Sailing without Flip Flops!! Our Alaska Cruise - May 28th, 2012 UPDATED 7/5

[DisSarahK]

Love your pirate gear! I love doing custom stuff when we go to Disneyland--and most of my kiddos stuff from last September will still fit this August. I think we need some pirate attire though. Yours is cute! Did you make it or get it from Etsy? I love the sashes and your son's cute pants!

My six year old will be all over the Wii tournament. Good to know that little guys are welcome. He, to my dismay, is a Wii addict.

 

[gojulia]

I am enjoying every word of your trip report! Thank you for sharing! We leave on July 23rd for our cruise and we are first time cruisers, so this is all new to me!

And I would have ended up at the playground with my kids too.... good call! Looks like a fun one!

Quick question... and this is probably a dumb one. If I can't get Palo reservations online because they are all sold out, is there a chance of getting some once we get on the ship?

Thanks!

 

[scrapbookingpro]

Love your pirate gear! I love doing custom stuff when we go to Disneyland--and most of my kiddos stuff from last September will still fit this August. I think we need some pirate attire though. Yours is cute! Did you make it or get it from Etsy? I love the sashes and your son's cute pants!

My six year old will be all over the Wii tournament. Good to know that little guys are welcome. He, to my dismay, is a Wii addict.

Thanks!! I made the shirts myself, but I got the mickey head design from one of the great Disigners here on the Dis. I wanted something cute, but simple too. Dressing up for pirate night makes for some CUTE pictures, so go for it if you can!!

Your son, like mine, will love all of the Wii on board. They play it lots of times (always some kind of sport)- sometimes it is scheduled in the kids clubs for the kids and other times it is in Wave Bands, or Diversions for any age. I have a video of my son being asked what he looked forward to most on the cruise ship. His answer was elevators and Wii. Hmmm, priorities......

I am enjoying every word of your trip report! Thank you for sharing! We leave on July 23rd for our cruise and we are first time cruisers, so this is all new to me!

And I would have ended up at the playground with my kids too.... good call! Looks like a fun one!

Quick question... and this is probably a dumb one. If I can't get Palo reservations online because they are all sold out, is there a chance of getting some once we get on the ship?

Thanks!

Thank you!! Wow, your cruise is coming up soon! I feel so excited for you!!!
You will just LOVE the ship.
YES, for sure there is still a chance you can book Palo on the ship. We have been able to do it many times. The trick is to get on board as early as you can. Then resist the urge to go straight to lunch and instead go immediately to WaveBands, located in Route 66 on Deck 3. They are there from 12:30 - 3:30 taking reservations. The sooner you get there the better chance to have of getting a table. Honestly, if you go right away I would think you would have no trouble getting a reservation. We have always been able to snag one, except once, but that was only a 3 day cruise.

 

[scrapbookingpro]

What to Expect, Ketchikan:

We did the Great Alaskan Lumber Jack Show
All Ashore Time: 7:15AM
All Aboard Time:12:30PM

Dinner was the semi-formal, Captain's Gala menu; show was Disney Dreams.

Ketchikan. My DS loved saying this. Ketchikan. He thought every port was Ketchikan. But here we are, finally in Ketchikan.

It was another early morning. We get up pretty early at home, but not as early as we were getting up on these port days, and since DS was staying up late every night, he was getting harder and harder to wake up in the morning.
Today he slept through DH and I getting ready, and slept through DH coming into the room with a breakfast tray from upstairs, and still didn't wake up while we ate our breakfast. I finally had to get him up around 7:15 and I felt bad because he was just so tired.

We were ready by 7:35. Our plan today was to go to the 8:00AM showing of The Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show. Again, this choice was made based on budget, time and appeal to DS. My whole group chose different activites this time. MK and RJ were off to do some zip lining. My mom and Ralph were doing the Adventure Karts. Both these things sounded like a lot of fun to me, but not for a 5 year old, so Lumberjacks, here we come!! We booked this ourselves, just by ordering tickets from their website:
http://lumberjacksports.com/

They had 2 shows, one at 8:00 and one at 11:00. The 8AM show was the "special Disney version".


We walked off the ship, and I should mention that we actually brought our stroller today. I knew we might end up walking around the town and I knew that DS was already really tired. So, we put him in the stroller with his blanket. If any of you are wondering, the stroller fits perfectly in the closet or under the bed, so it stays completely out of the way until you need it.

We had some rain this morning- not a lot, but a steady drizzle. We walked to the end of the dock and asked a CM where the lumberjack show was. They pointed, and it was right in front of us, so that was nice. We hurried over and went inside the cozy gift shop. They had a fire going in there and everything.

Here is the outside:

And the show area:

The seats are all covered and dry. These interesting girls will help you find a seat:

We chose this show because we heard it was fun for kids. This is very true, the kids in the audience were having a GREAT time. They picked lots of kids to come up and help throughout the show, and there was lots of cheering and booing and interaction. DH and I also had a really good time. Sure it's corny, but we laughed a lot. The lumberjacks divided into two "teams" and you would scream and yell for the ones on your team. When they won a competition, they would bring wood chips, or sometimes big chunks of wood, and give them to audience members on their side.

The host was called "Lost Boy Lee"

Lumberjacks in action:

What makes the show "special" for Disney? Pretty much just this:

You can catch them after the show for photos:

It was a really good time and DS really enjoyed it. It was only about 9:30 when we left.

 

[scrapbookingpro]

It was still raining on and off when we left. Our original plan was to try to go to one of the Totem Pole Parks, either Totem Bight or Saxman. We walked through town a little ways and then stopped at a little "tourist info" place to see if we could make this happen. Remember, All Ashore time is 12:30PM, and it was already about 9:45AM.

The nice "info" woman told us that Totem Bight was too far- we wouldn't make it there and back in time. Saxman was only a couple of miles away and we could take a bus there really cheap. She gave us a bus schedule.

We thought it over. The bus schedule was a bit tricky. Either we would get there and only have 20 minutes to look around, OR we get there and stay for an hour and 20 minutes but risk missing the 12:30 All Ashore time.
DH was NOT willing to take this risk, and I didn't want to go for just 20 minutes, so- for the first time this trip we didn't have a plan and didn't know what to do.

I remembered reading that there were Totem Poles out back at Cape Fox Lodge. I asked the info lady. She said we could walk there. Done, let's go.

The rain stopped. The walk was really nice. We passed a creek and saw some seals.

To get up to the lodge we took the scenic tram ride 130 feet up the mountain side. My DS thought this was very cool.

A view from the tram:

The Lodge was nice and cozy. The rain started again. We hung out inside for awhile, looking around.

We found the totem poles out back:

The view out from the Lodge-

A different view-

We rode the tram back down the hill and walked down the historic Creek Street. It had stopped raining. We went in some of the little shops.

There were several other totem poles around town:

It was a nice little walk and we enjoyed it, though I do wish we could have seen one of the totem parks. I suppose things don't always go according to plan.

Back to the ship for lunch-

 

[DisSarahK]

So glad the Lumberjack Show is fun! I bought tickets for that one too--straight from the website. I'm glad you stay dry, too! I think my kiddos will love it!

 

[scrapbookingpro]

We decided to have lunch at Tritons. We met up with MK and RJ to eat.

Triton's lunch is yummy. I had a really good turkey sandwich:

DS ate some pasta- and french fries of COURSE.

DH had meatloaf-

And strawberry shortcake off the kids menu for dessert.

We talked about our days and MK told us all about zip lining. He said they had a blast, but they got poured on. He said there were lots of different zip lines, and a giant slide at the very end. They booked through Disney on this one.

After lunch we all wanted to go to the hot tub. Outside the sun was miraculously out again

We went and changed and met again on deck 9. All of us got into the hot tub. We were the only ones there. It was wonderful and felt so good in the water!!

Then DH, the dare devil, said he was going to try the Goofy Pool. Last time he did that he froze his booty off and we all laughed. This time we watched as he stuck a toe in- then his leg. Then he jumped all the way in.
I thought he was crazy.
He said Come try- it's warmer in here!

Really?? We tried. It was like swimming in a giant bath tub! Soooo warm and fun!!! And we had it all to ourselves! When people walked by and gave us "your crazy" looks, we pretended to be really cold.

DS decided to check the Mickey Pool. That was warm too.

Trust me, it is VERY rare to have the pools all to yourself!!

We had so much fun! Be sure and check the pools often to see if they are warm. You may end up with your own private swim time
But do be warned that getting out.....FREEZING!!!

They do have nice big blankets up at all the pools, by where they keep the towels. These came in handy for us.

Mind you, later that day people started to figure it out and the pool got very crowded. But for that moment, it was all ours

We stayed until about 3PM, then went to the room to change.

DS enjoying the veranda-

I am looking back at my navigator- there were lots of activities going on today.
Cruisin for Trivia, Chip it Golf, Family Wonder Quest, more BINGO, Wine Tasting, Pictionary, lots of movies on Funnel Vision, and the princesses in the lobby.

*And a quick note for those who have never cruised before:
Both the Promenade Lounge and Diversions have lots of board games out that you can play at almost any time. If your family likes games, it is a nice way to pass an afternoon. They have all different kinds, from yahtzee to Jenga to Monopoly.

*Also another tip you might not know-
They often have snacks and treats in certain places on the ship that they don't necessarily tell you about. In Diversions you can often find things like nachos, hot wings and hot dogs. In Cove Cafe you can usually find sweet treats in the refrigerated case next to the coffee bar. These things are all free. At night they set food out in the Promenade Lounge and sometimes outside of WaveBands. We saw mini sandwiches, fruit and spanakopita one night.

*Another tip for first time cruisers-
Cove Cafe is an awesome, relaxing place to pass the time. It is adults only and they have big comfy chairs, magazines, music to listen to, free treats, etc. You can sit inside or outside. It is very lovely and I wish I had had more time to hang out there this trip.

Anyway, where was I-
Oh yes, time to get ready for.....
Disney theme Park Trivia part 2! We have to defend our title.

 

[scrapbookingpro]

So glad the Lumberjack Show is fun! I bought tickets for that one too--straight from the website. I'm glad you stay dry, too! I think my kiddos will love it!

They will love it! Make sure they volunteer (if they want)- they get prizes!
The things they had them do were not hard- your 6 year old will be able to do everything just fine.

 

[Momma2Jax]

You are amazing with all these tips! Thanks!

You went to the pirate buffet, but did they also have the dessert buffet?

Also, did it seem like enough people dressed up for pirate night that we won't feel out of place with DS and DH in pirate costumes?

 

[jenf22]

Thanks for yhe great tips! I've written them all down in my folder.

Quick question - did you like the side of the ship your room was on? We're on deck 7 aft, but on the opposite side of the ship as you. Does it matter?

 

[ByKnight]

I am loving the report! I am sad we are missing Alaska this year we are doing the repositioning after the Alaska season. I hope the pools will be heated for that as well. How do you know what dinning rotation you will have. I want to book palo for Parrot cay but I don't know when that will be for us?

 

[scrapbookingpro]

I am loving the report! I am sad we are missing Alaska this year we are doing the repositioning after the Alaska season. I hope the pools will be heated for that as well. How do you know what dinning rotation you will have. I want to book palo for Parrot cay but I don't know when that will be for us?

I'm sure they will heat the pools for you!! Be sure to check them often

You don't find out your dining rotation until you check in at the port. It is printed on your key to the world card. I believe you can request a specific rotation, but we have never done this so I don't know how well it works. Unfortunately there is no way of knowing what night you will have Parrot Cay.
Worst case scenario, I would say you can always go and try to change your Palo reservation once you get on the ship and find out your exact rotation.

Thanks for yhe great tips! I've written them all down in my folder.

Quick question - did you like the side of the ship your room was on? We're on deck 7 aft, but on the opposite side of the ship as you. Does it matter?

I know you will find lots of different opinions on this, but here is mine:

We loved the side we were on. My mom's room was on the opposite side. For the record, she was perfectly happy with the views from her side. Our side had the Seattle view on days 1 and 8, and that great mountain side view in Skagway. In Tracy Arm, both sides get the same views since the ship goes in and then turns around and comes out.
You are likely to have more of the "open" views, where we had the shoreline view. Hope that helps.

You are amazing with all these tips! Thanks!

You went to the pirate buffet, but did they also have the dessert buffet?

Also, did it seem like enough people dressed up for pirate night that we won't feel out of place with DS and DH in pirate costumes?

Thank you!!

Would you believe NO dessert buffet?! What a bummer!! We asked our servers specifically because they don't always advertise the dessert buffet. They said no. And I was actually going to be hungry for once, since we had 1st dinner!!

We saw lots of people dressed up for pirate night, some of them very elaborate. You will not feel out of place at all! Many people do hats, t-shirts.....lots of kids in full pirate wear. Plus the characters and entertainment staff are dressed up. You will fit right in

 

[DisSarahK]

I emailed our travel agent and she put in a dining rotation request for us--it didn't seem to be a big deal at all. No guarantee that we'll get it of course, but it seems to be pretty common that people request dining rotations.

I love that you pretended to be cold when people passed you in the pool. That cracks me up! LOL!

Thanks for the tip on the pirate designs being from the DIS. I'll see if I can find something similar. I'm guessing they're iron-on transfers?

 

[twindaddy]

Wait a second, the pirate night buffet has tacos and stuff? On our mexican riviera cruise I just did a quick glance and saw nothing but deserts...damn! I would have loved some tacos and a turkey leg. Maybe they just did that because your was inside?

 

[Chilly]

I was sad they'd stopped doing the dessert buffet as i'd never seen it and had hoped to see it this time. I really like your pirate outfits.

 

[barbbarnes]

I am still really enjoying your report! I love that you did the park with your son, sometimes they need that time to just be kids especially when we are taking them so much out of their routine. You probably made his day with the park than McDonalds, my kids would think that is wonderful!

I also like that you would look cold to have the pool to yourself. I would totally do the same thing and I hope we also have the chance!

We also booked the Lumberjack show through their website for myself, dh, and our youngest ds (3) because my husband's mom and 2 sisters are taking my ds (10) and dd (7) on the excursion with the the lumberjack show and the Potlach park totems. I hate not being with my whole family but you had to be 5 to go on this excursion to do the youth activity and Disney couldn't make any exceptions. I'm hoping we can leave the lumberjack show and make it to the totems maybe via taxi but after reading your report, maybe we won't be able to. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

Thanks again for sharing your Wonderful trip!

 

[scrapbookingpro]

Thanks for the tip on the pirate designs being from the DIS. I'll see if I can find something similar. I'm guessing they're iron-on transfers?

Yes, iron-on transfers, done not so well, lol. If you saw them up close they were a little less than perfect, but they were fine for this night. The Designer that I borrowed the design from was Milliepie. She does a LOT of awesome designs and she doesn't mind sharing
Her site is here: http://s628.photobucket.com/profile/milliesky

Wait a second, the pirate night buffet has tacos and stuff? On our mexican riviera cruise I just did a quick glance and saw nothing but deserts...damn! I would have loved some tacos and a turkey leg. Maybe they just did that because your was inside?

Haha, nope, I'm afraid you've been missing out!! We've done 8 other cruises with outdoor pirate buffets and they always have tacos and turkey legs. It's a MUST for you next time!!

I was sad they'd stopped doing the dessert buffet as i'd never seen it and had hoped to see it this time. I really like your pirate outfits.

Thanks
And seriously, I'm so sad with you about the buffet. I LOVED the chocolate covered.....well, everything.

I am still really enjoying your report! I love that you did the park with your son, sometimes they need that time to just be kids especially when we are taking them so much out of their routine. You probably made his day with the park than McDonalds, my kids would think that is wonderful!

I also like that you would look cold to have the pool to yourself. I would totally do the same thing and I hope we also have the chance!

We also booked the Lumberjack show through their website for myself, dh, and our youngest ds (3) because my husband's mom and 2 sisters are taking my ds (10) and dd (7) on the excursion with the the lumberjack show and the Potlach park totems. I hate not being with my whole family but you had to be 5 to go on this excursion to do the youth activity and Disney couldn't make any exceptions. I'm hoping we can leave the lumberjack show and make it to the totems maybe via taxi but after reading your report, maybe we won't be able to. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

Thanks again for sharing your Wonderful trip!

Thank you for your "park" comments, those were my thoughts exactly!! Sometimes it's great just to watch them play

It's a shame they can't take little ones for the Potlatch excursion! I really think that you will be FINE going to Potlatch Park on your own by cab. If we had been willing to take a cab, we could have done it, it was the whole "cheap bus" thing that threw us off. Definitely go for it! I hear it's very very nice. The show was only an hour, so you should have a good 3 hours for the park

 

[scrapbookingpro]

I lost my focus and forgot I need to finish day 6!

SO.
It was 3:30 in the afternoon of day 6. Time for some trivia!! It really was one of our favorite activities. We went to Disney Theme Park Trivia Part 2. This was a very popular trivia I think, since the lounge was pretty full. A lot of people recognized us from our first win, and the pressure was ON. It didn't help that my DH showed up wearing the hat we won the first time. LOL, he wasn't trying to be a jerk, he just really liked the hat. Now, across the room I see the team that came in second to us last time. They see us too. We do some "friendly competition" stare downs.

The questions seem easier this time. My brother was playing with us, and he knew a lot of the "Disneyland" questions, while DH was nailing all the "Disney World" questions. But I thought for sure we were going to lose this time. The competition team were pretty pleased with themselves. I watched them celebrate question after question, while we missed "easy" ones we should have known. CRUSH IS 150 YEARS OLD!!! EVERYONE WRITE THAT DOWN. What a silly point to lose!! (I am possibly too competitive at times).

So once again it came down to us and the 2nd place team from last time.
Our host Stephen said "Remain standing if you have more than 56 correct....." We stayed standing. They sat down. YES!!!

We had 57 right out of 60. Now don't worry, we love to win but we're not greedy! We gave our prizes to the 2nd place team. They gave us a GREAT run for our money. We talked to them a bit after and they were very nice.

As we were leaving, Donald appeared out of nowhere, wearing his fancy formal attire. He stopped for a quick photo.

Then Mickey came out right behind him! We felt slightly under dressed.

And we took that as a hint- it must be time to get ready for semi-formal night!! Back to the room we go.

Guess which one of us was not happy about semi-formal night......

It's OK, he perked up a bit later.

Then he decided that "showing off" would make a fun photo shoot.

I love these photo opportunities. I am a scrapbooker, so I always want to GET THE PHOTO.

Hey Snow White!

Tonight we were back in Animator's Palate with the Captain's Gala Menu.

This was very yummy Fettuccine with Parmesan-Crusted Chicken :

Too bad I was having that "end of cruise" syndrome where your stomach finally can't take it any more, and I had to give up half way through dinner.

But somehow I pulled it together and ate a whole Mickey Bar:

*This is a pretty well known tip, but I want to tell you again- you CAN order Mickey Bars any time at dinner. Once our server brought us a whole bowl of them! You can also order them from room service. DO IT.

DS had his plate of apples every night.

DH had the Warm Chocolate Lava Cake

AND the Banana Creme Brulee

We love our servers.

Now of course my son fell asleep again at dinner. This time I was convinced he would stay asleep. DH picked him up to take him to the room and he didn't even stir. He was OUT.

MK and I went to the lobby for some pics with Minnie
While we were in line, DH suddenly appeared holding DS, awake but crabby. I said "What happened?!" Apparently DS woke up in the room and immediately wanted his Mama.
And of course he did NOT want to miss Disney Dreams either, so I said he could stay up, but he also refused to take a picture with Minnie That happens when you're over tired.

We got him to the show and he was completely enthralled with every minute of it. Disney Dreams is a favorite of most people. I personally love (most of) it, but I have also traveled with people who just aren't interested.
My mom's friend Ralph for example, couldn't have cared less and he walked out in the middle of Toy Story because it was "too loud", lol. I guess everyone has their own opinion.

Back in the room, we had DS asleep by 10PM.
The sun was just going down:

DH's slippers.

One thing I just LOVE about cruising is the turn down service. It is such a good feeling to walk into your room after a very hard day of playing and see the bed perfectly turned down, the curtains closed, the soft lighting and everything clean! I think if I won the lottery I would consider having someone do this in my house. Not to mention the fun towel animals and the next days Navigator. DH always lets me read it first. That is love.


DH ran up to deck 9 for pizza. We ate it in bed.
Tonight we had to set the clocks ahead 1 hour, so it already felt super late.
We were SO tired.

Tomorrow- VICTORIA!!

Around the ship this night:
70's music, movies, variety act Michael Harrison, late-night piano, and family karaoke.

*Note about the kids clubs, if you don't know:
They keep those clubs hoppin' late into the night. If you and your family are night owls, have no fear- The Oceaneer Lab had activities scheduled until midnight! This particular night there was a kids Piston Cup Challenge at 11PM.
So, enjoy your evenings!

 

[DisSarahK]

I'm so glad to hear that you can do dinner and the show and still get kiddos to bed by 10pm--my little guy is a complete grump if he stays up late! 10pm is pushing it, but I'm hoping he'll last that late.

I'm a scrapbooker too (this year I'm doing Project Life by Becky Higgins and loving it...a different twist on scrapping) so seeing your pictures is fantastic! I think I'm still going to do a traditional scrapbook for our cruise (in addition to some pictures in our PL album).

 

[scrapbookingpro]

I'm so glad to hear that you can do dinner and the show and still get kiddos to bed by 10pm--my little guy is a complete grump if he stays up late! 10pm is pushing it, but I'm hoping he'll last that late.

I'm a scrapbooker too (this year I'm doing Project Life by Becky Higgins and loving it...a different twist on scrapping) so seeing your pictures is fantastic! I think I'm still going to do a traditional scrapbook for our cruise (in addition to some pictures in our PL album).

The 10PM bedtime was definitely pushing it for us too, but generally the show would end at 9:30. We'd take him up to brush teeth and read one story and he would go out really quickly. Then of course, fall asleep at dinner.

Nice to meet a fellow scrapbooker!! I have seen some of the Project Life albums that Becky has- they look really good. I am still about 2 years behind on my albums, but I try not to think about that!! Cruises are always a challenge for me to scrapbook because we have done so many and all the pages start to look and feel the same. At least this trip will be different!!