August 16, 2011 – 7 Night Alaska Sailing

[kgsmith]

There are some wonderful photos of Tracey Arm & Sawyer Glacier in this blog (scroll down to the bottom of the page):

http://www.carol-anne.ca/2011 May Alaska Cruise Trip Report.htm

If you haven't seen them yet, there are some other blogs listed in post #2 in this thread:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2711983

 

[nickcapp]

Wow. All I can say is wow.

This cruise can't come soon enough!

 

[BishopFamily]

I still haven't figured out where we are staying the night before the cruise.
The 6 of us will be in Seattle over the weekend and driving up to Vancouver from Seattle on Monday. We are driving and will probably park at the port, so we could stay almost anywhere in vancouver, we just don't want to cross the border tuesday morning (in case there are delays).

I'm looking for suggestions and hoping not to spend a lot for the 1 night stay.

 

[mellers]

Fish Extender List

Mickey Group

Mellers, stateroom 7631, Mellers (41), DH (44), DD (15)
Mrs. Gumdrop (Happy Birthday and Anniversary!) & (DH) V.I.N.CENT, 6102, Lauren (32) & (DH) Rich (34)
DumboFan, Stateroom 6098, Debbie, Kenny, Kate (13)
BishopFamily, Stateroom 5524, Nancy, Richard, DS(13), DD(8)
msnoble, Stateroom 6034, Maureen, Brian, Erica (age 12 (2 weeks from 13 ) and Russell (age 10)
MonicaW, Stateroom 2629, Mike and Monica (adults), Kimberly (14)
CubCatsK&D (Happy Birthday!), Stateroom 7134, Kim and Deb (adults), Cameron (12)
Aby, Stateroom 7126, Kim and Chuck (30-somethings)
Elfinjojo, Stateroom 2134, Jojo (38), Rob (39), Holly (9) Evan (7)
Juldara, Stateroom 2090, Julie, Maya (9)
Pops711 (Happy Anniversary), Stateroom 6613, Jerry, Melanie, Faith (10.5 months), Bella (10.5 months)

Pluto Group

Godalejr (Happy Birthday!), Stateroom 2574, Jenn (40), Jeff (39), DS (9)
Wisegal (Happy Birthday to the little guys!), Stateroom 6111, Nicole (34), DH - Dave (40), DD - Brooklyn (5), DS - Michael (4)
Kgsmith (Happy Anniversary!), Stateroom 7092, Karen (40), Stuart (39), Bennett (9)
Mrs. Gumdrop's DSIL, 6100, Melissa (30-something)
AppleGuy, Stateroom 5138, Gary and Donna (adults)
AppleGuy's Friends, Stateroom 5136, Lee and Sharon (adults)
Dancing Mickey's (Happy Birthday!), Stateroom ????, Dancing Mickey's, DH, DD (4) DS (10)
Pops711 (Happy Anniversary), Stateroom 6613, Jerry, Melanie, Faith (10.5 months), Bella (10.5 months)
MercoBear, Stateroom 5462, Gretchen, Dustin (30-Something)
Juldara, Stateroom 2090, Julie, Maya (9)
Nickcapp, Stateroom ????, Nick (30), Kristin (27), Joey (1)

No sticky, chewy candy for Erica, Kate, Julie or Maya, and no food, please, for Mellers family (all 3 have MAJOR dietary issues)

And here's the Day-Before Meet List:

Mellers (5 people)
Scothen (1 person)
ALawley (11 people)
Mrs. Gumdrop (2 people, maybe)

Here's the First Seating List:

Mellers
Mrs. Gumdrop
Mrs. Gumdrop's DSIL
Wisegal
CubCatsK&D
Godalejr
Inkmahm

Here's the Second Seating List

MercoBear
Appleguy
Appleguy's Friends
Dkmjgal
Kgsmith
Disneymath
Pops711
Aby
Dumbofan
Juldara

Here's the night-before lodging list:

FourPoints Sheraton Vancouver Airport

Mellers

Fairmont Vancouver Airport

Scothen

Vancouver Marriott Pinnacle Downtown

Mrs. Gumdrop
dkmjgal

Fairmont Waterfront

Kgsmith
Aby

Pan Pacific

Godalejr
Inkmahm

 

[mellers]

Mellars.....


Can we join the fish extender list??

We are still GTY but I think my son will get a kick out of making the deliveries and checking the "mail"!

Nick (30) Kristin (27) and Joey (1) Cappuccino

No restrictions for us!

You are on the list! Here's a reposting of the rules for the FE exchange:

1. You can make (or purchase) any kind of gift you want, any way you want for the other cabins. It can be one gift for everyone, a package gift, one gift for kids and one gift for adults, or individual gifts for each person, or some other combination I didn't list.

2. If you are on the "Mickey Group" List, you are only responsible for giving gifts to the cabins on the "Mickey Group" List. If you are on the "Pluto Group" List, you are only responsible for giving gifts to cabins on the "Pluto Group" list. You may request to be added to both lists, up to a limit of 15 cabins, and I will put you on both lists.

3. Nobody should feel like they need to "break the bank"--not on the gifts, shipping, or luggage fees. This should be fun, not a burden on anyone.

4. You can deliver your gifts any day or time you want, as long as they are delivered before noon on 8/22.

5. Nobody will be added to the FE list after 6/18, although latecomers may form their own FE exchange group if they wish

6. Anybody who wants to be on both FE lists, or on the same FE list as somebody else, or on a different FE list that the one they're in, post a message or PM me, and I will make the changes, up to a limit of 15 cabins per FE list, and before the 6/18 cutoff date. After that date, the lists are fixed.

7. Whether or not you are participating in the FE, you are welcome at the cruise get-together. We are planning to have it in Diversions at 3 p.m. August 16th (Children are allowed in Diversions at that hour). If somebody has reserved Diversions (I have not), and it is not available, we'll all meet in the Promenade Lounge at 3 p.m. Kids and teens are welcome.

8. Whether or not you are participating in the FE, you are welcome at the pre-cruise get-together. While you do not have to let me know you are coming, if you know you are coming, it's helpful for me to know so I can get a bigger table. However, if it looks like you can come last-minute, come anyway--it'll be fine . It will be at 5 p.m. August 15th at the White Spot in Richmond, BC (near the airport). If you need something before the cruise, we'll be near a large shopping mall (Lansdowne Center), so that might be of help.

The White Spot is at 5880 No. 3 Road (No. 3 Road and Ackroyd), Richmond, BC V6X 2E1. There are two White Spots on No. 3 Road, so you'll want to make sure you're at the closest to the Lansdowne Shopping Centre, at the Ackroyd cross street. If you are staying at Canada Place, and don't have a car or don't want to drive, take the Canada Line from the waterfront to the Lansdowne Station. It's just a short distance down No. 3 Road past the shopping centre. You'll probably see the big sign when you get down from the station (the station exits onto No. 3 Road). Kids and teens are welcome.

If there are any questions, or a rule becomes a problem for somebody, let me know.

Thanks,

Mellers

 

[mellers]

I still haven't figured out where we are staying the night before the cruise.
The 6 of us will be in Seattle over the weekend and driving up to Vancouver from Seattle on Monday. We are driving and will probably park at the port, so we could stay almost anywhere in vancouver, we just don't want to cross the border tuesday morning (in case there are delays).

I'm looking for suggestions and hoping not to spend a lot for the 1 night stay.

If you are looking for an inexpensive place to stay, you might want to try The FourPoints Sheraton Vancouver Airport or the La Quinta Vancouver Airport. Both are inexpensive, but clean and comfortable. Both are located next to a major shopping center that is GREAT for last-minute cruise items. Both are within walking distance (albeit a long walk) from the pre-cruise meet. I know that the FourPoints has a paid parking lot, and I think the La Quinta's is free. The LaQuinta also has a nice free breakfast.

You may also want to check if either has long term parking after you leave, because that might be cheaper than parking at the pier--even if you had to book a ride to and from. If you don't have a huge amount of luggage, you could also drop the family and the luggage off at the Lansdowne Canada Line station (approx 1/2 mile from the La Quinta and 1/4 mile from the Four Points) and then park and walk back to the station yourself.

You will also have fabulous neighbors there (My family and I will be staying at the FourPoints.)

http://www.starwoodhotels.com/fourpoints/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=213

http://www.lq.com/lq/properties/pro...&searchType=GEO&lat=49.163469&lon=-123.137766

 

[mellers]

If you are looking for an inexpensive place to stay, you might want to try The FourPoints Sheraton Vancouver Airport or the La Quinta Vancouver Airport. Both are inexpensive, but clean and comfortable. Both are located next to a major shopping center that is GREAT for last-minute cruise items. Both are within walking distance (albeit a long walk) from the pre-cruise meet. I know that the FourPoints has a paid parking lot, and I think the La Quinta's is free. The LaQuinta also has a nice free breakfast.

You may also want to check if either has long term parking after you leave, because that might be cheaper than parking at the pier--even if you had to book a ride to and from. If you don't have a huge amount of luggage, you could also drop the family and the luggage off at the Lansdowne Canada Line station (approx 1/2 mile from the La Quinta and 1/4 mile from the Four Points) and then park and walk back to the station yourself.

You will also have fabulous neighbors there (My family and I will be staying at the FourPoints.)

http://www.starwoodhotels.com/fourpoints/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=213

http://www.lq.com/lq/properties/pro...&searchType=GEO&lat=49.163469&lon=-123.137766

I just noticed something--the FourPoints has a deal where for $183 + tax you can get a room night with up to 14 days of parking. If you dropped everyone off at the Canada Place with luggage, came back and parked, and took the Canada Line from Lansdowne down to the pier, given that you'd pay about $160 for parking at the pier anyway, that might be your best deal.

 

[Elfinjojo]

Yay we have booked our excursions and Palo's for the cruise. I have no idea which excursions we got in the end, DH and I came up with a list of what we would like to do and then left it to him to book, now I have surprises to look forward to. I hope we have whale watching.

We have been lucky to get a dinner and a brunch at Palo's

Also saw the pictures in the blog posted earlier and I am so excited about the trip now. My camera will be smoking by the time the trips over

JoJo
x

 

[Mrs. Gumdrop]

Good for you JoJo! I could never wait to get on the ship and be suprised by my DH's excursion selections. I like to think I can roll with the punches, but you are amazing!

Also, I keep being told that no matter how beautiful photos of Alaska are, the real thing is even better! We all have a lot to look forward to!

 

[Elfinjojo]

DH is always springing the surprises on us either for the whole family or just the kids.

Our first cruise was a complete surprise for the kids, as was the second leg of the B2B Med in 2010. Christmas this year will be a suprise as they think they are going for new year cruise but infact we are doing both.

DH had sprung treatments at the Spa on me on various cruises

 

[wisegal]

Here is a link to some picsof the Wonder through Tracy Arm Fjord that DCL posted through facebook.
http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...cy-arm-fjord-during-inaugural-alaskan-voyage/

 

[mellers]

Here is a link to some picsof the Wonder through Tracy Arm Fjord that DCL posted through facebook.
http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...cy-arm-fjord-during-inaugural-alaskan-voyage/

They're beautiful. I can't wait!!!

 

[Inkmahm]

There are some wonderful photos of Tracey Arm & Sawyer Glacier in this blog (scroll down to the bottom of the page):

http://www.carol-anne.ca/2011 May Alaska Cruise Trip Report.htm

Beautiful, but they make me think of the wonderful glaciers in Glacier Bay that we won't be seeing.

All of Alaska is beautiful and pictures really can't do it justice. I've learned to try to enjoy it while seeing it rather than trying to catch it on film. Pictures are great as a reminder, but they really aren't the same as seeing it in person.

 

[disneymath]

Beautiful, but they make me think of the wonderful glaciers in Glacier Bay that we won't be seeing.

I guess that's the advantage for first time Alaska visitors (like me) ... we haven't seen ANY glaciers up close and personal, so we have no pont of reference to compare the ones we will see to others. Since it's also our first cruise (DCL or otherwise), I plan on being on sensory overload!

 

[Inkmahm]

I guess that's the advantage for first time Alaska visitors (like me) ... we haven't seen ANY glaciers up close and personal, so we have no pont of reference to compare the ones we will see to others. Since it's also our first cruise (DCL or otherwise), I plan on being on sensory overload!

You are going to LOVE it! Alaska really is beautiful. I can hardly wait to see what Disney does to give it the Disney touch. I even booked my excursions through Disney just for that reason when I normally would book separate tours in Alaska rather than go through Princess. I can't think of a better cruise to take for a first cruise than a cruise to Alaska.

The ports that we are doing are the same ports I have done before on Princess. You never run out of things to do though. I'd suggest trying to get as much in as you can afford and as much as you have time for.

There are a LOT of tourist trap stores in each port. There are also some great stores owned and operated by locals with beautiful art work, furs, etc. I got my Alaskan fur jacket in Ketchikan the last time we were there. It is WARM and something I wish I'd have had years ago living in Wisconsin.

The beauty in Alaska to me is in the scenery and in the animals. We won't get close enough to glaciers in Tracy Arm for my taste. I'd highly suggest any of the excursions that get you flying over a glacier, paddling up to a glacier, or getting out to walk on a glacier. THey are expensive, but there really isn't anything else quite like a glacier close up.

My other favorites are the whale watches as you get SO close to them. And the bears fishing for salmon. My first trip to Alaska was in May, 2005. It was great to see Spring in Alaska but we were WAY too early to see the bears. Now I go in August because it is prime bear watching. We have excursions available to Traitor's Cove (been there and it is GREAT) as well as Neet's Bay (doing that one this time.) Also expensive, but a great experience to see the salmon and the bears.

The train in SKagway is a "must do". You see scenery that you CAN'T see from the highway, no matter what the driving tours tell you. I'd love to do the steam train as the normal train is diesel. But this trip we are doing the Evening Wildlife watch so that we can get to Haines to maybe see brown bear. It was a tough decision though! You can't go wrong with any of the tours, really.

I know dog sledding is popular but I won't schedule the dog sledding on a glacier again after I learned that is THE most canceled excursion in all of Alaska. Weather often does not cooperate. We had this scheduled in August 2008 out of Juneau and it was canceled. Now I do my dogsledding at home in Wisconsin in winter. We ARE going to do the summer dog sled camp in the morning in Skagway though. I love those puppies!

My guess is that many people who think this is their once in a lifetime cruise to Alaska will be back someday. On Princess, there is always a high number of repeat Alaska cruisers. Once the Alaska bug bites you, it is hard not to return. Future trips will bring us back to doing land tours before our cruise. We'll miss seeing Denali, Anchorage, etc. on this trip. But being able to do Alaska with Disney made us book the cruise anyway.

The one worry I have is NOT doing the inside passage heading north. The blog I read said 1/3 of the ship was sick on the maiden voyage. The sea can get really rough and being on the inside passage protects you from that for the most part. I am not looking forward to that first sea day if it really is not going to be on the inside passage.

 

[disneymath]

You are going to LOVE it! Alaska really is beautiful. I can hardly wait to see what Disney does to give it the Disney touch. I even booked my excursions through Disney just for that reason when I normally would book separate tours in Alaska rather than go through Princess. I can't think of a better cruise to take for a first cruise than a cruise to Alaska.

The ports that we are doing are the same ports I have done before on Princess. You never run out of things to do though. I'd suggest trying to get as much in as you can afford and as much as you have time for.

<snip>

The one worry I have is NOT doing the inside passage heading north. The blog I read said 1/3 of the ship was sick on the maiden voyage. The sea can get really rough and being on the inside passage protects you from that for the most part. I am not looking forward to that first sea day if it really is not going to be on the inside passage.

It's funny ... the swimming pool in our backyard is still an iceblock - it is going down to 0 Celsius (32F) tonight ... and I can't wait to go to Alaska! (Don't get me wrong, I like the warm weather ... but there is just something about glaciers and snow peaked mountains that is more appealing than "boring old snow and ice".)

Alaska will very likely be a one-time trip for my parents and a place I won't revisit for many years ... simply due to the fact that there are a number of other places in the world we would like to visit. Because of this, we have opted to do the Adventures by Disney add-on. It is expensive, but will give us a taste of just about everything each port has to offer with the added bonus of Disney handling the logistics.

There are no real wildlife excursions as part of the ABD but I am assuming we will have lots of opportunity to see the wildlife (especially whales) from the boat and as we travel to the various excursions (some by boat and train). To be honest ... the bear watching just does not excite me all that much ... maybe that's because bears frequently venture onto our street (which backs onto the bush ... uhh, forest) looking for food during the summer and early fall. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that our glacier dog-sledding won't get cancelled!

I'll admit it, I'm kinda freaked out about that first day at sea too. The photo of the waves sloshing in the pool was pretty intimidating! We'll definitely be stocking up on seasickness meds.

I've told my parents that the first day might be rough, but I don't plan on showing them that photo. My dad has never been too keen on the whole idea of cruising for a variety of reasons. He reluctantly agreed to this cruise because it's Disney. Lately though, he's been talking more positively about it and I don't want to dampen his newfound enthusiasm!

 

[mellers]

Happy Mother's Day to all of the Moms!

 

[mellers]

All those debating whether or not to join the FE List: The list closes in 40 days.

 

[kgsmith]

Happy Mother's Day to all of the Moms!

Thank you, Mellers! Happy Mother's Day to you, too!

Only 100 days to go!

 

[Mrs. Gumdrop]

According to Carol currently on the Wonder, Pirate Night is on!
http://www.carol-anne.ca/2011 May Alaska Cruise Trip Report.htm

I hope that is a little tiny Mothers Djay gift to all you Moomy cruisers.