2MouseMoguls
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2012
- Messages
- 16
DH, DSis and I went on the Inaugural cruise and loved it so much, we went back in August and did it again, renewing our wedding vows onboard. Magical! Truly magical!
We loved that cruise so much that we booked another DCL cruise for this coming August. It is THAT good! The WONDER crew is a huge contributing factor for this cruise being so special. They make us feel as though we are their favorite passengers that have ever been onboard. We hear this from many MOs.
We began the first adventure by taking the cruise up from Los Angeles to Vancouver and then the Inaugural Cruise, back-to-back.
We were invited to a special party at the stern of the ship with a few characters. Donald was in special form. Then, going under the Golden Gate bridge on the ship was spectacular. (We have sailed under it several times before on our catamarans, but being so close to the bridge caught us off guard, and we gasped in delight!
DSis and DH enjoyed San Francisco while I visited my knee surgeon, for a post-op visit; I was recovering from a biological knee replacement. The surgeon's team thought it so fun that I had arrived by ship, and not just any ship, a Disney ship. It sure made physical therapy a lot more fun.
Meanwhile DSis and DH had a blast, hiking up some of the crazy roads and riding trolly cars, just being fun tourists. We met at Alioto's for the amazing clam chowder (in the famous San Francisco sourdough "bowls." YUM!)
The arrival into Vancouver was delightful. What a lovely city. We had a car meet us to take us out for a whale watching adventure and then to Richmond for the best Chinese food in North America. (A Chinese friend gave us a list of restaurants that he frequents and he did not let us down).
We got back to the port in time to Embark for the Alaskan cruise. For the Inaugural Cruise we had to take the outside passage and it proved to be an E-ticket ride. This was required to prove that the ship was up to the Alaskan conditions. The WONDER crew was up to the challenge under Captain Thord's very skilled guidance. It made the drama of Alaska come to life.
Fortunately, future DCL Alaskan cruises travel through the well-protected inner passages, making for a much calmer sailing.
Between DSis, DH and I, one might say that we have a fairly good base of education and articulation; this was not apparent. We sat on our verandah in slack-jawed wonderment, exclaiming WOW! Wow! It was all we could say for over an hour. Testing variations, soft whispering - wow . . . louder, Wow! To booming WOW!s. That was all that would come out. We were so mesmerized that we outright missed both dining rotations, sitting in awe of the sites. We finally ordered from room service (Thank goodness they are available 24/7). We could not pull ourselves away from the rail to eat. That is unheard of in this group. Cool!
We enjoyed several excursions, our favorites being the Pilot's choice helicopter tour. (If you are a large person, it is worth paying for the 1/2 seat). It is just raw and gorgeous scenery, getting to remote places and over ice fields that are centuries deep. We saw mushers loading their dogs for helicopter transport to the glaciers where they train for the Iditarod. It was touching how much they seemed to love each dog.
The whale watching in Juneau is spectacular in August. The salmon are running and every major predator in the area is feeding for the coming winter. We loved standing at the dock watching sea lions stalk the salmon as they try to get to the fish ladders. They show off their catch to onlookers. Great hunters!
The dog mushing was more enjoyable than I had anticipated, and the puppies were the cutest. (My goal was to return smelling of sour milk and puppy tinkle - meaning I had gotten to snuggle a bunch of little fur balls - SUCCESS)!
The dogs were extremely happy and clearly enjoyed their jobs. This made me quite happy, as I was concerned for their well-being. Not to worry.
The float plane trip into the Fjords, out of Ketchikan was spectacular, and gave close up views of the wildlife that thrive in the fjords. We watched a whale breach as we flew overhead. That was very rare and fortunate, to be sure.
The Eagle Float was really fun. We have Eagles near where we live, but this was spectacular. There was every type of family unit we could imagine, fledglings and parents, pairs, bachelors getting into mischief. The river is low in August and we had to "bump" to free our craft from sand bars. As with all boats, the rule applies : "One boat makes a nice day on the water, two boats make a regatta.". The water was slow moving, but the maneuvering was on. What a hoot.
On the bus ride back, we saw a black bear crossing the road. Our young guide said, "I wonder where he is going?". DH and I respond, "over the mountain, of course.". Said guide was perplexed at our unified reply. So we began to sing, "You know, the bear went over the mountain, the bear went over the mountain . . ..". He said he hadn't heard that song. We began to sing it and bit by bit the entire bus was singing. It was a joy! The guide was dumbfounded that there was this song, and EVERYBODY on the bus knew it. What a riot! It really was a highlight. The little things often are.
There is so much to say, but I have probably blathered on too long. Thank you for reading. I have pictures to download very shortly.
We stayed at the Pan Pacific, which is right at the port. It is a great hotel with top notch service! One of our favorite meals was right outside the Pan Pacific - a gourmet lunch truck serving Dim Sum. Sounds dicey, right? OMG! Amazing DimSum. In Seattle we will be staying at the Waterfront Marriott.
Misty Fjords by float plane! Fabulous! Check out the ear-to-ear smiles. Landing in the fjords to take in the rapturous splendour of nature in the Alaskan Wilderness. This is a "Must-do" adventure.
The glacier, carrying centuries of ice and debris is a striking blue.
Vow Renewals to celebrate our 20th Wedding Anniversary. It was a Magical Day. Nobody creates special days like Disney can. The photo shows DSis, DH, me, Capt. Thord and our super-concierge, Tawanda.
We loved that cruise so much that we booked another DCL cruise for this coming August. It is THAT good! The WONDER crew is a huge contributing factor for this cruise being so special. They make us feel as though we are their favorite passengers that have ever been onboard. We hear this from many MOs.
We began the first adventure by taking the cruise up from Los Angeles to Vancouver and then the Inaugural Cruise, back-to-back.
We were invited to a special party at the stern of the ship with a few characters. Donald was in special form. Then, going under the Golden Gate bridge on the ship was spectacular. (We have sailed under it several times before on our catamarans, but being so close to the bridge caught us off guard, and we gasped in delight!
DSis and DH enjoyed San Francisco while I visited my knee surgeon, for a post-op visit; I was recovering from a biological knee replacement. The surgeon's team thought it so fun that I had arrived by ship, and not just any ship, a Disney ship. It sure made physical therapy a lot more fun.
Meanwhile DSis and DH had a blast, hiking up some of the crazy roads and riding trolly cars, just being fun tourists. We met at Alioto's for the amazing clam chowder (in the famous San Francisco sourdough "bowls." YUM!)
The arrival into Vancouver was delightful. What a lovely city. We had a car meet us to take us out for a whale watching adventure and then to Richmond for the best Chinese food in North America. (A Chinese friend gave us a list of restaurants that he frequents and he did not let us down).
We got back to the port in time to Embark for the Alaskan cruise. For the Inaugural Cruise we had to take the outside passage and it proved to be an E-ticket ride. This was required to prove that the ship was up to the Alaskan conditions. The WONDER crew was up to the challenge under Captain Thord's very skilled guidance. It made the drama of Alaska come to life.
Fortunately, future DCL Alaskan cruises travel through the well-protected inner passages, making for a much calmer sailing.
Between DSis, DH and I, one might say that we have a fairly good base of education and articulation; this was not apparent. We sat on our verandah in slack-jawed wonderment, exclaiming WOW! Wow! It was all we could say for over an hour. Testing variations, soft whispering - wow . . . louder, Wow! To booming WOW!s. That was all that would come out. We were so mesmerized that we outright missed both dining rotations, sitting in awe of the sites. We finally ordered from room service (Thank goodness they are available 24/7). We could not pull ourselves away from the rail to eat. That is unheard of in this group. Cool!
We enjoyed several excursions, our favorites being the Pilot's choice helicopter tour. (If you are a large person, it is worth paying for the 1/2 seat). It is just raw and gorgeous scenery, getting to remote places and over ice fields that are centuries deep. We saw mushers loading their dogs for helicopter transport to the glaciers where they train for the Iditarod. It was touching how much they seemed to love each dog.
The whale watching in Juneau is spectacular in August. The salmon are running and every major predator in the area is feeding for the coming winter. We loved standing at the dock watching sea lions stalk the salmon as they try to get to the fish ladders. They show off their catch to onlookers. Great hunters!
The dog mushing was more enjoyable than I had anticipated, and the puppies were the cutest. (My goal was to return smelling of sour milk and puppy tinkle - meaning I had gotten to snuggle a bunch of little fur balls - SUCCESS)!
The dogs were extremely happy and clearly enjoyed their jobs. This made me quite happy, as I was concerned for their well-being. Not to worry.
The float plane trip into the Fjords, out of Ketchikan was spectacular, and gave close up views of the wildlife that thrive in the fjords. We watched a whale breach as we flew overhead. That was very rare and fortunate, to be sure.
The Eagle Float was really fun. We have Eagles near where we live, but this was spectacular. There was every type of family unit we could imagine, fledglings and parents, pairs, bachelors getting into mischief. The river is low in August and we had to "bump" to free our craft from sand bars. As with all boats, the rule applies : "One boat makes a nice day on the water, two boats make a regatta.". The water was slow moving, but the maneuvering was on. What a hoot.
On the bus ride back, we saw a black bear crossing the road. Our young guide said, "I wonder where he is going?". DH and I respond, "over the mountain, of course.". Said guide was perplexed at our unified reply. So we began to sing, "You know, the bear went over the mountain, the bear went over the mountain . . ..". He said he hadn't heard that song. We began to sing it and bit by bit the entire bus was singing. It was a joy! The guide was dumbfounded that there was this song, and EVERYBODY on the bus knew it. What a riot! It really was a highlight. The little things often are.
There is so much to say, but I have probably blathered on too long. Thank you for reading. I have pictures to download very shortly.
We stayed at the Pan Pacific, which is right at the port. It is a great hotel with top notch service! One of our favorite meals was right outside the Pan Pacific - a gourmet lunch truck serving Dim Sum. Sounds dicey, right? OMG! Amazing DimSum. In Seattle we will be staying at the Waterfront Marriott.
Misty Fjords by float plane! Fabulous! Check out the ear-to-ear smiles. Landing in the fjords to take in the rapturous splendour of nature in the Alaskan Wilderness. This is a "Must-do" adventure.
The glacier, carrying centuries of ice and debris is a striking blue.
Vow Renewals to celebrate our 20th Wedding Anniversary. It was a Magical Day. Nobody creates special days like Disney can. The photo shows DSis, DH, me, Capt. Thord and our super-concierge, Tawanda.
