Meskamooska
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jun 12, 2005
- Messages
- 400
Hi All!
As of today we have exactly two weeks until we will be sitting on the deck of the "Wonder"ful Disney Wonder while she swiftly sails from the Canada Place dock and out into the open sea. Wow, that sounded poetic and literate didn't it? What I meant to say is: "Two weeks from today I will be black and blue from pinching myself and will be tucking into my dessert right about now".
No, that's not quite the right way to put it either, so I will give it one more try... In just two weeks my DH and I will be going bye-bye on the great big boat and I am stupidly excited! There, thats better...
Now, before I get the cart not just before the horse but before the whole dang herd, I had best introduce the players: There's me, Tisza, former Disneyland, Studio and Imagineering Castmember, my DH, Mel, a major ham radio geek (and I say that in the most loving and reverent way possible
and our 10 nearest and dearest, ranging in age from turning 8 on the cruise to significantly older than that.
I originally booked this trip about a year and a half ago and I have been eagerly anticipating it ever since. I have been keeping myself busy by working on FE items (yes, I really did start making things over a year ago), collecting images for our door magnets, reading everything I can get my hands on about our destination and also everything that all those who have gone before, and been kind enough to share, have had to say about Alaska.
We all live here in Sunny Southern California, within about 8 miles of each other give or take. Oh, and did I mention that some of the folks in my group will be flying to Vancouver about half of us will be driving! In fact, my DBF and her family have already set out on their epic drive as they will be making several stops along the way and are also planning to spend about two weeks in Canada pre-Cruise.
As for the DH and myself, we will be hitting the road with a vengence in just 10 days! Giving ourselves four days between departure from our door to arrival at Canada Place. We do have a couple of stops slated along the way (like visiting my DSS, his wife and our grandkids
). At this point we are looking at taking Highway 395 up a good portion of the way through central California as it is a prettier drive AND it passes through Bishop which is the home of Schats Bakkery (yes, that is how they spell it ), which, in turn is the home of the Original Sheepherders Bread. If you have never been there you dont know what you are missing and if you have been there then you know why I am excited about being able to stop in.
They have about ten bazillion different types of bread in addition to the Sheepherders variety and tons of other tasty treats. They also have a sandwich counter in the back of the shop which makes sandwiches that make Subway, Quiznos and all the rest hang their heads in shame, slink into a corner and quietly weep. Can you tell that I am excited about stopping by this place?
But, more about them later (like when we actually get there)... This is my VERY FIRST EVER PRE-TRIP REPORT (Yes, I am intentionally shouting!) and I am thrilled beyond belief to be able to do one.
To bring everyone up to speed on where we are in the planning and preparation stage right now, I have successfully completed construction of all my Fish Extender goodies (I got a little overzealous here and have managed to produce about 50 too many of one item but they sure were fun to make), packaging of all of them and packing them into their very own suitcase. The suitcase is completely filled to the brim and, as of right now, is the only one that I have fully packed but the pile in my bedroom of items that will be joining us on our adventure is growing by leaps and bounds on practically an hourly basis.
I also got a screaming good deal on a laminator ($12.99 including around 90 pouches!) and have been making magnets for all the doors of everyone in my group like they are going out of style. Since I have been requesting DISigns form DISigners, and collecting clip art on my own for the past year and a half narrowing the chosen artworks down to a reasonable level has been no mean feat. But it has been really fun and has inspired me to get good enough with all of the snazzy graphics programs I have at my disposal to consider attempting to do some DISigning of my own for folks in the future. Turn about is fair play, right?
Today we received our official Your Cruise Is Almost Here email from DCL.
I dont recall getting anything like this before our first Disney Cruise to the MR in 2005. I did find it interesting to see that, at least in the email that we received, formal wear was listed as optional and no mention was made of jeans not being welcome in the dining rooms. It does however tend to read as a bit of Polar opposite (pun definitely intended) list. It mentions bringing jeans, shorts, hiking boots, warm coats, gloves and swimsuits. I half expected to see it suggest that I remember to bring my micromini dress to wear with my mukluks!
As for packing, at this point, we are... correction I am, because the DHs actual contribution to the packing effort will be carrying the bags to and from the car, doing all that I can to pack us as light as I can get away with and still have all our necessary bases covered.
For anyone interested, my packing list is as follows: Jeans for both, one sweatshirt for each, one warm jacket for each, one fleece top for each, socks and undies for each (the oldest, rattiest ones as they will be making a one-way journey, however I will be wearing the good ones on my travel days to and from the ship just to keep my mom happy LOL), one pair of dockers for the DH, his suit for formal night, semi-formal night (slacks, shirt and tie only) and for dinner at Palo, my evening gown, an additional dressy dress, one pair of black slacks, a variety of dressier tops, my Mickey Mouse sweater, two pairs of shoes (dress shoes, & hiking boots) in addition to those that he will be wearing while traveling; three pairs of shoes for me (heels, Uggs, hiking boots) in addition to my traveling sneaks, and a swimsuit for each of us (which probably wont ever see the light of day let alone the water of a pool, but it wouldnt be a proper vacation without them along).
There you have it. My packing list as it stands currently.
As for the balance of my PTR, I am going to try to post an entry a day before we depart on the actual cruise on July 19.
I am planning to do an actual TR on the voyage itself but will most likely be doing that after we return home. As I am also quite the shutterbug (as is the DH) I will be including pictures of every interesting thing that I can wrap my lens around.
I hope every one enjoys reading this as much as I shall enjoy crafting it.
Until tomorrow, take care all, help lots of people and have a Wonderful day!
Tisza
As of today we have exactly two weeks until we will be sitting on the deck of the "Wonder"ful Disney Wonder while she swiftly sails from the Canada Place dock and out into the open sea. Wow, that sounded poetic and literate didn't it? What I meant to say is: "Two weeks from today I will be black and blue from pinching myself and will be tucking into my dessert right about now".
No, that's not quite the right way to put it either, so I will give it one more try... In just two weeks my DH and I will be going bye-bye on the great big boat and I am stupidly excited! There, thats better...
Now, before I get the cart not just before the horse but before the whole dang herd, I had best introduce the players: There's me, Tisza, former Disneyland, Studio and Imagineering Castmember, my DH, Mel, a major ham radio geek (and I say that in the most loving and reverent way possible
and our 10 nearest and dearest, ranging in age from turning 8 on the cruise to significantly older than that.I originally booked this trip about a year and a half ago and I have been eagerly anticipating it ever since. I have been keeping myself busy by working on FE items (yes, I really did start making things over a year ago), collecting images for our door magnets, reading everything I can get my hands on about our destination and also everything that all those who have gone before, and been kind enough to share, have had to say about Alaska.
We all live here in Sunny Southern California, within about 8 miles of each other give or take. Oh, and did I mention that some of the folks in my group will be flying to Vancouver about half of us will be driving! In fact, my DBF and her family have already set out on their epic drive as they will be making several stops along the way and are also planning to spend about two weeks in Canada pre-Cruise.
As for the DH and myself, we will be hitting the road with a vengence in just 10 days! Giving ourselves four days between departure from our door to arrival at Canada Place. We do have a couple of stops slated along the way (like visiting my DSS, his wife and our grandkids
). At this point we are looking at taking Highway 395 up a good portion of the way through central California as it is a prettier drive AND it passes through Bishop which is the home of Schats Bakkery (yes, that is how they spell it ), which, in turn is the home of the Original Sheepherders Bread. If you have never been there you dont know what you are missing and if you have been there then you know why I am excited about being able to stop in. They have about ten bazillion different types of bread in addition to the Sheepherders variety and tons of other tasty treats. They also have a sandwich counter in the back of the shop which makes sandwiches that make Subway, Quiznos and all the rest hang their heads in shame, slink into a corner and quietly weep. Can you tell that I am excited about stopping by this place?
But, more about them later (like when we actually get there
)... This is my VERY FIRST EVER PRE-TRIP REPORT (Yes, I am intentionally shouting!) and I am thrilled beyond belief to be able to do one. To bring everyone up to speed on where we are in the planning and preparation stage right now, I have successfully completed construction of all my Fish Extender goodies (I got a little overzealous here and have managed to produce about 50 too many of one item but they sure were fun to make), packaging of all of them and packing them into their very own suitcase. The suitcase is completely filled to the brim and, as of right now, is the only one that I have fully packed but the pile in my bedroom of items that will be joining us on our adventure is growing by leaps and bounds on practically an hourly basis.
I also got a screaming good deal on a laminator ($12.99 including around 90 pouches!) and have been making magnets for all the doors of everyone in my group like they are going out of style. Since I have been requesting DISigns form DISigners, and collecting clip art on my own for the past year and a half narrowing the chosen artworks down to a reasonable level has been no mean feat. But it has been really fun and has inspired me to get good enough with all of the snazzy graphics programs I have at my disposal to consider attempting to do some DISigning of my own for folks in the future. Turn about is fair play, right?
Today we received our official Your Cruise Is Almost Here email from DCL.
I dont recall getting anything like this before our first Disney Cruise to the MR in 2005. I did find it interesting to see that, at least in the email that we received, formal wear was listed as optional and no mention was made of jeans not being welcome in the dining rooms. It does however tend to read as a bit of Polar opposite (pun definitely intended) list. It mentions bringing jeans, shorts, hiking boots, warm coats, gloves and swimsuits. I half expected to see it suggest that I remember to bring my micromini dress to wear with my mukluks! As for packing, at this point, we are... correction I am, because the DHs actual contribution to the packing effort will be carrying the bags to and from the car, doing all that I can to pack us as light as I can get away with and still have all our necessary bases covered.
For anyone interested, my packing list is as follows: Jeans for both, one sweatshirt for each, one warm jacket for each, one fleece top for each, socks and undies for each (the oldest, rattiest ones as they will be making a one-way journey, however I will be wearing the good ones on my travel days to and from the ship just to keep my mom happy LOL), one pair of dockers for the DH, his suit for formal night, semi-formal night (slacks, shirt and tie only) and for dinner at Palo, my evening gown, an additional dressy dress, one pair of black slacks, a variety of dressier tops, my Mickey Mouse sweater, two pairs of shoes (dress shoes, & hiking boots) in addition to those that he will be wearing while traveling; three pairs of shoes for me (heels, Uggs, hiking boots) in addition to my traveling sneaks, and a swimsuit for each of us (which probably wont ever see the light of day let alone the water of a pool, but it wouldnt be a proper vacation without them along).
There you have it. My packing list as it stands currently.
As for the balance of my PTR, I am going to try to post an entry a day before we depart on the actual cruise on July 19.
I am planning to do an actual TR on the voyage itself but will most likely be doing that after we return home. As I am also quite the shutterbug (as is the DH) I will be including pictures of every interesting thing that I can wrap my lens around.
I hope every one enjoys reading this as much as I shall enjoy crafting it.
Until tomorrow, take care all, help lots of people and have a Wonderful day!
Tisza
. 
. So, its a good thing that they will be feeding us well on the ship which will ease the loss of my yummy Roast Beef on Sheepherders bread with the homemade dill pickle and the complimentary cookie. Well, there is always the drive back 
