Learning to Walk (and Parent) on the Wonder: Cruising Alaska with a Mini-Mouseketeer. Ketchikan.

but then the wind picked up and the tickets went flying out of my hand and straight into the ocean.

:scared1::scared1::scared1::scared1::scared1::scared1::scared1::scared1::scared1:

What a cliffhanger!

I expect all the end well, it is Disney after all and they are known for being nice to people. But that certainly was not something that needed to be added to the day.

The brewery really sounds quite lovely and the fish looked delicious.
 
:scared1::scared1::scared1::scared1::scared1::scared1::scared1::scared1::scared1:

I expect all the end well, it is Disney after all and they are known for being nice to people.

Right? LOL. If it was another cruise line...it might have been more stressful. The brewery was indeed awesome. I encourage everyone to visit if they are beer fans. :)
 
Once we got through security, we made a beeline to the Walt Disney Theater for check-in and the line was HUGE! There were hundreds of people that they were corralling. So I waded through the crowds to the front of line to see if they really need that ticket, because they should have computer with all our names and excursions, right? Wrong. It was getting pretty close to check-in time at this point... and they told me to go to the shore excursions count. :: sigh ::

I quickly scoot downstairs... and it's empty.

:: double sigh ::

BUT, here is the awesome thing about all the officers dressed in white- you can immediately spot who you can go to for help. So I walked up to a random officer and said, "I need help!" He directed me to the guest services desk, who was manned by the same woman who helped me the previous night as I cried over my steamed cauliflower and broccoli, and she gladly printed out new tickets.

Once I got back upstairs to find William and Andrew, they really hadn't moved very much. At the time I was feeling quite huffy and told Andrew that in the future I wanted to book privately to avoid these lines and waits, but looking back- it really wasn't that big of a deal. There is a sense of security in booking a Disney excursions (for delays, ect ect).

Our options for excursions were quite limited with William. I wish that you could do an advanced search of excursions by age (currently I can't find that ability). So I only looked at activities that would include a 0-2 year old. However, when it came to Skagway- there was only one option...we MUST do the train. (I already described what HUGE train fans Andrew and his family are. I mean...they have train signals in their front yard as lawn ornaments.
a62e40f9-328b-467e-9291-07c5c121fe13_zpskpkdi7qn.jpg

I can't make this stuff up. LOL.)

So, the train was an absolute must and from there- we also considered cost. The Gold Panning, Sled Dogs and Scenic Railway would be pretty neat, but it cost $229 a person...and William definitely wouldn't appreciate it yet. The Steam train is $227 (What?!?) and you don't get off the train at all. I'm not sure why I didn't consider the train with suspension bridge, probably because I love a bit of "kitsch" - and that is exactly what the Lairsville Camp has to offer. Haha.

9dcb70c6-fb08-4730-80e5-e16ac5ae1990_zpsyqam4ssu.jpg


I mean...they say it's "nestled by a waterfall" (which was kind of a stretch in my opinion, LOL)... and you know how I feel about waterfalls!

Shortly before settling into the Walt Disney theater, we were given our color coded stickers and instructed that we would soon be following out a crew member with a matching paddle to our coach. We didn't really have to wait that long before we were on our way. It seemed fairly silly to bus down to the train depot, as it didn't seem very far away, but bus we did!

When we got to the train car, I tried to recall the advice that I read... "Sit on the left for the best view." ARGH...and I asked Andrew... "Bah! Which left?!" And he made me pick... and I didn't pick the "correct" left, but really- the train is so exquisite- it doesn't matter where you sit. Don't stress about it. But as a note, if you are going up the mountain and in a "vintage car" sit on the side with the stove. Opposite if you are going down.

(I know, I know...they have little fireplace stoves. Isn't that so cute?! For a brief moment, I wondered... "Do they use them in the winter!? SWOON! SWOON! But this is a tourist railway now. Hardly anyone is even left in Skagway during the winter. The train runs from May 3rd to September 27th.)

bceafda2-8bce-4ebf-b8a3-609b7b66b55e_zps2axigix3.jpg


Almost as soon as we got on the train, William fell asleep.
3e9d4760-5ada-480f-a93f-3f51ee6013ad_zps8kxlps7z.jpg


We took the time to read up on the history of the White Pass Railway.
 
Last edited:
(I know, I know...they have little fireplace stoves. Isn't that so cute?! For a brief moment, I wondered... "Do they use them in the winter!? SWOON! SWOON! But this is a tourist railway now. Hardly anyone is even left in Skagway during the winter. The train runs from May 3rd to September 27th.)

The stove was on for us! It was a chilly and drizzly day the day were on the train and our stove was on. It would have been chilly indeed without it.
 


William looks so cute all asleep!

I totally understand your frustration with Disney excursions! I have done things on my own on previous cruises, but those were in Norway where just walking off the boat into a lovely Norwegian town was a great option for your port day. No excursion needed for a visit to the Stavanger Oil Museum and Fish Canning Museum. However, on our upcoming cruise we actually booked a private tour in Jamaica. Surprisingly it is not that much more expensive than doing the same thing with Disney. And I hope it will feel far less like a cattle operation. But I am a bit nervous!
 
The stove was on for us! It was a chilly and drizzly day the day were on the train and our stove was on. It would have been chilly indeed without it.
REALLY? Was it quaint? I imagine it is gas powered? Could you see flames? I LOVE fireplaces.

William looks so cute all asleep!

I totally understand your frustration with Disney excursions! I have done things on my own on previous cruises, but those were in Norway where just walking off the boat into a lovely Norwegian town was a great option for your port day. No excursion needed for a visit to the Stavanger Oil Museum and Fish Canning Museum. However, on our upcoming cruise we actually booked a private tour in Jamaica. Surprisingly it is not that much more expensive than doing the same thing with Disney. And I hope it will feel far less like a cattle operation. But I am a bit nervous!

I told Andrew that I want to do Norway someday. I've seen a couple pictures and they were incredible. Did you write a trip report? When is Jamaica? I just had Jamaican food for lunch.
 
REALLY? Was it quaint? I imagine it is gas powered? Could you see flames? I LOVE fireplaces.

I didn't even really take much notice of it, honestly. I just remember them saying to be careful of it because it was on and could be hot to the touch! :)
 


It's hard to even begin to imagine how magnificent the White Pass and Yukon Railway is until you see it- and even then it's hard to believe.

This is a wonderful guide that will help you prepare to take pictures: http://skagwaynews.com/2016/08/18/wpyr-train-guide/
1dd5638b-729b-4e96-9fb5-535d41c4b5aa_zps6s6vgxi0.jpg


Michael J. Heney, an experienced railroad contractor, was best known for his work on the White Pass, felt strongly that a railroad could be built over the treacherous pass that the goldminers had been using to access the goldfields.
5f51dde6-d5b9-4777-8376-944769fedc6b_zpsnxegh8pq.jpg


Look at those miners...it's just unfathomable. No wonder people were interested in building a railroad. So this Mr. Heney, he was attributed to once saying, “Give me enough dynamite and snoose” he bragged, and “I’ll build a railroad to Hell.” (Snoose is chewing tobacco)

d004a059-d560-4fc3-ae6e-f6c17d073a11_zpsvwi84hut.jpg


The railroad absolutely revolutionized travel in Alaska. Could you imagine trying haul an entire ton of supplies over this route (as that is what was required by Canadian officials- an entire year's worth of supplies.) Truly, it's a real shame if you don't read up on the history of the Klondike Gold Rush. It's AH-MAZING.
 
Last edited:
The railroad absolutely revolutionized travel in Alaska. Could you imagine trying haul an entire ton of supplies over this route (as that is what was required by Canadian officials- an entire year's worth of supplies.) Truly, it's a real shame if you don't read up on the history of the Klondike Gold Rush. It's AH-MAZING.

I thought I remember them saying almost the opposite. It didn't really have an impact because by the time it was built, the rush was pretty much over. I think it was still used to haul ore and such for awhile before going dormant for some years and then eventually becoming a tourist railway.
 
I thought I remember them saying almost the opposite. It didn't really have an impact because by the time it was built, the rush was pretty much over. I think it was still used to haul ore and such for awhile before going dormant for some years and then eventually becoming a tourist railway.

This is true, but the engineering feat was remarkable. It also has a rich history in WWII and in three creation of the highway, but they don't touch on that during the trip. I think most people are mostly just intrested in the gold rush history. I think in some regards, the railroad still keeps tidy town alive.
 
I told Andrew that I want to do Norway someday. I've seen a couple pictures and they were incredible. Did you write a trip report? When is Jamaica? I just had Jamaican food for lunch.

I took my sister on the Norway cruise and she said that she would write the trip report. She even started it (the introduction is out there...), but never really found the time to work on it. But she took a lot of notes and I hope that she either will find the time at some point soon or give me the notes so that I can finish it. I am not a fast TR writer either, I am still working on the one from last August. It was a 3 week trip though (DL and California).

Norway was really wonderful. It seems similar to Alaska, but smaller and more populated. In a way that also describes the difference between the Alps and the Rocky Mountains quite well. For me one of the big difference between Europe and North America is how much higher the population density is in Europe, even in the remote areas. Norway is less about wildlife and nature and more about people and nature.

Jamaica will be later this year! And our tour will include a Jamaican lunch. I am really looking forward to trying some local food, there really is no option for eating Jamaican food here where I live.

I love the history of the railroad! One of the books I read before our Norway cruise was about the Bergen Railway Line that connects Oslo with Bergen and goes through icy mountain areas, too. It was quite fascinating how they built that line.
 
I think that one of the reasons that I think the White Pass and Yukon railway revolutionized travel and transportation is that for many years, it was the only option to ship to and from the Yukon by way of the Port of Skagway, which is the northernmost ice-free, deep water port in North American. The port of Skagway still serves as a year round transportation hub between Alaska, the Yukon Territory, Northwest Territories, Asia, and Europe. The railroad is one of only a couple hundred "Historical Civil Engineering Landmarks," which is a site that "illustrates the creativity and innovative spirit of civil engineers. Almost always performed under challenging conditions, each of these engineering feats represents the achievement of what was considered an impossible dream."

"It is no disparagement to other mountain railroads to say that the construction of the White Pass & Yukon is among the most brilliant feats of railroad engineering, in view of the tremendous difficulties to be encountered and the shortness of time in which the work was done."
- Victoria Colonist, British Columbia, 1990

e9793730-275f-4f04-843b-601511f94f73_zpsnc8rq5bf.jpg


The White Pass accomplishes one of the steepest climbs of any railroad in the world.

Built for approximately $10 million to promote the Klondike Gold Rush around the turn of the century, the 110-mile narrow-gauge railway remained an important part of the mining industry - transporting gold, silver, copper and lead ore from Canadian mines across the coastal mountain range to Alaskan ports - until it was closed during a period of low metal prices in 1982. The railway found new life six years later as a thriving excursion line serving the cruise-ship industry.
  • At the height of its operations, the White Pass and Yukon also ran passenger and freight docks at the port of Skagway, a fleet of Yukon River steamboats, a passenger-bus service north of Whitehorse, a frontier airline, and several hotels.
  • During World War II, the railway played an essential role in transporting laborers and materials to build the 1,520-mile-long Alaska Highway, considered an essential transportation link for troops and equipment to Alaska and northwest Canada during World War II.
In fact, the Army actually took over control of the railway for a time, leasing it from 1943-1960. . The railroad also helped complete the canol pipeline in 1942, which carried crude oil from Canada into Alaska during WWII.
acde5067-dc5d-4930-bd98-60c8ac325727_zpsfwxekpqd.jpg


In the below news article from 1943, the Chicago tribune boasts that the "railroad has paid for itself three or four times" over. It looks like originally the railroad charged the stampeders a $1.00 per pound for their equipment. (And gosh- just think what they are charging the 400,000 passengers annually... it's initial cost of $10M has REALLY paid off. It's considered one of the most well-patronized tourists railroad in North America.)
d06354ef-9cff-435a-afeb-b29777f6ae71_zpsjcswwmww.jpg


At the highest point of the military activity in 1943, 36 steam locomotives and nearly 300 freight cars were operating on the White Pass & Yukon. Can you imagine? THIRTY SIX steam locomotives? That's AH-MAZING! It was usual that dozens of trains a day were run to Whitehorse on the single-track mainline and in 1943 the White Pass & Yukon carried about 250,000 tons of freight for the Army, almost 10 times the amount it had transported during its best pre-war year.

I think another really neat tidbit was that the White Pass and Yukon Route built and tested one of the world's first container shipping systems back in 1955, and was the first to enter the integrated ship-train-truck business.
8bee7ec3-6d11-48c1-85bc-5bed3cf662ba_zpswxwmxkgh.jpg



They even built the world's first container ship- the Clifford J. Rogers.
cd105f4c-ed00-42e0-bee6-c5e3e8a6d7bc_zps55yvnedu.jpg


So when you see one of these crossing the countryside- you can think about the remote train in Alaska:
f53b1192-c929-4387-9df9-e424061b9226_zpsfqwoylj4.jpg

Revolutionary, right?

Get your real rail-fan on and check out this documentary about trains in Alaska:

The history is pretty magnificent, but the scenery... oh my... even more magnificent.
41b0620a-4d5b-4825-8226-1d2253ea17bb_zpsdzd4tkhp.jpg

(How are these accommodations, hm? Hikers stay in this humble abode on their way up the mountain.... speaking of which, I purchased and read "My Alaska Klondike Adventure Along the Chilkoot Trail", which is the other trail that stampeders often used.... and I wasn't too impressed. The summary of the book: The trail is hard, wet and cold... even in the summer.)

I enjoyed the sights:
6d613b53-988d-42bc-8192-3645e35a6087_zpsngea7nvf.jpg


I liked that I was able to enjoy all the scenery even with a sleeping baby, which maybe made it even more beautiful. (So in love).
701f3473-ff95-45e4-870f-c63f16c75f24_zps7oxbsesn.jpg


210efc8d-9a59-42dc-bd4c-1ef376630271_zpsbdmg2neh.jpg


b4888249-f5d4-4252-b4d9-d6b3f582bacd_zpsojc2y8g2.jpg


But eventually William did wake up- and I think that he even enjoyed the awesomeness that was passing by the window.
717fa64f-8993-4019-bbb6-dc38f847cf72_zpsjwiez88v.jpg

It's memories like these that make traveling with a child- no matter what size- so indescribably satisfying.

I mean... look at this... it's just breathtaking.
e6ef8984-1d81-4f15-8484-f03a79ae76a3_zps4ciga1k4.jpg


Absolutely frame worthy.
5956ee7f-3638-4709-817a-b8ea121132cf_zpsmohv6r5g.jpg



But here is my postcard moment of the day:
2430d5ce-4c09-4db7-942b-982dcc2e8748_zpsbfwelv3h.jpg


Now that is something special.

Once we arrived in Fraser, we all had to quietly show our passports to the Canadian border patrol and then we rather quickly loaded onto the coach to head down the Alaskan highway.

At first I thought..."Meh. Bus. Highway," but then I learned about the history of the highway. It also considered a Historical Civil Engineering Landmark. (Two in one day!)

One army colonel characterized the building of the highway as the ‘biggest and hardest job since the Panama Canal.’ Despite obstacles that might have doomed the project had it been undertaken in peacetime, in less than nine months a rapidly marshaled force of almost 16,000 soldiers and civilians forged 1,422 miles of roadway from Dawson Creek, British Columbia, to Big Delta, Alaska. There the road joined the pre-existing Richardson Highway (which originally began as a trail for gold stampeders in 1898) for the remaining 98 miles to Fairbanks.
540ece0b-9521-4e38-a6e6-d805fc3a81c3_zpsijkg8anv.jpg


The final cost of the Alaska Highway was $138 million, although the War Department omitted from that figure the cost of paying and equipping the soldiers working on the highway. ‘No other World War II construction project was more expensive,’ notes Heath Twichell in his Northwest Epic: The Building of the Alaska Highway.

At the point of the building of the highway, the Army was still segregated and the army as a whole still felt that black units were not capable of such work. However, in road-building, black soldiers defied prejudiced (according to a NY Times article.)
3c8eccce-cbf3-4371-a49a-b3228a1ccf5b_zpshmmz7g1b.jpg


So again...fascinating history.

One of the benefits of taking a coach back down from Fraser is that you get to see a different side of the valley. You can see a wonderful guide to the milemarkers here: http://www.explorenorth.com/library/roads/south_klondike_hwy.html

The views from the bus are almost equally as gorgeous as those on the train.

26c0cd59-2ccc-4a20-b0ea-453d02774ae6_zpsarkvokpj.jpg


b09ed569-a3e3-4e18-9f67-52cd46f2a10c_zpstxi2tm0o.jpg

(Oh...so artistic. LOL. Can you see Andrew and William??)
One of the perks of taking buses as transportation is that we didn't have to deal with figuring out the car seat situation.

I was able to snap a picture of the "pitchfork" falls not looking very forking (which was below). However, what you can see is the pipeline for the Goat Lake Hydroelectric Project. The project stores enough power to power about 660 homes. It also generates 12,701,000 KWh. The average home uses 911kWh per month. (That's like 13,941 homes. That's amazing, isn't it? It appears that the power goes to Haines, which population is about 2,508)
14433021_10101153825810920_8429739866727312101_n_zpsy1ei97un.jpg


It was around this time that we started to notice that William was getting pretty cranky.

85e18b29-2eae-4021-bbab-cfdf1ab88ebb_zpsqxjh9pmy.jpg


And we were like, "Dude?! What's the deal?!"

Shortly after that- we realized that we hardly brought any snacks and absolutely no toys for William.
6f1e45fe-efff-4a89-8066-790fdf9abe74_zpswlwtcsnc.jpg

Duh. Parenting fail. He's just SUCH a mellow kiddo that we really take it for granted.

So when we had the opportunity to stop and take a picture with the Alaskan sign- we decided to pass. We didn't want to wait in line with a cranky baby. Looking back...I kind of regret our decision, but in the moment I'm sure it was the right decision.
68fcd151-dbb8-4dfb-9b2c-f7e72527def1_zps0n5emdfa.jpg


We will be back in Alaska someday and perhaps I will get that picture then. :)

At Mile 3 on the Alaskan Highway (3 miles from the port)- there is a crazy turn on a gravel road that leads into Liarsville.
 
Last edited:
Oh...but before we head off the Alaskan Highway topic...I have more geeky train news to share. In my research, I learned that Steam Engine 40, which was built in 1928 and is a Baldwin Locomotive, was lent to the White Pass Railroad in 2000 and 2001 to celebrate the centennial of completing the railroad line, as they didn't have another steam locomotive in operation at the time. (Another kinda neat fact, the engine originally started it's life on the International Railway of Central America in Guatemala and was used in Central America until the seventies, then she returned to the USA.). The engine was sold to the Georgetown Loop in 1977, which peaked my interested, because it is in Colorado.

Here is engine 40 at the Georgetown Loop:
a13bbcdb-d422-439f-a696-dd96fcd78892_zps20yuer4z.jpg


And here she is in Alaska:
62dbf259-66a9-4f0f-bd32-ab949f9c9b93_zpsw728fsav.jpg

But then it made me wonder... How in the world do you get a 76 TON locomotive...we are talking about 152,000 pounds...dinosaur proportions.... from Colorado to Alaska?!
1409834271641_wps_13_Dreadnoughtus_Size_Weight.jpg


So...I asked. I e-mailed the Georgetown Loop and the White Pass and Yukon and told them that I was dying to know how they get such a heavy locomotive from the middle of the country to Alaska... The Georgetown Loop forwarded my question around a bit... and then I got my answer:

3a874ddb-6c2f-4923-aea3-c37c53a50401_zpspnnpndpb.jpg


(Note that this isn't the 40, but another locomotive that moved up to Alaska).
71e07bfa-e170-467e-952e-25effe322ad8_zpsieeuw9fg.jpg


So there we have it... the Alaskan Highway strikes again. Can you imagine driving next to a steam locomotive on the highway? That would just tickle me pink!
 
oI tried to research the history of Liarsville, but came up dry. It's based on the premise that reporters and journalists never really made it into the goldfields, but instead would rly on inaccurate accounts from stampeders on their way to or from the goldfields. I imagine that this tent city is supposed to be a cleaned up version of what a tent city during the gold rush era might look like.

Once we arrived at Liarsville, I asked Andrew to change William's diaper and I marched immediately over to their "saloon" (which is in front of the bathrooms) and purchased an Amber Alaskan Beer. It even came in a real glass pint glass. Oh yes. This would make this soiree much better.

15da5ce3-de87-47a8-9395-ec688a85783c_zpso9u1bkvt.jpg

Proof. Craft beer = happier Mommy.

Other folks were jealous of my quick beer acquisition in inquired where I found such lovely libations... I might have missed just the very beginning of the show in the Hippodrome ("a theater or other performance venue")... and maybe that introduction would have made the show seem less weird?

c1ac5bdd-1cab-4f8e-afcf-92afa7bd479a_zps7g5nsjjt.jpg


Or maybe I'm just not a fan of Robert Service's poetry? Robert Service is known as the "Bard (Poet) of the Yukon" and his first book was titled Songs of a Sourdough (which is a term used for old-timing miners). He lived in Whitehorse and collected tales from miners in the area. His book was wildly popular, grossing nearly $2.5 Millions dollars in today's equivalent. You can find some of his pieces here to get you ready for your trip to Skagway: http://www.robertwservice.com/modules/smartsection/category.php?categoryid=46

This article, from 1988, speaks a bit about a very similar tent city (if not the same one)- so they have been doing the same entertainment for decades now- http://www.eduweb.com/schaller/Skagway.html

So we listened as the lovely cast of characters recited "The Ballad of Blasphemous Bill"
109f8d78-a2d6-42e9-8666-29c4c98b2916_zpso1j7iz31.jpg


I took a contract to bury the body of blasphemous Bill MacKie,
Whenever, wherever or whatsoever the manner of death he die —
Whether he die in the light o’ day or under the peak-faced moon;
In cabin or dance-hall, camp or dive, mucklucks or patent shoon;

2992a7c4-4821-4032-959d-1cfd98585847_zpspotde4mq.jpg


Till at last I said: “It ain’t no use — he’s froze too hard to thaw;
He’s obstinate, and he won’t lie straight, so I guess I got to —saw.”
So I sawed off poor Bill’s arms and legs, and I laid him snug and straight
In the little coffin he picked hisself, with the dinky silver plate,
And I came nigh near to shedding a tear as I nailed him safely down;
Then I stowed him away in my Yukon sleigh, and I started back to town.

Right? I did mention to you that it was, indeed...weird. I wonder if they do the same readings during the "Disney experience" with characters.

I do have to admit that I really enjoyed the ambiance of Liarsville. It's pretty cute, really.
29b8e38f-5761-4860-aca8-3f785b41721f_zps1cytyzze.jpg


I love smelling the campfire smoke, while listening to their camp guitar player, while sipping on hot cider and munching on cookies.

b28716e0-f4c6-4ba3-baca-1d68502e08b9_zpsiiv1n2ua.jpg


After the performance- we were all given pans of pay dirt to try our hand at gold panning. I was surprised that everyone had a place... we didn't have to squeeze in anywhere.
291e1474-6228-42f7-90a5-b8479724231c_zpsc6b5czkk.jpg


Look at our little prospector! Oh my gosh. I can barely stand the cuteness. SO cute. It was even cute when he thought he needed to wash off his oatmeal cookie in the water. -_-

You can find more gold then what you have been given if you scoop up some of the dirt on the bottom of the water tables, because most people accidentally dump their dirt right into the water, so we found some extra pieces that way, which was pretty fun.

The "cast members" working in Liarsville were fun, but they definitely don't stay in character like Disney cast members. I spoke with the guitar player for awhile- asking him how he ended up in Alaska- and it turns out that they do casting calls in New York. Everyone was from New York. Isn't that interesting? They are 120 day contracts and housing assistance is available. They rehearse from April 15th to May 1st and the shows go from May 1st to September 27th (the day of the last cruise ship).

1fe95946-0b78-402f-a9cb-92f67dfe305c_zpsqas64vyy.jpg



Before we loaded back onto the bus, I tried to capture some pictures of that famous "waterfall"l that I read about. The definition of waterfall must be pretty broad. LOL. But it's still awfully pretty, right?
4e793003-2e00-4a73-a69b-35d00a016ce5_zpshjqprbnf.jpg


Once we finally got back to the ship, it was about 5:15, and Oaken's Maypole activity was already underway. When I first read navigators at the beginning of the season, I had daydreams of William holding a little ribbon and us prancing around the maypole, but you know... it was a long day and that activity is probably best for slightly bigger kids anyways. :)

So we had very little time to get ready for dinner. When we arrived to our cabin, our awesome cabin steward was just finishing up his turndown service and reminded us not to miss the Freezing the Night Away party later that night.

William thought that they Disney provided Frozen snowflake necklaces were SUPER GREAT!
352e9f8f-65c3-4cef-b216-37f73b9dece0_zpszmypylci.jpg


We were back in Animator's Palate for dinner and I was hopeful that dinner would be improved after my previous night's tears.

Per usual, I had ordered my meal the night before and I was feeling really confident about it. I ordered the Arendell Gravlax ( I had to ask Andrew what Gravlax was. It's cured salmon. Surprise! I could eat cured salmon every night on the wonder) and the wild boar. Oh- I was also THRILLED that there was liver pate with the bread service. I had been trying to eat liver weekly for quite awhile (SO healthy for you).

Trying to overcompensate the evening prior, they also asked if William wanted any purees. They also asked me what my favorite veggies were. We were pretty noncommittal, as William hadn't been eating much. However, we did mention that he had really been enjoying the smoked salmon and he loved berries.

It was always kind of fun seeing the official menu before the majority of the cruise got a chance to see it. My version also seemed to come with multiple and we are talking about multiple languages.

Isn't the Frozen menu beautiful? It was even shimmery!
ac711439-326a-4c8f-bb92-fe46b5febe9f_zpsbckr7ccj.jpg

(I wonder what kind of menus will be on the next Alaskan cruise we take, which probably won't be for QUITE sometime).

Once we found our table in Animator's- our waiter so kindly volunteered that he didn't really care for anything on the menu, especially not what I ordered.

"Uuuh... Thanks."

But I will still super stoked about dinner- and rightfully so. My boar was FANTASTIC! Dinner was delightful! At first, they brought William a HUGE plate of smoked salmon. The chef in the kitchen just couldn't believe that it was a baby eating smoked salmon, so he made it an adult plate. I should have taken a picture. It was hilarious. Equally hilarious was the ENTIRE plate of Brussels sprouts that they brought me in addition to the wonderful veggies already included with my dinner. I love Brussels sprouts and I suppose that this is they dining equivalent of bringing flowers after making a mistake? It was funny.

I was just glowing.
708565d1-7f87-4ff9-a8c6-3f6fbc2edd6f_zpsx8phjmnc.jpg


We were again reminded to go to the Freezing the Night Away party. (I wonder why so many reminders? It's pretty hard to miss, isn't it? Or maybe it's because of the strange time??)

So we headed up to try to get a decent spot for the "best deck celebration on this side of the fjord."

d6dc3da4-63b3-4297-9fd3-77ea8e571e7e_zpsnjxfo1ya.jpg


William again thought that the dancing and characters were wonderful! It was just a joy to see him clapping and having a great time.

(Take a moment to look at the scenery behind the tunnel vision. That's Disney for you. Fun party... in the most amazing places).

bd811337-acb5-4d7d-8784-872ca569c3c0_zps1hrqgkp3.jpg


At one point, William's nursery band (on his ankle) fell off to the deck below, so I had to run and grab it. We wanted him all prepared to drop off at the nursery right after the party, because we decided that he probably wouldn't sit through Finding Dory, especially in 3D. We also wanted to make a quick exit, because I figured there would be a HUGE line for seats for Finding Dory, because it had just come out days prior.

The nursery also kept sweetly beginning to see William again. I wondered if they were trained to make you feel like your child was the best, most fun, most awesome baby EVER, because they certainly made us feel great for having such a fantastic kid. We didn't want to deprive them from spending time with their favorite buddy. LOL.

So we left the party a bit early (before the snow...I know, I know), which was fine, because truth be told- Andrew really doesn't like Frozen (Eeeep! The horror of it! He especially dislikes Olaf... A LOT.)

Andrew went to drop William off at Flounder's Reef and I headed to preludes and got myself a Hendricks gin and tonic- this was adult time, after all.

7881819c-a31f-45bd-bd96-bf27ecbb7631_zpsrr5sz8zy.jpg


What a lovely movie and what an enchanting memory to be able to say that I saw it on a Disney cruise. I may or may not have DEFINITELY cried when Dory's mom says, "We will never forget you, Dory. And we know you will never forget us."

Being a parent changes the way that you view life entirely...including how you interpret movies.

We had a bit of time after the movie, so we swung through Mickey's Mates. Andrew was surprised that they had changed their front display to all things Finding Dory, which was not there the night prior. But are YOU surprised? It is Disney, after all. They transform entire parks overnight. (Not Christmas one day... Christmas the next).

After our window shopping, we headed down to pick up William.

We approached the desk of Flounder's Reef and no one was there.
e7818a3e-1342-4b23-9dca-9aed1fb22f9c_zpsom9ohkkt.jpg


We poked our head through the door and all of the crew members were inside. They looked quite startled. Andrew described that they appeared to look like they all got caught with their hand in the cookie jar.

76647050-4124-4d5d-892f-8b04bfc741bf_zpsqkcww9bv.jpg


And they said, "Oh. Uh...Um... William isn't quite asleep yet."
Mind you...it was nearly 10 PM.
e7818a3e-1342-4b23-9dca-9aed1fb22f9c_zpsom9ohkkt.jpg


But the sight we saw...

Oh my gosh. It filled my heart with so much Disney magic that I just didn't think I could keep it all in!

All of the nursery staff and William were playing with Donald Duck. (I can't even begin to describe the joy I feel even just as a I type this... it makes my eyes misty, even now).

012a0260-c827-4ce8-b9a8-411fa0c6da13_zpspt41gdsv.jpg


Since there were no other children in the nursery, they let us come in and take a picture. (You will note that there are now "Frozen" decorations hanging from the ceiling. Disney even decorates the nursery differently every day. So special. So Disney.)

This is absolutely one of my favorite moments from the cruise, because where else are you going to get that type of experience. If people asked me if they should take a baby/toddler on a Disney cruise- I would show them this picture, because it's just... oh- everything I love rolled into one.
:: happy sigh ::
 
Last edited:
With every new post I'm more and more convinced that we should take our two boys on a DCL Alaska Cruise this summer, even if DS 2 will only be 1!
 
DO IT! It's totally manageable and AWESOME. What is the age of your other little one?

He'll be 5, about to turn 6, if we go in July. I think he would have a blast and he'll be old enough to remember it even if his brother won't be. My hope is that would just give the family incentive to go again when the boys are big enough to do some of the more physical excursions like kayaking and biking. I love that the Disney cruises offer activities for all ages, some of the other lines really only cater to the mid-range if at all for Alaska cruises.
 
What a wonderful report! I am thoroughly enjoying all the additional links and educational material. We will be going on our second Alaska cruise this May and are looking for new adventures, definitely want to try a beer flight at the Skagway brewery. Do you remember the cost of the flight? Can you choose the four beers?

We just rented a Green Jeep in Skagway and rode up the Klondike Highway. Rob (spouse) is into photography so we were trying to do something that would provide plenty of photo opportunities. We had planned a private tour with a gentleman named Howard who was going to take us off the beaten path but he had to cancel not long before our trip due to medical reasons.

William is beautiful. What a joy it is to watch your child discover the world.

Looking forward to reading about what you did in Juneau.

Kate
 
What a wonderful report! I am thoroughly enjoying all the additional links and educational material. We will be going on our second Alaska cruise this May and are looking for new adventures, definitely want to try a beer flight at the Skagway brewery. Do you remember the cost of the flight? Can you choose the four beers?

We just rented a Green Jeep in Skagway and rode up the Klondike Highway. Rob (spouse) is into photography so we were trying to do something that would provide plenty of photo opportunities. We had planned a private tour with a gentleman named Howard who was going to take us off the beaten path but he had to cancel not long before our trip due to medical reasons.

William is beautiful. What a joy it is to watch your child discover the world.

Looking forward to reading about what you did in Juneau.

Kate


I'm so glad that you are enjoying the report! I've been enjoying writing it, but as the school year progresses- it seems to get more difficult to find the time, but to be honest- this is probably the most important time to revisit that mental state, you know?

I don't remember how much the flight was, but we thought it was fairly reasonable. You can, indeed, select which of the four beers you want to taste. :)
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!







Top