ELEVATE! Is that a whale out there? A three-generation cruise to Alaska!UPDATE 8/29

[RGirl]

On the subject of the "vault"-- when we were at the Disney Store last week (I couldn't resist the ballerina princess hoodie and pants and we got the princess backpack) the CM working there was trying to get me to pre-order Cinderella on Blu-ray. (Which I bought on Ebay 2 Christmases ago ) Apparently, the Tangled Ever After short is going to be on it. I guess we'll have another copy of Cinderella.

We are lucky enough to have almost all of the movies now. DH managed a Blockbuster in college, and one of them went out of business. We bought all of their Disney movies. We didn't even have Maddie yet. We were planning ahead! I swear!

I will definitely let you know when we plan our trip to the Northwest! DH's company has a client in Washington, so we're thinking that we'll head out there for a 'business trip' and drive to Portland to visit Anykka. I hope that we get it done in the next year or so. Apparently I've got to see real mountains!

I am pretty sure I pre-ordered Cinderella months ago, so I hope it includes that short!

You know, my dear friend Amber has done that - collected all the Disney movies for years despite not having children yet (she and her husband are actually a pilot program family for international adoption in a newly opened country and expecting the call about their son or daughter any moment now!!!!). I wish I had been that smart - I really did not think that I wanted children until I was into my 30s, and then I was diagnosed with what everyone thought would be a fatal disease, had to get past that, and then spend YEARS finding the path to my child before I became a parent. If only I had been stocking up on movies all those years!!!!!! SERIOUSLY!!! Could you imagine the movie library DD would have??????

Oh, I hope you guys make a NW trip in the next year. How fun would it be to meet up????

 

[shan23877]

I'm sure that it'll have the short. The CM was really excited about it.

How amazing for your friends! I hope that they get good news very soon.

I had no idea that your path to motherhood was so hard (obviously I knew that adoption is always hard, but still). You are an inspiring lady Miss!

I'd love it if we could meet up! That'd be so great! I bet Amanda would be mad at us though...

 

[hstrickland]

The Alaska scenic pictures are fabulous!! If Iwasn't convinced before to take an Alaskan Cruise, I am now. My parents have cruised Alaska, DH has been on a fishing trip to Alaska, and me.....never been! We've thrown the idea around about taking the whole family (parents, sister's family) on this cruise for my parent's 50th wedding anniversary. And I've made a mental note of you're secret viewing area....I shall not forget that! But I'm thinking your best view was from the comfort of your private verandah Maybe by the time we take this Disney cruise, they will convert the verandahs to open to the next verandah....really nice to have that feature if you have connecting rooms. By the way....LOVED Minnie in her artic attire! Very cute!! Just curious, did you ever feel like the ship was crowded? Just wondering??

Heather

 

[megan511]

I love the Minnie snuggie! Too adorable.

Those pictures are amazing. That view is absolutely gorgeous. Sitting out on the verandah sipping coffee and looking at that sounds wonderful.

I love Parka Minnie! She is so cute!

Your dinner sounded/looked really good!

The 4th of July celebration sounded really nice and it looks like Willow had a great time.

 

[pas130]

Yeah! More fun with Doulson

amanda Love that verandah

roni That waterfall pic....WOW WOW WOW

 

[amandaw]

amanda Love that verandah

Thanks! Wish I were sitting on it this morning........

 

[librarymouse]

Hi Roni! I loved reading your last trip report, and somehow I didn't realize that this one was already underway! I have loved reading it so far- what gorgeous scenery!

Can I just say, you had me at WINE PLAN??? um hello, what a fantastic idea, somehow I've never heard of that before. Definitely gonna have to convince the hubby to take a cruise!

Your comment about talking to the other mother/daughter brought tears to my eyes! My mom and I are very close, and we still love spending tons of time together! I'm sure you and Willow will be making Disney memories for years to come!

Also, I can't get over all the gorgeous costumes they characters wear! Minnie in that parka just kills me- unbearably cute!!

Can't wait to read more!

 

[CandleontheWater]

Wow, how awesome you were able to sit on the comfort of your veranda and see the gorgeous scenery! I have a question about your veranda, would you have been able to see the glacier if you were on the other side of the ship? I'm just curious if some verandas were better than others for the views. That is something I'd have to consider if I ever get a wild hair and book a cruise to Alaska.

 

[pas130]

Thanks! Wish I were sitting on it this morning........

 

[teburgess]

Selcuk is by far the most amazing DCL CM I have ever met. And I have met quite a few and was one myself. That means alot when our 2001 EB Transatlantic main dining team became our close friends.

Selcuk had a smile on our faces several times during the cruise. He asks questions and by the time he has poured your first glass of wine he is bringing out dishes that are exactly what you wanted, but didn't even ask for.

And if you don't want it, he will ask you kindly to trust him and try it. I can't speak more highly of him.

He was our server in Palo for brunch and dinner in April 2012 on a MX Riviera. He had just come back onboard for his final contract. I am hoping he will still be there for the Sept 30 Pacific Coast sailing. If he is on a six month contract it is a good chance he will still be there.

He was the deciding factor on what date to choose for this cruise, we like him that much.

So glad he has made wonderful impressions on other families.

 

[RGirl]

I'd love it if we could meet up! That'd be so great! I bet Amanda would be mad at us though...

Surely she could be convinced to visit the beautiful Pacific Northwest.

I'm still pulling for a Mom Meet at WDW soon!

The Alaska scenic pictures are fabulous!! If Iwasn't convinced before to take an Alaskan Cruise, I am now. My parents have cruised Alaska, DH has been on a fishing trip to Alaska, and me.....never been! We've thrown the idea around about taking the whole family (parents, sister's family) on this cruise for my parent's 50th wedding anniversary. And I've made a mental note of you're secret viewing area....I shall not forget that! But I'm thinking your best view was from the comfort of your private verandah Maybe by the time we take this Disney cruise, they will convert the verandahs to open to the next verandah....really nice to have that feature if you have connecting rooms. By the way....LOVED Minnie in her artic attire! Very cute!! Just curious, did you ever feel like the ship was crowded? Just wondering??

Heather

What an amazing anniversary trip that would be!

We loved the Alaska-wear so much! The characters were adorable.

No, the ship never felt crowded. I have actually been a little hesitant about considering one of the newer, bigger ships because I have read so many reports of crowding, and we just didn't experience that at all on the Wonder.

I love the Minnie snuggie! Too adorable.

Those pictures are amazing. That view is absolutely gorgeous. Sitting out on the verandah sipping coffee and looking at that sounds wonderful.

I love Parka Minnie! She is so cute!

Your dinner sounded/looked really good!

The 4th of July celebration sounded really nice and it looks like Willow had a great time.

It was a really great day! Just what you would want from an Alaska cruise.

Yeah! More fun with Doulson
Who wouldn't love Doulson!

 

[RGirl]

Hi Roni! I loved reading your last trip report, and somehow I didn't realize that this one was already underway! I have loved reading it so far- what gorgeous scenery!

Can I just say, you had me at WINE PLAN??? um hello, what a fantastic idea, somehow I've never heard of that before. Definitely gonna have to convince the hubby to take a cruise!

Your comment about talking to the other mother/daughter brought tears to my eyes! My mom and I are very close, and we still love spending tons of time together! I'm sure you and Willow will be making Disney memories for years to come!

Also, I can't get over all the gorgeous costumes they characters wear! Minnie in that parka just kills me- unbearably cute!!

Can't wait to read more!

I'm so glad you found us! I am having so much fun writing this report and chatting with everyone.

Yeah, you can't possible cruise without the wine plan! And a few cocktails. And some wine in your stateroom......

That is wonderful to hear about you and your mom. I just love reading about the wonderful DIS mother/daughter duos. I sure hope that Willow and I will have that kind of relationship over the years to come.

Alaska Minnie is one of my all-time favorites.

Wow, how awesome you were able to sit on the comfort of your veranda and see the gorgeous scenery! I have a question about your veranda, would you have been able to see the glacier if you were on the other side of the ship? I'm just curious if some verandas were better than others for the views. That is something I'd have to consider if I ever get a wild hair and book a cruise to Alaska.

Yes, the pilot actually turned the entire ship around so that everyone would see the glacier - so no matter what side you were on, you would see everything down one side of Tracy Arm, the glacier at the end, and then everything down the other side of Tracy Arm on the way out. Perfection.

Selcuk is by far the most amazing DCL CM I have ever met. And I have met quite a few and was one myself. That means alot when our 2001 EB Transatlantic main dining team became our close friends.

Selcuk had a smile on our faces several times during the cruise. He asks questions and by the time he has poured your first glass of wine he is bringing out dishes that are exactly what you wanted, but didn't even ask for.

And if you don't want it, he will ask you kindly to trust him and try it. I can't speak more highly of him.

He was our server in Palo for brunch and dinner in April 2012 on a MX Riviera. He had just come back onboard for his final contract. I am hoping he will still be there for the Sept 30 Pacific Coast sailing. If he is on a six month contract it is a good chance he will still be there.

He was the deciding factor on what date to choose for this cruise, we like him that much.

So glad he has made wonderful impressions on other families.

Thank you for sharing. It is wonderful to read about someone else who got to experience the incredible customer service provided by Selcuk. We were lucky to enjoy some time with him for three different meals on our trip.

 

[amandaw]

Surely she could be convinced to visit the beautiful Pacific Northwest.

As long as it's not during the cold months. And by cold, I mean anytime when the temperatures are below 60 degrees.

I'm still pulling for a Mom Meet at WDW soon!

Me, too!

 

[RGirl]

As long as it's not during the cold months. And by cold, I mean anytime when the temperatures are below 60 degrees.

Me, too!

Hmm, summer it is then!

Or we just go to WDW....

 

[RGirl]

22. Braving the Mickey Waters in Alaska (Day 4) (Part 1)

Last I left you, we had celebrated the Fourth of July at Sea and gone off to sleep in our comfy staterooms.

Today I woke up at about 7:20, and DD got up a bit later - a clear sign that we have entered vacation mode. Upon waking, I remembered that we were actually going to be docked today, so I quickly opened the curtains and got my first look at Skagway - well, at some other cruise ships anyway.

I had to put my foot down and make DD take a bath. Man, she was grumpy! I don’t even remember why, but she got herself into a big enough snit after bath that she earned herself another time-out at sea. Eventually, she got herself together, and the two of us headed up to Deck 9 and the Beach Blanket Buffet for breakfast. The Judies chose Triton’s. Again. This actually worked out well - The Judies really enjoyed their fancy, full-service breakfasts every morning, and DD really loved the buffet. I am not really a breakfast person - I eat it, but I don’t care that much about it - so I was fine going to the buffet with DD. I guess we ended up eating outside today - maybe this was the day it was super-crowded at Beach Blanket.

Now you may be thinking, “Um, the boat is docked, why aren’t you people hurrying up to get off and see Skagway?” Well, our excursion wasn’t until quite a bit later, and I guess none of us was that keen on wandering around Skagway ahead of our excursion.

So after breakfast, DD and I got some coffee (me) and hot cocoa (DD) and checked out the ship. We were going to search for Hidden Mickeys! (I had visions of doing the entire HM hunt in our HM book, but no one else was ever too keen. Including DD on this - our first HM effort. )

We were already on Deck 9, so the first clue was perfect for us: “Walk to the Wide World of Sports area on Deck 10 forward. Look for Mickey in front of and below you.” We found it!

We moved on to the next clue in the same area: “Search for Mickey over your head.”

I think it was here that we had our unplanned DIS meet! A very nice woman had messaged me on the DIS because she was traveling with her young daughter on the same ship! As DD and I were checking out the Hidden Mickeys, I heard, “Are you RGirl?” or something to that effect. How cool was that! We showed her DD the Hidden Mickeys and hoped to see each other again as they were off to something (stateroom, something? can’t remember ). Anyway, before they left, we did ascertain that we were going to be doing the same excursion - although, as it turned out, they had not booked through Disney, so they ended up going at the same time but with a different group.

[continued in next post]​

 

[RGirl]

22. Braving the Mickey Waters in Alaska (Day 4) (Part 2)

Hey look! There’s DD in Alaska!

Now DD was really begging to go swimming this morning. Just so you understand, the high temperatures here were in the 50s. But thanks to the DIS, I knew that, despite the fact that NO ONE was ever in the pools, there was a very good possibility that they were heated to somewhere over 90 degrees. So DD tested the water and discovered it was very warm (the steam coming off of it might have given us a clue ). There was still a good deal of time before our excursion, so I made the executive decision to allow DD to be what appeared to be The Only Kid to Get in the Pool to Date. (That’s probably not true, but we sure hadn’t seen anyone in there.)

We headed to our stateroom so DD could change into her swimsuit. The Judies were there, so I told them where we were going, and they decided to come along.

Tentative at first:

She soon realized that it was VERY warm:

And then our DIS friends had the same idea! (I think it’s okay to post this because you can’t possibly see a face or anything. )

The two girls made fast friends and had a lot of fun in their private Mickey pool. And The Judies and I had a great time visiting with DD’s friend’s mom. We told her about our amazing dinner at Palo and invited her to join us at our next dinner. I even ran up to Palo in case there was anyone up there so that we could change the reservation. No one was there, but we figured changing a 3-top to a 4-top would be no problem. (Unfortunately, we did not do a very good job of coordinating and didn’t manage to get together for dinner. )

DD’s input: “I liked it a lot. It was so fun.”

Before long, we had to get the girls out of the pool to get ready for our excursions. This was no easy feat! We also grabbed some food from Pluto’s Dog House to take back to the stateroom. I had a burger on a gluten-free bun!!!!! I haven’t had a burger on a bun in over a year. It was SO good! (Sadly, Pluto’s never accommodated that request again - I know that they have some very careful requirements about handing out gluten-free stuff, and I am guessing that the guy who made the first burger wasn’t supposed to do it. What I didn’t understand was why, when I asked the next time, the person who told him no (it was the same guy who was going to get it) didn’t come over and talk to me about it. ) Oh well - I enjoyed that one bunned burger so much.

Up next 23. What? We’re Actually Getting off the Ship? (Day 4)​

 

[shan23877]

Surely she could be convinced to visit the beautiful Pacific Northwest.

I'm still pulling for a Mom Meet at WDW soon!

Bryan is coming around for summer 2013. Who's with me?

 

[shan23877]

Yay! You're in Alaska!!

I'm always trying to get my family to find Hidden Mickeys with me, and they're not interested either. I'm glad that you got to find some though!

How awesome to have two surprise Dis Meets! And Willow made a new friend too! Sounds like a great morning. A 90 degree pool is my kind of swim. I don't blame Willow at all.

Can't wait to hear about Skagway!

 

[amandaw]

What beautiful scenery! I mean, really! To get out there on the deck & look at those beautiful mountains....WOW!

How nice that y'all had such an empty ship for a while. Reid has been asking me if we can get a Hidden Mickey book before our trip. Guess I need to go to the bookstore & pick that up. I started teaching him last year about Hidden Mickey's while we were at WL. He even looks for them at home. He did find one in Ed's truck believe it or not.

That's fun that y'all had a surprise DIS meet! And that's great that Willow had a friend to swim with.

Can't wait to hear about the excursion!

Bryan is coming around for summer 2013. Who's with me?

If we weren't going on the cruise, I would sooooo be with you! In fact, I came dangerously close to canceling our cruise this past weekend for a few reasons....not because we don't enjoy Disney cruises. But, Ed is adamant that we not spend our entire vacation at the parks next year. He wants the cruise.

But, we're definitely going back to the parks in 2014! It'll probably be early June since I want to be there for Star Wars Weekends. Y'all thinking about 2014 yet? I know, I know....it's probably just me & my crazy self.

 

[RGirl]

Bryan is coming around for summer 2013. Who's with me?

August by chance?