To Alaska and beyond

[IBelieveInTheMagic]

Have a great time and I look forward to reading more of your report! We cruised Alaska last June with DCL and it was the best cruise so far - so amazing so you are in for a treat!!

Heather

 

[twindaddy]

Subbing in! Which hotel are you staying at? We are driving up from California in July...doing the park and cruise at the Holiday Inn Express Vancouver Airport. Only downside was no pool at that hotel :-(

 

[chellez]

Mahalo, for this!

Can't wait to see more reports! My husband and I are on the June 16 sailing and I cannot wait! Like another poster, I don't care to be surprised... I like seeing other's reports and reviews so I know what to expect like what to prepare for, do/donts, etc!

 

[DesertGal]

Darn. I'm obsessively checking this thread for some recent updates

 

[dclwonderprincess]

I can't wait for updates, we sail in August!

 

[pjstevens]

I am thinking we won't see any updates until they are in a US Port due to the cost of internet or data plans.

 

[Goin2CtheMouse]

Me too !!!

 

[Mickdeb]

They arrive in Sitka tomorrow, so hopefully an update will be coming.....of course OP, no pressure, enjoy every minute of your cruise.

 

[podsnel]

Thanks SO MUCH for doing this!! Bon Voyage!!!

 

[saintstickets]

Sooooo looking forward to this TR. DW and I are taking our 1st DCL cruise in October and if everything is as we expect it to be, we will book an Alaska cruise for August, 2015 while on board!

 

[The4Woods]

We just got off in Sitka. I have my reports all typed up I just have to post them. Be looking a little later today.

 

[kyirish25]

We just got off in Sitka. I have my reports all typed up I just have to post them. Be looking a little later today.

Can't wait!!! Thank you so much for doing this for us impatient future Alaska cruisers who can't wait for you to return.

 

[jetskigrl]

I'm looking forward to your updates!!! We don't sail until August so I'm excited to read all the trip reports up until then

 

[Sorcerer Mom]

Looking forward to them - thanks so much for doing this. We sail in August and can't wait!

 

[The4Woods]

Oh boy do I have a lot to tell everyone! I ended yesterday being pooped out of my mind. We ordered pizza to our hotel room. I ate and instantly passed out. Our alarms went off at 6am. We were meeting some of our facebook friends at their hotel so we could caravan to the port with them. They had been to Canada place before and knew the way. Win for us! We didn’t stay at the Pan Pacific which is literally IN the Canada place terminal. Which, on the drive TO Canada Place, I really regretted that money saving choice. Down town Vancouver is really cool. There seemed like a lot of neat places to see, shop and eat. We might have to plan a weekend trip there this summer. . . but I digress. The next couple hours I’m going to gloss over for the sake of you dear readers since it’s not going to apply to any more cruises this year. Our ship left from Balytine Plaza so we had to take a shuttle from Canada Place there. But this first cruise is the only one doing this to my knowledge. So let’s fast forward. We got off the shuttle into the terminal and the line through security went super quick. A nice lady handed us our first Navigator!



Then we went into the room to check in with Disney. Dan held our place in the Castaway line while D and C and I went to the kids registration. There was no line so it went super quick. We cut back into line with Dan (sorry to anyone behind us. I know that sucks when people save spots) and waited about 5 minutes and got our lanyards. We got boarding group 8. We went upstairs to wait for our time to board the boat. I totally shouldn’t admit this but I strive for accuracy We were waiting and waiting for them to start boarding. Someone in our party saw another facebook friend and asked her what boarding group she had and she said they didn’t even give me a card. So she asked the person holding the sign for the 1st boarding group and she said don’t worry about it. You’re a silver member, just board now. And even though the rest of our party had numbers 7 or 8 we all boarded with group 1. Ahhhhh we’re gonna burn. Let’s just fast forward again.

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Customs, family picture, Disney Wonder welcomes aboard the WOOD family, I do a happy dance. There now we’ve all forgotten about our little boarding secret. Dan and I had planned this out like clockwork. He went to Wavebands to get us a Palo res since it was sold out online. I took the kids to guest services to pick up the Disney Friends Tea Party tickets. We both we done about the same time so we met back in the atrium and headed to Parrot Cay for lunch. I’m not a fan of Beach Blanket Buffett. A lot of people rave about it so many of you may want to head there. We’ve heard it’s less crowded on the first day. Personal preference.

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[Goin2CtheMouse]

We just got off in Sitka. I have my reports all typed up I just have to post them. Be looking a little later today.

Thanks for all you do... It is greatly appreciated !!!

 

[The4Woods]

After we ate we headed up to deck 9 since it was only 1 and our rooms wouldn’t be ready for another 30 minutes. We took some pictures and goofed around on the 10th deck. Then we popped into Vibe teen club to check it out. None of us even thought to go there last cruise since D and C were too young. It’s pretty nice.

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After all our meandering it was 4 minutes until 1:30 so we went to wait for the ropes to drop so we could check out our rooms. And we got room 7520. Forward. Starboard. Nothing to complain about. I wanted an aft room, but we booked VGT. Booking VGT you get what you get and you don’t throw a fit. That and we somehow spaced asking about an upgrade at the port. Oh well. The difference from this cruise from last cruise is I feel like the afternoon just flew by. Last time everything was new and we didn’t know what to do or where to be so we hung out in the room too much. This time we hardly had enough time to unpack our two small bags that arrived early before we needed to run off to the spa for the tour and raffle. I took D and C with me who were champs listening to them talk about all the types of massages and treatments they offered. After our tour I promised them ice cream so we rushed aft to get cones. Then we rushed down to the Promanade Lounge for the facebook meet up. But once I got there I was telling a new friend about the raffle and she wanted to try her luck so we rushed back up to try to win. We didn’t boo. Dan texted me saying they went back to the room so I met them there. We unpacked a little more since a couple more bags arrived.

Then it was time for muster. We were group E. Ugh another terrible confession. We really aren’t rule breakers. So DCL has this cool app for iphone. It’s free to use. You have to connect to DCL-Guest wifi. But like I said, it’s free. Anyhow. It’s AMAZING. It lists all the kids activities, grown up activities, character meet and greets AND menus. I’ve lost 25 pounds since our last cruise and I’m truly not planning on putting anymore one this cruise (well I’ve allowed for 5 lbs), but I’ve been looking forward to eating. So during muster I wasn’t paying attention to how to use my life vest in the event of the ship sinking. I was planning my meal for dinner. Ahhhhh food. Ok so some of us learned how to prevent drowning. I’ll rely on Dan to save me.

After muster we went back to the ice cream machine. Yay for vacation! Mom doesn’t say no!! Everyone on the Facebook group kept saying that it was gonna rain or be cold for the Sail Away party. I stayed true to my firm belief that it would be nothing but sun. And guess who was right. This girl. The party was beautiful. Streamers, dancing, music. Adventures Away!

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When we were tired out from dancing we went back to the room to check out the navigator. We had already seen the Sail Away show in the Walt Disney Theatre and they were showing Disneynature: Bears. So D, C and I decided to check it out. I’m ashamed to say we didn’t stand on deck and watch us sail under the bridge. But Dan did it for me.

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I’ll try to be up when we sail under it on the way home. But the movie was great! Bears are super cute. I want to cuddle one. But it’d eat me.

 

[The4Woods]

When the movie was over C wanted to play in the Lab. D was hungry. We picked up Dan and got ice cream (yes that’s 3 times today) and fries. Don’t judge us we’re on vacation. We killed time but relaxing on deck 10 and munching our snacks until our dinner at 8:15. Dinner was amazing. We started at Animator’s Palate. Our servers were Lito and Jack. We had requested our servers from last cruise, but they were both on vacation. By the end of dinner we were totally ok with our new team. They were EXCELLENT! The kid’s had Shirley Temple’s. D doesn’t like the cherries in them so he picked them out and gave his to C. Jack noticed this. He brought C a whole bowl of them and promised to repeat this every night. They were truly top notch. Jack also brought us another thing to try. Calimari! D wasn’t feeling adventurous but C on the other hand. . . tried them. I’ll be honest. I didn’t tell her what they were. But she ate it and said she liked it. I then told her she ate squid. She was a little grossed out, but ate several more. I was a proud mamma. I’ll work on D tomorrow.

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Some food porn:

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By the end of dinner Dan and I felt like we were gonna pop. But the kids were still going strong. They wanted to go to Club to Toy Story Boot Camp. Of course I said yes. ☺ I came back to the room to unwind and type this out before I forgot it all. By 11 we were all back in the room and tucked in. And that was our jam packed, fun filled, first day!

 

[The4Woods]

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I was woke up around 4 by the ship rocking. It wasn’t violent or crazy but super noticeable. I felt like it was leaning so far left I would roll out of bed then so far right etc. . . I was able to get back to sleep, but by 7 I was up for the day. I strapped on my runners and checked out the gym. I ran for 45 minutes and then started to feel dizzy. I hadn’t eaten yet or drank water. I should have been smarter on this run. This morning was the character breakfast. This was one of our highlights from last trip and we were super excited to do it the first full day! We met our fantastic servers at Parrot Cay. We were joined by Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, and Goofy! They were so animated. We got great pictures with C and D. Can’t wait to scrapbook them!

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After the breakfast the kids wanted to “explore the ship.” Which I’m pretty sure is code for get lots of ice cream. Dan and I took this chance to deliver our fish extender gifts. We got caught a couple times. Just act sly and keep walkin. We got back to our room about the same time the kids did. They said the lab was boring. That’s the trouble with cruises while school is still in session. Less friends on board. We decided that even though it was 56 outside the pool was 84 and swimming totally sounded legit. I put on my bathing suit thinking the hot tub sounded lovely. But as soon as I got on deck the ice cream machine and pizza sounded a WHOLE lot better than freezing my tushy off. By 1pm we had just about frozen to the bone. We got the kids in and ordered room service. They kids wanted to watch the lego movie and wouldn’t you know it started at 2 on the in room channel. And I needed a nap. Perfect timing. I had a spa appointment at 4:30 to be refreshed for.

I made the stone massage appointment before thinking about it being the Golden Mickey night. I missed this show for some reason on the last cruise and wanted to see it this time, but I wasn’t sure if my massage would be over by then. I gave the kids strict instructions to come back from the club at 5:45 and put on the formal night clothes I had laid out for them. Dan wasn’t sure if he wanted to go to the Golden Mickey show. I told the kids to sit on an aisle and I’d join them. Thank goodness for massages. I went with a little back ache. I had pulled something in my back in the hotel back in Surrey. The stones and oils were just perfect and I felt like a new woman when I was done. It was 6pm when I got back to the room. I didn’t have time to shower but I threw on my maxi dress and sweater and bolted for Walt Disney Theatre. There my kids and husband were all in a row on the aisle just as instructed. The show was great! I am sad I missed it last time and I’ll make sure to catch it on our cruise in January. After the show the kids decided to go to pin trading. They got some in their FE’s and wanted to trade them. Dan and I spent the next hour on our balcony (freezing) and trying to spot a whale. Apparently there was a whale siting earlier this afternoon, but I missed it! Sad face. And before we knew it the kids were back and it was 8:15 and we were still in the room and late for dinner. We ate at Parrot Cay. This isn’t one of my favorite menus, but I recommend the asparagus appetizer and the turkey meal! Yum! Our servers are just dolls and brought us an extra pasta entrée to try and for dessert he brought us an extra ice cream sundae for us to share. Turned out being a great meal even though it isn’t my favorite menu. We wrapped up the evening with the kids dashing off to Pluto’s pajama party and glow jam and Dan and I seeing the new Captain America movie. We got back to the room at 1am! Too late for us old farts. I’m ready to hit the hay!

 

[The4Woods]

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Today was so hard to get out of bed! Yesterday I was up and at em at 7. I forced myself to crawl out of bed at 8, but I could have slept until 11. But daylight was burning. We decided to brave Beach Blanket Buffet for breakfast. It was super crowded. We could have sat outside no problem, but since the sun was shining D and C decided that shorts and t-shirts were the way to go. But as soon as we stepped out on deck 9 the wind hit them and they were shivering the whole way to Beach Blanket.

Now I’m sure this has NEVER happened to any other families. I’m sure D is the only child ever to throw a fit on a Disney Cruise, but we had a all out melt down. It was so unacceptable he earned himself a super boring day. After breakfast we realized, lucky D, that the Naturalists talk about Sitka was in 4 minutes. Armed with notebooks and pens D, C and I went to learn all this Sitka. The Naturalist, whose name is eluding me right now, was actually really interesting. He lived in Alaska and had a lot of neat personal stories to share. D and C said they actually enjoyed it. So much for a punishment. When we got back to the room, C left for club, D stayed to watch a movie in the room and keep an eye out for whales from our veranda. And since I was a lazy butt this morning I hit the gym.

We had somewhere very important to be at 12:12. Tritons for a Seahawk friend lunch! From our Facebook/Dis group we had made a pretty good handful of friends that were equally fanatical about the Seahawks. We decided to take over Tritons and have lunch together. It was loud, crowded and SO MUCH FUN! We had 24 people 18 of which were all at one table. Our servers were SO patient and great. It took us 2 hours to have our full lunch, but the company was amazing. The server told us that this was the largest group they had ever had in Tritons. But we’re Seahawks we’re used to setting records.

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I feel like I spent most of the day eating. I totally needed a nap. I filled up my cup with hot cocoa, and snuggied down to the sounds of Toy Story 3 in the background. After a quick hour nap we went and checked out the gift shop. I had my eye on a coat that said Alaska on front. And I wanted post cards to send tomorrow in Sitka. With business out of the way I settled into the main event. Whale watching. I wanted to see a whale so bad. I sat on our veranda with a blanket I stole from the top deck freezing my tail off. But no whales. A quick jog up to the ice cream machine then back to my post. But no whales. Finally it was time for the show at 6:15. Tonight was a magic show by Magic Dave. It was cute. A little cheezy in parts but D and C thought it was hysterical. At the end of the show Cruise Director Jimmy came on board and said during the show there were several whale sightings. The fastest way to clear the theatre is to say whale on an Alaskan cruise. We rushed back to our stateroom and sure enough we saw them! Whales AND a pod or school or group or whatever they’re called of Sea Otters!! Our day was complete. We spent the hour until dinner nature watching. They were so cool.

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Our dinner was in Triton’s It was the French menu. It’s not our favorite menu, but we managed to leave stuffed to the brim. Absolute brim. The kids wanted to check out the Lab or Club. But since Sitka was going to be an early morning we decided to call it an earlier night than usual.