You’ll never get me on a cruise. Unless it’s to ALASKA! Recap and New PTR Link! 2/1

[MEK]

Awesome borrowed pictures. Palo sounds wonderful and I am definitely eating there if I ever do a Disney cruise. Oops - I mean WHEN I do a Disney cruise! I think it worked out perfectly that the boys had company at dinner (complete with two desserts and pin trading).

Wonderful update! Can't wait to see what your excursion is! I think that was the day your updated on Facebook, but I can't remember what you said.

 

[KatMark]

Great update, Cynthia. I love the pictures you "borrowed" of your meal. And I love how the boys had a "double date." Just too darn cute. And the fun begins...and how I remember those days.

 

[eandesmom]

Awesome borrowed pictures. Palo sounds wonderful and I am definitely eating there if I ever do a Disney cruise. Oops - I mean WHEN I do a Disney cruise! I think it worked out perfectly that the boys had company at dinner (complete with two desserts and pin trading).

You and Denny would LOVE Palo! You will be there one of these days, I know it!

They had a lot of fun trading on the cruise, more trading than they did in WDW!

Wonderful update! Can't wait to see what your excursion is! I think that was the day your updated on Facebook, but I can't remember what you said.

I did just add a bunch of pics, from the excursion as well as the rest of the cruise on FB. A very tiny percentage of what I took though, I went a bit nuts on the excursion photo wise!

Great update, Cynthia. I love the pictures you "borrowed" of your meal. And I love how the boys had a "double date." Just too darn cute. And the fun begins...and how I remember those days.

Yeah, I stole some photo's but the update felt lonely without them!

I think Evan is going to be the one that gives us (more) grey hair in that area. OY! They were awfully cute. It was a fun night for all to be sure.

 

[Sunset Cliffs]

What a wonderful night! Palo sounds so nice, and I'm happy for you to have gotten to enjoy it twice on one cruise!

I had to smile while reading about your boys convincing you to let them eat on their own. I can imagine them coming up with the sales pitch before they tried it out on you. That was probably a funny conversation. I'm so glad that you had a real date night and that the boys were on best behavior. Good for them to follow your rules & be in bed when you got back.

 

[eandesmom]

What a wonderful night! Palo sounds so nice, and I'm happy for you to have gotten to enjoy it twice on one cruise!

I had to smile while reading about your boys convincing you to let them eat on their own. I can imagine them coming up with the sales pitch before they tried it out on you. That was probably a funny conversation. I'm so glad that you had a real date night and that the boys were on best behavior. Good for them to follow your rules & be in bed when you got back.

Sales pitch is right! They played it well though, and then followed through which made it a win win all around.

 

[tinacaplan]

So, I got a bit behind, but thankfully, not too much! Great post about beer. Wish I liked beer more and I certainly wish that alcohol agreed with me more than it does. Oh well. There are much worse things. And I love the Big Lebowski. I've heard the nights (which happen all over the country apparently) are really fun...white russians and all that.

I hadn't considered the added bonus of the safe environment onboard the ship to test some limits with the boys. Cool. Can't believe they arranged their evening like that! Good for them.

Palo looks wonderful. And you chose one of my absolute favorite wines! I love Barolo. I discovered a while back that I love big Italian reds, but the price tag...ouch!

Looking forward to more.

 

[manntra]

That is the only thing I regret about my cruise....didn't do Palo...of course it was just me and my niece and I wouldn't have done it alone back then (she was too young.) Oh well....always next time I do remember going to Shutters to check on all of the new pictures....bummer that there wasn't anyone taking any for your night out

Good wine choice

Tracy

 

[MEK]

I did just add a bunch of pics, from the excursion as well as the rest of the cruise on FB. A very tiny percentage of what I took though, I went a bit nuts on the excursion photo wise!

I guess I need to check those out.

 

[eandesmom]

So, I got a bit behind, but thankfully, not too much! Great post about beer. Wish I liked beer more and I certainly wish that alcohol agreed with me more than it does. Oh well. There are much worse things. And I love the Big Lebowski. I've heard the nights (which happen all over the country apparently) are really fun...white russians and all that.

I don't think I've had a white russian since college! As a general rule I'm not much for cocktails...except on vacation. There are definitely worse things than having alcohol not agree with you. And really, "agreeing" is probably subjective anyway!

I hadn't considered the added bonus of the safe environment onboard the ship to test some limits with the boys. Cool. Can't believe they arranged their evening like that! Good for them.

I admit, we had thought of that added bonus, it was a major selling point. Still, it went much further than either of us had expected...and we ended up with even more couple time than expected which was wonderful. It will be very interesting to see if we do the dream cruise, how Kendall is, whether she makes her own network or is clingy. It could really go either way.

Palo looks wonderful. And you chose one of my absolute favorite wines! I love Barolo. I discovered a while back that I love big Italian reds, but the price tag...ouch!

Looking forward to more.

It is an ouch price tag, but worth it for a special occasion, and honestly I didn't think their markup was that bad all things considered. We were actually able to enjoy a bottle we'd had in Italy, and had brought back (but drank on our anniversary last year) so it was pretty special and yummy!

That is the only thing I regret about my cruise....didn't do Palo...of course it was just me and my niece and I wouldn't have done it alone back then (she was too young.) Oh well....always next time I do remember going to Shutters to check on all of the new pictures....bummer that there wasn't anyone taking any for your night out

Good wine choice

Tracy

Well soon enough she will be 18 and you can take her! I was bummed actually, 2 palo events, 2 times we were dressed up and could have had a photo and nope.

You would LOVE Palo.

I guess I need to check those out.

Yep!

So what are we, a couple of days away from booking?? Excited to have a ticker for a trip that feels a little more real than the summer cruise does at present!

 

[jeremysdisneymom]

Wow, the food at Palo's looks amazing! It looks like a perfect date night. Glad the boys had fun too.

 

[glennbo123]

Wow, the boys kind of went on a double-date...I'll bet you didn't see that one coming when you were planning the cruise. They're growing up.

Mmmm, your dinner sounded great. Those cruises sure know how to feed you.

 

[eandesmom]

Wow, the boys kind of went on a double-date...I'll bet you didn't see that one coming when you were planning the cruise. They're growing up.

Mmmm, your dinner sounded great. Those cruises sure know how to feed you.

I definitely didn't see that one coming, although with Evan it was definitely foreshadowing for middle school. I am going to have my hands full with that one.

Dinner was absolutely lovely.

 

[Poolrat]

Glad the boys felt comfortable going to dinner with the girls.
A good way for you to have them experience independence in a safe environment.

Sounds like your dinner was great.

 

[mrp4352]

Just a quick Hi! Hope all is well and you can find a little time for the report soon!

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

[eandesmom]

Glad the boys felt comfortable going to dinner with the girls.
A good way for you to have them experience independence in a safe environment.

Sounds like your dinner was great.

It was a good "first" date! And while Evan might like another one tomorrow, I'm ok with a big delay before the next one.

Just a quick Hi! Hope all is well and you can find a little time for the report soon!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hi! I sure hope to. I've been a bit tied up with work and injury and a nasty cold but am hoping that turns around soon. I rarely rarely get sick so it's really annoying! I'll get one up over Thanksgiving weekend for sure but am hoping for one tonight or tomorrow.

 

[eandesmom]

Once again, I am woefully behind on my update. It’s been a bit nuts around here! We’ve been quite busy cheering Kendall’s high school soccer team as they made their way to state. In 3rd place for regular season, they ended up winning our 3A district which was pretty darn exciting! They made it all the way to the semi’s, first time for her school in 30 years! Sadly, they lost in the semi’s to the defending champs and then again in the consolation bracket (that one they should NOT have lost). K ended up with a pretty nasty turned ankle so it will be a bit before she’s hitting the turf with her regular club. Earlier this season we’d dealt with sports injuries for both Evan and Kendall, with both of them hitting PT and then for Evan, the chiro. Which got me to thinking. I have an old, chronic neck injury that most of the time is just annoying. An ache or stiffness that doesn’t go away. Every few years it seems to act up. This year it had been just getting progressively worse and not really improving so I thought I’d try going to a Chiro. In a nutshell, it’s a mess. Last week I had a major flare up that sidelined me from everything (couldn’t turn my neck at all) and well, between that, a nasty cold and taking myself and Evan to all these appointments (and riding MAJOR herd on Evan with his homework…man is Jr High an adjustment that he was woefully unprepared for) I haven’t had time to do much more than eat and sleep. Including clean. UGH!
Long winded explanation as to why I am so behind on the update! I saw another doctor today and will be adding PT for myself to the Chiro, as well as orthopedic massage so…I better get some updates up before I get completely slammed again. About the only good thing related to the sidelining this weekend was I got some online shopping out of the way for Christmas. LOL!

Where were we? Well, we’d just had a lovely day in Skagway complete with ziplining, beer history, bordellos and dates with incredible meals for everyone. We awoke to a grey and drizzly morning, so much so we were concerned about our excursion. Getting ready we ate breakfast in the room and headed down to check. Ours was still a “go”. YAY! Unlike Skagway, where we’d had the prime berth..today we were much further away. Far enough that a shuttle into town was required.

A picture of the Wonder from the shuttle

When planning I’d looked at the Mt. Roberts tram as an excursion option, but then learned it was actually cheaper to buy direct (as my kids would pay kid prices, not Disney adult prices) and didn’t tie us in, in case the visibility wasn’t so good. Which, it wasn’t. You couldn’t even see up the mountain!

Here’s what we might have been able to see and do

And how we’d get there

We opted out, not trusting we’d see squat and decided to wander. For the most part, the shops near the shuttle stop seemed to be what I’d classify as tourist traps. The ever present jewelry traps, owned by the cruise ships, selling non native items for “special prices” and then t shirt stores. Nothing that interested us. We wanted to see the town. Juneau is pretty unique in the fact that it’s the only state capitol where the ONLY way to get in and out is either by air or sea. No way to get in or out by land.
Prior to heading further in, we noticed something to the left of the tram cables

Can you see it?

What about now?

Not just one!

Nice way to start the morning! Eagle sighting concluded we headed into town

Well, it’s bigger than Skagway!

And it did have this

NO…we didn’t have beer in the morning! But we did go in and check it out. Jeff bought a very cool hat and possibly a shirt as well. They actually didn’t sell beer anyway, it was a pure merchandise shop. We aren’t huge fans of their beer, but we don’t hate it either. There was a special release we’d have liked to try but it just didn’t work out.

Our destination? The state capitol! But first…more coffee! As in Skagway, we wanted to try something local.

The E’s declared this (a local chain in Juneau, we spotted at least 3 of them) the BEST hot cocoa ever. They still stand behind that. My coffee was good but I wouldn’t go that far, of the 3 ports I liked my coffee in Ketchikan the best but I'm getting ahead of myself. Unfortunately the lid leaked so it was a little annoying.

2 blocks further and…

Continued in next post

 

[eandesmom]

We didn’t have a ton of time left after our shopping in the brewing depot, local coffee and capitol visit, and no real agenda so just kind of meandered back, admiring the Wonder as we walked.

We peeked at these guys

And tried for a photo op or two

Note Jeff’s new hat! We stood and finished our coffee and enjoyed watching the seaplanes take off. We also checked out the other ships.

Not nearly as pretty but definitely a better berth…no shuttle. Which it was now time to catch. Visibility seemed to be improving

With that we hopped on our shuttle and headed back. We wanted enough time before our excursion to grab the point and shoot so we each had a camera, as well as the binoculars.

 

[heaven2dc]

Alaska is absolutely breathtaking! Love the natural beauty - especially the pic of the bald eagles Too bad that most cruise ship ports including Juneau have to have the usual cruise tourist shops. That's what I disliked when I took my first and only cruise to the Western Caribbean. I wandered off the beaten path and found a wonderful fountain with an elderly gentleman strumming the guitar and small kids skipping around.

You have been SO busy - thanks for updating for us! I hope your neck feels better soon

 

[KatMark]

Cynthia, congrats to Kendall's team on a great season. Sorry so many injuries with the kids, and your poor neck. I feel your pain; as you may recall Mark had really bad neck pain and ended up having surgery for his disks. I hope you feel better soon.

Love all the photos, as always (I particularly like the pic of you and the E's).

 

[eandesmom]

Alaska is absolutely breathtaking! Love the natural beauty - especially the pic of the bald eagles Too bad that most cruise ship ports including Juneau have to have the usual cruise tourist shops. That's what I disliked when I took my first and only cruise to the Western Caribbean. I wandered off the beaten path and found a wonderful fountain with an elderly gentleman strumming the guitar and small kids skipping around.

I think that's really true of any tourist destination, not just cruise ship ports. Alaska was better than Grand Cayman and Cozumel in my opinion. At least no one is trying to hawk too much on the street. Sure there are tour vendors but it's a much softer sell than I've seen elsewhere in the world. The challenge in a port is not getting attacked right when you get off I think, depending on the port. If you can get out of that area then it can be truly wonderful. It's hard, with a short time in any port I think to really get a feel and sometimes the touristy thing...may well be very magical. It just varies. My parents are on a 39 day cruise right now and in one port, stayed on board as they heard such awful things about the local tactics as people we heading into town. That's sad. They seem fine with it but I sure wouldn't be! It is a large part of why there aren't a whole lot of cruises we are interested in....

You have been SO busy - thanks for updating for us! I hope your neck feels better soon

Normal busy in most respects, just a lot of extra driving! Except when I couldn't drive. I have chiro and a massage (regular, not ortho) tomorrow and the PT starts next week and hopefully orthopedic massage so...we will see. This is the path we are going to try first before we consider anything more aggressive or new images.

Cynthia, congrats to Kendall's team on a great season. Sorry so many injuries with the kids, and your poor neck. I feel your pain; as you may recall Mark had really bad neck pain and ended up having surgery for his disks. I hope you feel better soon.

It was an amazing season. SO much fun to watch! It may be disk related but we aren't sure right now. I've neck and shoulder issues that may or may not be related according to the Physical Medicine/Rehab Osteopath I saw today. He wants to hold off on new images while we try to figure out what the real issues are with PT and Ortho massage, and continuing with the Chiro and if it's not better in 3 weeks, there are other things to look at.

Love all the photos, as always (I particularly like the pic of you and the E's).

Thanks!!!