fliplover101
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Aug 10, 2009
- Messages
- 37
Hello everyone! Our family is just back from Alaska and our first ever cruise!! I have been a lurker for a while, but my family had such a blast that I wanted to share our trip with all of you. 
First off, some introductions and background:
This was a family trip, which included my mom, dad, younger brother and I. We decided to take this cruise almost 2 years ago in anticipation of a celebration filled summer...I turned 21, my brother graduated from high school, and my parents will be celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary. Then when we saw that the Wonder was coming to the West Coast AND was going to Alaska (a life-long dream destination of my dad's), well, we all decided this would be a perfect last big family vacation! We are all Disney fans, and are Disneyland annual passholders (we live in SoCal). We had never cruised before, but figured if we were going to try it, we were going to go with Disney!
Overall impressions: The Good
1) The Service: WOW!!! This is where Disney really stands out. Everyone on the ship really went above and beyond to make each guest feel special. Our dinner servers, Olga and Toby, were funny, welcoming, remembered our preferences, made great recommendations, and felt like friends by the end of the week. The bartenders at the Cove Cafe made recommendations for my first drinks (and were great laughing partners at my varying reactions!), and the cruise staff were always full of energy and looking for ways to make your day better.
2) The Scenery: Alaska and Canada must be some of the most beautiful places on the face of the earth. Huge, old hemlock and fir trees, pristine wilderness, going for days without seeing any settlements, remote lighthouses on rocky outcroppings, craggy mountains jutting up out of the sea, waterfalls upon waterfalls upon waterfalls, glaciers and icebergs, I could go on and on. There are so many things to do on board, but my favorite thing to do was to sit (in a blanket or two!) up on deck watching the world go by. Even though Alaska doesn't provide traditional cruise weather, go, go, go!!! I have never seen such jaw-dropping, unspoiled nature in my life.
3) The Wildlife: This goes with number 2, but I thought it deserved its own number. We saw eagles, dolphins, orcas, humpback whales, sea otters, and seals in the wild. We also heard a marmot, but never managed to spot it. We also saw grizzly bears, wolves, and beluga whales in various habitat preserves, not in the wild, but it was truly amazing to see so many animals in and around the towns and cities we visited. ESPECIALLY the eagles! They were everywhere!!!!
4) THE FOOD!: Now, I might be biased, as most of the time I'm living off of college cafeteria food and ramen, but the whole family LOVED the food!! It was fresh, there were lots of adventurous options, and the desserts were to die for. And one night they served lobster!!!! I'll give more in depth descriptions as I go through the report, but for now I'll just say, YUMMY!
5) The Entertainment: There were so many things to do on board, and the evening shows were really great. I personally thought it was a little strange how much fanfare Mickey and Minnie got all the time in all the shows (especially since they didn't even show up until the curtain call in Dreams), but each show was technically brilliant. The bingo was an unexpected family hit, the comedian Heath Hyche was hilarious, and even something as simple as sitting in the Quiet Cove Jacuzzi watching the mountains go by was a real highlight of the trip.
Overall Impressions: The Not So Good:
1) Seasickness: This was the number one thing my mom and I were worried about before leaving, and it was a problem a couple of times. Both sea days started out in open sea, and the seas were quite rough, so we both woke up not feeling well. By mid-afternoon we were back in protected waters and were fine, but we missed a lot of the activities and opportunities of the sea days because we felt gross. We had brought Dramamine and sea bands, but didn't find that they worked that well...Pepto Bismol at the first signs seemed to work better for us.
2) Excessive Touristy-ness of the ports: Having never taken a cruise before, we had no idea what to expect of the ports. Maybe this is just Alaska, but you get off the boat and you just see the same stores over and over again, most of which are jewelry stores that have nothing whatsoever to do with the economy or life of the town. You have to really search to see anything besides cookie-cutter cruise area, though it is possible if you wander off the beaten path. And, you get to spend the day with about 10,000 of your closest friends, as at least 1-2 other cruise ships are in each port. As people who have never taken a guided tour in their lives and explore cities on our own, this came as quite a shock.
3) Post-Cruise Depression:
We want to go back already!
Up next: Day 1: Travel and Olympics Discovery Day!
First off, some introductions and background:
This was a family trip, which included my mom, dad, younger brother and I. We decided to take this cruise almost 2 years ago in anticipation of a celebration filled summer...I turned 21, my brother graduated from high school, and my parents will be celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary. Then when we saw that the Wonder was coming to the West Coast AND was going to Alaska (a life-long dream destination of my dad's), well, we all decided this would be a perfect last big family vacation! We are all Disney fans, and are Disneyland annual passholders (we live in SoCal). We had never cruised before, but figured if we were going to try it, we were going to go with Disney!
Overall impressions: The Good
1) The Service: WOW!!! This is where Disney really stands out. Everyone on the ship really went above and beyond to make each guest feel special. Our dinner servers, Olga and Toby, were funny, welcoming, remembered our preferences, made great recommendations, and felt like friends by the end of the week. The bartenders at the Cove Cafe made recommendations for my first drinks (and were great laughing partners at my varying reactions!), and the cruise staff were always full of energy and looking for ways to make your day better.
2) The Scenery: Alaska and Canada must be some of the most beautiful places on the face of the earth. Huge, old hemlock and fir trees, pristine wilderness, going for days without seeing any settlements, remote lighthouses on rocky outcroppings, craggy mountains jutting up out of the sea, waterfalls upon waterfalls upon waterfalls, glaciers and icebergs, I could go on and on. There are so many things to do on board, but my favorite thing to do was to sit (in a blanket or two!) up on deck watching the world go by. Even though Alaska doesn't provide traditional cruise weather, go, go, go!!! I have never seen such jaw-dropping, unspoiled nature in my life.
3) The Wildlife: This goes with number 2, but I thought it deserved its own number. We saw eagles, dolphins, orcas, humpback whales, sea otters, and seals in the wild. We also heard a marmot, but never managed to spot it. We also saw grizzly bears, wolves, and beluga whales in various habitat preserves, not in the wild, but it was truly amazing to see so many animals in and around the towns and cities we visited. ESPECIALLY the eagles! They were everywhere!!!!
4) THE FOOD!: Now, I might be biased, as most of the time I'm living off of college cafeteria food and ramen, but the whole family LOVED the food!! It was fresh, there were lots of adventurous options, and the desserts were to die for. And one night they served lobster!!!! I'll give more in depth descriptions as I go through the report, but for now I'll just say, YUMMY!
5) The Entertainment: There were so many things to do on board, and the evening shows were really great. I personally thought it was a little strange how much fanfare Mickey and Minnie got all the time in all the shows (especially since they didn't even show up until the curtain call in Dreams), but each show was technically brilliant. The bingo was an unexpected family hit, the comedian Heath Hyche was hilarious, and even something as simple as sitting in the Quiet Cove Jacuzzi watching the mountains go by was a real highlight of the trip.
Overall Impressions: The Not So Good:
1) Seasickness: This was the number one thing my mom and I were worried about before leaving, and it was a problem a couple of times. Both sea days started out in open sea, and the seas were quite rough, so we both woke up not feeling well. By mid-afternoon we were back in protected waters and were fine, but we missed a lot of the activities and opportunities of the sea days because we felt gross. We had brought Dramamine and sea bands, but didn't find that they worked that well...Pepto Bismol at the first signs seemed to work better for us.
2) Excessive Touristy-ness of the ports: Having never taken a cruise before, we had no idea what to expect of the ports. Maybe this is just Alaska, but you get off the boat and you just see the same stores over and over again, most of which are jewelry stores that have nothing whatsoever to do with the economy or life of the town. You have to really search to see anything besides cookie-cutter cruise area, though it is possible if you wander off the beaten path. And, you get to spend the day with about 10,000 of your closest friends, as at least 1-2 other cruise ships are in each port. As people who have never taken a guided tour in their lives and explore cities on our own, this came as quite a shock.
3) Post-Cruise Depression:
We want to go back already! Up next: Day 1: Travel and Olympics Discovery Day!
The post cruise depression will take a little while to get over...............Hopefully you booked a future cruise while onboard--that does seem to help.
with crying kids!
