Disney Wonder September 3, 2012. Seattle to Vancouver 7 night Alaska Cruise!

[Momma2Jax]

9:00 tonight my booking window opens!!!!! Ahhhhhhhh!

 

[jenf22]

9:00 tonight my booking window opens!!!!! Ahhhhhhhh!

Good luck! I hope you get everything!

Edit - I checked online a minute ago and Palo brunch is only showing available on the Tracy Arm day. There are lots and lots of times for Palo dinner, though. The only day that doesn't have any availability is Day 2.

 

[Momma2Jax]

Okay so our plan A was Palo brunch on the last sea day, plan B was Tracy Arm day, and plan C was day 2...

We ended up with plan B! We got in for Palo brunch at 11:00 on Tracy Arm day, and got a nursery reservation for the same time!

When I did the nursery, it only let me do half hour increments, and it said brunch went from 11:00-12:30. I am guessing we can leave a few min before 12:30, right?? So I put him in the nursery from 10:30 - 12:30, so we can pay for a full 2 hours, and we can just stroll around the ship for 30 minutes before our res!

We did not end up booking any port adventures! The only one we wanted to book was the Duck tour, and it went WAY up in price in the last few weeks! I don't want to spend $105 on a duck tour! We also want to do the tram in Juneau, but don't want to book it ahead in case it's foggy/rainy. So we booked nothing! Our plan is to be flexable, walk around, maybe jump on a bus to see something, shop, drink coffee, and relax! Sounds great to me!!

I am not staying up for online check in, because we don't want to get to the port super early anyway...so I will do that tomorrow!

This is feeling real now!

ETA: the only reason Tracy Arm day Palo brunch was plan B was because DH wanted some of the grilled lunch! I told him we can take some to the room and refrigerate it for later!

ETA again! There seemed to be several reservations open for Palo brunch on Tracy Arm day still, but Days 2 and 7 were sold out!

 

[jenf22]

Okay so our plan A was Palo brunch on the last sea day, plan B was Tracy Arm day, and plan C was day 2...

We ended up with plan B! We got in for Palo brunch at 11:00 on Tracy Arm day, and got a nursery reservation for the same time!

When I did the nursery, it only let me do half hour increments, and it said brunch went from 11:00-12:30. I am guessing we can leave a few min before 12:30, right?? So I put him in the nursery from 10:30 - 12:30, so we can pay for a full 2 hours, and we can just stroll around the ship for 30 minutes before our res!

We did not end up booking any port adventures! The only one we wanted to book was the Duck tour, and it went WAY up in price in the last few weeks! I don't want to spend $105 on a duck tour! We also want to do the tram in Juneau, but don't want to book it ahead in case it's foggy/rainy. So we booked nothing! Our plan is to be flexable, walk around, maybe jump on a bus to see something, shop, drink coffee, and relax! Sounds great to me!!

I am not staying up for online check in, because we don't want to get to the port super early anyway...so I will do that tomorrow!

This is feeling real now!

ETA: the only reason Tracy Arm day Palo brunch was plan B was because DH wanted some of the grilled lunch! I told him we can take some to the room and refrigerate it for later!

ETA again! There seemed to be several reservations open for Palo brunch on Tracy Arm day still, but Days 2 and 7 were sold out!

I'm glad you got one! I was playing this morning and 11am on Day 7 shows up as available, if you want to switch. You can always keep looking!

We're planning on doing the tram too, but everyone says to just buy the tickets in town. That way if the weather is bad, you're not out any money.

Any idea when you'll get you GTY? I keep checking our category to see if we can switch the other side of the ship.

 

[Momma2Jax]

I'm glad you got one! I was playing this morning and 11am on Day 7 shows up as available, if you want to switch. You can always keep looking!

We're planning on doing the tram too, but everyone says to just buy the tickets in town. That way if the weather is bad, you're not out any money.

Any idea when you'll get you GTY? I keep checking our category to see if we can switch the other side of the ship.

I will keep checking, but we would also be perfectly happy with day 3! I am just so glad to have gotten in as a first-timer!

We are GTY for a 7a, and as of now, they are still selling them as GTY, so I am guessing I wouldn't get an assignment until after they are sold...but I'm not totally sure how that works I know some people from our cruise date already have their GTY assignments from other categories, though!

I would love to know my room number though!


ETA: as soon as I said that about brunch, I went online to see, and what do you know, a day 7 spot was open! That's so weird that it was sold out last night! So I grabbed it! Now we will brunch at 11:00 on Sunday!

 

[Momma2Jax]

P.S. I also wanted to add that I just did the online check in (7:00 in the morning) and all of the terminal arrival times are still listed! I think the talk about this being a super easy terminal are true!

 

[Pinocchio #1 Fan]

Mama3jax- We booked Palo brunch for Tracey Arm day as well! Might see you there.

Also- I'm not entirely sure how the FE thing works. I kinda want to participate, but I'm not even sure what is expected or what kind of gifts we should bring, if we did participate. Could someone fill me in? This is our first cruise. If you'd prefer to PM me rather that post here, that's totally fine.

 

[LaurenB]

The boyfriend (Chris) and I (Lauren) are first-time cruisers, and we decided to take Seattle-Vancouver because of the ease of taking a bus down to Seattle then arriving back in Vancouver!

Wondering if there will be anyone else in their early 20's!!

 

[LaurenB]

Also, what is a FE list? Clearly very new to all of this.

 

[WhosGoofy]

Hello Everyone!!! We will also be sailing on this Cruise!! We are so excited.

We are a group of 5 in two separate cabins. My parents and I along with my Aunt and Uncle. We are sailing in memory of my grandmother who passed away after a long battle with cancer. When she first battled cancer and beat it into remission about 9 years ago, she and my aunt went on a Hawaiian cruise in celebration. When the cancer came back in 2009 she kept saying that if she could get it in remission again she wanted as many of the family as possible to take an Alaskan Cruise together. Well she beat the cancer forever in May 2011. In Sept. 2011 as we gathered to take care of her belongings we discussed how sad it was that she didn't get to do the Alaskan Cruise and we began discussing going ahead with the Alaskan Adventure in her memory. Out of our extended family of 14, the 5 of us were the only ones with the time/funds to go. We booked the cruise in Oct 2011 and have be so very very excited since.

This will be the first cruise my parents and I have been on and will be the first Disney experience for my Aunt and Uncle.

 

[WhosGoofy]

We are also interested in the FE Exchange!!!

 

[jenf22]

Welcome new guys!

We took our first cruise in May and did the FE exchange there. We had 17 cabins, and it was a lot of fun. There is all kinds of info on these boards about it. Here's a picture of the FE was bought off eBay:

My parents were with us on that cruise, so I bought them an FE too.

The FE is basically just a "Secret Santa" type gift exchange. Though, I guess, a lot of people did put who the gift was from (we didn't). We basically got all the kids their own small gift (coloring book, crayons, and stickers for the little ones and Disney pins and a lanyard for the older ones) and each family had a shared gift. Some of things we got were little bottles of rum, candy, some Disney pins, a little scrap book, memo pad... things like that. Our 5 year old got a lot of stickers, tattoos, and Disney themed stuff. Some people go all out and make things. I'm not too crafty, so I didn't make much. I do have some ideas for this one, so I'm hoping everyone joins! You don't really have to spend much $$, it's more about the fun of having little surprises waiting for you

 

[jenf22]

Hello Everyone!!! We will also be sailing on this Cruise!! We are so excited.

We are a group of 5 in two separate cabins. My parents and I along with my Aunt and Uncle. We are sailing in memory of my grandmother who passed away after a long battle with cancer. When she first battled cancer and beat it into remission about 9 years ago, she and my aunt went on a Hawaiian cruise in celebration. When the cancer came back in 2009 she kept saying that if she could get it in remission again she wanted as many of the family as possible to take an Alaskan Cruise together. Well she beat the cancer forever in May 2011. In Sept. 2011 as we gathered to take care of her belongings we discussed how sad it was that she didn't get to do the Alaskan Cruise and we began discussing going ahead with the Alaskan Adventure in her memory. Out of our extended family of 14, the 5 of us were the only ones with the time/funds to go. We booked the cruise in Oct 2011 and have be so very very excited since.

This will be the first cruise my parents and I have been on and will be the first Disney experience for my Aunt and Uncle.

That's wonderful you guys are doing this in her memory. My grandfather passed away from cancer back in April.

We also booked this cruise in October as our first ever cruise. We ended up getting a little too excited and cruised in May because we couldn't wait!

Welcome to our little group!

 

[WhosGoofy]

That's wonderful you guys are doing this in her memory. My grandfather passed away from cancer back in April.

We also booked this cruise in October as our first ever cruise. We ended up getting a little too excited and cruised in May because we couldn't wait!

Welcome to our little group!

Thank you!!! I'm sorry to hear about your Grandfather!! I think it will make this cruise extra special because it is in her memory. She loved to travel and be with family!!

We went to Hobby Lobby earlier and bought materials to make the FE extender!! I can't believe we are 3 months away from sail date!!!

 

[Hollywood Glitter]

Hi Everyone!

I see we have a lot of questions about the FE. So I thought I would tell everyone exactly what it is. In another post I'll tell you about my past experiences.

So what exactly is a "FE"? Well FE stands for Fish Exchange. It's essentially a gift exchange. You sign up to be on a master list that gets sent to all the participants. Once on the cruise you leave the present at the recipient’s door with a note identifying who you are.

Easy right? Don’t worry, I know you still have questions. Hopefully I can answer some of these for you.

Q. Why is it called FE (Fish Exchange)?

A. Well when you’re on the cruise you’ll notice there is a metal clip in the shape of a fish right next to your cabin door. This is used by Guest Services to leave you messages.

Q. How do I make or get a Fish Extender?

A. Well keep in mind a fish extender is just an overly Disney decorated pocket organizer. They are fairly easy to make and you can find many tutorials on the disboards. Here are some links. Mine shown above was homemade and had no sewing whatsoever.

NO Sew FE Instructions 1

No Sew FE Instructions 2

You can also purchase them online. The best places are probably ebay or etsy. Just make sure you search under “fish extender”. Prices can range from appx $10 to $40

Q. What are the gift giving rules?

A. Hmmm … “Gift Giving Rules”; This question comes up so often in so many forms. I don’t want to spend a lot of money; What do I give? Do I have to give everyone in the same room a gift? Do I give a gift everyday? The answer is simply do what you are comfortable with. The general rule is at least one gift per room and something extra for any kids in the room.

Q. What do I give out?

A. Anything you want. Some people make or buy items related to Disney, the cruise location, or something that represents their home state or country. Below is a link to a lot of great ideas

Homemade FE Gift Thread

I hope this answered some of your questions. If you have any more please ask and I’ll do my best to answer.

Hollywood Glitter

 

[Pinocchio #1 Fan]

Hi Everyone!

I see we have a lot of questions about the FE. So I thought I would tell everyone exactly what it is. In another post I'll tell you about my past experiences.

So what exactly is a "FE"? Well FE stands for Fish Exchange. It's essentially a gift exchange. You sign up to be on a master list that gets sent to all the participants. Once on the cruise you leave the present at the recipient’s door with a note identifying who you are.

Easy right? Don’t worry, I know you still have questions. Hopefully I can answer some of these for you.

Q. Why is it called FE (Fish Exchange)?

A. Well when you’re on the cruise you’ll notice there is a metal clip in the shape of a fish right next to your cabin door. This is used by Guest Services to leave you messages.

Q. How do I make or get a Fish Extender?

A. Well keep in mind a fish extender is just an overly Disney decorated pocket organizer. They are fairly easy to make and you can find many tutorials on the disboards. Here are some links. Mine shown above was homemade and had no sewing whatsoever.

NO Sew FE Instructions 1

No Sew FE Instructions 2

You can also purchase them online. The best places are probably ebay or etsy. Just make sure you search under “fish extender”. Prices can range from appx $10 to $40

Q. What are the gift giving rules?

A. Hmmm … “Gift Giving Rules”; This question comes up so often in so many forms. I don’t want to spend a lot of money; What do I give? Do I have to give everyone in the same room a gift? Do I give a gift everyday? The answer is simply do what you are comfortable with. The general rule is at least one gift per room and something extra for any kids in the room.

Q. What do I give out?

A. Anything you want. Some people make or buy items related to Disney, the cruise location, or something that represents their home state or country. Below is a link to a lot of great ideas

Homemade FE Gift Thread

I hope this answered some of your questions. If you have any more please ask and I’ll do my best to answer.

Hollywood Glitter

This is exactly the information I was looking for!!!!

Hollywood Glitter- I sent you an email. We're in!

Now, the fun of shopping online for a Fish Extender!

 

[WhosGoofy]

Hi Everyone!

I see we have a lot of questions about the FE. So I thought I would tell everyone exactly what it is. In another post I'll tell you about my past experiences.

So what exactly is a "FE"? Well FE stands for Fish Exchange. It's essentially a gift exchange. You sign up to be on a master list that gets sent to all the participants. Once on the cruise you leave the present at the recipient’s door with a note identifying who you are.

Easy right? Don’t worry, I know you still have questions. Hopefully I can answer some of these for you.

Q. Why is it called FE (Fish Exchange)?

A. Well when you’re on the cruise you’ll notice there is a metal clip in the shape of a fish right next to your cabin door. This is used by Guest Services to leave you messages.

Q. How do I make or get a Fish Extender?

A. Well keep in mind a fish extender is just an overly Disney decorated pocket organizer. They are fairly easy to make and you can find many tutorials on the disboards. Here are some links. Mine shown above was homemade and had no sewing whatsoever.

You can also purchase them online. The best places are probably ebay or etsy. Just make sure you search under “fish extender”. Prices can range from appx $10 to $40

Q. What are the gift giving rules?

A. Hmmm … “Gift Giving Rules”; This question comes up so often in so many forms. I don’t want to spend a lot of money; What do I give? Do I have to give everyone in the same room a gift? Do I give a gift everyday? The answer is simply do what you are comfortable with. The general rule is at least one gift per room and something extra for any kids in the room.

Q. What do I give out?

A. Anything you want. Some people make or buy items related to Disney, the cruise location, or something that represents their home state or country. Below is a link to a lot of great ideas

I hope this answered some of your questions. If you have any more please ask and I’ll do my best to answer.

Hollywood Glitter

Thank you!!! We are so excited!!! We went to the store today and bought supplies to make a Fish Extender!! The next item on the agenda will be finding gift items!!

 

[Momma2Jax]

Hello Everyone!!! We will also be sailing on this Cruise!! We are so excited.

We are a group of 5 in two separate cabins. My parents and I along with my Aunt and Uncle. We are sailing in memory of my grandmother who passed away after a long battle with cancer. When she first battled cancer and beat it into remission about 9 years ago, she and my aunt went on a Hawaiian cruise in celebration. When the cancer came back in 2009 she kept saying that if she could get it in remission again she wanted as many of the family as possible to take an Alaskan Cruise together. Well she beat the cancer forever in May 2011. In Sept. 2011 as we gathered to take care of her belongings we discussed how sad it was that she didn't get to do the Alaskan Cruise and we began discussing going ahead with the Alaskan Adventure in her memory. Out of our extended family of 14, the 5 of us were the only ones with the time/funds to go. We booked the cruise in Oct 2011 and have be so very very excited since.

This will be the first cruise my parents and I have been on and will be the first Disney experience for my Aunt and Uncle.

Welcome! What a wonderful way to honor your Grandma! I am sure she would be so happy that you are all going!

The boyfriend (Chris) and I (Lauren) are first-time cruisers, and we decided to take Seattle-Vancouver because of the ease of taking a bus down to Seattle then arriving back in Vancouver!

Wondering if there will be anyone else in their early 20's!!

Hello! Welcome! You guys will have a great time! At first I wanted to say yes, we are in or 20's but I think I just refuse to admit to myself that we are THIRTY!!

 

[Momma2Jax]

LOVE your FE!

 

[LaurenB]

Hello! Welcome! You guys will have a great time! At first I wanted to say yes, we are in or 20's but I think I just refuse to admit to myself that we are THIRTY!!

Thanks, we're so excited!!
Haha, still 20 at heart - that counts!