June 7, 2011 Alaska

[disneypoor]

School is out for the summer. We are so excited about our upcoming cruise.

Yeah! We got out really early this year so we've been off for over a week already. What time did you say your flight was scheduled to leave KC? We are flying Delta out of KC, and I think our flight leaves around 7:00 a.m. It's going to be an EARLY morning for us next Monday but we're still excited for it to get here!

Susan

 

[TEGIS]

Hi Everyone!

We just found these boards and wanted to post a quick hello before sailing next week.

We're from the Bay Area California and are super excited for the cruise and to meet new friends! We have three children: Griffin - 5, Sophie - 3, and Isla - 6 mos. I teach 7th grade science and my husband is in software/internet.

Is there a meet scheduled somewhere? I'll quickly read through the posts and gather as much valuable info as I can.

See you all soon!
Thai, Elice, Griffin, Sophie, and Isla (TEGIS)

 

[disneypoor]

Hi Everyone!

We just found these boards and wanted to post a quick hello before sailing next week.

We're from the Bay Area California and are super excited for the cruise and to meet new friends! We have three children: Griffin - 5, Sophie - 3, and Isla - 6 mos. I teach 7th grade science and my husband is in software/internet.

Is there a meet scheduled somewhere? I'll quickly read through the posts and gather as much valuable info as I can.

See you all soon!
Thai, Elice, Griffin, Sophie, and Isla (TEGIS)

Welcome! Glad you'll be joining us. Can't believe it's almost here but as excited as can be! Now, the packing needs to begin around my house. I told my kiddos that we are cleaning this house top to bottom and then getting the suitcases out. We'll see how today goes!

Susan

 

[Evette]

Hi Everyone!

We just found these boards and wanted to post a quick hello before sailing next week.

We're from the Bay Area California and are super excited for the cruise and to meet new friends! We have three children: Griffin - 5, Sophie - 3, and Isla - 6 mos. I teach 7th grade science and my husband is in software/internet.

Is there a meet scheduled somewhere? I'll quickly read through the posts and gather as much valuable info as I can.

See you all soon!
Thai, Elice, Griffin, Sophie, and Isla (TEGIS)

and So glad you're sailing with us!

 

[Evette]

Can't believe it's almost here but as excited as can be! Now, the packing needs to begin around my house.
Susan

I know the feeling, we leave on Sunday for Seattle and the packing has not started yet. I hope to start a staging area in my livingroom today as a place to gather what we need to pack. Not sure how many suitcases we will need since I really don't want to do laundry on the ship. We spend 1 night in Seattle near the airport and one night in Vancouver before the cruise and then we are spending 4 days with friends in the Seattle area after the cruise, we will be gone for almost 2 weeks so I must pack accordingly. I think planning for many different weather possibilities poses the greatest challenge.

 

[fabulousoldshoes]

We're going crazy at my house. I have exams this week and the last day of school is Thursday, then me and my mom are going to Nashville on Friday and we come back on Sunday and then fly out on Monday.

We have to have everything packed for both by Thursday.... :S

Plus my mom is still working on our FE gifts AND making the actualy FE....

 

[TEGIS]

Welcome! Glad you'll be joining us. Can't believe it's almost here but as excited as can be! Now, the packing needs to begin around my house. I told my kiddos that we are cleaning this house top to bottom and then getting the suitcases out. We'll see how today goes!

Susan

"I told my kiddos that we are cleaning this house top to bottom and then getting the suitcases out."

-- BRILLIANT! What a great idea; I'm going to tell my kids the same thing!

Anyone have any packing tips -- special things to bring especially on an Alaskan cruise?

I've been searching the boards and internet in general and so far I've found:
1. binoculars
2. chapstick/lotion because the air is dry

Thanks!
Elice -- I'm sooooooo excited!

 

[willful]

Also, I wanted to let all of you FEers know that I have PM'd Willfull for his stateroom number. Some of you have been asking.

Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!

I've been so busy with work during May with 2 big software upgrades at New Orleans and Houston. For me the month of May was a blur!!! But now I get to focus on this upcoming AWESOME trip!!!! We leave Friday morning for Seattle.

I replied to Pixie3's PM but I will include my stateroom number here too. It is 2079. Still hoping for upgrade but I doubt it. I'm very sorry if i caused any grief in anyone's planning!

On the first page my daughter, Samara, is incorrectly listed as "DH".

We are super EXCITED the cruise is almost here!!!

 

[*tinker*bell*]

One Week!!!! and the weather has been nice every Tuesday since the Wonder has starting porting here in Vancouver! Today is no exception it is FINALLY starting to warm up (better late than never? ) and it is a beautiful sunny day today! Hope this week fly's by... except for the two very important Hockey games this week Go Canucks Go!

 

[willful]

One Week!!!! and the weather has been nice every Tuesday since the Wonder has starting porting here in Vancouver! Today is no exception it is FINALLY starting to warm up (better late than never? ) and it is a beautiful sunny day today! Hope this week fly's by... except for the two very important Hockey games this week Go Canucks Go!

YAAAYY!!! Keep that nice weather going!!! We'll be there Sunday!!!!

Go Canucks!

 

[disneypoor]

"I told my kiddos that we are cleaning this house top to bottom and then getting the suitcases out."

-- BRILLIANT! What a great idea; I'm going to tell my kids the same thing!

Anyone have any packing tips -- special things to bring especially on an Alaskan cruise?

I've been searching the boards and internet in general and so far I've found:
1. binoculars
2. chapstick/lotion because the air is dry

Thanks!
Elice -- I'm sooooooo excited!

I'm not above bribery, Elice! I use vacation time as a way to get DEEP cleaning done. My son is an awesome cleaner and probably cleans better than I do, so I love it when he's willing to help. My daughter has wonderful qualities but cleaning isn't one of them. She pushes things under furniture and throws clean clothes in the dirty clothes hamper. I have to keep an eye on her when she's cleaning.

As for packing, one thing that I added to my list after reading through other posts was an umbrella. I'm usually not one to carry an umbrella, but if we're at Tracy Arm and it's raining, I want to make sure I can stand outside somewhere to watch since I don't have a verandah this time around. I also got 25 one dollar bills for tips for room service today. I'm also packing layers this time (tshirts, sweatshirts, gloves, hats, etc.). Other than that, I think the rest of the stuff on my list is pretty standard.

Evette--I'm turning our dining room table into a packing station! Hope we don't have company before we leave!

Susan

 

[disneypoor]

One Week!!!! and the weather has been nice every Tuesday since the Wonder has starting porting here in Vancouver! Today is no exception it is FINALLY starting to warm up (better late than never? ) and it is a beautiful sunny day today! Hope this week fly's by... except for the two very important Hockey games this week Go Canucks Go!

So glad to hear the weather has been nice! It's great to have someone in Vancouver to keep us posted! We're starting to get so excited! I can't believe it's really almost here. We booked this cruise so long ago. I remember thinking it would never get here and now here it is! I have found myself thinking about this trip every Tuesday since the first Alaska sailing! Woot! Woot!

Susan

 

[DenaLuvsDisney]

Yeah! We got out really early this year so we've been off for over a week already. What time did you say your flight was scheduled to leave KC? We are flying Delta out of KC, and I think our flight leaves around 7:00 a.m. It's going to be an EARLY morning for us next Monday but we're still excited for it to get here!

Susan

Our flight is with United Airlines and we fly out at 10:00 AM, it will be an early morning for us as well since we have a 2 hour drive to the airport.

 

[pixie3]

I'm definitely getting that pre-trip, pre-packing panicky feeling! I used to love the packing and preparing, and now it just plain stresses me out!

I'm with you. I hate this feeling!

Hi Everyone!

We just found these boards and wanted to post a quick hello before sailing next week.

We're from the Bay Area California and are super excited for the cruise and to meet new friends! We have three children: Griffin - 5, Sophie - 3, and Isla - 6 mos. I teach 7th grade science and my husband is in software/internet.

Is there a meet scheduled somewhere? I'll quickly read through the posts and gather as much valuable info as I can.

See you all soon!
Thai, Elice, Griffin, Sophie, and Isla (TEGIS)

Hello.
I'll add you to our list on the first page!

I think we are going to try to have a meet after the drill and before/during the sail away party on the top deck starboard (right) side.

I know the feeling, we leave on Sunday for Seattle and the packing has not started yet. I think planning for many different weather possibilities poses the greatest challenge.

We leave Saturday morning and I haven't started. You are right, the weather possibilities do pose the greatest challenge.

Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!

I replied to Pixie3's PM but I will include my stateroom number here too. It is 2079. Still hoping for upgrade but I doubt it. I'm very sorry if i caused any grief in anyone's planning!

On the first page my daughter, Samara, is incorrectly listed as "DH".

You're all good! I just wanted to make sure we had your room number before people started their vacations.

DH fixed that!!!

Hope this week fly's by... except for the two very important Hockey games this week Go Canucks Go!

My Penguins are out, so I'll cheer for you! We thought about getting tickets for Saturday, but we fly in at 4 and the game starts at 5.

 

[pixie3]

FE ALERT: In case any of you missed it.....Wselman decided to join FE past the cut off date with the understanding that they may not receive an FE from everyone. HOWEVER, if you have any extras, (a few of us already said we did) I'm sure they would greatly appreciate it!!!! Their room number is posted on the first page. Thank You!

 

[*tinker*bell*]

So glad to hear the weather has been nice! It's great to have someone in Vancouver to keep us posted! We're starting to get so excited! I can't believe it's really almost here. We booked this cruise so long ago. I remember thinking it would never get here and now here it is! I have found myself thinking about this trip every Tuesday since the first Alaska sailing! Woot! Woot!

Susan

it's supposed to rain tomorrow but then be sunny for the rest of the week/weekend up to 22 degrees... which is... about 72 F so pretty warm! I don't know how you dealt with booking so far out! I too have been thinking about it every Tuesday, always watch the ship sail away on the news

My Penguins are out, so I'll cheer for you! We thought about getting tickets for Saturday, but we fly in at 4 and the game starts at 5.

gotta love 'em Canucks, interesting fact: the year Montreal won the cup, the year before they had the Olympics, same with Calgary, so it's our turn now! and wow tickets are pretty hard to come by! They were talking about them on the news and said they went from $300 for the nosebleeds up to $3000 thats more than the cruise I stick to the big screens downtown/a restaurant or just stay home and watch it! there is a game in Boston on the 6th so both nights the city will be NUTS! long waits in any restaurant with a TV and lots of honking/cheering ect I kinda hope we lose at least one game so I can be downtown when we win the cup!!!!! They better play the games on the ship, I believe I read somewhere saying they were going to *fingers crossed*

 

[wselman]

"I told my kiddos that we are cleaning this house top to bottom and then getting the suitcases out."

-- BRILLIANT! What a great idea; I'm going to tell my kids the same thing!

Anyone have any packing tips -- special things to bring especially on an Alaskan cruise?

I've been searching the boards and internet in general and so far I've found:
1. binoculars
2. chapstick/lotion because the air is dry

Thanks!
Elice -- I'm sooooooo excited!

People seem to love 'em or hate 'em, but I really like the Travel Space Bags. I find them useful for compressing certain clothes (especially kids clothes, socks, underwear) and for dirty clothes. The bags are somewhat fragile and don't last forever--maybe a couple of trips, but they can really squish items down. And if I'm careful in how I pack them, t-shirts and such don't really wrinkle.

 

[willful]

it's supposed to rain tomorrow but then be sunny for the rest of the week/weekend up to 22 degrees... which is... about 72 F so pretty warm! I don't know how you dealt with booking so far out! I too have been thinking about it every Tuesday, always watch the ship sail away on the news

Sweet! Hope the nice warm weather holds out. Thanks for the update.

I too have been thinking about it every Tuesday. I can't believe how far out I booked this trip! We book most of our trips about 3 - 6months in advance. This I think we booked over a year ago.

People seem to love 'em or hate 'em, but I really like the Travel Space Bags. I find them useful for compressing certain clothes (especially kids clothes, socks, underwear) and for dirty clothes. The bags are somewhat fragile and don't last forever--maybe a couple of trips, but they can really squish items down. And if I'm careful in how I pack them, t-shirts and such don't really wrinkle.

We use Travel Space bags for our trips. We love them! They are amazing. Help to keep clothes protected and organized. Unfortunately they can contribute to over packing.

 

[Evette]

I also got 25 one dollar bills for tips for room service today. I'm also packing layers this time (tshirts, sweatshirts, gloves, hats, etc.). Other than that, I think the rest of the stuff on my list is pretty standard.
Evette--I'm turning our dining room table into a packing station! Hope we don't have company before we leave!Susan

I need to get to the bank on Saturday and I will get money for tips then too. I know we will need $1's but not sure how much other cash to get. We will need to tip bus drivers, guides, etc. Oh, well, I'm sure I'll figure it out. We went to Target last night and my diningroom table has all the travel stuff we bought on it. I guess if we want to eat on it today I'll need to move it to the livingroom! Luckily I'm not expecting company because the livingroom will be a mess. I really need to do laundry but being on the disbards is much more fun.!

So glad to hear the weather has been nice! It's great to have someone in Vancouver to keep us posted! We're starting to get so excited! I can't believe it's really almost here. We booked this cruise so long ago. I remember thinking it would never get here and now here it is! I have found myself thinking about this trip every Tuesday since the first Alaska sailing! Woot! Woot!

Susan

I've been checking the weather for Vancouver (all our ports actually), we arrive there on Monday and so far it is supposed to be partly cloudy with a high of 66 degrees. On Tuesday, also partly cloudy with a high of 62. Hope it stays that way! I watched the Wonder come into Vancouver and leave the port yesterday on the live webcam, can't believe in only 6 days it will be our turn.

People seem to love 'em or hate 'em, but I really like the Travel Space Bags. I find them useful for compressing certain clothes (especially kids clothes, socks, underwear) and for dirty clothes. The bags are somewhat fragile and don't last forever--maybe a couple of trips, but they can really squish items down. And if I'm careful in how I pack them, t-shirts and such don't really wrinkle.

For our last couple of trips I have used a packing folder and packing cubes I purchased thru ebags. I really like these. The packing folder helps keep wrinkles away, and the cubes are a great way to organize!

I too have been thinking about it every Tuesday. I can't believe how far out I booked this trip! We book most of our trips about 3 - 6months in advance. This I think we booked over a year ago.

I can't believe the trip is so close! We booked it 21 months ago while on our first DCL cruise in Sept. 2009. It seems as though it would never get here and now I've got to scramble to make sure we are ready to go by Sunday.

 

[jilljill]

Just curious if anyone on here is doing the ABD add-on and if you have rec'd any paperwork from ABD? Just trying to find out what sort of info they send out ahead of time.

thanks