May 24, 2014 Alaskan 9 night Wonder

Hi guys. Promise some day I will get things updated! Welcome to all those joining us.

I found a sort of list of "27 wonders of the world" post on facebook the other day. I was going through it and saw some really awesome stuff but #7 is right up our alley, wonder if anyone would do this in our group? I know they have "tour" excursions to the glacier, but THIS, wow! http://www.buzzfeed.com/ariellecalderon/surreal-places-to-visit-before-you-die
 
Just wanted to drop by and say we booked with y'all today on a B2B (repo).
:welcome:

I found a sort of list of "27 wonders of the world" post on facebook the other day. I was going through it and saw some really awesome stuff but #7 is right up our alley, wonder if anyone would do this in our group? I know they have "tour" excursions to the glacier, but THIS, wow! http://www.buzzfeed.com/ariellecalderon/surreal-places-to-visit-before-you-die
Wow - that looks awesome! What amazing pictures. I've been to Mendenhall 3 time, hiked from different sides/angles and had no idea there were caves that people go into. Would I do it? Uhm... no. "very dangerous, you go first" ;) With a glacier in constant motion, calving, and collapsing, being crushed by tons of ice just doesn't sound appealing! :scared:
 
Well airfare is booked so were a definite now... I see a lot of 12 hour shifts of O.T in my future lol....We're flying into Seattle on the 21 st will do the zoo that thurs then driving to Vancouver. We're staying 2 nights at Pan Pacific before cruise.looking forward to seeing old friends and making new ones :)
 
Airfare has been purchased...now to just pay off the cruise. We'll probably just do everything on our own, and skip out on excursions.
 

Yes, I use my Target card to buy Disney Gift Cards and get the 5% discount. I have paid for three cruises this way. Saved big bucks on this cruise.

Ray

Where did everybody go? Has the initial excitement worn off already?

I went and bought my first Disney gift cards at Target to apply to my cruise balance today. I love getting that 5% off. Haven't actually entered them yet, so I will see how this goes.

I am thinking about applying for the Target Debit card as I understand you get 5% off when you pay with that and then can get another 5% off with the prescription 5% card that they send. Anyone else do this?
 
Airfare has been purchased...now to just pay off the cruise. We'll probably just do everything on our own, and skip out on excursions.

We are looking into some excursions on our own too. For example the jeep tour disney offers you can do and it's around $ 170.00 for a jeep for four people,cooler of snacks and cd tour guide whereas disney is charging around that a person. Harv and marvs whale watching is worth it definitly, organizing that for second cruise but they are wonderful and you will definitly be close as you can get to whales, orcas and eagles.
 
A few ideas for on your own stuff that won't break the bank...(from the local)


Juneau;
Mendenhall Glacier. You can grab a cab (about 10 miles from town) or catch one of the tour companies up that way.
http://www.juneautours.com/juneau-city-and-glacier-tours/

Alaska Brewery. Again grab a cab or take the shuttle:
http://www.alaskanbeer.com/our-brewery/visit-the-brewery.html
http://alaska-shoreexcursions.com/juneau

Alaska State Museum: Alaska History and artifacts etc. Short walk from the pier, right in downtown Juneau. Right up the street is the Governor's Mansion (up a little hill) where Sarah Palin use to live. Yes you can see Russia from Alaska, no not from Juneau.
http://museums.alaska.gov/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaska_Governor's_Mansion

Sitka;
Sitka National Historic Park, 10-15 minute walk from the in town pier. Has a nice totem trail (about a mile long give or take) and visitors center with craftsman doing native Tlingit art. They also run the Bishop's House in town. (I think we're gonna tender here as the "dock" is pretty small for our size ship)
http://www.nps.gov/sitk/index.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sitka_National_Historical_Park

St. Michaels Cathedral: Right in town is this small old church. The original burnt down in the 60's but the new one is nice and has lots of icons for those into that sort of thing. I think its a suggested donation of $5.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Michael's_Cathedral_(Sitka,_Alaska)

Fortress of the Bear: About $50-60 roundtrip via a cab. They turned an old water plant into a bear rescue facility. If you want to see some brown bears up close, but not in the wild, this is your place.
http://www.fortressofthebear.org/

Alaska Raptor Center: About a 20-25 minute walk from downtown is this center where they rehabilitate eagles etc. It would be a 5 minute cab ride.
http://www.alaskaraptor.org/SITE/index.html

Sheldon Jackson Museum: This museum of native artifacts and life is on the way to the national historic park. About 5-10 min walk from town. Definintely worth a visit in conjunction with the historic park. Sheldon Jackson was a presbyterian missionary who traveled the state and this is a lot of his collection. The grounds used to be Sheldon Jackson College, where I was enrolled for a short period of time, no defunct.
http://museums.alaska.gov/sheldon_jackson/sjhours.html

As a side note (im most familiar with Sitka). Sitka is SMALL. The town itself is about a 15 minute brisk walk from end to end. The road system goes 7 miles north, and 7 miles south. The Fortress of the Bear is at the end of the road to the South. You could EASILY combine the Sheldon Jackson Museum -> National Historic Park (Totem Park as we call it) -> St. Michael's Cathedral -> Visit the touristy shops downtown in a day. If you move quick, you may be able to add the raptor center to this. Just like the Caribbean, every store in Alaska sells the same stuff. I'm probably going to get shot for saying that...

Ketchikan:
Creek Street: The old red-light part of town is now a bunch of shops, restaurants, and a museum to the worlds oldest profession. Pretty neat and a very short walk from the pier.
http://creekstreetketchikan.com/
http://www.experienceketchikan.com/creek-street-ketchikan.html

Kayaking:
Pretty much every port will have this in Alaska but something fun to do to get out on the water without breaking the bank.
http://www.kayakketchikan.com/


Skagway:
I've never actually been to Skagway (not someplace I just want to drive 20 hours to pop in for a visit) but my parents highly raved about the White Pass & Yukon Railway. Its an old narrow gauge railway that takes you back up into the hills for beautiful views and old miner history. I would personally recommend this through the ship just for times sake.


Now for expensive tours...

If you want to spend money on just ONE tour (and it its a LOT of $$$$) I highly recommend doing a helicopter tour in Juneau up to the glacier with dog sledding. I would book this through the ship as weather is pretty sketchy in Southeast and if you get stuck on the ice for an hour or two waiting on a cloud to move by, you don't want to see the Wonder as she mosey's up the channel leaving you behind...though it is nice city to get stuck in. Doesn't get any more Alaskan than this. Sure, we all have helicopters, and dog sleds, live in igloos.....

I have personally flown Promech Air out of Ketchikan and they were always professional. http://www.promechair.com/ Again, I would book through the ship for anything like this just for the sake that if you're late, they wait.
 
:banana::banana: We're at the 6 month mark! :banana::banana:

Thanks everyone for the excursion ideas, I definitely need to check in to these. BTW we walked to the Tongass Museum in Ketchikan in 2012 and enjoyed it. In Sitka we're walking down to Castle Hill and seeing the sites, there's some nice walking maps for each of the ports.
 
6 months and counting!!!!

It seems a number of people are staying at the Pan Pacific in Vancouver prior to the cruise. Are there any other hotel recommendations that I have missed?
 
6 months and counting!!!! It seems a number of people are staying at the Pan Pacific in Vancouver prior to the cruise. Are there any other hotel recommendations that I have missed?
we need a park and cruise and I haven't found a good deal for that yet. If anyone has opinions on that let me know. Can't afford to park 9 nights at the port. It's almost as much as the cruise. LOL
 
A few ideas for on your own stuff that won't break the bank...(from the local) Juneau; Mendenhall Glacier. You can grab a cab (about 10 miles from town) or catch one of the tour companies up that way. http://www.juneautours.com/juneau-city-and-glacier-tours/ Alaska Brewery. Again grab a cab or take the shuttle: http://www.alaskanbeer.com/our-brewery/visit-the-brewery.html http://alaska-shoreexcursions.com/juneau Alaska State Museum: Alaska History and artifacts etc. Short walk from the pier, right in downtown Juneau. Right up the street is the Governor's Mansion (up a little hill) where Sarah Palin use to live. Yes you can see Russia from Alaska, no not from Juneau. http://museums.alaska.gov/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaska_Governor's_Mansion Sitka; Sitka National Historic Park, 10-15 minute walk from the in town pier. Has a nice totem trail (about a mile long give or take) and visitors center with craftsman doing native Tlingit art. They also run the Bishop's House in town. (I think we're gonna tender here as the "dock" is pretty small for our size ship) http://www.nps.gov/sitk/index.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sitka_National_Historical_Park St. Michaels Cathedral: Right in town is this small old church. The original burnt down in the 60's but the new one is nice and has lots of icons for those into that sort of thing. I think its a suggested donation of $5. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Michael's_Cathedral_(Sitka,_Alaska) Fortress of the Bear: About $50-60 roundtrip via a cab. They turned an old water plant into a bear rescue facility. If you want to see some brown bears up close, but not in the wild, this is your place. http://www.fortressofthebear.org/ Alaska Raptor Center: About a 20-25 minute walk from downtown is this center where they rehabilitate eagles etc. It would be a 5 minute cab ride. http://www.alaskaraptor.org/SITE/index.html Sheldon Jackson Museum: This museum of native artifacts and life is on the way to the national historic park. About 5-10 min walk from town. Definintely worth a visit in conjunction with the historic park. Sheldon Jackson was a presbyterian missionary who traveled the state and this is a lot of his collection. The grounds used to be Sheldon Jackson College, where I was enrolled for a short period of time, no defunct. http://museums.alaska.gov/sheldon_jackson/sjhours.html As a side note (im most familiar with Sitka). Sitka is SMALL. The town itself is about a 15 minute brisk walk from end to end. The road system goes 7 miles north, and 7 miles south. The Fortress of the Bear is at the end of the road to the South. You could EASILY combine the Sheldon Jackson Museum -> National Historic Park (Totem Park as we call it) -> St. Michael's Cathedral -> Visit the touristy shops downtown in a day. If you move quick, you may be able to add the raptor center to this. Just like the Caribbean, every store in Alaska sells the same stuff. I'm probably going to get shot for saying that... Ketchikan: Creek Street: The old red-light part of town is now a bunch of shops, restaurants, and a museum to the worlds oldest profession. Pretty neat and a very short walk from the pier. http://creekstreetketchikan.com/ http://www.experienceketchikan.com/creek-street-ketchikan.html Kayaking: Pretty much every port will have this in Alaska but something fun to do to get out on the water without breaking the bank. http://www.kayakketchikan.com/ Skagway: I've never actually been to Skagway (not someplace I just want to drive 20 hours to pop in for a visit) but my parents highly raved about the White Pass & Yukon Railway. Its an old narrow gauge railway that takes you back up into the hills for beautiful views and old miner history. I would personally recommend this through the ship just for times sake. Now for expensive tours... If you want to spend money on just ONE tour (and it its a LOT of $$$$) I highly recommend doing a helicopter tour in Juneau up to the glacier with dog sledding. I would book this through the ship as weather is pretty sketchy in Southeast and if you get stuck on the ice for an hour or two waiting on a cloud to move by, you don't want to see the Wonder as she mosey's up the channel leaving you behind...though it is nice city to get stuck in. Doesn't get any more Alaskan than this. Sure, we all have helicopters, and dog sleds, live in igloos..... I have personally flown Promech Air out of Ketchikan and they were always professional. http://www.promechair.com/ Again, I would book through the ship for anything like this just for the sake that if you're late, they wait.
thanks for the tips!
 
6 months and counting!!!! It seems a number of people are staying at the Pan Pacific in Vancouver prior to the cruise. Are there any other hotel recommendations that I have missed?
There's a nice bed and breakfast in town a few blocks from city hall. It's called Manor Guest House (something like that). We've stated there twice, and they're great!
 
I'm so behind! I have to catch up some how. I feel like it is just around the corner even though 2014 isn't even here yet!

Question as I've never book through a TA before but once it comes time to booking excursions (come on Sitka where are you??) do I do that through my TA or am I able to on my own once our booking window opens up? I plan on doing DCL ones btw.

175 days til we sail...better get working in the FE!
 
I'm so behind! I have to catch up some how. I feel like it is just around the corner even though 2014 isn't even here yet!

Question as I've never book through a TA before but once it comes time to booking excursions (come on Sitka where are you??) do I do that through my TA or am I able to on my own once our booking window opens up? I plan on doing DCL ones btw.

175 days til we sail...better get working in the FE!

Hi!

Once you are PIF, you can book your own reservations and excursions on your own when your booking window opens up. :thumbsup2
 
Hi!
I want to make sure that who ever is in charge of this "Wonder"ful site recieved my info.
As of yet I havnt recieved anything back about the FE or seen anything on FB.
Sure would love to join in with everything.
Could someone check for me? Thank you!
Hope you all had/having nice holidays!
Rita
 
Wendy, just read the post above mine. If you are "in charge", I see youre running behind. Just hope to hear from you soon, but no pressure!
 
Wendy, just read the post above mine. If you are "in charge", I see youre running behind. Just hope to hear from you soon, but no pressure!

I'm not in charge. In fact, no one person is in charge. We all help out where we can.

Pequele is keeping the roll call current. Have you filled out the roll call form? (See the first post)

MoonDaughter is running the FE: Here is the link: There is a form to fill out to participate.

http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=47510773&postcount=2

Here is the link to the FB page for this cruise.

https://www.facebook.com/login.php?next=http://www.facebook.com/groups/2014.Wonderful.Alaska/

You might want to send them PMs if you have questions.
 
Disneymama -If you're checking this board, I just looked on the roll call and found that you have a 13 year daughter cruising with you. My DD is 13 and will be just ending 8th grade when we cruise. She would love to be hook up with somebody her age on the ship.
 
:cool1::cool1::cool1:
less than 6 months now, cause I'm behind;)

:banana::banana::banana::banana:
All the money is saved up to pay for the cruise. Now to get the plane tickets.


On a side note, my DD picked her school colors. Red and Black. Inspired after her fav Disney Character, Mickey. You might be a Disney Fanatic if you pick your school colors based on Disney:rolleyes1

Keep an eye out for my crazy family dressed in our red shirts on the first day. Can't wait to reveal on Christmas Day:yay:
 

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