Planes, Trains & Antitussives, Alaksan Wonder Cruise - All done! Complete 11/21

[franandaj]

Glad to see a new trip report from you! I read them all, I just don't comment much.

I'm glad you came out of lurkdom to join in! I hope you'll comment along the way! I love feedback!

Checking in. This sounds like a very long and involved travel day. It is nice that people recognised you. How nice that you got a trial run with a car you were considering. What a shame that this does not work out for you. Your hotel room looks great and I love the view. What a shame that Fran did not like it.

Corinna

It wasn't as long as a day going to WDW, but since I didn't have a scooter there was much more walking than I am used to. Luckily my foot held up! And I can say that this is the first vacation where I put on less than 10lbs!

It was good we got to try out the car in advance, we tried the mini van in Cleveland a few years ago and it was GREAT! I'll detail her dislikes on the room below.

This is me, too! I've read some of your past TR's but don't think I've ever commented? Anyway, commenting and following!

I'm glad that you have come out of lurkdom to post here! You were very helpful in my pre cruise trip questions!

I'm in! You and your multiple TR's...I don't know how you do it!

Will be back to read later...

Well, I don't have four kids and a day job, so I've got that going for me! I hope you have come back to read becuase the next update is almost ready to go! I have to catch up on the shout outs!

Glad to see you got the TR started! Looking forward to hearing about your cruise and time in Vancouver.

Thanks! I will get this going more quickly than the other since there isn't a contest!

What did Fran not like about that hotel/room? I thought it was a nice looking room.

Well first she couldn't really see the TV from the bedroom, plus there was no airflow in the bedroom. We got a fan eventually but the AC was not good enough to travel to the bedroom. Plus she had a very narrow impass to her side of the bed, she hit her head twice on the way to the bathroom, plus there was no light or nightstand on her side of the bed so she couldn't read if she wanted as there was no light. It's all about the immediate luxuries not the other ones.

Am here and excited to read more!

I hope that more will be coming soon!

 

[dizneeat]

Thanks for the bat signal. Unfortunately I was already asleep at the time, so I am late here again.

Love the intro and "old" photos and nice to "meet" your parents that way.

What a travel day. You sure can tell a story and are a celebrity, being recognized a few times.

Looking forward to read more.

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

Thanks for the heads up. I'm in. Good to read the background and to see photos of your parents. Nice hotel room. Jo and I joke that frightful salad dressing appears on every flight.

Looking forward to hearing about this interesting cruise!

 

[dgbg100106]

Thanks for the signal flare...

We also were travelling this Friday before the holiday, and we had started the TSA Pre Check a while back but this was our first trip after starting the paper work and we too got the pre check, which was so nice on this crazy travel day.

Your day seemed long and crazy so far, and now wine and dinner, I would be asleep in no time after a glass or three of wine and dinner. Looking forward to the rest.

Have I told you lately how much I enjoy y'all's travels, y'all are my idols.

 

[Flossbolna]

Adding some comments:

Loved the old photos, especially the formal wear one!

Now that you explained what Fran did not like, I do understand all these points. I noticed that the space for the bed looked rather cramped and did not like that from the picture. But the living room area looks lovely!

The dressing is a joke!! Don't they know that a lot of people do not like cilantro (me included! ). I always thought that airplane food tried to be acceptable for as many palates as possible, that's why it tends to be a bit boring. So, why not just have some plain dressing instead of cilantro!

Looking forward to your Vancouver adventures! I visited friends there many years ago and really enjoyed my time there. Such a relaxed city!

 

[cruisehopeful]

I've been looking forward to this report!

 

[Pinkocto]

I'm here

The old photos were great fun to see!

Hectic travel day, ugh.

Looking forward to hearing about this trip

 

[PrincessInOz]

Present and accounted for.
Looking forward to this TR as well but what a start! That sounds like a chaotic, hectic sort of day. Hope it gets calmer.

 

[Laura1123]

Following. Looking forward to reading more. My family along with my parents will travel to Alaska on the Wonder next May. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Now Fran will tell you that I book all the cruises, but this one was all her.
She doesn't remember that now.

Even Darcy (our housekeeper) pointed out that it was Fran's idea to book another cruise when Fran was complaining the week before we left that we never get anything done at home because I keep booking trips.

It was even her idea to bring my parents along.

Never let the facts get in the way of a good story!

We took a jet boat through the alluvial run off of a glacier.

That sounds awesome!

And we flew in a float plane that landed on a lake.

Also awesome!

Can you believe how young we look in all those pictures?

Whenever I look at my old photos, I keep thinking, "Wow, I used to have hair!"

My Dad knew that there were quite a few well aged Ridge wines in the bunch and he kept sending "runners" up to get another bottle. He was the only man seated at that table with 7-9 all younger women and they were calling him "Daddy Wine Bucks".

First off there will be no sunrise pictures. With sunrise occurring at around 4:00AM even if I was awake then, I decided to go back to sleep rather than stand out on the balcony in a robe in 50 degree weather.

Can't blame you there.

Second, there will be no contest

Hooray! Oops, did I say that out loud?

Third, if you’re perplexed by the Title, let Google be your friend. Or you could just wait it out until I get to the ‘splainin’ part.

Since I'm extremely lazy...I'll just wait it out.

As we were being helped by the gate agent, he asked us, "Where is your van? Don't you two normally show up in a van?" Great. Now we're notorious!

Celebrities. You're celebrities.

We boarded the bus to the remote terminal and the bus driver made a comment about "Nice to see you ladies again!" We were both a little stunned, "You don't remember me?" He asked, "I drove you two ladies on your way to Florida."

Definitely notorious.

No, celebrities!

So I stood up in my seat and pulled the Overflannel off the seat, and that's when I found the bag with our donuts.
Our flat donuts.

D'oh!

Our stewardess was a complete and total idiot. When she asked me what I wanted to drink, I asked if they had any V8.

She looked at me as if I had three heads and said, "What's that?"

Wow.

Once I was on a morning flight as a kid, and the attendant asked what I wanted to drink with my breakfast. I said, "Milk." She said, "Beer?"

I asked if they had any other dressing.
She said no.
So I tried a little bit.

NASTY!

That just sounds gross. Blech.

Fran hated the place and said, "Future reference, never stay at this hotel again." Oops!

Looks like a decent enough hotel room to me.

 

[franandaj]

I have been thinking of you all week. So glad you have the TR started.

Kate

The first couple chapters are easy! I had time while on the trip and plane ride home to select the pictures and tune up the narration. The rest is mostly cryptic notes typed into notepad on my phone. Finding the time to decipher that is going to be challenging! I haven't even done laundry or unpacked the suitcases from the trip yet!

Looking forward to reading all about your wild and crazy adventures.

Wild and crazy may not be the best description, especially with my parents! Decadent and over indulgent, that's about right!

I'm looking forward to hearing all about the cruise. An Alaska cruise is on my bucket list.

I took lots of pictures, at least I hope I did! Those speak better than words!

We just did global entry. Figured for $15 more than pre-check it made sense. Now have to renew your passport and plan a trip

Huh? I don't know about that, but most of our travel is domestic. Our only foreign trip in the plan is to Disney Paris and other locations in France. That has been put on hold until we get the old place cleared out, and rented.

I'm in! I hope I don't get your two TR's confused. lol

I doubt you will, they are both very different!

I'm here! Its funny how you had such a different airport experience than I did on the first day. Fort Myers was such an ease to get through - nothing like that nightmare it seems you had at LAX (thus why I'll pay the extra to fly into Santa Ana)

Yeah, I was envious reading about your day, other than being long, it sounded fairly simple. Even if your BBQ was greasy.

Too bad they ran out of the wraps for you on the plane.

I'm not sure I would have liked that one either!

Your hotel room looks decent enough for a couple days - sometimes it is really amusing how different people feel in the same room.

I know. When she pointed out the things she didn't like, it made sense. Our bedroom at home is perfect for her. 40+ inch TV on the wall, ceiling fan, plenty of room on either side of the bed...she even wanted me to put "bigger TV" on the DCL comment card!

I'm here! I'll try to wander in every so often...

This TR might see more frequent updates than the other, with no contest going I can update at my leisure.

 

[franandaj]

I'm here....

Most enjoyable introduction! That was a fantastic walk down your memory lane!

I'm glad you enjoyed the little trip. That Alaska trip was before things got complicated and life was very simple. Ahhhh the good ole days!

I think I'd enjoy that salad dressing

Yeah, and you're the one who said "more cilantro"

Hotel room looks big indeed! Which one did you end up with again?

It was the Century Plaza Hotel and Spa. It was right in the center of town, I thought it was good. Maybe if we had a standard room, she would have liked it better.

Looking forward to hearing about dinner!

Hopefully that post is coming in the next 24 hours. We've been busy emptying the old house, but I've snuck in a few uploads here and there.

I got hooked on Fran's reports after my ankle surgery! they are the best!

Thanks, but technically I'm Alison and Fran is my wife. But in the almost 20 years, we have both learned to answer to each other's names.

Thanks of the signal flare! Love your trip reports!

Loved the trip down memory lane! Ah youth.......

I'm glad you enjoyed the little journey!

Popping in to save my spot I'll come back later to read.

Thanks for the bat signal. Looking forward to your Alaskan cruise report. I was on a cruise/land tour back in 2000 for my 40th birthday. Hit Juneau, Skagway then toured Yukon and Alaska and finished up tour in Anchorage. Judy

That sounds like a great trip! We would love to do a land based trip. Juneau is a place that we would have liked to spend more time and get out of the touristy part of town.

 

[franandaj]

Thanks for the bat signal. Unfortunately I was already asleep at the time, so I am late here again.

That's OK, you made it here before anything really happened other than a weare travel day!

Love the intro and "old" photos and nice to "meet" your parents that way.

I'm glad you enjoyed it!

What a travel day. You sure can tell a story and are a celebrity, being recognized a few times.

Why thank you, however when it comes to celebrity status I would rather be known for my saxophone finesse and not travel mishaps!

Looking forward to read more.

Hopefully next chapter coming soon!

Thanks for the heads up. I'm in. Good to read the background and to see photos of your parents. Nice hotel room. Jo and I joke that frightful salad dressing appears on every flight.

Thanks for coming over. Yeah, I can't understand why they put such a harsh flavor and then have no other option.

Looking forward to hearing about this interesting cruise!

Working my way there!

Thanks for the signal flare...

We also were travelling this Friday before the holiday, and we had started the TSA Pre Check a while back but this was our first trip after starting the paper work and we too got the pre check,

We go today to finish the paperwork, I wonder if we got it because our application had been submitted?

Your day seemed long and crazy so far, and now wine and dinner, I would be asleep in no time after a glass or three of wine and dinner. Looking forward to the rest.

It was pretty long, but we had good food coming so I was OK.

Have I told you lately how much I enjoy y'all's travels, y'all are my idols.

That's funny because when you used to write TRs, I loved hearing about your travels!

 

[Malia78]

Really like the older pics leading up to the present trip in the intro.
Another exciting travel day--glad everyone made it! Hopefully Fran survives the rest of the trip without any more head bumps.

I love TSA pre-check--since I'm a civilian employee and in the system, it's been awhile since I haven't used it.

 

[franandaj]

Adding some comments:

Loved the old photos, especially the formal wear one!

Thanks! I think that was our first formal picture together.

Now that you explained what Fran did not like, I do understand all these points. I noticed that the space for the bed looked rather cramped and did not like that from the picture. But the living room area looks lovely!

Yes, it was, but as you will soon find out, she did not get much use of the living room.

The dressing is a joke!! Don't they know that a lot of people do not like cilantro (me included! ). I always thought that airplane food tried to be acceptable for as many palates as possible, that's why it tends to be a bit boring. So, why not just have some plain dressing instead of cilantro!

Why not just a plain Caesar or Ranch (which I don't like either, but at least it's bland enough to stomach) both of those are not offensive, or just have a second choice!

Looking forward to your Vancouver adventures! I visited friends there many years ago and really enjoyed my time there. Such a relaxed city!

I can see where you might see it that way. Yes the people are very laid back, but you are used to traveling in cities without a vehicle. We found it rather cumbersome since we had a vehicle.

I've been looking forward to this report!

I thought of you often during my trip and wondered how you were able to do so many of the excursions that you did!

I'm here

The old photos were great fun to see!

Hectic travel day, ugh.

Looking forward to hearing about this trip

Yeah, it was a lot to do, and it wasn't the last long day. At least the cruise allowed for a lot of relaxing time!

Present and accounted for.
Looking forward to this TR as well but what a start! That sounds like a chaotic, hectic sort of day. Hope it gets calmer.

It was a crazy start, and eventually it does calm down, but not yet!

Following. Looking forward to reading more. My family along with my parents will travel to Alaska on the Wonder next May. Thanks for sharing.

Hopefully I can give you some ideas for your trip!

 

[franandaj]

Never let the facts get in the way of a good story!

True. True. I'll have to make it up better like you and @pkondz

That sounds awesome!

Also awesome!

They were both amazing!

Whenever I look at my old photos, I keep thinking, "Wow, I used to have hair!"

So far you're the first one to acknowledge that little joke!

Can't blame you there.

Yeah. I was up briefly and peeked out the window, but I would have rathered sleep, so I did.

Hooray! Oops, did I say that out loud?

While I think the contest is kinda fun, I have to reply when sitting at my computer so I can record all the answers. At least on this report I can reply from the phone!

Since I'm extremely lazy...I'll just wait it out.

The story begins to unfold in the next chapter.

Celebrities. You're celebrities.

No, celebrities!

Wow.

Once I was on a morning flight as a kid, and the attendant asked what I wanted to drink with my breakfast. I said, "Milk." She said, "Beer?"

That's sort of crazy!

That just sounds gross. Blech.

Yup. Where is that puking smiley when you need it?

Looks like a decent enough hotel room to me.

I mentioned it above but there was no air flow in the bedroom, no nightstand or light and she couldn't operate the TV from the bed.

Really like the older pics leading up to the present trip in the intro.
Another exciting travel day--glad everyone made it! Hopefully Fran survives the rest of the trip without any more head bumps.

I love TSA pre-check--since I'm a civilian employee and in the system, it's been awhile since I haven't used it.

No head bumps, but we're not done with speed bumps. We just finished our Pre-check appointment, so we should be good now until 2021.

 

[DnA2010]

Thanks, but technically I'm Alison and Fran is my wife. But in the almost 20 years, we have both learned to answer to each other's names.


Of course- I'm an Alison (Allyson) too- can I claim pregnancy brain or something like that? A moment of what I call "sometimers"

 

[franandaj]

Of course- I'm an Alison (Allyson) too- can I claim pregnancy brain or something like that? A moment of what I call "sometimers"

You're excused!

 

[cheermom2four]

Im in! Loved your last TR!

 

[franandaj]

Im in! Loved your last TR!

Glad to have you on board!