Alaska ~ 8/13/12 ~ Midnight Sun Mouseketeers!

[OC_stacylace]

I have begun buying things for the cruise! Lands End was having a 30% off sale and got the boys dress pants for dinner. REI was having their big Memorial Day Sale, and we got the boys hiking shoes, rain gear, and gloves. I think I need to start packing soon...

However, big weekend for us coming up. Junior Olympic quals for water polo for my oldest son, Dylan. We will make it to JO's, and they are at Stanford University this year the last weekend in July. So, need to have a quick trip up north before the cruise.

I really think I need to start packing then... lol

 

[TiggerAllie]

Well, finally got all the bookings sorted out. I have to say I'm not so happy with the DCL website and website staff. Because we have 1 silver CC cabin and 1 new cabin, the website would not let me book a Palo table for all linked guests when the silver window opened. I called the DCL website help on 2 separate days and was told that DCL had changed the policy and now lower CC cabins were not able to be booked on anyone else's Palo reservation until all cabins were in the booking window (and paid in full).
Well, after waiting until the 75 day window, I tried to book Palo, but the website wouldn't let me confirm any reservations--it would go to a white screen, and then eventually it wouldn't let me back into my reservation (this is all happening at midnight, BTW). By the time I was able to call for help the next morning, I couldn't get those Palo times any more. And when I was finally able to speak with a supervisor, she told me that the 2 previous people I had spoken with were wrong, and they could have added the other cabin guests over the phone at 90 days.
I did manage to find 1 Palo brunch time (Tracy Arm at 12:30), but our only dinner option is the first night, which I'm not really happy with.

I did get the excursions we wanted:
Skagway: Alaska Nature and Wildlife Expedition (I thought about the Evening Wildlife Expedition, but we'll miss our dinner seating)
Juneau: Whale Watching, Salmon Bake, and Mendenhall Glacier - Adult Only Departure
Ketchikan: Rainforest Wildlife Sanctuary, Raptor Center and Totems

I'm hoping the dining rotation is still TAPTAPT/PTAPTAP/APTAPTA (it does make sense with the rotational nights) and that the character breakfast is the 1st sea morning/day after Animators.

Our goal is to see lots of wildlife: eagles, bears, humpbacks, orcas, and maybe a moose!

 

[Robbo1]

If you end up changing your seating from first to second, just let me know!

Beth

Switched to 2nd seating. Thanks!

 

[tinkerbelltwins]

Switched to 2nd seating. Thanks!

Changed it on the Roll Call and FE on the front page!

 

[TiggerAllie]

Anyone have a link to navigators or dining rotations? I found the one for the 1st AK cruise of 2012 (Vancouver-Seattle), but I heard that it will be different on the Seattle roundtrips.

 

[tinkerbelltwins]

Here is the link to the first Alaska cruise that just got back.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2934163

Interesting read. They did have pirate night, so that answers one of our questions! They had great weather, although didn't see Tracy Arm but the next one over due to the ice. I don't think we know what the dining rotations are yet, as this was a repo cruise. So I'm not going to post their dining rotation, though you can read it in the link. We'll definitely know more when the next cruisers return on Monday!

Beth

 

[tinkerbelltwins]

I asked on another thread if anyone had heard if SEATAC and DCL had anything similar to the arrangement DCL has with MCO as it relates to the luggage. A person who is going on a July 2 cruise responded back that she had just received her luggage tags and cruise documents and there was a form for checking luggage at the end of the cruise. The airlines listed were:
Air Tran Airlines
Alaska Airlines
American Airlines
Delta Air Lines
JetBlue Airways
United Airlines
US Airways

Yay! We are flying United so I'm definitely excited about this as it will make our lives so much easier. We will now be booking DCL transportation from the port back to the airport.

Beth

 

[pekollie]

Here is the link to the first Alaska cruise that just got back.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2934163

Interesting read. They did have pirate night, so that answers one of our questions! They had great weather, although didn't see Tracy Arm but the next one over due to the ice. I don't think we know what the dining rotations are yet, as this was a repo cruise. So I'm not going to post their dining rotation, though you can read it in the link. We'll definitely know more when the next cruisers return on Monday!

Beth

Yay for pirate night! thanks for finding the answer to that one!

 

[TiggerAllie]

The dining rotation/themes was a bit different on the Seattle roundtrip that just got back:

Rotation was:

Mon: Cruise Cas
Tues: Formal
Wed: Cruise Cas
Thursday:Cruise Cas
Friday: Taste of Alaska menu/Pirate party
Sat: Semi formal
Sun:Cruise Cas

Lots of great info (and people willing to answer questions) on this thread:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2936888

Still waiting to find out about dining room rotation...

 

[tinkerbelltwins]

And the Navigators for the Seattle-Seattle trip that just got back can be gotten to from here:
http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=45098434&postcount=52

 

[tinkerbelltwins]

Based on some reports in various threads and what I saw in my quick read of some blurry navigators, it looks like the rotations (A=Animators Palate, P=Parrot Cay, T=Tritons) are:

APPTAPT(character breakfast on Day 2)
PTTAPTA (character breakfast on Day 3)
TAAPTAP (character breakfast on Day 7)

Day 1: Monday: Sailaway -- Cruise Casual -- Rotational Dinner Let the Magic Begin welcome aboard show
Day 2: Tuesday: At Sea -- Formal Night -- Golden Mickeys menu -- Golden Mickeys Show
Day 3: Wednesday: Tracy Arm -- Cruise Casual -- Rotational Dinner -- WDW Theatre has comedy hypnotist Wayne Hoffman
Day 4: Thursday: Skagway -- Cruise Casual -- Rotational Dinner -- Avengers Movie special
Day 5: Friday: Juneau -- Pirate or Cruise Casual -- Taste of Alaska Menu -- Toy Story Show and Pirate Night
Day 6: Saturday: Ketchikan -- Semi Formal -- Captain's Gala menu -- Dreams Show
Day 7: Sunday: Victoria -- Cruise Casual -- Till We Meet Again menu -- Remember the Magic Show
Day 8: Disembark

I'm also posting this on the first page of our thread!

 

[TiggerAllie]

Gosh this link has me worried about how I am going to fit everything in the suitcase...
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2936927

I am so excited that there is so much Alaska info now! From what I've read, it sounds like the first 2 trips have been excellent! I can wait til August! (And I hope the weather is just a tad nicer/warmer/drier...)

 

[tinkerbelltwins]

Gosh this link has me worried about how I am going to fit everything in the suitcase...
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2936927

I am so excited that there is so much Alaska info now! From what I've read, it sounds like the first 2 trips have been excellent! I can wait til August! (And I hope the weather is just a tad nicer/warmer/drier...)

Allison, About the dining rotations and character breakfasts, don't you think it is a little strange that the TAAPTAP rotation isn't having their character breakfast until the Victoria Day? I'm wondering if I've got that date wrong. What do you think?

 

[TiggerAllie]

Allison, About the dining rotations and character breakfasts, don't you think it is a little strange that the TAAPTAP rotation isn't having their character breakfast until the Victoria Day? I'm wondering if I've got that date wrong. What do you think?

I agree-- I am also confused! The days I have for character breakfast possibilities don't line up with any of the options of "CB 1st sea day/morning after dinner at _____". That is surprising. I guess we'll have to see if they continue with that pattern through the upcoming cruises.

 

[Purdue Mouse]

Thanks Tink-twins for taking the time to put all this information together.
It's really "wonder" ful of you.
I wish I was sailing with your group but we are sailing July 23rd.

Thanks again!

 

[tinkerbelltwins]

Thanks Tink-twins for taking the time to put all this information together.
It's really "wonder" ful of you.
I wish I was sailing with your group but we are sailing July 23rd.

Thanks again!

No problem! Share and share alike is my philosophy. I just hope we've got the dining rotations and the character breakfasts (the one on Victoria day has me puzzled) so fingers crossed that this holds true.

 

[barbbarnes]

I don't know about everybody else but I am loving the trip reports people are posting! The pictures of Tracy Arm are amazing and I can't believe we'll get to experience such a wonderful place too! I hope everybody has a great day!
Barb

 

[tinkerbelltwins]

We sail for Alaska in 8 weeks!

 

[tinkerbelltwins]

Fish Extender Exchange Participants:

Here is the FE list of participants so far. The cut off to join is of July 1st to give people plenty of time to plan. Please let me (tinkerbelltwins) know if you'd like to be added to the list!

Tinkerbelltwins -- 2 adults, 2 girls (both age 8). 1st seating. Stateroom 7522.
TigerAllie -- 4 adults. 1st seating. Stateroom 6552 and 6554.
ESFC -- 2 adults. 2nd seating. Stateroom 7612.
pekollie -- 2 adults, 1 boy (age 4). 1st seating. Stateroom 6313.
Canadacruise -- 2 adults, 1 girl (almost age 12). 2nd seating. Stateroom 6537.
Hallfamily2011 -- 2 adults, 1 boy (age 12). 1st seating. Stateroom 6084.
Davebuck -- 2 adults. 1st seating. Stateroom 7565.
Disnylvr77 ~ 2 adults, 1 girl (age 9). 2nd seating. Stateroom 8538.
Robbo1 ~ 2 adults, 3 boys (ages 14, 11, 8). 2nd seating. Staterooms 7040 and 7042.
Robbo1's brother ~ 2 adults, 2 girls (ages 12 and 10). 2nd seating. Stateroom 7038.
lisaesings ~ 2 adults, 2 boys (ages, 9 and 7). 2nd seating. Stateroom 6008.

 

[lisaesings]

Tinktwins - we'd like to be in on the fish extender exchange! Thanks for organizing!!!!!!!!