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

[mellers]

NHdisneylover, VulcanGirl, Rockin Rio

These three posted earlier that they would not be going on the cruise, so I think they can safely be removed from the list.

 

[DizDays]

To everyone who has signed up for the FE List, I just sent you and email with the most up to date list. If you have any questions please email me.

Here is a list of the people participating so far:

Hollywood Glitter
Jenf22
Belle07
Goofy4disneycruises
Lesabrowning
NHdisneylover, VulcanGirl, Rockin Rio
Imagineer2Be
Chris931
:

Hollywood Glitter, do you know how many people this represents? DH and I would like to participate, but we're trying to decide if we have the time to do so (don't want to participate unless we could do it right). DH is getting his masters and we both work huge hours at the office. At first blush, this list seems manageable. For how many days do people tend to bring FE gifts?

 

[mellers]

Hollywood Glitter, do you know how many people this represents? DH and I would like to participate, but we're trying to decide if we have the time to do so (don't want to participate unless we could do it right). DH is getting his masters and we both work huge hours at the office. At first blush, this list seems manageable. For how many days do people tend to bring FE gifts?

When I've done it, we only sent one gift, on one day.

 

[Hollywood Glitter]

Hollywood Glitter, do you know how many people this represents? DH and I would like to participate, but we're trying to decide if we have the time to do so (don't want to participate unless we could do it right). DH is getting his masters and we both work huge hours at the office. At first blush, this list seems manageable. For how many days do people tend to bring FE gifts?

As of today it is 7 families (rooms), 17 people (2 children). On my last cruise we had no restrictionson what you wanted to gift or how often. As a general rule I recommend at least one gift per room and maybe a small gift or trinket per child.

 

[jenf22]

Just got off the Magic two days ago and I'm so excited about this trip!!! Now I just need airfare to return to a reasonable rate...

 

[mellers]

Just got off the Magic two days ago and I'm so excited about this trip!!! Now I just need airfare to return to a reasonable rate...

From where will you be flying?

 

[jenf22]

From where will you be flying?

We're flying out of Denver. We're hoping to do Southwest since we know we'll have a lot of bags and we have a credit with them. At one point, I saw $101 each way but now it's $166. So I'm holding out for a better deal

 

[mellers]

We're flying out of Denver. We're hoping to do Southwest since we know we'll have a lot of bags and we have a credit with them. At one point, I saw $101 each way but now it's $166. So I'm holding out for a better deal

I don't know how many are flying, but it might be a better deal to get the Alaska Airlines Visa card and fly with them. You will have to pay for the bags, which is an extra expense, but with Alaska Airlines Visa, you get a $99 round trip companion fare certificate, so that would cut down the cost of the flight considerably. A lot of us Seattleites have the card and use it.

If you more credit with Southwest, it may still be a better idea to go with them, however.

Just as a general note, there is a trick with Alaska that we often use--you can't depend on it, but I'd say it works about half the time--if you don't pay your luggage fees online, and go to the customer service desk, you can often upgrade same day to First Class for a lower fee than usual (you need to check the mileage chart on their website to see how much it would be from where you are flying), and then you can check two bags for free.

When we fly from Seattle to San Francisco or Santa Ana, it's usually $50 for a one way upgrade, and that way we can sit in first class and check two bags for free.

Again, don't know if this is useful advice in your case, but I thought I'd throw it out there just in case.

 

[WAMUMOF4]

I hope you all have a wonderful cruise we have decided to drop this cruise and head to WDW and a 4 day dream cruise instead.

 

[jenf22]

Hi all. Has anyone booked excursions yet? Our window opens on 5-June, so I'm trying to nail down what to book. Does anyone know excursion times for:

- Best of Juneau
- White Pass Railway and Trail Camp
- Bear Country and Wildlife Expedition

Thanks!

 

[Momma2Jax]

Hey guys! I haven't been on in a while, but I am so exited that we are getting closer!

We officially upgraded to a navigator verandah! We actually took a GTY room, so we will at least get a navigator verandah, and could potentially be upgraded if none are available. We finally decided we wanted the verandah because there is no way our ds is going to let us stop and look at scenery much, and he does still nap. This way he can play in the room/on the verandah for down time, and we can still enjoy the scenery!

I do have a question. My in laws are meeting us in Vancouver and we are driving home (Seattle area). DH and I are getting passport cards since we are driving and won't need. Full passports. On the passport website it says the DS won't need one, just his birth certificate. Does this sound risky to you? Would you still at least get a passport card for him?

 

[jenf22]

Hey guys! I haven't been on in a while, but I am so exited that we are getting closer!

We officially upgraded to a navigator verandah! We actually took a GTY room, so we will at least get a navigator verandah, and could potentially be upgraded if none are available. We finally decided we wanted the verandah because there is no way our ds is going to let us stop and look at scenery much, and he does still nap. This way he can play in the room/on the verandah for down time, and we can still enjoy the scenery!

I do have a question. My in laws are meeting us in Vancouver and we are driving home (Seattle area). DH and I are getting passport cards since we are driving and won't need. Full passports. On the passport website it says the DS won't need one, just his birth certificate. Does this sound risky to you? Would you still at least get a passport card for him?

Congrats on the Nav Verandah. We had one of those booked, but on the Magic a couple of weeks ago we upgraded to a 5B. We had a "secret" nav verandah on the Magic and it was great! But our 5 year old, who is tall, was right at eye level with the railing. Since we were in the "secret" one (a reclass 5B), the bottom part was clear and he could just look down to see. But to look over the rail, he had to be on his tip-toes. Since we couldn't get any of the "secret" rooms on the Wonder for this sailing, I was worried he wouldn't be able to see anything with the Nav verandah (and he LOVED being out there). I hope the open one isn't too cold (and there are no smokers around!)

I don't know the answer to the passport question. We got our son one prior to our Bahamas sailing. They looked at it at the terminal when we arrived and then the man told us to put it in our safe and not get it out again. We're planning on doing the train in Skagway since our son is a train freak, and that says Passports are required since it crosses into Canada. Back when we lived in Seattle, we never had passports to go to Canada, but times have changed. I would think he's be fine with just a birth certificate. If the website says he's ok, I would have to assume he's ok. But if the passport card is cheap and makes you feel better, why not?

I sure hope more people join this thread! The cruise is coming up fast and there's not much activity here. The Magic sailing a few weeks ago was our first cruise and the people there are still chatting on the thread - we're up to 95 pages!

 

[mellers]

Hey guys! I haven't been on in a while, but I am so exited that we are getting closer!

We officially upgraded to a navigator verandah! We actually took a GTY room, so we will at least get a navigator verandah, and could potentially be upgraded if none are available. We finally decided we wanted the verandah because there is no way our ds is going to let us stop and look at scenery much, and he does still nap. This way he can play in the room/on the verandah for down time, and we can still enjoy the scenery!

I do have a question. My in laws are meeting us in Vancouver and we are driving home (Seattle area). DH and I are getting passport cards since we are driving and won't need. Full passports. On the passport website it says the DS won't need one, just his birth certificate. Does this sound risky to you? Would you still at least get a passport card for him?

I would get the passport card, or go to the DMV and get an Enhanced ID, if you live in the Seattle area.

 

[Chris931]

Who is getting excited besides me?!?!?

Has anyone been able to book excursions / Palo yet?

My date to start is June 5th.

What excursions are people planning to book?

Seems like this board is very quiet... wonder if that means the cruise won't have many people?

 

[mellers]

Who is getting excited besides me?!?!?

Has anyone been able to book excursions / Palo yet?

My date to start is June 5th.

What excursions are people planning to book?

Seems like this board is very quiet... wonder if that means the cruise won't have many people?

I don't know--I'm excited too. Our date is also June 5th. We're all paid up and ready to go.

If you can't book excursions, don't worry too much. Almost all are available independently, and for less money. I would look into that route. We saved quite a bit doing it that way on the Alaska cruise last year. We had a great time, by the way.

 

[jenf22]

Who is getting excited besides me?!?!?

Has anyone been able to book excursions / Palo yet?

My date to start is June 5th.

What excursions are people planning to book?

Seems like this board is very quiet... wonder if that means the cruise won't have many people?

Oh yeah! I'm beyond excited! Though I am worried about the FE due to the quietness of this board. I'm hoping people will start to get excited once summer comes.

We paid in full yesterday and we can book on June 5th too. I've got a list of excursions for my husband to book Monday night at 10pm! I briefly looked into booking the excursions separately, but it really wasn't much cheaper. I think that's because our kid is a "kid" either way. Plus, I couldn't tell which excursions would add tax and which ones included it. I think the Disney prices all include tax. I figured if the difference was small, I might as well book through Disney so they know where I am at all times

Is anyone staying in Seattle before the cruise? We're looking to fly in on Saturday and spend 2 nights in Seattle, but I'm so lost as to where to stay. We actually lived in Seattle for 2.5 years, but I'm still confused. Do we stay downtown, close to the port, or near the airport where things are cheaper? We're planning to rent a car for those couple of days. But then we have to return the car to SEATAC, right? So how do we get to the port after that? I suppose my husband could drop off my son and I (and luggage!) at the terminal and then take a cab? I guess I have some time to figure this out...

 

[mellers]

Is anyone staying in Seattle before the cruise? We're looking to fly in on Saturday and spend 2 nights in Seattle, but I'm so lost as to where to stay. We actually lived in Seattle for 2.5 years, but I'm still confused. Do we stay downtown, close to the port, or near the airport where things are cheaper? We're planning to rent a car for those couple of days. But then we have to return the car to SEATAC, right? So how do we get to the port after that? I suppose my husband could drop off my son and I (and luggage!) at the terminal and then take a cab? I guess I have some time to figure this out...

Local recommendations on where to stay in Seattle:

Option 1: You don't want to rent a car, or don't want to rent it from the airport, you want to keep your expenses low, and one of you is a raging Chihuly or Lego fan, or big on Microsoft (for others--also a good place for American Girl fans):

Stay at either the Sheraton Bellevue or the Courtyard By Marriott Seattle Bellevue.

I should note that theWestin Bellevue looks beautiful, and would be a great location; it's just I've stayed at the Courtyard and Sheraton, and so I know that they are nice.

In general, staying in Bellevue is more expensive than the airport, but considerably less expensive than Seattle. It also tends to have more upscale shopping than Seattle, if that is your thing, and it has a Lego Store and one of the only two Disney stores in the Seattle Area at the Bellevue Square Shopping Center--that's a short walk away from the hotels (longer from the Sheraton, but it has a shuttle.). You can also take the B Line to the Microsoft Museum, which is in Bellevue's neighboring city, Redmond.

Basically, Downtown Bellevue is to Seattle what Beverly Hills is to LA.

If you are a raging Chihuly fan, Lincoln Square is a short walk away, and it has a large, Chihuly installation (also Maggiano's, in Lincoln Square, is a great restaurant).

You can take the 560 bus from the Sea Tac airport to the Bellevue Transit Center. You can walk to either hotel, if you don't have much luggage, and I believe the Sheraton will pick you up from the Meydenbauer center across the street if you do. Just make sure you're on the bus going to Bellevue, and not the bus to West Seattle.

You can take the 550 bus into downtown Seattle--just get off at Westlake Center, and you'll be at the monorail stop to Seattle Center, and walking distance to Pike Place Market and it's elevator down to the waterfront. It takes about 30 minutes to get there.

(This wouldn't be relevant to your situation, but if someone has a daughter who is an American Girl fan, the 535 bus goes to from the Bellevue Transit Center to Alderwood Mall, where the American Girl store is located; however, unlike the others, this bus does not run on Sundays or Holidays, so plan accordingly.)

From anywhere in the Greater Seattle area, in general, you'll have your cheapest cab fare from Eastside for Hire, and they can take you from anywhere to the port.

If you wanted to rent a car in Bellevue, you could go to Aero Rent-A-Car, either on the B-Line and walking over, or by Eastside for Hire, and then you could drop it off there and take a taxi to the port. Also, if you PM me, we live in the neighborhood and might be able to pool a ride to the port from the rental car agency, and, depending on time, might be able to do some "tour guiding". Also, I believe the Bellevue Sheraton shuttle will take you here.

One warning--if you rent a car from Bellevue, there are bridge tolls over the bridges into Seattle, and the busses have special lanes. Most of the time, when we want to do something in Seattle, we take a bus. I would use the car for places like Snoqualmie Falls, or if you wanted to go to the zoo or to the flight museum, which are off the beaten path. For the major tourist stuff, I'd take the bus.

Option 2: Staying at the airport

We really like the Holiday Inn Express Sea-Tac. They have a very nice free breakfast, and a free shuttle to the airport. They also have very roomy rooms. This probably isn't relevant to many people (but it is to me!)--their airport shuttle has a wheelchair lift. Also, the Red Lion is walking distance from the airport.

Avoid the Days Inn. We stayed there during a blizzard, and it was very cold.

Option 3: Staying in Seattle

We've only once stayed in Seattle proper, at the W (which we liked very much, but isn't the greatest location). In general, we've had very good luck with Silver Cloud Inns, so if they are in a good spot for you, they're a good choice.

In terms of location, the Mayflower Park is probably in the best spot--you can take the monorail straight there to Westlake Center, and be in the heart of the most popular tourist destinations--however, by all accounts, it charges a hefty price for all that convenience.

I haven't stayed there, so I can't exactly say I'm "recommending" it, but they just opened a Four Points Sheraton at Seattle Center, which is close to the monorail, Children's Museum, Chihuly Glass Exhibit, Pacsci (and Tutankhamen) and, of course, the Space Needle. In general, I've had good luck with the chain, and they tend to have very cheap redemption rates on Starwood points.

Hope that helps, and sorry I wrote a book.

 

[Momma2Jax]

Mellers is for sure the one to ask about Seattle attractions and directions! we live in the Seattle area, but are fairly new (less than a year, although I grew up in Portland, and visited often) so we know far less!

Our booking window opens on June 20 since we are first timers. For the most part, we plan to walk around, shop, drink coffee, etc... In the ports, since it's hard to know hoe DS will be. While we are waking around if we see something amazing, we just may do it though!

The only excursion we are signing up for ahead of time is the duck tour in Ketchikan. We would also love to ride the sky tram in Juneau, but we will just buy a ticket there, depending on the weather and visibilitiy.

As far as online check in, we are driving to port, and have no desire to fight people to be first on he ship we plan to arrive after 12, and casually board, eat, etc. since we don't care about a low boarding number, is it worth trying to check in online in the middle of the night on opening day? Is the boarding number the only reason to do that?

 

[jenf22]

Mellers is for sure the one to ask about Seattle attractions and directions! we live in the Seattle area, but are fairly new (less than a year, although I grew up in Portland, and visited often) so we know far less!

Our booking window opens on June 20 since we are first timers. For the most part, we plan to walk around, shop, drink coffee, etc... In the ports, since it's hard to know hoe DS will be. While we are waking around if we see something amazing, we just may do it though!

The only excursion we are signing up for ahead of time is the duck tour in Ketchikan. We would also love to ride the sky tram in Juneau, but we will just buy a ticket there, depending on the weather and visibilitiy.

As far as online check in, we are driving to port, and have no desire to fight people to be first on he ship we plan to arrive after 12, and casually board, eat, etc. since we don't care about a low boarding number, is it worth trying to check in online in the middle of the night on opening day? Is the boarding number the only reason to do that?

I did the online check-in for our last cruise (our only cruise so far) at 5am, before I left for work. That was 7am FL time and I got an 11:30 check-in. I think 11am was available too, but we were meeting my folks and they were driving up from S. FL to the port (about 3 hours), so I wanted to give them time. I can't decide what check-in time I want this time. Last time, we boarded, hung around guest services to register for some on-board things, had lunch, and still had to wait around for our room to be ready. All the while, we're lugging cameras, the laptop, a carry-on bag with liquor, and a couple other random bags. They say your room is ready at 1:30pm. So I would say your plan is great to try for after noon. And I don't think you need to be up at midnight (3am?) for that.

I do plan on having my husband get our Palo reservations and excursions booked right at midnight on Monday. But that's 10pm here, and he's always still up then anyway.

Thanks mellers for all the great advice. We did get a rental car. I was able to get one for $100 with the Boeing rate (I work for Boeing). And we are picking it up at SEATAC and then dropping it at the Downtown Hilton. National says from there they offer a free shuttle to the port. Sounds good to me! It was funny though... when I called, the National person quoted me $320 for the extract same car. I guess Boeing has a pretty great deal with National!

I'm still holding out for cheaper plane tickets though and it's making me nervous. I want Southwest on the way out and Alaska on the way back. I was hoping getting the Alaska card would help, but the flights available using miles are all horrible - not a single direct flight. Some with 2 connections. There is no reason to have 2 connections from Seattle to Denver! It's a 2.5 hour flight!

I am so excited to see all the great Alaskan scenery. I can't wait!

 

[mellers]

As far as online check in, we are driving to port, and have no desire to fight people to be first on he ship we plan to arrive after 12, and casually board, eat, etc. since we don't care about a low boarding number, is it worth trying to check in online in the middle of the night on opening day? Is the boarding number the only reason to do that?

If you plan to get a popular excursion through Disney, or reservations for Palo, I'd try to hit it early. Otherwise, I wouldn't think you'd need to.