Cass, Rob & Kira - July 2022 Disney Wonder Alaska Cruise - Worth the covid!

[Karin1984]

Wait, what did I miss, why was this the last time on the Wonder?

 

[TestingH2O]

We returned from this trip a few days ago but as you can tell from the title, we brought something back with us and it wasn't just cute souvenirs.

Getting caught up and so glad to see a report! We depart on August 1, and I’m so excited! I’m so sorry to hear that you came back with COVID. I got it in June and it was no fun. Luckily no one else in my family got it, but that does make me more worried for them on the trip.

Our flight took off about two hours after it was originally scheduled but I was just thankful that it wasn't cancelled.

Our flight to Canada next week is on Air Canada. I’ve read so many bad reports and I’m worried. I’ve been checking our flight status every day to see if it actually goes. For some reason, I feel like if I’m seeing that the flights are happening leading up to the trip, then they aren’t as likely to be canceled. I know that is totally not how it works, but here I am, still checking the flight status each day.

When I booked this trip, I knew where we would be eating already!

How fun! Love that you got some of your favorite food and that Kira could see such a cool community.

Our plan was to walk around a bit, explore and then maybe go to Fly Over Canada

We did Fly Over Canada when we did Alaska last time. I kind of thought we might try again, but we decided not to. It is such a fun experience.

This was our 6th sailing on the Wonder, the most on any ship and sadly, it might be our last.

Why your last? The Wonder is my favorite ship and is also the one we’ve spent the most time on.

Now, being our first time at this port, I had done my research and still was very confused about how it worked at this place. I mean, this one building was a pier for 3+ cruises, a high-end hotel, Museum/Exhibit Space, Convention & Hall space, Fly Over Canada attraction and in all my research, I could never find decent photos or videos of how the process worked.

I remember how much research I did before we cruised last time. I somehow found a map of how the whole process worked, but the signage really is good. It’s so many ups and downs! We’ve got someone with mobility issues traveling with us this time, so we’ll have to figure out how to manage that. Did you happen to notice if there were wheelchairs available for navigating the terminal?

We were welcomed onboard and then they directed us into Azure but we bypassed that!

I’m so glad we can bypass. Having just sailed in March, I really don’t need a lesson in the app.

Can you imagine being 15 and Platinum? Sheesh! Spoiled

A became Platinum at 9. I wonder how long until she realizes how truly lucky she is.

I got almost everything I had wanted, dropped it off at the room and then back to my family....

Shopping on day 1 is definitely a priority. We have late dining, so I plan to hit the shops early. We don’t need tons of stuff, but there are things I for sure want. Did you happen to notice if they still had the mittens/ear warmers like the slipper socks?

Thanks so much for the write up! I’ll definitely be following along as it gets me even MORE excited about heading our next week. Eeeee!

 

[Timon]

July 11th, Part 3

I enjoyed the balcony until it was pool time!!! You guys know how much I love my pool time.

It's one of the reasons I love the Wonder (and the Magic) so much! Unlike all of the other ships, (Wish now included) you can actually swim in a pool, rather than just sit or stand.

A quick stop in the stores on the way to get my free charm! I missed a couple of days and missed out of the dang Totem and Bear (the only ones I really wanted LOL!). This was the first cruise I've seen them give away those charm bracelets. I've gotten them on NCL before but never Disney. I'm not a jewelry gal though so I might have missed it!

And then it was up to the glorious adult pool!!

On all Disney cruises, from 8-10pm, you will find me here! This is my happy place. I go back and forth from the pool to the hot tub and over and over. I have chronic back pain from a birth defect and the hot and cold water really helps with my back. It also helps with my joints and really helps me digest my dinner but mostly, it soothes my soul.

This is the whole reason we do the early dinner. When we do late dinner, we are usually just getting out of the dining room just before 10pm and the pool closes at 10pm. We've seen all of the shows already, so we skip them. Kira goes to Vibe with her friends, I do my laps and Rob finds a chair nearby and reads his book. This is the best part of the cruise for me and while Rob loves reading his book, he really just loves to see me happy and this is where I am at my very happiest.

I run hot, I overheat very easily actually, so swimming every night, even if the pool is a little cold, is just fine by me! Rob runs cold and he brings a jacket for my swim nights even when we're in the Caribbean so we knew this was going to be an interesting cruise. I tell him every time to go sit in the Cove Café where it's warmer, but he never does. He likes to be somewhere where he can see me. I think because he's seen me go through so much with my Lupus over the past 26 years, he's always worried about me. I don't blame him, he's almost lost me a few times to it but I told him there's no way I'm going to die in a pool...on a cruise ship! And if I do, well, just know that I was happy!

It was blissfully empty when I got there and it wasn't too cold for Rob. We got him some blankets and he had his lighter rain jacket on and was comfortable.

I was curious if they would raise the pool temperature for Alaska, compared to Caribbean cruises. The thing with this pool, every night that I am in it, the temperature if different. It's the same on every cruise, no matter where we cruise to and this was no exception. The first night was nice. Maybe a tad warmer than our other cruises. I don't think anyone joined me in the pool that first night and only one hot tub was being used. It was lovely.

Eventually, Kira came to join us. She filled us in on her Vibe adventures. She was patiently waiting for E & A to finish their dinner so they could join her in Vibe. She wasn't there long before she headed back to Vibe and I went back to my swimming.

The sun was starting to set so Rob went and took some beautiful pics.

As time went on, more people joined me in the hot tubs. I even chatted with some of them! I'm a total introvert so I'm not too chatty but we were talking about Disney cruises, my favourite subject, so I couldn't help myself.

Right at 10pm, like every other night, Suka came and told me it was time to close up shop. Most people make friends with bartenders on cruises, we always befriend the pool guy

He was lovely actually. I was usually swimming when I first saw him every night and he always looked for me and wave and then chat with Rob for a bit if he could find him. He would always give me a 5-minute warning before closing, which is always helpful because there is no clock at the pool. I bet that when we cruise, it's one of the few times the pool guy gets mentioned on the guest survey.


Back to the room so I could shower and then we headed out to deck 4 on the other side because we were passing by Campbell River. It's just a small town on Vancouver Island but you could see all of the lights and some of the houses still and we could even make out a train moving south. That was pretty cool and the weather was perfect for me!! Since I run hot, I don't spend a lot of time outside on our cruises normally. I remember that night so clearly, the skies were a perfect blue with a tinge of pink, snuggling next to Rob to keep him warm. I had just spent two glorious hours in my pool and I was happy. It was one of those brief passing moments that you remember for a lifetime. I was so glad that we finally took this cruise. It was a decade in the making and so far, even with the sub par food, it was already making it's way to the top of my list.

We hung around until there was no light left and then headed back to the room.

And yes, I brought some lights.

I wasn't going to and then Rob mentioned something about them and at the very last minute, I threw my favourite string into a bag.

We spent the last little bit of our day on our verandah. I was out in jammies and bare feet, Rob was laughing at me.

This was the only time I remember seeing the lights from the ship shining down into the water. I did see them come on for a brief minute or two another night but all other nights, those lights were off. I wondered if it was an Alaskan regulation, similar to why we can't have fireworks or the sounds out of deck 9 certain times.

We didn't give Kira a curfew, we knew she was having fun. I think she was back in the room by 12:30am.

What an amazing first day. So much more to come.

 

[KGmomoftwins]

Thank you so very much for always taking the time to write a report. I truly appreciate following along! I really hope I can score a blanket one of my girls was reading over my shoulder and said ohhhh is that a soft blanket (meaning fleece) I need that! To bad it’s twin size and I have twins not sure if the will both be able to fit under it on the couch lol. I’m glad based on your experience in Vancouver we shortened our pre cruise stay to just the night before. Looking forward to more especially your Whitehorse day!

 

[Timon]

First note

Oy, 2 hour flight delay for a 90 minute flight....lordy. Glad at least it wasn't worse! Bummer about those egg rolls, now I want to see if I can get one here *googles Chili's locations* nope, guess they are all gone from BC, too

Maybe BC can be part of your retirement plan ;-)

No Chili's there too? Dang!

It just might.

I'm here and totally ready to hear all about this trip!! Sorry about the Covid part though, that's not so fun.

We flew to Vancouver once back in 1999 (we live in the Maritimes) and flying over and looking down on the Rockies was really cool!

I mean when you love trees, you have to love BC! Such beautiful trees and so tall and big, I was amazed. Very different those here in the east.

I love flying over the Rockies!

Glad you're here!

Here reading. Sorry about covid. I hope it isn't too bad for you guys and mild. I know with Lupus and remembering when I had flu in 2014 I'd rather try to not get it. So we moved our cruises from August to February 2023 on Wish, but we are definitely going then

looking forward to your trip report my Dad says the Wonder is his favorite ship

Probably a good thing you moved it

Yay! I love your trip reports!

Thanks!

So excited to see a new trip report and can't wait to read about it!

So glad you're here!

When you are not used to it (the poverty etc) then it can be very jarring. We don't go downtown very often at all but I am used to this. My kids, however, are not and have some of the same reactions you guys did. The pandemic has only made it worse I'm afraid. Sorry, didn't mean to be a Debbie Downer!! You got some beautiful photos and that food....will have to try that place sometime!!!

It's just reality, especially in downtown areas and your climate is so nice. We don't have as many here in Calgary, too cold in Winter!

Those tents in the background, are those homeless as well? Looks like a little park not too far out of downtown area.

Wow!!! Loving the pics!! What a difference from your usual trippies involving Florida/Texas. I’m going to love this one for sure.

Sorry about COVID and hoping you both recover quickly.

Maybe you will have similar pics next year.

Yeah another trip report. Funny to see you leave .without snow too. Sorry about the Covid .

We were suppose to go on Princess cruise line to Alaska but cancelled for June. I am so ready to travel again but we are doing a car trip to Cape Breton Island next month. You thought Toronto airport was bad last Christmas…..not going near that one now.

Can’t wait to see your pictures for this trip. I’m going. To get there sooner than later I hope.

Sorry to hear that. We might try Princess next time. Cape Breton sounds lovely!

I have seen photos and heard horror stories, no thanks!!

I hope you get there soon!

So curious to hear your report, this is your 2nd time to Alaska on the Wonder, right? I want to go back when my boys are a bit older and can do some of the more active excursions, but I’m not sure if we would go on the Wonder again or on a ship that does Glacier Bay.

No, this is our first Alaska cruise. We have been trying for a decade to go but something always comes up and we cancel. Glacier Bay looks lovely, maybe one day.

First time commenter - I love reading your trip reports!

Thanks for coming out of lurkdom to comment!

Oh wow! You are so right, seeing the ship in a Canadian port with the mountains behind and then seeing it sporting the Canadian flag is quite the sight!
That terminal did seem like it wasn't the easiest to navigate but you guys are pros, you rocked it!
Can't wait to hear the stories about the room locations, I remember the stories of your Christmastime cruise.

It really does look pretty there eh?

We loved our new room and so glad we upgraded! More on that later.

Sailing from a Canadian port and Vancouver no less is so magical. I LOVE IT SO MUCH!!!!
The port of Vancouver can be....um....challenging to navigate to say the least! I think you did it well And so many beautiful shots of our beloved Wonder

Thanks! You guys are the pros!!!

So excited for you tomorrow!

I was reading through your great post and had to laugh when I was watching the seagull at Cabana's video because we have the overhead shot as well. I said to my husband 'hey, you're in this video for a split second in the end!?' Then looked at the cookie pic and said there I am sitting behind Kira and her cookie Funny also is that we left after checking in, walked around for 20 minutes then walked back in and downstairs. Said oh wow, no calling of groups apparently because after we got through security we walked right onto the ship! Guess had we not walked outside for a bit we would have had to wait for Group 3 to be called. Glad I missed that anticipation

Hahaha, that's too funny!! Weren't those seagulls hilarious???

Nice timing!! We had just enough time to get all set up in the app and look at activities

Wait, what did I miss, why was this the last time on the Wonder?

We normally cruise the Wonder at xmas out of Galveston but the Magic is taking over this year and there's rumours that the Wonder might be leaving for Australia. I don't think we will get back on her for Alaska but you just never know. I once said we would never even sail on her.

Getting caught up and so glad to see a report! We depart on August 1, and I’m so excited! I’m so sorry to hear that you came back with COVID. I got it in June and it was no fun. Luckily no one else in my family got it, but that does make me more worried for them on the trip.

Our flight to Canada next week is on Air Canada. I’ve read so many bad reports and I’m worried. I’ve been checking our flight status every day to see if it actually goes. For some reason, I feel like if I’m seeing that the flights are happening leading up to the trip, then they aren’t as likely to be canceled. I know that is totally not how it works, but here I am, still checking the flight status each day.

How fun! Love that you got some of your favorite food and that Kira could see such a cool community.

We did Fly Over Canada when we did Alaska last time. I kind of thought we might try again, but we decided not to. It is such a fun experience.

Why your last? The Wonder is my favorite ship and is also the one we’ve spent the most time on.

I remember how much research I did before we cruised last time. I somehow found a map of how the whole process worked, but the signage really is good. It’s so many ups and downs! We’ve got someone with mobility issues traveling with us this time, so we’ll have to figure out how to manage that. Did you happen to notice if there were wheelchairs available for navigating the terminal?

I’m so glad we can bypass. Having just sailed in March, I really don’t need a lesson in the app.

A became Platinum at 9. I wonder how long until she realizes how truly lucky she is.

Shopping on day 1 is definitely a priority. We have late dining, so I plan to hit the shops early. We don’t need tons of stuff, but there are things I for sure want. Did you happen to notice if they still had the mittens/ear warmers like the slipper socks?

Thanks so much for the write up! I’ll definitely be following along as it gets me even MORE excited about heading our next week. Eeeee!

August 1st, yay!! So excited for you!!!

I did the same thing with the flights LOL!

Wonder is no longer doing the Galveston sailings.

Oh nice, I would love to see that map!

I did not see wheelchairs but I also was not looking for them!

Wow, Plat at 9!!! Kira knows how lucky she is, she doesn't take any cruise for granted.

Yes, they had lots of the gloves and ears and scarves and socks! Anything else, get there early

 

[Timon]

Thank you so very much for always taking the time to write a report. I truly appreciate following along! I really hope I can score a blanket one of my girls was reading over my shoulder and said ohhhh is that a soft blanket (meaning fleece) I need that! To bad it’s twin size and I have twins not sure if the will both be able to fit under it on the couch lol. I’m glad based on your experience in Vancouver we shortened our pre cruise stay to just the night before. Looking forward to more especially your Whitehorse day!

The blanket is nice and soft but very small indeed!

Vancouver is gorgeous and so many things to do there! Like most other downtown areas, you will find some sketchy areas. We only did 1 extra night because we didn't want to leave our puppy for too long and the flight is so short.

 

[becauseimnew]

following along, I really enjoy are your TRs. Why is this your last Wonder cruise?

 

[AJaquins]

Long time reader of your reports. We’re on the Wonder Sept 5th doing a back to back with our credits to Alaska. I can’t wait for it. Our last cruise was the Wonder March 2020 Panama Canal cruise and we to came home with an extra “souvenir “ but we still don’t regret it. Thank you for the wonderful pictures, it’ll help me get through the next 42 days. (Thank goodness we can drive to the port and don’t have to worry about flying.)

 

[juniorbugman]

Glad you are writing a report. I love your reports. Hope that the Covid symptoms don't last long and you test negative soon. I did an Alaskan cruise back in 2000 on Holland America and we too had to miss Glacier Bay.

 

[dcassetta]

Loving your report. We sailed in June and share your impression of the maze that was navigating Canada Place. Agree with you about the food also!

 

[bcwife76]

What a perfect end to a great first day!!! Guess this will be my last note for a week or so, I'll have lots to catch up on when we get back ;-) I'll think of you everytime I take a dip in the adult pool or the hot tubs there!!

 

[Ronneeaght]

Yay, a Cass trippie and to Alaska!! I read the first couple posts this morning while stuck in the airport with a delayed flight and almost typed up a post asking you to send that good travel magic my way, but then the airport lights flickered on and off So I said, "OK, universe, you just do your thing." And made my connection with 5 minutes to spare.

Looking forward to all of your adventures!

 

[Camonkeygirl]

I just discovered your trip report, I am doing the same cruise in Sept so I am following closely. Was the food bad the entire cruise or just the first night? Also, the bracelet, did you have to buy the bracelet and get the charms free, or did you have to buy them?

Thank you.

 

[Timon]

July 12th, Part 1

It was a beautiful, cloud-covered day when I popped out onto our verandah this morning. It was about 10ºC, about 50F

I could get used to this.

Rob and I went to Cabanas for breakfast. It was too cold for him outside so we found a spot inside. Cabanas was the one place where I did not feel like our sailing was capped at 1800. It was completely bonkers every time we were in there!

On our Spring Break cruise on the Fantasy, they were still serving all of the food. In fact, we were the very last sailing they did this for. I have to admit, that is the one safety protocol I wish they would bring back. We had to hunt for a table every time and up at the buffet, people were acting like they were never going to eat again. I was cut off by so many people, people would come to the same serving section as me, and instead of waiting three and a half seconds for me to scoop my scrambled eggs onto my plate and be off on my merry way, they would squeeze themselves in right next to me to get their cheesy eggs, immediately right next to the regular eggs. The days of giving people some extra space are long gone sadly. I'm fairly certain that it was at Cabanas where I got covid.

I saw tons of people walking in without washing their hands, people coughing all week long, crowding together, not allowing for some personal space and everyone touching those serving dishes.

We are extremely vigilant about sanitizing, you will often see our sanitizer in our photos because if we touch ANYTHING, we sanitize. Need some salt, SANITIZE, grab a drink, SANITIZE, touch a menu, SANITIZE!

Also, about 45 minutes before they close for each meal, they shut down one entire side, so even if Cabanas isn't super busy, it's crowded when you get the food because there's often only one side open. And their hours are very limited.

So, fair warning, if you are going to Cabanas, be warned that it's being run as if covid-19 doesn't exist anymore.

I snapped a pic of Rob's first two courses while he was grabbing his third.

We're pretty boring, we get the same thing every day.

Just as I was finishing my meal, Kira texted us saying that she was going to join us for breakfast! This is not a normal occurrence, she never eats before noon, unless it's cookies in bed, and she definitely doesn't often join us for breakfast on vacation.

This was the one and only time she joined us for breakfast on the cruise. Glad we got at least one family breakfast in.

Kira headed to Vibe and Rob and I headed to Azure to watch the presentation by our naturalist. He was pretty entertaining and had some interesting stories. I had to leave early because I wanted to make it to the Jewelry presentation to get my free charm bracelet. I did end up watching all of his other lectures on the stateroom TV. Channel 32, I think.

Although the app didn't make it clear, you could get the free daily charm in the stores but you had to attend this presentation in order to get the bracelet. I also asked if I could buy the bear and the totem, on our last day, but they were pretty adamant about only giving them away and that once they were gone, they were gone! So if you want yours, make sure to drop by every single day!

Back to the room, the sun had come out and was quite warm so Rob got some verandah reading time in.

I always made sure to watch the Morning Show on the TV every day. These two were a freaking hoot! Stephen was our cruise director and Ann was our assistant cruise director and they played off of each other so well.

I would put the TV on while I was getting ready each morning and since it's at the desk, near her bed, Kira had no choice but to listen to it with her head buried deep under the covers like a vampire avoiding the light. Kira is the queen of dad jokes and these two had plenty of them! Most of them, Kira and I knew the answer to and we would shout them out when we knew them but they had a few we hadn't heard and they gave us a good chuckle.

Now this is more like it!

They had adult Pixar trivia in the Crown & Fin. It was PACKED!!

And we won.

Inside of the mysterious blue bag....was another bag! And some generic playing cards. At least it wasn't the Mickey medallions.

Beautiful scenery this afternoon.

We spotted a whale and some dolphins!!

I was recording video at the time, so here's some screenshots...

Then it was time for Rob's lunch. We headed to covid central...I mean Cabanas.

It was a little chilly out for Rob but he braved it for the scenery.

I texted Kira that they had grilled shrimp on the buffet and she came running! This kid loves shrimp but it has to be grilled, she doesn't like it any other way. On our cruise in March, they only offered it on the one day in Cabanas and she ate two platefuls.

She had asked us to text her if we find it on the buffet.

I'm not much of a buffet kind of girl but I did see a baked potato that I wanted to try. It wasn't really my thing though, it had spicy Tex Mex type beef on the top.

While we were sitting there, enjoying the view, Kira loudly exclaimed "This looks like Saskatchewan!"

Rob's parents live in Saskatchewan and for the past few summers, they've visited them and went out fishing on their boat. Except for the mountains being a little bigger here, it really did look like the lake where they go fishing.

Kira headed back to Vibe and Rob and I headed to grab my lunch on deck 9.

Cute little Swan in the Quiet Cove area.

Now, on the Fantasy a few months ago, I had some of the best cheeseburgers I've had on a ship and I was hoping to continue that streak here but I could only eat two bites, it was gross! The patty was dry and flavourless. The fries were okay and the chicken strips were okay. Gross honey mustard though.

I was still hungry so my awesome hubby ran back up and got me a hot dog and that was actually really delicious!

It's so funny because every sailing, it's different. The last cruise, I got a hot dog for embarkation lunch because the hot dogs on our Wonder Christmas cruise were delicious but it ended up being really gross. But then I tried their burgers on the Fantasy and those were incredibly delicious, which made me want to try the burgers on this cruise. The burgers on THIS cruise were gross (with one exception I will tell you about later) but the hot dogs were delicious! Weird!

More verandah time for us.

And then we met up with Kira in the Walt Disney Theater for Lightyear. Kira and I ended up loving it and Rob said it was terrible.

Kira went back to Vibe and ended up meeting her bestie for the rest of the cruise at a game called 1-2 Switch! More on that tomorrow.

Rob and I spent the rest of the day up until dinnertime on our verandah, enjoying the gorgeous scenery. It did get chilly, enough for me to finally put pants on.

We made it all the way to Prince Rupert and then it was time to head down to Triton's for dinner.

 

[Timon]

Hey guys, quick non-trippie post here. I realize that some of you can't see my signature, where my other Trip Reports are linked, so I thought I would post them here

2011 DCL Second sailing of the Dream
2013 October WDW & DCL Fantasy
2015 Disneyland

2016 Christmas on the Wonder
2017 Universal & DCL 10-Night Southern Caribbean Fantasy

2017 Christmas on the Wonder
2018 Summer WDW & Universal

2018 Christmas on the Wonder
2019 Disneyland
2019 Universal Orlando
2019 Christmas on the Wonder
2020 Galaxy's Edge

2021 Christmas on the Wonder
2022 UO & DCL Fantasy
2022 Alaska Wonder Cruise


I've just recently noticed that three of them are gone! Disappeared! Perhaps they vanished when the boards were updated?

I really need to look into the possibility of printing them before I lose more.

 

[Kanga2Roo]

I made it and am all caught up. Loving it!
The Dream did have the good honey mustard last week, but only had 2 drink stations with diet coke in it. I felt like some things they were just running out of for some reason

 

[TestingH2O]

Although the app didn't make it clear, you could get the free daily charm in the stores but you had to attend this presentation in order to get the bracelet. I also asked if I could buy the bear and the totem, on our last day, but they were pretty adamant about only giving them away and that once they were gone, they were gone! So if you want yours, make sure to drop by every single day!

Can you explain this bracelet situation a bit more? How do you get it? Where are the charms? One per person or cabin? Seems like a pretty fun souvenir

 

[ukintheus]

I saw that you had started this and then got busy this weekend and forgot to come back until now!! Sorry about getting Covid - I really feel like we will all get it at some point, it's just a matter of time. We are sad that the Wonder isn't coming back to Galveston as well, she's our favorite ship for sure. We've been toying with an Alaskan cruise on her next year as we have a 50% discount from our cancelled Wish cruise. The thought of getting out of the Texas heat is quite appealing. It's always good to read about your adventures, thanks for posting this one!

 

[dcassetta]

Can you explain this bracelet situation a bit more? How do you get it? Where are the charms? One per person or cabin? Seems like a pretty fun souvenir

You need to go to the shopping talk on the first sea day to get the bracelet. Then each day there is a time to stop by the shop and pick up that day's charm. It was usually a span of about 2 hours, and they gave away a new charm each day. The quality of the bracelet and charms is not high, but then again it is free.

 

[TestingH2O]

You need to go to the shopping talk on the first sea day to get the bracelet. Then each day there is a time to stop by the shop and pick up that day's charm. It was usually a span of about 2 hours, and they gave away a new charm each day. The quality of the bracelet and charms is not high, but then again it is free.

Thanks! We’ve got several teen/tween girls in our group and it might be a fun way they can remember their trip. (I had one of those “best friend” necklaces when I was that age and thought it was so cool. Also not great quality, but still fun.)