June 25, 2012 - WONDERful 7 night Alaskan cruise

[DCLShel]

Sorry for the string of posts! I'm a little scattered this morning!

Has anyone seen the trailer for "Brave?" Its the new Disney/Pixar movie opening on June 22nd. I'm hoping they show it on our cruise!

Here's a link to the trailer: http://disney.go.com/brave/?cmp=wdsmp_brv_EMC_120223_brave_logo_Extl

 

[lsb4unc]

Can't wait for the June 25th Alaska Cruise. We have 10 in our group and it should be a great trip!

 

[DCLShel]

Can't wait for the June 25th Alaska Cruise. We have 10 in our group and it should be a great trip!

Welcome to the boards and congrats on your first post!

So glad you will be on the cruise! The boards are full of information so have fun exploring them.

If you would like to give me info on the people traveling with you, I'll add everyone to the roster on Page #1. Some people on the cruise will be participating in a small gift exchange called Fish Extenders (FE). Its alot of fun if you are interested~

 

[Mean Queen]

Sorry for the string of posts! I'm a little scattered this morning!

Has anyone seen the trailer for "Brave?" Its the new Disney/Pixar movie opening on June 22nd. I'm hoping they show it on our cruise!

Here's a link to the trailer: http://disney.go.com/brave/?cmp=wdsmp_brv_EMC_120223_brave_logo_Extl

That would be so awesome!!!! (my ode to the Incredibles) I love Pixar movies and I love even more seeing movies on the cruise. Though we never did go see the Muppet premiere on our last one because the kids were too busy to go with us. We decided we'd rather use that adult alone time for more adult activities.

 

[DCLShel]

That would be so awesome!!!! (my ode to the Incredibles) I love Pixar movies and I love even more seeing movies on the cruise. Though we never did go see the Muppet premiere on our last one because the kids were too busy to go with us. We decided we'd rather use that adult alone time for more adult activities.

They premiered Cars 2 on our Med cruise last year. I didn't have a desire to see it though. We don't usually go to the movies at home so its a treat to see them on the ship. If they show Brave, I'll go see it - even if I have to go alone!

I'm with you - love the Pixar movies!

 

[DCLShel]

Got our excursions & Palo ressie booked yesterday! One step closer!

 

[Deb in IA]

I'm totally cracking up! Deb - we're on the same flight to Seattle! We're staying in Seattle on the 2nd. My DH likes direct flights and it leaves at 12:20pm. I read on the boards that the ship doesn't start debarkation until 9:00 in Seattle so I wasn't sure if we could make that flight. We're just going to stay at a hotel by the airport and fly out on the 3rd.

I'm booked at the Hilton Garden Inn, Lambert Airport at the end of March. Its a brand-new hotel. I've got a 6:35am flight to Orlando (for the MV of the Fantasy!) on the 30th so I'm going down the night before. I can let you know what I think when I get back. It was $155 including tax. The hotel has a free airport shuttle, too.

Right now, I've got two hotels booked for our pre-cruise stay in Seattle - Homewood Suites, Downtown & Residence Inn, Lake Union. I still haven't decided which one we'll stay at but I'm leaning toward Homewood Suites. Its closer to Pike Place Market.

I also checked out the Edgewater - and if we weren't staying 3 nights before the cruise, I would have booked it. But, given the nightly rate I saw, I just couldn't pay that rate - especially when I factor in the amount we'll probably spend on excursions.

Deb - thanks for starting the Seattle thread! Otherwise, we might not have known about the Seattle Pride weekend until we got there. Makes me thankful that I've already got hotel rooms, too.

Shel, that is TOO FUNNY!! You will have to fill me in on the boarding process for SW. I'm a bit nervous about that - we've never flown SW before. I understand that we have to check in right at the 24-hour mark to get an early boarding group? And then we still have to find our own seats on the plane? Our "kids" are going to be 21 and 17, so I think they will be fine if we are separated, but I'm still a bit scared of the process.

Let me know what you think of the Hilton Garden Inn by the airport. We've stayed at the one in Chesterfield, MO years ago, and it was fine. Rate sounds good, and I like the free shuttle! Our kids have friends in the St. Louis area. They go to a summer choir camp in Columbia, IL every year, and they are hoping to see them over the 4th of July holiday, after the cruise.

Yeah, who knew about the Seattle Pride stuff? I'm SO glad we found out about it. I was wondering why some of the hotels were already sold out way back in January! Good to hear the rate I got was pretty good. Like I said, I booked the Warwick "blind", so it is reassuring to hear some good posts about it.

Sorry for the string of posts! I'm a little scattered this morning!

Has anyone seen the trailer for "Brave?" Its the new Disney/Pixar movie opening on June 22nd. I'm hoping they show it on our cruise!

Here's a link to the trailer: http://disney.go.com/brave/?cmp=wdsmp_brv_EMC_120223_brave_logo_Extl

I read all about this movie in TIME magazine! I'm so excited about seeing it!

We were on the Wonder on the premiere date of the second Pirates of the Caribbean movie, Dead Man's Chest, on July 7, 2006, and got to see it at a midnight showing in the Walt Disney Theater onboard the ship!

Got our excursions & Palo ressie booked yesterday! One step closer!

Cool!

What excursions did you book?

 

[DCLShel]

Shel, that is TOO FUNNY!! You will have to fill me in on the boarding process for SW. I'm a bit nervous about that - we've never flown SW before. I understand that we have to check in right at the 24-hour mark to get an early boarding group? And then we still have to find our own seats on the plane? Our "kids" are going to be 21 and 17, so I think they will be fine if we are separated, but I'm still a bit scared of the process.

Let me know what you think of the Hilton Garden Inn by the airport. We've stayed at the one in Chesterfield, MO years ago, and it was fine. Rate sounds good, and I like the free shuttle! Our kids have friends in the St. Louis area. They go to a summer choir camp in Columbia, IL every year, and they are hoping to see them over the 4th of July holiday, after the cruise.

Yeah, who knew about the Seattle Pride stuff? I'm SO glad we found out about it. I was wondering why some of the hotels were already sold out way back in January! Good to hear the rate I got was pretty good. Like I said, I booked the Warwick "blind", so it is reassuring to hear some good posts about it.



I read all about this movie in TIME magazine! I'm so excited about seeing it!

We were on the Wonder on the premiere date of the second Pirates of the Caribbean movie, Dead Man's Chest, on July 7, 2006, and got to see it at a midnight showing in the Walt Disney Theater onboard the ship!



Cool!

What excursions did you book?

We've never had a problem with getting seats together on SW. At the very least, one of us has sat with DD (Kiley) and the other has sat close by. I know its a little unsettling to not have an assigned seat but it should be fine. And, yes, I always log on exactly at the 24 hour mark to get checked in.

Skagway - Grizzly Falls Ziplining; Juneau - Dog Sledding on Mendenhall Glacier by Helicopter; Ketchican - Bearing Sea Crab Fisherman's Tour

Lance (DH) has never eaten at Palo. We usually don't go since DD doesn't like the clubs. This is our first cruise together since I reached Platinum so I don't want to waste our free dinner! I made a reservation for us - hope I'm not eating alone!

 

[htmlkid]

We've never had a problem with getting seats together on SW. At the very least, one of us has sat with DD (Kiley) and the other has sat close by. I know its a little unsettling to not have an assigned seat but it should be fine. And, yes, I always log on exactly at the 24 hour mark to get checked in.

Skagway - Grizzly Falls Ziplining; Juneau - Dog Sledding on Mendenhall Glacier by Helicopter; Ketchican - Bearing Sea Crab Fisherman's Tour

Lance (DH) has never eaten at Palo. We usually don't go since DD doesn't like the clubs. This is our first cruise together since I reached Platinum so I don't want to waste our free dinner! I made a reservation for us - hope I'm not eating alone!

Kiley can hang with us so you can enjoy your Palo Dinner....

 

[Mean Queen]

Well, no Edgewater for us. DH realized we couldn't get 2 Queen beds and decided to check out more reasonably priced places that do. Anyone know anything about the Paramount?

 

[DCLShel]

Kiley can hang with us so you can enjoy your Palo Dinner....

Thanks, Glenn!

 

[Deb in IA]

We've never had a problem with getting seats together on SW. At the very least, one of us has sat with DD (Kiley) and the other has sat close by. I know its a little unsettling to not have an assigned seat but it should be fine. And, yes, I always log on exactly at the 24 hour mark to get checked in.

Skagway - Grizzly Falls Ziplining; Juneau - Dog Sledding on Mendenhall Glacier by Helicopter; Ketchican - Bearing Sea Crab Fisherman's Tour

Lance (DH) has never eaten at Palo. We usually don't go since DD doesn't like the clubs. This is our first cruise together since I reached Platinum so I don't want to waste our free dinner! I made a reservation for us - hope I'm not eating alone!

Kiley sounds like our DD. She didn't like the clubs either. Fortunately, she had her little brother to go to dinner with her when we went to Palo in the past. On our cruise on the Dream last year, DD was old enough to go with us. She LOVED the chocolate souffle! DS went to our regular dining by himself, and the waiters took good care of him.

Well, no Edgewater for us. DH realized we couldn't get 2 Queen beds and decided to check out more reasonably priced places that do. Anyone know anything about the Paramount?

Oh, sorry about the Edgewater. I think this whole Seattle Pride thing is really wreaking havoc on booking hotel rooms. I checked several places - the Inn at the Market, Mayflower Park, Edgewater - for a room for 4, and ALL were sold out already in January!!!!

We REALLY want to see the King Tut exhibit, so I think I will go online and get tickets for Saturday. I want to avoid Seattle Center on Sunday, because I think that is when the big parade will be.

 

[hollyfitness]

My family will be on this cruise as well... this is my first time on disboards... but this is our fourth Disney cruise... We are very excited to cruise Alaska. I would love to find out more about the fish extenders... I have always wondered why people were hanging things on those fish. Now I think I get it. We are three... myself my DH and DS..

 

[Mean Queen]

My family will be on this cruise as well... this is my first time on disboards... but this is our fourth Disney cruise... We are very excited to cruise Alaska. I would love to find out more about the fish extenders... I have always wondered why people were hanging things on those fish. Now I think I get it. We are three... myself my DH and DS..

Welcome neighbor! We're also looking forward to a change of scenery in our cruising. I'm looking forward to escaping our Summer heat. The FE's are a lot of fun.

We did end up settling on a place to stay, the Crowne Plaza. We got a good rate, it has 2 Queen beds, and it's near Pike Place Market but far enough from the Seattle Center so that the parade won't interfere with our plans too much.

 

[tripsmom]

Hello! We are sailing with a big group on this cruise - 19 in all. One of our brothers - cousinvinny - has already put his family on the roster. The rest of us are:
Wonderful grandparents -
DH, DW, DD (11), DS (7)
DH DW, DS (6), DD(4), DS (4)
My family - Chad (DH), Rebecca (DW), Liza Jane (DD - 6), Rett (DS - 6), Clay (DS - 6)

I have a quick question. Does anyone know if you have to sign up for a port arrival time during online checkin like you do for cruises out of PC? One group within our large group has never sailed DCL before so I'm trying to figure out if we will all be able to arrive at port to check in at the same time. I am sincerely hoping this is the case!

We will have 6 cabins on Deck 2 and the grandparents are on Deck 6. I think Deck 2 will be an exciting place to be!

We are excited about the cruise and are counting down the days! Only 109 more days!

Thanks for the help with the arrival times!
Rebecca

 

[Mean Queen]

That is one big group Rebecca! I'm not sure about the port check in either, I was wondering that myself.

 

[DCLShel]

My family will be on this cruise as well... this is my first time on disboards... but this is our fourth Disney cruise... We are very excited to cruise Alaska. I would love to find out more about the fish extenders... I have always wondered why people were hanging things on those fish. Now I think I get it. We are three... myself my DH and DS..

Welcome to the meets thread and congrats on your first post! The boards are a wonderful source of information! If you want to give me your names, I will add that information to the roster on the first page.

Fish extenders are alot of fun! If you would like to join the FE group, just let me know and I'll add you. Its a fun little gift exchange - no rules really. Just use your imagination and have fun! (there's a thread about FEs. if I can find it, I'll post it) If you would like to purchase a personalized FE, I have bought 3 from gradysmommy on Ebay. Just search for "fish extenders" on Ebay and it will come up.

Hello! We are sailing with a big group on this cruise - 19 in all. One of our brothers - cousinvinny - has already put his family on the roster. The rest of us are:
Wonderful grandparents -
DH, DW, DD (11), DS (7)
DH DW, DS (6), DD(4), DS (4)
My family - Chad (DH), Rebecca (DW), Liza Jane (DD - 6), Rett (DS - 6), Clay (DS - 6)

I have a quick question. Does anyone know if you have to sign up for a port arrival time during online checkin like you do for cruises out of PC? One group within our large group has never sailed DCL before so I'm trying to figure out if we will all be able to arrive at port to check in at the same time. I am sincerely hoping this is the case!

We will have 6 cabins on Deck 2 and the grandparents are on Deck 6. I think Deck 2 will be an exciting place to be!

We are excited about the cruise and are counting down the days! Only 109 more days!

Thanks for the help with the arrival times!
Rebecca

Rebecca - Thanks for introducing yourself and your family! You guys have a serious group of people!

Are all of your reservations linked together? This might help getting the same port arrival times. I know, in the past, your entire group could check in together but I'm not sure this is still the case with PATs. I encourage you to search the boards - especially the Sticky threads on cruises. If you can't find the answer, call DCL or start a thread and ask.

Let me know if you would like to join the FE goup!

 

[DCLShel]

http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=33184281&postcount=2

Hope this helps~

 

[tripsmom]

Here is what DCL said about check in times for Seattle for anyone who has been wondering!

"All Guest will select a Port Arrival Time when they complete their
Online Check-In.

The Port Arrival Time is designed to alleviate congestion and allows for
an optimum embarkation experience for all Guests. Please be aware, it is
not the time you will embark the ship. It is only the time to arrive at
the cruise terminal. Embarkation still begins approximately 1:00pm.

Here is some information regarding the Port Arrival Time:

*You will be issued a boarding number for a boarding group at check-in.
*The boarding number is predetermined by the time selected in the Port
Arrival Time form.
*If you have not selected an arrival time online, you may be delayed
entry into the cruise terminal until Guests with assigned times are
accommodated.
*You will board the ship once the boarding number has been called.

We encourage our Guests to arrive as close to their scheduled time as
possible. If you arrive early, you may be asked to wait until your
scheduled time to enter the terminal.

If you are traveling with another party and have chosen two separate
Port Arrival times, it is recommended to arrive at the later time in
order to ensure the entire party can be accommodated."

 

[Mean Queen]

Yeah! We made Palo's brunch and dinner reservations and one excursion (the Liarsville Salmon bake with Disney characters.) We figure the excursions won't fill up and if they do, we'll just tour the city on our own. I'm not too worried since one city said it was 15 blocks wide. We could walk it and see the whole thing. We also got the 11 am port check in. I'm so excited! There were 3 days where you could have Palo's brunch, so everyone who wants it should get it (if not now, on the boat since they hold reservations back.)