2015 DVC Alaska Member Cruise 5/25-5/31/15

[ExpeditionEverest]

DH and I would love to be part of this cruise's FE. I will PM in our information.

This will be our second DVC member's cruise and our second Disney Alaska cruise.

 

[ozzielee]

Looking at this cruise as sounds great.

 

[dunnhorn]

Good Morning fellow cruisers!!


You'll never guess what the cheapest way in and out of Vancouver to Seattle is - 1 way rentals thru National. yesterday I found rates as low as 32.00 to relocate full size vehicles. Very tempting to avoid that Bus and have to wait around for the late train departure on our disembarkation day.
We could all convoy out of Canada together!

I will keep digging!

Hi there - where did you find this rental? I have been searching... TIA!

Leslie Ann

 

[poison ivy]

Hi Leslie Ann.

If you pm me I will send you the codes.

Only good thru a fullsize vehicle though So far I haven't carved out the time to really work on finding the perfect rate for a minivan or larger. If I do, I'll let everyone know.

JQ struck out with Amtrak on a group rate. We were quoted a higher price than AAA - 37.00/pp. We are checking into the possibility of contracting for a private transport Vancouver to Seattle (only) and will post here if we find something affordable. This would pick us up directly from the port and take us to Sea/Tac.

The reason being, Amtrak's train is a LATE departure - after 7pm on 6/1. We don't want to be hanging around with luggage for that long. Really want to get on our way back to Seattle asap. And we're trying to avoid taking a Public Bus if we can find a comparable or cheaper alternative.

In the meantime, I'm going ahead and reserving a one-way car just in case.

 

[DisneyBelle99]

Here is a mixed bag of some photos/ got the Photobucket up and running again. First is one of the gifts we got on the 2013 DVC Member cruise:



Now our Cabin door with the FE:




And finally, a picture from Aulani. We were there in February 2012. When I put this one on Facebook, I remarked "Is this Heaven?" "No, it's Hawaii!"
I read that someone is heading there soon. We loved it. What's not to love?



If the pictures are too big, I apologize. Guess I should read how to adjust them. One more thing to learn....

 

[poison ivy]

Those pics are awesome!

thanks Deb.

here's another GiFT:

This was the kickoff welcome surprise awaiting everyone in their cabin when they arrived. (Sept 2013)
1 for each person in your stateroom.

(which is why everyone advises to have extra luggage space on these cruises!)

our room



my parents room









btw how is everyone making out on planning excursions? I keep talking about transportation right now because that's a priority but I've been compiling a cheat sheet of information from the various trip reports and Alaska threads on each port to help decide what to do?

would love to hear from anyone on this - especially any veteran Alaskan cruisers returning for another trip!

 

[maburke]

So doing cheap one-way rentals between Sea-Tac and the port sounds great for our party of 5, but I'm having a problem. No matter how I try, no site lets me book a departure from the cruise terminal National/Alamo on June 1. I chose a reasonable pickup time, within the office hours listed, but it always says the office is closed at that time. Anybody else do this?

Thanks,

 

[DisneyBelle99]

Our email came today! Able to log in to see our cruise info. Our plans are to go to Vancouver a few days ahead. Will hope we can adjust to Left Coast time ...never been to anywhere on the West coast except for airports on our way to Hawaii. Never been to Canada either, so we hope to have sightseeing time.

 

[maburke]

So doing cheap one-way rentals between Sea-Tac and the port sounds great for our party of 5, but I'm having a problem. No matter how I try, no site lets me book a departure from the cruise terminal National/Alamo on June 1. I chose a reasonable pickup time, within the office hours listed, but it always says the office is closed at that time. Anybody else do this?

Thanks,

I used Google maps to find another nearby National office, and it labels the one at the cuise port as "permanently closed." Strange if this is the case that the National web site lets me choose it, but keeps showing it as closed when I try to set use it. Anybody know if it really is closed? And if there are any other rental car counters convenient to the port?

Thanks!

 

[maburke]

Wow, that would be so cool to see upon boarding! Thanks for posting the photos. But tell me, what is that thing on the right that looks kind of like a cone?

 

[poison ivy]

Wow, that would be so cool to see upon boarding! Thanks for posting the photos. But tell me, what is that thing on the right that looks kind of like a cone?

That is a sand cup to hold whatever you desire, sunglasses; lotion; phones; and of course - my personal favorite:



It was beach themed for the "Double Dip" on that cruise.

I am hoping Alaska will bring some themed gifts as well

 

[poison ivy]

I used Google maps to find another nearby National office, and it labels the one at the cuise port as "permanently closed." Strange if this is the case that the National web site lets me choose it, but keeps showing it as closed when I try to set use it. Anybody know if it really is closed? And if there are any other rental car counters convenient to the port?

Thanks!

that National/Alamo desk was inside the Pan Pacific. I'm not sure if it's still operating. The other rental companies that were listed at the port were Budget and Enterprise, but from what I'm reading, they seem to be temporary kiosks set up on ship arrival days with shuttles to a car lot. I haven't been able to determine if they are still operating this thru 2014. Also, it looked like 1 way rentals to Sea/Tac weren't permitted from that location.

The best I've found so far is National out of the Vancouver Int'l Airport. This of course requires another method of transport to get there from the port.

JQ may worst case, just get off the ship with the early debarkation group and take that light rail to the airport to pick up the car while we wait inside the Pan Pacific to be picked up curbside. We also have a group of 5 and I'm not sure if all of us attempting the skytrain with luggage is a wise decision.
My DSIL has some mobility limitations to factor in.

or

We'll hail a cab from the port to the rental car agency at the airport. Which again, will add to our transportation expense.

Planes, trains and automobiles is becoming quite the challenge for this cruise.

and we are still researching private transport companies. So stay tuned.

 

[maburke]

that National/Alamo desk was inside the Pan Pacific. I'm not sure if it's still operating. The other rental companies that were listed at the port were Budget and Enterprise, but from what I'm reading, they seem to be temporary kiosks set up on ship arrival days with shuttles to a car lot. I haven't been able to determine if they are still operating this thru 2014. Also, it looked like 1 way rentals to Sea/Tac weren't permitted from that location.

The best I've found so far is National out of the Vancouver Int'l Airport. This of course requires another method of transport to get there from the port.

JQ may worst case, just get off the ship with the early debarkation group and take that light rail to the airport to pick up the car while we wait inside the Pan Pacific to be picked up curbside. We also have a group of 5 and I'm not sure if all of us attempting the skytrain with luggage is a wise decision.
My DSIL has some mobility limitations to factor in.

or

We'll hail a cab from the port to the rental car agency at the airport. Which again, will add to our transportation expense.

Planes, trains and automobiles is becoming quite the challenge for this cruise.

and we are still researching private transport companies. So stay tuned.

I found a National rental car office at the Sandman Hotel, which seems to be about a 10 minute walk from the cruise port. I agree that it would be no fun to take everybody to the airport, but sending one adult on a 10-minute walk to get the car is much more doable.

 

[Johnny Quest]

I found a National rental car office at the Sandman Hotel, which seems to be about a 10 minute walk from the cruise port. I agree that it would be no fun to take everybody to the airport, but sending one adult on a 10-minute walk to get the car is much more doable.

That sounds great. A 10 minute walk is much more appealing than a train to the airport and then a possible shuttle to the car rental lot.

 

[myxdvz]

I booked our air today. Man, ORD to YVR is $$$$! It's double the ORD to SEA flights. No wonder everyone is talking about just driving up.

I pretty much used up all my miles/points for our family of 6, but my wallet thanks me. We still need a car from SEA to the Port, but that should be easy enough.

As for the flight back, I didn't want to pull the kids out of school more than necessary. Is a 4:05pm flight out of SEA safe enough if we disembark early enough? I know at Port Canaveral/Miami, they say no flights earlier than noon. So I was hoping a 4 hour lead time is good enough.

 

[ExpeditionEverest]

I booked our air today. Man, ORD to YVR is $$$$! It's double the ORD to SEA flights. No wonder everyone is talking about just driving up.

I pretty much used up all my miles/points for our family of 6, but my wallet thanks me. We still need a car from SEA to the Port, but that should be easy enough.

As for the flight back, I didn't want to pull the kids out of school more than necessary. Is a 4:05pm flight out of SEA safe enough if we disembark early enough? I know at Port Canaveral/Miami, they say no flights earlier than noon. So I was hoping a 4 hour lead time is good enough.

Yes, you will have plenty of time. Best case, you leave the boat at 7am, there is no traffic and no boarder wait. Drive 3 to 3.5 hours to SeaTac and you will get to the airport by 10:30am.

Worse case, you leave the boat at 8am, traffic is bad and the drive takes 5 hours and the border wait is 2 hours, you will get to the SeaTac at 3pm. There are multiple places to cross the border (Peace Arch and the Truck Crossing are the two most popular, they are only a few miles away from each other and both are easy to get to).

Realistically, you leave at the boat at 8am, traffic is normal and the drive takes 4 hours and the border wait is less than 30 minutes, you will get to SeaTac by 12:30pm which leaves you plenty of wiggle room for your flight at 4:05pm.

 

[ExpeditionEverest]

I know we are months away from the members Alaska cruise but I am so excited. It will be our 2nd members' cruise, our 2nd Alaska Disney cruise, my
4th cruise up to Alaska and I think our 9th or 10th Disney cruise (we have lost count).

I am already choosing to spend way too much time on FE as the possibilities of what I can do are endless. I am having way too much fun with this.

A tip for those who have not yet done Alaska, it is freezing on the boat so bring winter clothes for when you are outside on the deck and bring binoculars to see the whales.

 

[autumnl78]

I know we are months away from the members Alaska cruise but I am so excited. It will be our 2nd members' cruise, our 2nd Alaska Disney cruise, my
4th cruise up to Alaska and I think our 9th or 10th Disney cruise (we have lost count).

I am already choosing to spend way too much time on FE as the possibilities of what I can do are endless. I am having way too much fun with this.

A tip for those who have not yet done Alaska, it is freezing on the boat so bring winter clothes for when you are outside on the deck and bring binoculars to see the whales.

Ok I need to clarify.. Freezing as in see your breath freezing or 50s with a moving ship wind freezing.. because I dont actually OWN a winter coat.

 

[myxdvz]

Yes, you will have plenty of time.
<snip>
Realistically, you leave at the boat at 8am, traffic is normal and the drive takes 4 hours and the border wait is less than 30 minutes, you will get to SeaTac by 12:30pm which leaves you plenty of wiggle room for your flight at 4:05pm.

Good to know. I feel better now. thanks!

 

[Johnny Quest]

I found a National rental car office at the Sandman Hotel, which seems to be about a 10 minute walk from the cruise port. I agree that it would be no fun to take everybody to the airport, but sending one adult on a 10-minute walk to get the car is much more doable.

Again, thanks for the info. Just booked a Ford Fusion from the Sandman to SeaTac for $51. $.25/mile which comes out to about $40. I don't see any better way to move 5 people from this cruise. Earliest pick up at Sandman is 8am so we may hit some traffic.

Now the challenge is reasonable airfare to Vancouver and from Seattle. We will do round trip to Seattle if necessary.