Dress Like an Onion! If You're a Kid, Dress Like a Cocktail Onion! Alaska 7/3-7/10 COMPLETE!

[bcwife76]

Oh my gosh, what a lovely surprise to come back to!! Disney is the THE best!!

I'm hoping to write a report, though I probably won't start it for another week or two....I really should have kept notes because, just as in the past, I'm sure to forget some details

 

[TestingH2O]

July 9 Part 1 - Day at Sea

Time change 1 hour forward.



We got up around 8:30 to grab some breakfast before heading to our princess and frozen meet and greets. Cabanas was PACKED! But we got a table and enjoyed our meal.

Then, we were off to AP for Frozen. And, for the first time ever, we met Olaf!



Because the Frozen meet was so organized, we got to the princesses about 15 minutes early. Luckily, the princesses were also running very smoothly and they let us in early.





Photo with the statue!





Now it was time for Black Widow, the only Avenger we hadn't seen yet.



Really awesome interactions. This was one of my favorite characters.

Now, I had only consumed ship coffee for the entire trip. By this point though, I was done. I needed something better. So, DD and I headed to Promenade and Sydney, my nap time server, made me an amazing cappuccino.



It was so beautiful I almost didn't want to drink it. Almost.

He also gave DD a biscotti. She loved it.

As we were leaving the lounge, we ran into Trent and Carly.



They were just such a fabulous team and they totally knew DD. We all agreed that ship coffee was awful. Trent was leaving for vacation and he was very excited for real coffee again. And seeing his son. But coffee too.

After seeing our celebrities, we made our way to Crown & Fin. DD saw Trent and Carly play Battleship on the morning show, and she was obsessed with playing.



My parents joined us after the naturalist talk let out. It was a lot of fun to hang out and play. We left as the 18+ trivia started. Since we didn't have time to finish the game, it was a tie.

Next Up - preparing to go home

 

[TestingH2O]

July 9 Part 2 - Packing and Other Bittersweet Activities

I forgot to mention that Cabanas had biscuits and gravy for breakfast. That's one of my favorite foods. These were decent but, like I said, I'm pretty picky.

After Battleship, we went to watch the Diaper Dash. That was the first time we'd seen it. Hilarious!

Mom and I went to Guest Services to check our bill. One family was reducing their tips. Our bill was very reasonable due to OBC and disney credit card reward dollars. Yay!

We all went to Triton's for lunch. I had cod which was very good. DD then went to go nap. While she slept, I packed. ::sigh::



This was the moment I realized I didn't take a picture of our door when it was decorated. Oops.

My dad and I took the ship tour and that was fun. I learned some things I hadn't heard before but most stuff I already knew from Dis Boards. My dad was fascinated though. DD was still sleeping so I went to visit Sydney for one more nap time cocktail while I journaled and read.

When DD woke up, she went swimming. Brrrr. But she loved it. The pool was pretty busy with kids. The lifeguards were all in pants and coats and there were really no parents swimming. Clearly this was a young person activity.

After swimming, DD took a bath and we got all the tip forms and extra cash together. I also took a bottle of wine to Guest Services for Shinde. Since it was his last night before vacation, he said he'd enjoy it with his work friends.



DD golfing around with 4th of July stuff before we left for Dreams. We all really enjoyed the show. DD went to the clubs for a bit longer while I finished packing. Mom and I also ordered our few prints.

I picked up DD from the clubs and we returned her band. Dinner tonight was Mardi Gras in Tiana's. Super fun. The food wasn't spicy enough for my taste, but it was fine. The beignets were amazing.



Yummy sundae. DD ate the chocolate sign.



Mmmmm. Bignets.



The biggest piece of chocolate cake DD ever saw. She loved it!

Next Up was the See Ya Real Soon show and some more character photos.









Love the stair photos.

We grabbed our photos and the Shutters people even gave us some free shots of the characters alone. DD was thrilled.

Then it was one last blanket animal and to bed.



Next Up - Disembarking and Back to Seattle

 

[AussieDisneyfans]

Wow - that birthday surprise was amazing! The room host did an amazing job. Your pictures showing the officers made me look twice - I am positive Trent was our Cruise Director on the Dream in April last year, we made a point of talking to him after one of the shows, as its always nice to talk to someone from home.

 

[elena_n2o]

So sad your trip is ending!! What an amazing trip!

 

[TestingH2O]

July 10 - Disembark and back to Seattle

What a sad day. I woke up around 6:30 to shower and finish packing.



When I woke up DD, she cried that it was time to go. We both got dressed and headed to Tiana's for breakfast at 8:30. I was loving late dinner today!

We saw Shinde (room host) and Trent (CD) on our way. They were both in street clothes heading to vacation. Yay!

Elliot, the actor who played Hans, was also having breakfast in TP with his family. DD recognized him and stuck out her tounge. It was pretty hilarious and he laughed.

Breakfast was fine. We got to say goodbye to Rolly and Miguel. DD also took her picture with Miguel.



Being silly again.

After breakfast, we decided to wait in the Promenade Lounge. We got there around 9:15. DD watched Disney Junior shows while we waited for our tags to be called. You really couldn't hear the announcements, but the screens in the atrium were displaying what was called. Very convenient. Blue Donald was called around 9:30.



Now for the only bad part of our trip. The terminal was chaos. I mean, it sucked. There were no porters and the cast members (yes they were wearing DCL badges) didn't know what the hell was going on. One said walk over there to get porters. When I got there, there were no porters. I asked a supervisor. She said we don't really have porters here. Use a cart. Where are they? She has no idea. Once we finally found a cart, the people said there were two lines and sent us all the way to the other end of the terminal. Nope, no second line. Walk all the way back. Of course now more tags have been called so the line is very long. We finally got in line and every person we encountered told us something different about what documents we needed. Look, I know DCL shares the terminal in Vancouver. However, they could at least be responsible for training their employees. I was really frustrated. I can't imagine how I would have described myself if I had been up for early breakfast.

We used our hard earned cart to head up to the Pan Pacific to rent our car. We got to the enterprise counter at 10:45. There was a bit of a wait for the car, but we were loaded and on the road by 11:30. It had been more than 2 hours since we ate, so we stopped for lunch in Vancouver.



Similar to Chipotle.

Customs going south was long. I had read that, and the guide books weren't kidding.





After our long wait, we needed a stretch break and DD wanted a snack. So, fro yo.


That is DD's concoction including gummy sharks.

Then on to Seattle.



We discussed stopping, but we were tired and just wanted to get to the hotel. We stayed at the Hampton Inn by the airport. It took a while because traffic was bad. The hotel was nice though and the room was comfortable.

We walked to dinner. Decent food and good service.



After dinner, we opened our last bottle of wine and dad took back the car since the hotel shuttle seemed easier for the morning.

Mom and I tried to put DD to bed and the week of excitement catches up to her. She lost. Her. Mind. I know she's 5, and she has her moments, but this was out of control. She finally gave up and crashed. I had another drink.

My sleep that night was awful. I just could not get comfortable. Plus, I was still upset by how DD had behaved at bedtime.

Nevertheless, I did get a bit of sleep.

Next Up - Travel Home

 

[TestingH2O]

I am positive Trent was our Cruise Director on the Dream in April last year, we made a point of talking to him after one of the shows, as its always nice to talk to someone from home.

Such a nice guy. He really helped make our trip special.

So sad your trip is ending!! What an amazing trip!

It was truly spectacular. We still talk about it a lot.

 

[bcwife76]

Oh wow, disembarkation, at least in the terminal, sounds like a total cluster!! I do have to agree that there were very few employees in the terminal and those that were there were very unhelpful. We saw 2 porters I think? We struggled with our own bags because we couldn't find a cart and thought 'bugger it'. But really it was not very bad at all, we must have gotten off about the same time you did (we were also second breakfast seating and our luggage tag was called about 9:15).

Sorry DD had a rough go of it at the end; my eldest DD (who turned 9 two weeks before the cruise) was inconsolable the last night of the cruise....like actually SOBBING, sobs wracking her body. Her sister (not 7 until the end of November) looked at her like she had 3 heads. After a week of late nights and all you can eat ice cream I think they all deal with it in different ways

 

[TestingH2O]

July 11 - Travel Home

I woke up at 5:45 after having just fallen asleep at 3 something. I showered and tossed the last few things in bags. During that time my parents ate breakfast downstairs. They brought up food for DD so we woke her up when they returned around 6:15. I took that time to go down and eat my breakfast. Hampton Inn is one of our favorite travel hotels because they have an included hot breakfast. At 6:45, we were all packed and ready to go. We headed downstairs and loaded the airport shuttle. We were happy that we'd opted to take the car back the night before. It made the morning much more calm.

At the airport, there was no line at southwest, so check in was a breeze. Security was also super fast. Then, shockingly, there was no line at Starbucks! It was a travel miracle!

We got our coffees and snacks including a bottle of water for DD and I to share on the plane. The flight home was on time and completely uneventful. I paid for internet so I could zone out while DD watched a movie.

Getting off the plane and waiting for the shuttle, it was insanely hot. The ride to car was easy as pie and the car was detailed and waiting. With my coupon, I only paid $100 for the 10 days so that felt like a steal.


Then we drove out of the garage and the thermometer let know just how far we were from Alaska and the Pacific Northwest.

Despite having snacks on the plane and taking a potty break at the airport, DD needed a quick stop on the way home, so we had our second Starbucks stop of the day.

We got home, loved on the dogs, and unloaded the car. DH came home and we decided I was not ready to cook for everyone yet. Haha. So we grabbed chipotle and started working on getting DD back on schedule. Bed at 8:30.

Miracle of miracles, I got completely unpacked that evening AND did all the laundry! What?!?! Unheard of.

I finished updating my journal with the day and started some reflections. Then it was off to bed in order to go back to work the next day. I was winding down my time at my job so it would be a strange period, so I was excited and not excited at the same time.

Next Up - Final Post: Reflections and What Next

 

[kid-at-heart]

Disembarkation sounds like it was a total pain. We did a b2b in May coming up from San Diego and our transition from the first leg to the second leg was a total pain in the keister. It took forever to get back on the ship and no one knew what they were doing in the Vancouver port. We assumed it was because it was the first Disney cruise out of Vancouver for the season but it sounds like it did not improve over the summer. Yuk.

 

[TestingH2O]

Wrap Up and Reflections

I sent Scott my Navigators, so they can be seen here.

We were excited and nervous about this trip all at the same time. Our biggest points of unease were whether we would like being on a classic ship and how DD would do with the excursions.

The Wonder

Let's start with the ship. We loved it! We really did feel like it was more cozy and that we got to know the staff better. Overall, this felt like the best staff we've encountered. Now, that could have also been a product of fewer people, but we definitely felt known. The Promenade Lounge was so lovely. It could get loud at times, but I really enjoyed being able to have a drink and sit by the window to watch the scenery. Also, the Frozen show was excellent.

Nothing is perfect, so some drawback for us are listed here. If I really wanted quiet, I would have had a much harder time. There just wasn't a peaceful place on board. Maybe it works a bit differently when the weather is warm and you can do the adult pool. I didn't mind the hustle and bustle, but I know my parents enjoyed the peace on their balcony. The atrium is very small and felt like a bit of a letdown after the big ships. There are also fewer characters on the classic ships.

As DD gets older and spends more time in the clubs, I am increasingly bothered by the number of screens. I wish there were spaces that were screen free. Next time we will certainly work harder on setting expectations with her.

If you have younger kids, there is a section on the Promenade Lounge that is always playing Disney Jr cartoons. At least once a day they get out toddler toys. It's a nice space with a gate, so even if it's not toddler time, it would be a good way for parents to have a drink while kids played without being able to run off.

Our Inside Room

DD and I really don't need our own verandah. It was nice using mom and dad's, but it seems silly to pay for two. Plus, the darkness really helps DD sleep. While this room was better with closets and cupboards, the bathroom does need more storage.

Alaska

Vancouver for embarking was super easy. Debarking was awful though. DD was awesome on excursions too! We just didn't know how she'd do with long days on the go, but she was great. I packed plenty of sunscreen but didn't reapply enough. Don't be like me.

What next?

Remember how I said it took longer to go south than it did to go north? Well, that gave us time to talk about how much fun we'd had, how much we loved the smaller ship, and how we really appreciated having interesting ports (we aren't big beach people) as well as a lovely floating resort. So, my dad asked what other places Disney sailed during school break time. So, I mentioned Europe. We had a Eastern booked on the Fantasy in July 2018, but we decided to check med prices for fun. June Med, our exact rooms from Alaska were available, and the price was less than the Fantasy. I emailed our TA and before we got to our hotel, we were booked! June 9,2018.



We will spend a few days in Barcelona beforehand and then, on to Italy and France! Plus, we will complete our Grand Slam. Woot!



Shorter now, but I always love to take a photo of my countdown on the day we leave.

So, that's the end of this chapter for our cruising family. I hope it was helpful. I can't wait to hear about everyone else's trips and learn from all of you as I plan for Europe! See ya real soon!

 

[Lesley Wake]

Awesome that you will get to see Europe too! I'm excited to see pictures and a trip report from that!

 

[bcwife76]

That definitely sounds like a smooth ride home, that's great! Nothing worse than ending a trip with a horrible trip home so I'm glad the stars aligned ;-)

Wow, the med!!! That is going to be an awesome cruise!!! Cannot wait to read all about it - your grand slam AND gold!!! My dh really wants to do Northern Europe when our girls are a bit older so hoping to do that maybe in 2020 or 2021 (got a couple other cruises to do before that one lol).

 

[elena_n2o]

Brilliant report, thank you so much for sharing!!

We did the Med cruise last summer (slightly different itinerary, we stopped in Villefranche instead of Cannes), it was exhausting but really good, hoping to convince my DH to do it again... (we live in Europe so a lot easier to get to Barcelona!!)

Totally agree with you about the screens in the kids clubs, it took us a couple days to realise that our daughter was spending her time playing on the screens instead of doing many activities (and then being in a really bad mood when we took her out of the clubs for the excursions...) We manage to get her to try other activities but still... Hope she's better next year when we go to Alaska!

Thanks again And now to start planning for the Med!!!

 

[AussieDisneyfans]

What a great trip report - thanks for sharing. Wow, the Mediterranean cruise will be really exciting. Looking forward to reading that when the time comes.

 

[TestingH2O]

It took forever to get back on the ship and no one knew what they were doing in the Vancouver port. We assumed it was because it was the first Disney cruise out of Vancouver for the season but it sounds like it did not improve over the summer.

When embarking was smooth, I thought the reports were overblown. But I really was disappointed with how they handled debarking.

Awesome that you will get to see Europe too! I'm excited to see pictures and a trip report from that!

I am seriously counting the days. It’s been a long time since I was in Europe and I’m thrilled to take DD on her first trip.

My dh really wants to do Northern Europe

That’s on my list too. Early port reservations look like it will be the Med again for high season in 2019, but maybe we can get lucky with the fringes. My dad especially wants Northern Europe and we are balancing their age with DD.

We did the Med cruise last summer (slightly different itinerary, we stopped in Villefranche instead of Cannes), it was exhausting but really good, hoping to convince my DH to do it again...

I’ll be looking for suggestions of good options with kids. I hope you watch the regular boards and will chime in!

Totally agree with you about the screens in the kids clubs, it took us a couple days to realise that our daughter was spending her time playing on the screens instead of doing many activities (and then being in a really bad mood when we took her out of the clubs for the excursions...) We manage to get her to try other activities but still... Hope she's better next year when we go to Alaska!

I’m hoping that setting expectations next summer helps. I mean, these kids are on vacation too so they should enjoy their time. I just think there should be some options where screens aren’t the focus.

What a great trip report - thanks for sharing. Wow, the Mediterranean cruise will be really exciting. Looking forward to reading that when the time comes.

Thanks! I’m looking forward to going. Seriously though, I love writing reports and I’m glad people enjoy them.

 

[Stinkerbell1973]

I’ve just read your report as we booked the May 28,2018 sailing late last week. You’ve packed so much amazing information into this that I’ve sent the link to my hubby so he can read it and I’ve bookmarked it for future reference. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for your awesome details and incredible pictures. I’ve gone from excited for this trip to now impatiently anxious to board! Your DD is precious!

We did the Mediterranean itinerary aboard the Magic in 2014. Get ready for another unbelievably memorable cruise! It was so amazing to me how much cheaper the Med itineraries were than the others....but when you look into airfare, if you haven’t already, you might just have a minor heart attack at the prices. We paid more for airfare for the three of us than the cruise cost. That said, it was worth it a million times over and I’d do it again tomorrow without batting an eye.

Thanks again for ramping up my excitement and for an excellent report!!

 

[TestingH2O]

I’m so glad you enjoyed it! You’re right, it was an amazing trip.

Your description of the Med is making me even more excited.

but when you look into airfare, if you haven’t already, you might just have a minor heart attack at the prices.

We got totally lucky and found round trip for about $750 per person. I cannot believe we did it. Other fares have been at least $300 per person more.

 

[Stinkerbell1973]

You sure did get an amazing deal on your airfare! Awesome! You’ll be so blown away on that trip. It’s still our favorite vacation EVER...and probably always will be.

 

[WishUponAStarryNight]

I read your report back in 2017, but just re-read it in anticipation of our trip to Alaska next month. Thank you - this is such a wonderful report! My travel party mirrors yours and we've got the same rooms, too. I'm thinking this is going to be one of our favorite DCL trips yet!!