Pixar Cruises

[princesskayla]

Sounds like a wonderful cruise. Can't wait til it is our turn. I hope they have some of the pins left for our cruise. Those are a must for our collection.

 

[nunzia]

The Lasseter Family Winery was a wonderful experience! Nancy Lasseter and the Cruise ship's food and beverage manager were actually was on the bus with us to the winery. We had a nice tour guide and narrated tour on the mini luxury bus/van. We were welcomed with elegant water in wine glasses in their formal tasting room and wine gallery.
We then toured the winery grounds and process areas. This part was done by the staff that works at the winery. They were very knowledgable, personable, and down to earth. We were able to taste the grapes and check the sugar levels of the different grapes. We tasted wine directly from the barrels.
After this part of the tour we went to the family's private are of the estate. Mrs. Lasseter kindly welcomed us to photograph all that we wanted, but requested we not email or post any pictures from this area. This was so gracious! We wandered the paths to an amazing covered outdoor commercial kitchen where a custom lunch was prepared to compliment the wonderful Lasseter wines. This was not a casual picnic, this was a chef prepared gourmet meal. We did select our food from the selection counter and sat with fine china and fabric linen tablecloths and napkins. We were offered second helpings if desired, and our favorite wines were refilled if desired. The lunch was amazing!
Mrs. Lasseter was available for photos, and offered to autograph some items. They had an outdoor shop set up with some unique items. (we purchased a set of Pixar wine glasses!)
After lunch, Mrs. Lasseter took those who were interested for a walk around Lake Serendipity. She lovingly described the planning and goals of the winery and shared many personal tidbits.
This was truly a private and very personalized tour. I really hate to label it as a tour, as it was an amazing once in a lifetime experience that I will cherish forever.

I was with you on the tour..I wish we all would have exchanged DIS names so we would know who we all are
I agree with the very intimate time at the winery and having Nancy on board with us for the trip was cool. What a stunning property..and the bathroom by the lake was one not to be forgotten
Both of the Pixar talks were very well done.I have been to both Expos and Disneyland Destination Ds and I didn't feel like either was a rehash. John Lasseter was scheduled for 45 minutes then it was bumped to I think 1 1/2 hours but it went over 2 hours..we were VERY late for our Palo brunch and dressed totally out of dress code when we arrived but they very graciously sat us anyway. I also would have liked more Pixar stuff.. I got the Nike shirt and many of the 'special' pins that you needed a wristband for the first day it was released. Then they let you buy 2 per stateroom every day thereafter and there were plenty left, so I can't quite believe the edition size is honored at 500 for all 4 cruises..maybe they will have a new pin for each cruise?
In SF we took the first Alcatraz ferry of the day.. (buy tickets online early..it was sold out as they all are, I think, and there were many disappointed people standing around hoping for standby boarding). The ship docks right by the Alcatraz pier so super easy. We then took a cab to Walt Disney Family Museum and the GPS for that address sends you to the financial district..we kept telling the cab driver to put in the zip code like the directions asked you to do, but he didn't..lots of yelling out the window at other cabs and wrong turns and talking to dispatch..just tell the cab to go to the Presidio then you can follow the signs. The Museum has a list of cabs to call for you to get back to the ship so use that service to return. The Museum is wonderful and so well done. I did find the employees there to be a little off standing and the gift shop didn't have much 'Walt' stuff so a bit disappointed in that.
We weren't told about a guest on the Toy Story night either The ventriliquist guy was kinda annoying at the show so if he is on board next time I'll skip that one. They had a great Pixar art display on deck 5, I think, then art for sale right by Shutters..they added different pictures to that about halfway through the cruise. I ended up buying a Merida by Jim Salvati that just caught my eye every time I walked by. Booked a dummy cruise with no problem. Seas were fine but you could certainly feel it going out into the Pacific more than when you were going along the coaset. Very foggy in Ensenada and yes, stinky. Took a cab to Sea World and back easily and much cheapoer than the Disney excursion cost. No fog on SF days..gorgeous views.
I thought the food was great (in response to a long thread earlier) and the service was truly Excellent
All those waiting for their trips, you will love it and are in for a treat!

 

[nunzia]

https://www.icloud.com/photostream/#A2JtdOXmGKNvpjHere is a picture of the Pixar wine glasses. They do not come in the wooden box though:

I wonder if you were the lady I was talking to in the little shopping area. I bumped the wooden display box and almost knocked the glasses off the table?

 

[disneyfaninaz]

We were on the 9/16 cruise also and had a wonderful time. In SF we rented a car and went to Muir Woods one day, and the other did a hop on/off tour.

Which hop on/off tour did you do in SF?

 

[GoGoJulie]

I wonder if you were the lady I was talking to in the little shopping area. I bumped the wooden display box and almost knocked the glasses off the table?

I was the one traveling with our son and daughter in law. They were the "kissing couple".
I think we were even at the same table, weren't we? There should be a picture in this photo stream:

https://www.icloud.com/photostream/#A2JtdOXmGKNvpj

I am somewhat new to the boards, so haven't researched enough on how to insert a picture in the post, only a link.

 

[RaglanRoad]

A very big thank you to everyone who has posted about their trip on the very first Pixar Cruise.
The cruise sounds fantastic and has been insightful to everyone on the upcoming cruises.

 

[ErikdaRed]

Did anyone get cell service as they were traveling up and down the coast? Might have to call into a meeting and really don't want to have to pay Cellular at Sea rates .

 

[KimnChris]

Did anyone get cell service as they were traveling up and down the coast? Might have to call into a meeting and really don't want to have to pay Cellular at Sea rates .

+1 on this I am also curious!

 

[GuardMusic]

+1 on this I am also curious!

I had cell service while we were in ports on the ship, but didn't try while we were out sailing.

 

[nunzia]

I was the one traveling with our son and daughter in law. They were the "kissing couple".
I think we were even at the same table, weren't we? There should be a picture in this photo stream:


I am somewhat new to the boards, so haven't researched enough on how to insert a picture in the post, only a link.

Oh good! Yes..HI!! I hope your son and daughter in law enjoyed the trip. Yes..we were at your table Welcome to the DIS boards.

 

[kirkaliciasmom]

Did anyone get cell service as they were traveling up and down the coast? Might have to call into a meeting and really don't want to have to pay Cellular at Sea rates .

If my memory serves me correctly, (cruised repo in april 11) we had cell service for approx an hr while heading out to sea. After that its cellular at sea.

 

[jlmarr]

Did anyone get cell service as they were traveling up and down the coast? Might have to call into a meeting and really don't want to have to pay Cellular at Sea rates .

While on the cruise last week I was talking to a guy who said he worked for Verizon, and that we "really really didn't want to pay those roaming rates", which he said could get into hundreds of dollars. He suggested switching to airplane mode as soon as we lost all bars after leaving port, which we did. I think as soon as you see "land ho!" you can switch back. I'm thinking if you pay for wi-fi service on the ship - and connect your phone to it as needed - that would avoid the problem if you really need to access the net for whatever reason. We didn't sign up for wifi at all.

 

[GoGoJulie]

To future Pixar cruisers... you might want to bring a 17" poster tube. The lithograph you get is in a cardboard envelope. I carried mine separate on the plane as I didn't want to chance damage in luggage.

 

[nunzia]

I had cell service while we were in ports on the ship, but didn't try while we were out sailing.

I also used my cell in ports in the US and a bit while we were heading out to sea. I did have trouble in certain parts of the ship with service even in port..mainly in Animator's Palette.

 

[jlmarr]

I've been posting on twitter using #DisneyWonder. Now waiting to see SF.

Here are all my tweets for the Pixar Cruise last week, most with pictures. (Hope this works.)

 

[GuardMusic]

Sorry I'm late to the party, but am still recovering from the entire experience! Way to go for the person who already scanned and posted the Navigators.

I hoping to post a thorough blog this weekend. I've just got the final two days to journal and add the photos.

Highlights from our adventure:

Disneyland: The two days we were there were 102 & 106 degrees, so we definitely didn't get to do everything we wanted. Lunch at Carthay Circle - other than the bacon-wrapped shrimp - was highly disappointing. Yet our preferred viewing area for World of Color was outstanding.

Boarding DCL: We arrived by the transfer bus from the Disneyland Hotel. Check-in for us (Gold Castaway Club) was fast. The facility is quite large, but Disney had a TON of CMs to direct us. We got the exact dining rotation we wanted (starting in Parrot Cay), so it was great we didn't have to change. Guest Services couldn't confirm our on-board credit (which was ultimately wrong and they had to call shore-side to fix) or tell us when John Lasseter was speaking when we arrived. The lobby had large logos of the limited-edition pins handing from the railing all around.

Shops: As usual we staked out the shops for their opening. We easily got wristbands for the pins, which apparently was done much better than the first Alaska cruise. As previously stated they had a white T with the pin logo on the front and the litho print on the back. There were then a blue T and white long-sleeved T with a "Pacific Coast" logo on the front. Most everything else was basic DCL. They did have a new (for me) set of items in cream/blue theme; in this I bought the iPhone case, iPad case, small scrapbook, and photo book. (I ended up buying nearly $300 and 12lbs of stuff!) I didn't really see anything special Pixar in Mickey's Mates, just the regular stuff along with "2012" & Halloween items.

San Francisco: We happened to be awake for the Golden Gate Bridge Crossing, even though it was barely daylight and only light fog. Since we were Starboard side, our view of SF and the coast were incredible. We docked at pier 35, very near pier 39 and Fisherman's Wharf.

We did two excursions: Adult-only Views of SF on Tues. & WD Family Museum on Wed. The SF Tour was underwhelming. There were 3 stops: Twin Peaks (good views, as most of fog was gone), Land's End (basic ocean view, which was redundant for cruisers), and Golden Gate Park, which we needed a bit more time at.

We also had the 4 hour WD Family Museum Tour. I was expecting there to be more interactive options here. We weren't really sure how long it would take and hurried too much. We were done nearly 90 minutes early, but had to wait for the bus to return. I think it went so quick because you couldn't photo or video anything. The shop was also somewhat lacking.

If we had it to do over again, we would have just done the Views of SF/Museum combined tour. The day at sea to get here & two days in port were definitely colder than I like for a cruise/vacation, so we stayed inside more than expected.

San Diego: What a FANTASTIC city! I really wished we'd had 2 days here instead of SF. We took the Trolley Tour on our own. We were off the ship around 10am and were among the last to enjoy a greeting by members of the SD State Marching Band! (I'm a band geek!) The tour was the absolute best I've ever done. The guides were informative and infused personality, humor, and music. We'd planned to hop off at Coronado, but were a bit concerned with the time. We only hopped off at Balboa Park. The Air & Space Museum was also disappointing, especially compared to the DC version, and their cafe was closed. We'd just missed the Trolley and had to wait 30 minutes for the next one. (There's also a free Trolley within Balboa Park.) We arrived at the pier around 3pm and the Trolley stopped at 4pm, so we definitely needed more time!

It happened that we went out on decks 9 & 10 around the time we were leaving SD. Since it was the first time DCL docked there, there were a good number of people out taking photos of us. Also the ship's horn echoed off the buildings! The views of the SD & Coronado coasts in early evening were AMAZING! I think we stayed out on deck for about an hour.

Mexico: We'd never planned to leave the ship, just stay at the pool. Yes, it was smelly, even on the ship. The weirdest part was the fog. We opened our curtains and couldn't see ANYTHING beyond our verandah. It was like we were floating on a cloud all morning.

Jay Ward: Jay, Cars Legacy Guardian, spoke for 45 minutes on behind-the-scenes development of Cars Land. (Again, no photos or video.) It was great and he did our book signing. We arrived just after 4pm (per trivia) and got #112 for the signing, which took nearly two hours!

John Lasseter: This was the highlight for me, as I use his career path as an example to my college students. Sadly there were no photos/video permitted and he did no signings (although he and his entourage were in Cadillac Lounge that evening). I was transfixed for all 2.5 hours of his talk, which included a section on Buzz & NASA, the new short, info on upcoming Pixar projects, and a sneek of the "doors scene" of Monsters Inc 3D, which will be released in Dec.

Other misc
- Yes, the Pixar Menu replaced the Captain's Gala.
- Yes, we still had fireworks on Pirate Night.
- The concept art on deck 5 was incredible.
- I wish they'd had more Pixar art for sale on deck 4.
- As Gold CC, I got two stateroom gifts this time!
- I was surprised most of the cruisers were first-timers.
- I think we were about 400 short of capacity for the ship. Main dining was full, but second had less than 1/2 the dining room.

What else can we tell you?
Stay tuned for my blog (hopefully this weekend)!
Gayle

 

[Luliemouse]

Did anyone get cell service as they were traveling up and down the coast? Might have to call into a meeting and really don't want to have to pay Cellular at Sea rates .

OMG!!! I would LOVE to know the answer to that question!!!

 

[Disneyland Mommy]

We were on the 9/16 cruise also and had a wonderful time. In SF we rented a car and went to Muir Woods one day, and the other did a hop on/off tour. Did not get off on SD, even though I planned to originally. Did not get off in Ensenada - but did enjoy watching the seals and sea lions from my balcony, even though they were loud and stinky. It was strangely foggy in Ensenada the whole time we were there. We just enjoyed the ship so much we decided to stay on both days.

Pools were very warm and a lot of people were swimming. Lookout cafe was great. The shows were really excellent - the cast and production is so good. We really enjoyed the John Lasseter and Jay Ward presentations. We are spending a few days at Disneyland right now, and we went to Carsland today and my son kept pointing out things that Jay Ward told us about. As someone else posted earlier, however, if you go to the book signing, get there early.

I had read some negative reviews of the food so I was pleasantly surprised. Our servers (Agnelo and Oksana) were also excellent, as was our room steward Dom. I eat gluten free and the chefs and the servers were so attentive and careful to make sure that I didn't get any contaminated food. Honestly, I felt a little guilty they were being so careful! I had no negative incidents - i.e., I didn't get sick the whole cruise. It was awesome!

But something I just found out about although many of you may already know (seems the majority of people I talked to on our cruise were from California) - but Carmageddon 2 is coming this weekend!! For those of you who don't know:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/23/carmageddon-2-la-prepping-freeway-closure_n_1907578.html

We fly out early Saturday morning, and I am thinking about changing our hotel the last night from Santa Monica to an LAX hotel because I am so worried. For those of you getting on the ship Sunday, not sure if this will effect you because I am not familiar with the area (we took a transfer from the Marriott LAX to the port) but you may want to double check you plans.

We had Dom too! He was great

 

[SuzanneSLO]

[snip]John Lasseter: This was the highlight for me, as I use his career path as an example to my college students. [snip]Gayle

Thanks for sharing. I completley agree with your assessment of John Lasseter, although I find the career path of Ed Catmull to be even more inspiring.

As I understand it, Ed wanted to be an animator but felt that he was not a talented enough artist. Instead, we went to the University of Utah to study computer graphics and earned his PhD. Eventually He was the head of the core team that became Pixar and was responsible for hiring John Lasseter as a member of that team. Ed is now the current president of Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar Animation Studios. --- Suzanne

 

[MountainTigger]

I do have one question that hopefully someone could answer. My DD (Sierra) and I will be on this cruise. My ex obviously won't be with us. Do I need a notarized letter from him giving his permission? DD and I took a Carnival cruise a few years ago and they said they needed this, but it wasn't EVER looked at by anyone. The only thing I could find on Disney's website was for a non parent/legal guardian accompanying a child on the cruise without a parent(s). Any help would be great.

Thanks!

I only can share what I encountered regarding traveling with my two daughters on the Sept 16th Pacific Coast Cruise. But first, a little background. I am a single mom with full custody, both my daughter's have Passports. the three of us were traveling with my mom and my step father,
For the past four years, I have carried my Court Ordered paperwork saying that I have sole custody of both of my daughters, ages 5 and 7, until we went on the cruise. After getting their Passports, which required me to provided the documents, and for others, to have both parents present or to bring a signed consent, I opted not to bring the documents. As well as being advised by other dis-ers and Disney, that a Letter of Consent would only be required if chilldren are traveling without either parent.
Well...
when we came through immigration at the Port of LA. I was asked if I had a Letter of Consent. When I replied, no. I was asked if I had full custody. And when I answered yes, I was asked for the court documents. I shared that I was not made aware that I needed those documents. The immigration officer told me for "future reference" that I do.
It seems a little crazy that I was asked for documents, but I was. I would suggest bringing any documents that you have or can easily get, for added assurance that things go somoothly. I was not hassled, and for crying out loud, we were coming back into the county! But I did feel put on the spot to the point that I forgot that I have copies scanned and accessible through my email.
In retrospect, I wish that I would have just thrown the 4 page document into my purse.
I hope this helps! Wishing you safe travels and a fun time of memory making together!!!