sort themselves out. I know my wife was fully satisfied, at least until her morning mocha in Cove Cafe the next day :0)
We ate there the evening of the Tracy Arm day and it was the PERFECT end to that beautiful day. I truly love that dining room ... and the food.
Conorama
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 18, 2012
You're welcome! And thanks for reading.
It was much more authentically chocolate, so I felt better- and not a Frozen character in sight!
I am a coffee purist most of the time, but my treat is a mocha, so I understand exactly where your wife is coming from.
Yep. It might even have been about 7 minutes. I just seemed longer!
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