A Voyage of Firsts! The WONDERful Journey North: LA-Vancouver-Alaska, 4/27-5/10 2011

[katypop]

No it wasn't a typo Kathe....more like a senior moment. haha I thought at the time I typed it that GITs were 55 and up. Now that I'm thinking about it, I remember that you're right because I told myself at the time that I qualify for GIT and I'm not quite 55 yet. So there you go.....a senior moment.

You're just taking the training part seriously

 

[sabrecmc]

Champagne Girls? Do tell.

It will be me, my DD(5) and my parents for the whole Disneyland-Repo-Alaska extravaganza. Except that my parents are abandoning us at Disneyland to head to Vegas for a couple of days. Too much Mickey for my Dad, I think, lol.

For the Repo, we're doing the Views of SF and Muir Woods in SF, then the horse-drawn Trolley in Victoria. I booked an afternoon tea at the Empress for my daughter and I online.

For the Alaska portion, in Skagway, we're doing a Yukon bus/rail tour with Chilkoot Charters that includes the White Pass, Emerald Lake and dog sledding. In Juneau we're doing the DCL Whale watching & Mendenhall glacier excursion. I'd like to also do gold panning, but it won't let me book two excursions online, so I'll try to take care of that onboard. Ketchikan is sort of driving me nuts because I want to do the Misty Fjords flightseeing, but I'm really not sure my 5 year old will enjoy that for the money it costs. My parents are just doing a city tour, not something she'd really like, so I can't send her off with them, lol. Right now I have the Rainforest, Totems and Raptor Center excursion booked. We'll see. I keep changing my mind. We're also doing the Disney Exclusive Lumberjack show. I just went to the lumberjack show website and bought tickets for it. Exclusive apparently doesn't mean actually exclusive.

For anyone that has been to these areas before, how does that look for a 5 year old girl?

 

[EllaEnchanted]

You're just taking the training part seriously

hahahaha.....that's very good Kathe. Especially since it's so true!!!

 

[EllaEnchanted]

Champagne Girls? Do tell.

It will be me, my DD(5) and my parents for the whole Disneyland-Repo-Alaska extravaganza. Except that my parents are abandoning us at Disneyland to head to Vegas for a couple of days. Too much Mickey for my Dad, I think, lol.

For the Repo, we're doing the Views of SF and Muir Woods in SF, then the horse-drawn Trolley in Victoria. I booked an afternoon tea at the Empress for my daughter and I online.

For the Alaska portion, in Skagway, we're doing a Yukon bus/rail tour with Chilkoot Charters that includes the White Pass, Emerald Lake and dog sledding. In Juneau we're doing the DCL Whale watching & Mendenhall glacier excursion. I'd like to also do gold panning, but it won't let me book two excursions online, so I'll try to take care of that onboard. Ketchikan is sort of driving me nuts because I want to do the Misty Fjords flightseeing, but I'm really not sure my 5 year old will enjoy that for the money it costs. My parents are just doing a city tour, not something she'd really like, so I can't send her off with them, lol. Right now I have the Rainforest, Totems and Raptor Center excursion booked. We'll see. I keep changing my mind. We're also doing the Disney Exclusive Lumberjack show. I just went to the lumberjack show website and bought tickets for it. Exclusive apparently doesn't mean actually exclusive.

For anyone that has been to these areas before, how does that look for a 5 year old girl?

Can't help you with how it looks for a 5 year old girl.....but I can tell you all about the Champagne Girls. See the next post.

BTW, we're doing the some excursion in Victoria. Nice!

 

[EllaEnchanted]

CHAMPAGNE GIRLS.....CHAMPAGNE GIRLS.......CHAMPAGNE GIRLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!​

Calling all the Champagne Girls.....I'm about to make an announcement:


I will be hosting a Champagne Girls Tasting for women only on the Alaskan cruise. Every adult woman is invited. You don't have to drink champagne to attend, but it certainly doesn't hurt if you do.

Here's how it works:

I request a room from DCL. I order a variety of champagne from DCL. I put it on my bill. All the ladies attending are required to wear pink. Pink tiaras and boas will be provided for everyone to wear. We will take a group picture that will be very pink. We will "taste," "drink," "guzzle" and consume all the champagne while discussing it and many other things. It's a fun, fun way to spend two hours on a sea day.

We have a mascot, Sassy Bubbles, who is attending and will be dressed as a pink tink. We have ladies who won't drink any champagne, they are honorary members and can attend without any charge. We have ladies who will just have a little champagne and not all of the varieties, they are the sippers and will be charged $5 cash to attend. We have ladies who are drinkers/guzzlers and will drink all the various champagnes offered, they are the tasters and will be charged $10 cash to attend. I collect some money to offset part of the costs to me. In no way does it cover all of my expenses, but I prefer to offer it at a minimal price so that many more ladies will be able to attend. I always say, "the more the merrier."

If you are interested in attending please post on this thread, send me your name, stateroom number and category preference.....honorary member, sipper or taster.....so I can determine how much champagne I need to order.

Here are some pictures of two previous Champagne Girls Tastings that I have done:

Our first tasting was done in 2008 and the second in 2009. Since then three other Champagne Girls Tastings have been done by others that attended, not by me. Personally, I think they stole the name PINK for the Champagne Bar on the DREAM from us. hahaha.

 

[Tink rules]

Once a guzzler... ALWAYS a guzzler!!!

but the QM is a sipper...


soon you'll know where I'll be staying...

 

[ibouncetoo]

You know I'll be there...guzzling away!

 

[EllaEnchanted]

Once a guzzler... ALWAYS a guzzler!!!

but the QM is a sipper...


soon you'll know where I'll be staying...

You know I'll be there...guzzling away!

I KNOW you'll be there and I have all your info except one little thing....I need your stateroom numbers just in case I have to call and leave a message that DCL changed the time/place at the last minute.....like they have been known to do in the past. Naturally, they'll do it again. Thanks.

 

[Planky]

I'll be in the corner suckin on a nice bottle of Dom Perignone...

Anyone got a straw????

 

[EllaEnchanted]

Hi Friends....it's time for me to decide how many days I'm staying in Vancouver and how many in Seattle. I have 4 days off before I have to fly home. I was thinking of 2 nights in Van and 2 in Seattle, but I don't think anyone else will be in Van past one night. Please let me know who is staying in Vancouver and for how many nights. Thanks.

Is there anyone who is staying in Seattle for any length of time?

 

[animalx]

You pink girlies look tooo crazy. I will probably be waving at dock in Vancouver as i will not be going on the cruises this year. Anyone willing to pickup any Vinylmation for me will be treated to a nice Starbucks at the Pan Pacific Dock.

 

[EllaEnchanted]

What is everyone doing for transportation....ie, I need a ride to the airport from PA to NY, I need a ride to the hotel from LAX to Rodondo Beach, I need a ride to the Port.....is it still Berth 93, I need a ride to the hotel in Vancouver, I need a ride to the train in Vancouver, I need a ride to the hotel in Seattle, I need a ride to the airport in Seattle and I need a ride home from NY to PA. That's a lot of car service, car rentals or cabs. What is everyone else doing?

 

[ibouncetoo]

Deb, for the LA stuff check with Zippy Shuttle. That's who we used in January and are using again for this cruise.

For us, 3 people SNA to Long Beach then Long Beach to the Wonder the next morniing = $80. That's a private service, not a shared ride.

.
.

 

[EllaEnchanted]

Deb, for the LA stuff check with Zippy Shuttle. That's who we used in January and are using again for this cruise.

For us, 3 people SNA to Long Beach then Long Beach to the Wonder the next morniing = $80. That's a private service, not a shared ride.

.
.

Thanks Jacks.....I'll look into them. Are you taking cabs everywhere else?

P.S. You should be receiving your postcards any day now. They were mailed out on Sat.

 

[Tink rules]

Planky's booking a u-haul from the airport to the hotel to the port... he tends to pack heavy..

 

[EllaEnchanted]

Well now that I have spent the morning working on all the transportation connections.....I have decided that I'm going to be naked for this entire trip. haha. I'm not just going from the car to the boat to the hotel. I'm going from here to there to there without a car many times. I'm not lugging around 500lb bags of luggage for LA and Alaska. I'm rethinking my warbdrob. You may see me wearing the same things over again. I promise I will Woolite them in the sink by hand every night and put them on the verandah to dry. My pictures are all going to look the same....

 

[Tink rules]

put in a change of undies and you'll be fine..

Hey Deb... are we still organizing Easter Brunch?

 

[EllaEnchanted]

put in a change of undies and you'll be fine..

Hey Deb... are we still organizing Easter Brunch?

hahaha....

YES .... me, John and Gydell are doing Champagne Brunch on Easter Sunday. I'm still waiting to hear from V after she talks to the group. I have a ressie on hold now for 4, but I can happily change it. Why? Do you and the QM want to attend?

 

[Tink rules]

yeah - we want in... and we can check with some others... not sure when Ken and shannon are arriving and if Kathe wants to join us with her kids... I'm probably going to rent a car for the day or so.. we can get around that way...

Also.... maybe Steve would like to join us - with or without the guys... I can check if you want..

 

[EllaEnchanted]

yeah - we want in... and we can check with some others... not sure when Ken and shannon are arriving and if Kathe wants to join us with her kids... I'm probably going to rent a car for the day or so.. we can get around that way...

Also.... maybe Steve would like to join us - with or without the guys... I can check if you want..

Well I have put the notice out there in a number of places and the only one definite is Gydell. V is considering it along with the Left Coasters. If you and mom want to go, book the cruise and then let me know. Make sure it's not too late. As far as asking others.....they know about it and they didn't respond. So let's just let sleeping dogs lie. I'll put the info out there again for everyone. If they want to go, they will respond themselves.

http://www.castawayrestaurant.com/castawayburbank/weekend_brunches.aspx


Here's where we are going for brunch on Easter Sunday. If you would like to attend, let me know. Don't wait too long. I'm going to make final ressies very soon.