A WONDERful way to celebrate Independence Day! - Disney Wonder July 1, 2013

[dsnydaddy]

I live near SF and it's never been a big draw to me. I suppose it's worth a look if you've never been. There is a Walt Disney Museum that I've yet to go to that I hear is great but not so much for little ones. Alcatraz is really cool. The museums are awful however. The wharf is not as charming as I remember as a kid and I really avoid the place now. But if you go to SF and you like wine then rent a car and tour the wine country. In June/July the hills will be a bit yellow (earlier in the year they are green and very reminiscent of Ireland) but the vistas are beautiful and those that love wine tasting have a wonderful time.

 

[Pixiedustdawn]

Hi Dawn! We've previously been on the 8/22/09 Magic Western cruise (on our honeymoon!) and this past summer were on the 8/7/11 Dream cruise (on our second anniversary . Were you on either of those sailings? If not...looking forward to meeting you and your family anyway! An Alaska cruise will be a huge check off my bucket list - I cannot wait.

Hi!

I think I did sail with you in 2009. I did sail the Dream in 2011, but we were on right before Irene at the end of the summer. All our excursions were cancelled on CC and they evacuated as soon as our sailing left the island.

Alaska is definitely going to be a different type of a cruise. I can't wait!

 

[Mackie Mouse]

I live near SF and it's never been a big draw to me. I suppose it's worth a look if you've never been. There is a Walt Disney Museum that I've yet to go to that I hear is great but not so much for little ones. Alcatraz is really cool. The museums are awful however. The wharf is not as charming as I remember as a kid and I really avoid the place now. But if you go to SF and you like wine then rent a car and tour the wine country. In June/July the hills will be a bit yellow (earlier in the year they are green and very reminiscent of Ireland) but the vistas are beautiful and those that love wine tasting have a wonderful time.

Conversely, emum, I'm traveling there for the second time in three years because I just love the city! I haven't done any of the museums, but I have visited Golden Gate Park (they have a Japanese tea garden that is a sight to see), as well as many of the more typical tourist spots. Alcatraz is absolutely worth doing at least once, for the spectacular views of the city from across the bay if nothing else. The redwoods in Muir Woods and the view of the ocean in Big Sur are specatacular. You can rent bikes and go across the Golden Gate Bridge, and wine country is an amazing trip all by itself. And if you like sushi...well, no one does it like Californians. As your kids are a bit older, it may be a really fun place to spend a few days.

But then again, I'm not a native. Of course....I do love living close to Philly too, and could sing its praises all day...so maybe I just like vacations too much!

Dawn - good to (sort of) see you again!!

**

As an aside, now that we have a handful of people chit-chatting a bit...what are everyone's thoughts about trying to organize some activities next summer? A get-together on the first day or on one of the sea days? Fish extenders? Doing a wine/martini/champagne/etc. tasting together? On both our cruises hubby and I have ether brought or become close with another couple sailing, and I am firmly of the belief that all life experiences are best shared with friends. Let's get the ideas flowing.

 

[emum]

How's this for freaky ? Watching Samantha Brown's Vancouver show, and the mailman arrives with my Book Depository delivery of "Vancouver, Victoria, and Whistler" travel guide LOL !

Thanks for the feedback on San Fran. I've been, only that was in 1980, aged nearly 10. I'm going to do my research, and come up with a grand itinerary ! I may ask for more advice as I go along.

Mackie Mouse - we loved doing FE on the PC cruise, but we ended up with a ridiculous number of cabins to cover ! I ended up leaving a deck's worth of gifts at the Boardwalk Inn where we stayed prior to the cruise, too

We enjoyed the beer tasting, too.

We tend to be "loners" on a cruise, tho' - enjoying the company of each other and the kids, but happy to meet up with others for some things. We're a little like ships who pass in the night most days with all our activities, so trips away from home allows for some rare family time.

Getting more excited, as DH is definitely looking forward to this trip

Cheers,
Sally

 

[Mackie Mouse]

Not to worry, Sally!

So how's this for fun - my ticker says this today:

How coincidental is that?

 

[dsnydaddy]

That's pretty cool!

 

[Hazeleyes536]

i just booked my family and i. we have 4 of us all together. weve never cruised with disney before and we cant wait!!

 

[dsnydaddy]

Congrats! If you've never done DCL before you're in for a treat. I've cruise NCL before but once I did DCL there was no going back! Feel free to ask any questions. So far most of those who post to this board are experienced and can help you in any way you need.

 

[Mackie Mouse]

Congrats! If you've never done DCL before you're in for a treat. I've cruise NCL before but once I did DCL there was no going back! Feel free to ask any questions. So far most of those who post to this board are experienced and can help you in any way you need.

Ditto! DH and I (well...mostly I) are WDW vets who started cruising in 2009 and are now hooked. This will be cruise #3 and our first time on the Wonder. We are kidless, but more than happy to provide info on every single adult-oriented thing there is to do on the cruise...we've done a fair amount of them at this point

 

[Hazeleyes536]

we booked an 8 night stay at WDW for December as a surprise for our kids. i then booked our alaskan cruise for all of us. we then decided to skip WDW and just a 4 night DCL cruise on the Dream for December 9. so we will have one DCL trip under our belt before we cruise to alaska.
has anyone cruised to alaska with DCL before?
we will be flying into vancouver. should we fly in the day before? and does anyone know of a airlines i should check?

 

[dsnydaddy]

It'll be good that you have the one cruise before Alaska because it'll help you get a better booking window for excursions. (you would have been 75 days but now you'll be 90 days).

I'm dying to go to WDW during Christmas but I can never get it to work out.

As far as Alaska goes, I heartily recommend flying in the day before. It gives you wiggle room if flight delays occur.

I've never done Alaska before but have been on the Wonder twice. The last time I walked about scoping out all of the best places to view Alaska from.

 

[Mackie Mouse]

we booked an 8 night stay at WDW for December as a surprise for our kids. i then booked our alaskan cruise for all of us. we then decided to skip WDW and just a 4 night DCL cruise on the Dream for December 9. so we will have one DCL trip under our belt before we cruise to alaska.
has anyone cruised to alaska with DCL before?
we will be flying into vancouver. should we fly in the day before? and does anyone know of a airlines i should check?

Hello and welcome! No particular advice, as this will be our first time Alaska as well, but I agree with flying in at least the day before. We don't have concrete plans yet, but we'll likely fly in the weekend before the cruise (as it won't mean any extra time off for my husband) and do a day or two in Vancouver. We may also give ourselves a day of leeway at the end of the trip, as well. We'll be flying with whatever airline is cheapest

Enjoy the Dream cruise in December! DH and I did a 5-night Dream cruise this past summer after 5 days in WDW and adored it. It might have been my favorite Disney trip we've ever done. I'm eager to see what you'll think of the "classic" ships after experiencing the new ones first. If you want any general cruising advice, specifically for the Dream, let us know!

 

[dsnydaddy]

Funny you mention that, my brother went with us on our Dream Cruises and the was with us again on the Wonder last Feb. He really liked both ships but with the younger children... The amenities of the Dream were too much of a draw, he rebooked for the Fantasy. While I cancelled my Fantasy cruise in favor of the Wonder to Alaska.

 

[Mackie Mouse]

Funny you mention that, my brother went with us on our Dream Cruises and the was with us again on the Wonder last Feb. He really liked both ships but with the younger children... The amenities of the Dream were too much of a draw, he rebooked for the Fantasy. While I cancelled my Fantasy cruise in favor of the Wonder to Alaska.

I'm eager to see my own reaction of the Wonder for this reason! Hubs and I took our first cruise on the Magic in '09, and our second on the Dream in '11. We fell in love with the Magic from the moment we stepped into the atrium...and fell in love with the Dream even more! The destination, rather than the ship itself, is the draw this time around...and I am slightly frightened that going back to a classic ship in a year will cause me to complain about things that are "missing" compared to the Dream (Remy, Midship Detective Agency, the new Animators' show, the new rainforest room, etc.). Knowing hubs and I, though...its going to be REALLY hard to complain with all the fun we'll have in Alaska! I think we'll be just fine

 

[dsnydaddy]

It's funny, but I didn't miss much. I just love being on DCL. One thing that I didn't like so much about the classic ship was the fact that the Mickey pool and goofy pools are separated. I like the all in one of the new ships. Loved the aqua duck but it didn't take away anything not having it. The animators show is REALLY showing signs of age and needs to be reworked to be similar to the new ships. But the overall experience was still a pure joy.

 

[Hazeleyes536]

thanks for the info!
were definatly flying in the day before.
We also booked 3 nights at WDW after our bahamas cruise in December. Just couldnt pass up christmas time at WDW!

 

[dsnydaddy]

Envious!

 

[Mackie Mouse]

thanks for the info!
were definatly flying in the day before.
We also booked 3 nights at WDW after our bahamas cruise in December. Just couldnt pass up christmas time at WDW!

Love it! I did a Christmas trip with family to WDW while in college - there's nothing quite like it! Don't miss the Osborne lights.

 

[dsnydaddy]

I put on a Christmas light show every year for my community. And the Osborne lights are like crack to me. Every year I tell my wife that I'm going to go. But she always tells me, "but who's going to tend your lights." It's all computer controlled, not much for me to do. I just need to come up with the money to go, however.

 

[Mackie Mouse]

I put on a Christmas light show every year for my community. And the Osborne lights are like crack to me. Every year I tell my wife that I'm going to go. But she always tells me, "but who's going to tend your lights." It's all computer controlled, not much for me to do. I just need to come up with the money to go, however.

So...on a scale of 1 to this guy, where do you fall?

I think a WDW Christmas trip is a must-do once in a lifetime for any Disney-crazed family. To be honest, Disneyland might have more seasonal overlay rides...but between all four parks, and the resorts and restaurants, so many unique things happen for the holidays it's a sight to see. I will never forget calling my (now) husband on our very first Christmas while dating to tell him that I was waiting on line to ride Splash Mountain while he was opening his gifts on Christmas morning! Christmas dinner at Coral Reef in the Living Seas was also a unique experience, for sure. The parade, the storytelling at Epcot, the gingerbread house in the Grand Floridian, Illuminations on New Year's Eve, the ice lights on the castle...it's about as good as Disney gets. Maybe that'll be the next big trip

In other news...anyone planning to spend some time in Vancouver before/after the cruise? Has anyone been before? I think we'll probably do three nights (Fri-Sat-Sun) and two full days in the city beforehand. Must-see activities for us crazy spawn-free grownups welcome