2018 Disney Wonder Alaska Cruise

goodgirl49

Earning My Ears
Joined
Jan 8, 2014
2018 Disney Alaska Cruise Trip Report


Warning

My trip reports are long! I write them long for a few reasons. The primary one is that several years later I can go back and read them and I appreciate that I took the time to fill in all the details. They are also helpful when I finally get around to scrapbooking my trip.

You, however, can pick and choose the sections that interest you.

The Cruise – Just the Facts

Travelers: Lisa Carrier, her mom, Sis Carrier and me.

Cruise Line: Disney Cruise Lines

Ship: The Disney Wonder

Flights: I flew from Portland to Vancouver BC. Lisa and Sis flew from Atlanta to Vancouver BC. My departure was Vancouver BC to Portland. Lisa and Sis few to LAX and then Atlanta

Time Period: We arrived in Vancouver BC on Sunday, May 27, 2018. We boarded the ship the next day, Monday, May 28th. We sailed for seven nights returning to Vancouver on Monday, June 4th. We spent another night in Vancouver and flew home the next day.

The Decision

If I recall, the plans for a Disney Cruise with Lisa and her mom, Sis, began about a year before. Our friend, Stacy Ladd, had just returned from a Disney Alaska Cruise with her mom and was sharing photos and memories on Facebook. The Disney Eastern Caribbean Cruise I had taken about 8 years previous was the best vacation I’ve had. Disney does it right—great food, lots of activities, great entertainment, and first class treatment.

As it turns out a trip to Alaska was something Lisa had always wanted to do and this would be her first Disney Cruise. I reached out to my travel agent, Gayle, and we set things in motion. As time progressed and we looked at the port cities we would visit, I told Lisa that my only desire was to fish and my research indicated Ketchikan was the best port for that. I would find a fishing charter and she could plan the itineraries for Skagway and Juneau.

Packing

One the challenges with Alaska was packing. We were going the same week Stacy had traveled and she said that while indoors on the ship it was very comfortable, outdoors was very cold. Overall, I didn’t do too badly in my packing. A lightweight jacket (all I really needed) and a larger, warmer jacket (I never needed); two warm hats, a warm soft scarf and two pair of gloves. I needed none of them. We were blessed with the nicest weather one could wish for—mostly clear sunny days and no rain. (Lisa went a bit crazy and packed a wide assortment of scarves and hats.) The rest of my clothes were okay. I got by with two pair of jeans, one pair of slacks and one pair of capris. All my shirts and tops I wore once or twice. As opposed to the Caribbean where you have to deal with humidity and perspiration, Alaska was very comfortable and my clothing allowed for more than one wear.


Vancouver BC

Early Sunday morning, May 27th, Kay drove me to the airport. I caught an Alaska Horizon jet to Vancouver BC. Departing Portland, we flew west, over Scappoose. It’s such a small town!

I arrived in Vancouver in a little over an hour. The Vancouver BC airport is large but very well organized. I made my way through the customs and immigration queues, grabbed my luggage and found a seat near where Lisa and Sis would come through. It seemed to take forever. Lisa texted me when they landed. Her bad knee was acting up and she was having difficulty coming through the long lines. Eventually I saw them and they came through. We arranged for a wheel chair for Lisa, collected their luggage and headed outdoors to a taxi.

When Gayle made our cruise reservations they included a night’s stay at the Disney recommended hotel (the Fairmont) at each end of the cruise. The hotel was very expensive—something like $700 a night. Luckily Lisa chatted with Cathy Nurmi (a Disney friend who resides with her husband, Ron, in Vancouver) and she recommended the Le Soleil Hotel.

This was a perfect hotel to begin our adventure. Our suite had a living room area with a couch that converted to a bed (this is where I slept). In the middle was a closet and honor bar on the left and bathroom on the right, and finally the bedroom area with two queen size beds (Lisa and Sis slept here).

We were hungry and on the advice of the porter we ventured outside, down a breezeway and around the corner to the Cactus Club Café where we enjoyed a variety of appetizers. The food was very good as were the alcoholic indulgences.

We returned to our rooms and were joined by Cathy and Ron Nurmi, Vancouver locals we had met on LaughingPlace.com many years ago. They brought us a bag of chocolate sweets from Purdy’s—a well-known Canadian chocolatier. We had an enjoyable conversation and thanked them for finding us our great hotel. After they left, we decided to order room service. The restaurant associated with the hotel was Indian fusion. Sis and I shared a hamburger and fries; I can’t recall what Lisa had. I didn’t taste anything unusually “Indian” with our meal. Our overall feeling about the food was: Meh. We later had two good meals in the restaurant.

Boarding the Ship

With a Disney Cruise, you go online and start entering information about your cruise—passport information, flight itinerary and credit cards in advance of the trip. Once completed you are assigned a general boarding time. Boarding slots start at 11:00 am; we were assigned noon.

An aside: I couldn’t find my passport. It wasn’t in the safe. I looked for my birth certificate and couldn’t fine it either. I had to apply for an expedited birth certificate and then an expedited passport. As punishment, I had to pay for these from my souvenir money. All documents are now secure in my safe.

We woke up, placed the Disney Cruise tags on our luggage, dined in the Indian restaurant and then caught a cab to Canada Place. They have things down to a science here. Very clean and orderly. It is a very large facility with a lot of walking. On the plus side, it was not very crowded. Disney/Canada Place staff were all over the facility, directing you where to go. We passed through security and customs just fine. Lisa’s knee was becoming troublesome so we eventually secured a wheel chair for her.

Once in the Disney boarding area I was able to go to the Silver Castaway Club line (I belong to this because I have taken the first of five cruises; after this cruise only three more until I become Gold!). I received a silver lanyard with our Keys To The World cards.

Boarding went quickly and it wasn’t long until our group was called. We had to walk up a gang way, turn and walk up another one. This was a little tough on Lisa but she made it. (I recall that at Port Canaveral it is a straight walk through onto the ship.)

A cast member asked us how we wanted to be announced. I said: The Three Amigas. Over the ship speakers everyone heard “Disney Cruise Line welcomes the Three Amigas!” A photo was snapped (I looked at it in Shutters but didn’t feel it was worth the exorbitant fees they charge.).

Our first stop was lunch at Tritons. We were seated at a very long table. Lisa was at one end, Sis and I to her left. Across from us were a family of three. The rest of the table included about 14 people who were all together. I immediately ordered the drink of the day. I did this whenever I could—playing bingo, in the bar, playing trivia, at all the dinners. I drank more this week than I have in the last year. It was wonderful.

I decided I would try new foods and flavors on this cruise. Lunch was from the menu so I chose things I don’t normally have: Appetizer (3 choices): I had sliced smoked salmon with lemon and honey dill mustard sauce; Soup (2 choices): I had seafood and chicken gumbo with cornbread; Main Entrée (5 choices) I had the Muffuletta Sandwich with a side of chips; Dessert (3 choices) I had Cookies ‘n’ Cream Cheesecake. There were always at least two vegetarian options and four to five “low cal” options; I ignored those. Each meal in the main restaurants was like this.

Our Cabin & the Towel Animals

After lunch we headed to our cabin. We were midship in room 7094. Our luggage was waiting for us outside our door. We were very close to the midship elevators. We had a veranda which allowed for breathtaking views along our journey.

We rolled in and divided up clothing storage. I opted for the desk (lots of little drawers) and an overhead bin by the TV. There were two other units with drawers and the closet. All the suitcases—except Sis’s ginormous orange suitcase—were stored under the bed. The closet was large and roomy for Sis’s suitcase and any clothes we wanted to hang. Lisa needed some items ironed so used the daily laundry service for this.

Disney provides two bathrooms—one with a sink and toilet and the other with a sink and shower. This is great because it allows everyone to get ready more quickly in the morning.

The first part of the main cabin had a large queen sized bed. Lisa and Sis decided it was roomy enough to share. Beyond the bed was an area with a couch, table, fabric covered stool for sitting (which I later read that could be used for storage) and a large desk area. We had a television which showed mostly Disney channels although Lisa and Sis were able to watch one of the NBA finals games. They also televised the shows in the Walt Disney Theater. I watch the Frozen show one night. My favorite channel was the Ship channel: a camera is mounted at the front of the ship so you can see where you are headed.

Oh! I almost forgot. Because I am a Castaway Club member I received a free gift which was on the bed. Initially I didn’t care for it but later it came to be my ‘go to’ bag whenever we left the ship. It has a wide strap so you can wear it cross body or over the shoulder. It has a small zippered compartment where I put my camera, passport, and gloves. The larger zippered compartment could hold my windbreaker and scarf.

Each evening while we were out to dinner our Room Steward, Leonel (he is from the Philippines), made up our beds. He magically turned the couch into a nice bed for me. In the mornings when we were out, he put the room back in order. The shampoo, conditioner and other amenities in the bathrooms are very nice. Leonel replenished them with duplicates. Sis and I divided these up and put them away. Leonel always left us extras. He was very attentive to our needs.

One of the fun things about coming back to your cabin in the evening is not only finding the beds ready but a towel animal, some chocolates and the next day’s Navigator. The Navigator is a newsletter with information about all the next day’s activities. We set the chocolates aside and divided them up at the end of the cruise. I’ve enjoyed one each evening since returning home.

The towel animals were great. We had a:

· Crab

· Dachshund

· Bat

· Cat

· Alligator

· Monkey

· Frog

One night I returned to the cabin a bit early and found the Navigator and chocolates on the bed but no towel animal. I was a bit disappointed. And then a few minutes later Lisa and Sis arrived and started laughing. I was sitting on my bed and hanging above me was a skirt hanger from the closet and attached to it was a bat! I felt like a dork missing this.

Fish Extenders and the Door

Prior to the cruise we discovered a Facebook page devoted to our specific cruise. We joined the group. People posted questions ranging from “What hotel are you staying at in Vancouver” to “Can we bring alcohol on board?” to “What should I pack?” Members of the group responded with answers or suggestions. Some were first time cruisers, some were first time to Alaska, and others were seasoned cruisers.

Lisa decided to participate in the Fish Extender project. Right outside each cabin door is a large ornamental fish adhered to the wall. Disney will bring by notes or messages (we received our invites to Palo this way) and attach them to your fish. Someone decided to create an “extender” to the fish. The best way to describe it is a cloth made series of two, three or four pockets with a cord at the top—or go to Pinterest and do a search for Fish Extender.

You hang it on your fish—thus it becomes an extension of the fish. Some people make theirs, order them online or have them custom made. Etsy is a popular place to find them. Lisa had ours custom made. Each pocket reflected our favorite Disney character: Lisa = Mary Poppins, Sis = Mickey, and Theresa = Tinkerbell. You must see the photo I took. Our Fish Extender was very attractive.

Okay, so in the “old days” (nine years ago when I previously cruised) when you participated in an FE there were something like 50 people who would participate. You would bring 50 items and sometime during the week deliver them to everyone’s Fish Extender. It could get very expensive and it took time to deliver your items. In addition you had to make room in your luggage to bring your gifts as well as take your loot home. Because so many participated, the quality of the gifts declined because of the cost. When I cruised previously with the Chaney’s, we chose not to participate in the FE program.

Things are different now. They divide families up into smaller groups. Lisa signed up for a group of four other cabins—a total of nine people. Lisa is crafty and creative. She handmade a memory frame with Disney and Alaska features on it. She also made up a bag of goodies. Included were these character things you could put on your lanyard and a handy card you could also hang on your lanyard that listed where the dining establishments, theaters, shopping, etc. were located on the ship. I found this handy in the early days of the cruise. She also contributed some Georgia Peach Mints and had me bring some Made In Oregon Chocolate Bars.

We delivered our items to the four cabins. Our group was adults only. Later we were rewarded with some really nice gifts. Honestly, you need to see the photos to understand how cool many of these gifts were. One woman went above and beyond with several special gifts delivered throughout the week.

Okay, now the door. On my Caribbean Cruise Diana ordered and made several cute magnetic items to hang on our door. It really helps when you are going down the long hallway looking for your room. Early in the planning I told Lisa that she was in charge of the door and to search Pinterest for ideas.

Lisa went to town. Again, you must see the photos. She had magnetic items with characters and our ports of call. In addition, she had a box of magnetic letters. Each day we had to change the message. The challenge was there were only two of each letter. On a couple occasions someone passing by re-arranged them into another fun word or phrase.

Our Cruise Schedule

This report is written on various topics related to the cruise. Here was our actual schedule:

· Sunday – May 27, 2018 – Arrive in Vancouver BC

· Monday – May 28, 2018 – Board the Disney Wonder and set sail for Alaska

· Tuesday – May 29, 2018 – A day at sea

· Wednesday – May 30, 2018 – Endicott Arm/Dawes Glacier

· Thursday – May 31, 2018 – Skagway

· Friday – June 1, 2018 – Juneau

· Saturday – June 2, 2018 – Ketchikan

· Sunday – June 3, 2018 – A day at sea

· Monday – June 4, 2018 – Arrive Vancouver BC

· Tuesday – June 5, 2018 – Fly home

Drink of the Day

As I mentioned before, I indulged in the drink of the day whenever I could. These were available at Bingo, in the lounges, and even on deck. They were all delicious. Not a bad one in the bunch. At dinner there were two options different from what was offered during the day. These were great too. I miss the drink of the day. I wish they had this at work.

Breakfasts

We ordered a pot of coffee each morning along with a plate of croissants or pastries. Room service was amazingly fast.

You could dine at Triton’s for breakfast and order off the menu. Somehow we never did this. Instead, we ventured up to Cabanas. This is a huge buffet with something for everyone. I have mixed feelings about this place. It’s crowded, noisy and probably the one location where you will see the most children. Most of the food is, well, buffet food—mass produced, sometimes lukewarm, sometimes unappetizing. However, if you peruse the entire buffet—it is long—you can discover some tasty treats. You can also ask for eggs freshly cooked—I would request a simple two egg cheese omelet. There were several other stations off the buffet line specializing in cereals, yogurt and fruit. All sorts of choices and options for toppings. And, of course, there was a beverage station with an assortment of serve-yourself juices, coffee and hot chocolate.

Lunches

When we were at sea we also ate at Cabanas. The choices on the buffet line changed to a variety of hot dishes and the other stations served things like seafood. I enjoyed the seafood station and would indulge in mussels, salmon and crab legs. However, I ended up choosing crab only once because you have to crack the legs yourself and that’s just too messy for me.

Dinners

There are some interesting ways Disney deals with dinner. In my opinion, it makes things stress free. You can choose early seating at 5:30 and then afterward attend the show in the Walt Disney Theater. Or, you could attend the show and then dine at the second seating at 8:00 pm. We chose the second seating (although we never attended any of the Walt Disney Theater shows).

There are three restaurants and you rotate through them and then repeat with your first restaurant being your last on night seven. Our rotation was Tritons, Animator’s Palate, Tianna’s, Tritons, Animators Palate, Tianna’s. Our last night would have been Triton’s but we ended up dining at Palo (more on that later).

You dine at the same table number each night (#37) and your wait staff follows you each night. The wait staff included Jorge, Head Waiter from Peru; Desroy, Assistant Waiter from Jamaica; and Geoffrey, Head Server from the Philippines. Jorge and Desroy took our orders, served our drinks and food and attended to our needs. Geoffrey came around once or twice at each meal to make sure we were happy. Our team was great and we enjoyed the care they gave us.

When I cruised with the Chaney’s in the Caribbean, there were five of us and we dined together at one assigned table. With only three of us, Disney matched us up with another small group and we found ourselves with three individuals who later came to be referred to as The Shelleys. Shelley had brought her elderly parents, Jack and Jeri on this cruise.

The food was very good. Each night you were presented with a menu. You chose from three appetizers, soup or salad (usually two options for each), an entrée (there were four or five plus a couple vegetarian and some ‘lighter fare’ options), and a choice of three or four desserts. Of course, if you wanted to try all three appetizers or a soup and a salad, you could do so. I didn’t snack during the day so when dinner came, I was ready to eat. However, the servings were just right and I don’t recall ever feeling too full. Well, actually, there was the one night when there was prime rib. Lisa and Sis ordered theirs well done and got eight ounce servings. I ordered mine medium rare and it was almost three times the size of theirs.

Triton’s was dinner with no entertainment that I can recall. At Tianna’s Place our table was to the right of the stage. The Crawfish Crooners sang and played during dinner. Later Tianna would come out and say a few words. At Animators Palate on the walls of the restaurant are large picture frames. Various characters and scenes from Disney’s animated features would appear.

My favorite evening was the second time we dined at Animators Palate.Prior to dinner, we found a large paper placemat in front of each of us with a colored felt pen. Mine was green. You were to draw your own character in the spaces provided. Basically a head, body, arms, hands, legs and feet. You had to draw within defined areas. Our wait staff collected them. Later, after dinner, they played March of the Elephants from Dumbo. Everyone’s drawings would appear in one form or another and they were animated! It’s one of those “you have to be there” moments. I remembered mine was all in green and I saw it! Too cool!

Palo – Fine Dining at its Best!

There is a special restaurant on the Disney ships called Palo. They serve brunch on “at sea” days and dinner each night. You must make your reservations in advance. As a Castaway Club Silver member, I was able to log in prior to our cruise. Brunch reservations were booked but I got a dinner reservation on our last night. Later, when the web site opened up to everyone else, Lisa was able to secure a brunch reservation.

Brunch is my favorite. Our waiter was Leo who was charming and educated in the fine art of Northern Italian cuisine. He introduced us to Jonathan, who was from the main dining area who was “shadowing” him. Jonathon was very nervous but later we broke him down and had fun conversation with him.

Leo took us around to the different areas. There was an area with seafood—cracked crab, mussels, gravlax, and even caviar. An area with all sorts of dried and cured Italian meats with cheeses, breads and crackers. More cheese. One of those huge wheels of Parmigiana Reggiano. The top was cut off and they had cut and scraped all the cheese out. If you’ve watched Season 1, Episode 1 of Chef’s Table on Netflix then you know what I’m talking about. There was all sorts of assorted fruits. And pastries. And desserts--amazing small desserts. Leo said this is so you could sample several.

Once seated, he changed out the napkins to match the slacks we were wearing. He gave us menus to order a main entrée. There were breakfast and non-breakfast options. I chose Eggs Benedict. We then went to fill our first plate. I started with seafood. My second plate was dried meats and cheeses. My third was fruits and pastries. And then my eggs benedict arrived! (I can’t recall what Lisa and Sis ordered). Thank heavens it was only one eggs benedict and not the usual two. After this I went and chose a variety of interesting desserts.

Throughout the meal we also enjoyed mimosas and coffee. Dining at Palo is not included in your cruise. The cost is $30 plus gratuity. Same for dinner. Honestly, these are meals you would easily spend $150 to $250 at a fine dining establishment.

On Friday evening we returned for dinner. Leo was our server again. After being seated he recommended a bottle of wine and helped with the selection.

The best part of this experience is that I got to enjoy food selections I don’t usually have—all prepared to perfection. The sad part was that it was way too much food. The next time I do this I will have to remember to come to the meal starving.

We started with Palo’s cold antipasti specialties. Leo rolled a cart to the table that was filled with many of the items we had seen at brunch earlier in the week: prosciutto, bresaola, Parmesan Reggiano, marinated olives and sun-dried tomatoes among others. He placed a selection of each on a large platter, drizzled it with balsamic vinegar and placed it in the center of our table. Heaven! I could have had this just for dinner and been happy.

Next was soup or salad. I don’t recall what Lisa and Sis ordered because I was mesmerized with my Cioppino. This is an Italian tomato fish stew with calamari, clams, shrimp and halibut. The garlic and basil flavors were wonderful. I told Leo that while I liked calamari rings, the tentacles were a turn-off. He instructed the staff to make sure there were no tentacles in my soup. It was a generous serving and I could have been happy if this was all I had for dinner.

To cleanse the palate we were served a simple sorbet topped with a blueberry.

For my entrée I chose Osso Buco di Vitello. This is a slow roasted center cut veal shank. It was served on top of risotto. It also came with a small spoon to remove the bone marrow. The meat fell off the bone and melted in your mouth. I’m not a big risotto fan but this was cooked perfectly. I would have been happy if this plate was all I had for dinner.

I do not recall the actual name of my dessert. It was a rectangular slice of lemon pie surrounded on either side by small meringue cookies and assorted fresh berries along with some drops of lemon pudding. The perfect way to end a meal.

But that was not all! Leo brought us each a small glass with a frozen slushy type drink. It had a dash of lemon taste to it and contained grappa and another liquor. A nice way to end the meal.

Okay, I know I said previously that Palo Brunch was my favorite but after reminiscing over this wonderful dinner, I would have to say that if you can book both—do it!

At Sea Days and Ship Activities

At Sea Days are simply that—days when the ship is cruising to a new port. Disney provides for a variety of activities for all ages. Here are some that I partook in.

Phone App – Disney has an app for your mobile device that you download before the cruise. Once on board you turn your phone to Airplane mode and connect to the free Wi-Fi to run the app. The app is great.

You give Disney your credit or debit card. They tie it to your Key to the World card. You use your KTTW card to pay for things on the ship: items in the gift shops, drinks, bingo, spa treatments, etc. You can check on all the activities for the day and “heart” the ones that interest you. These pop up as reminders when the time draws near.

You can also review the menus for dinner. Each night when we were in bed Lisa would read off the menu selections for the next night. She struggled with the French and other gastronomy phrases while I laughed myself to sleep.

You can also check out your spending. I went to Guest Services with a $50 Disney gift card the Chaney’s had given me a couple years ago for my birthday. This showed up along with a $75 shipboard credit that our travel agent, Gayle, had gifted us. You can see what your charges for drinks, bingo and all other purchases. About every three days they charged your Visa the balance. (I think they do this so you don’t realize the total you are actually spending.)

Bingo – I love bingo! I think I played four or five times. I got Lisa and Sis involved the first time but it wasn’t to their liking so they did other things subsequently. You can purchase paper card sets where you punch out numbers or you can take color crayons and mark them out. I, however, purchased the bingo machine! This allows you to play more games and you also get some paper cards with it.

Each 50 minute session plays four games. I won one session. The prize was $140 but there were nine other people who also won so my account was credited with $14. The last game in each session is a black out game for a $1,000 prize. However, they only call a set number of numbers. If no one wins, the money rolls over to the last session. The last session was $8,000. I was two away before a lady called Bingo. The host also provides a variety of door prizes throughout the games and the staff will do a dance and song when B11 is called. During my morning sessions I ordered coffee and a screwdriver; in the afternoon I ordered the drink of the day.

Trivia – I wandered into the Crown & Fin Pub one day and sat down for a game of trivia. It only lasts about 30 minutes. There were five other people at my table and we all shared our answers. Alas, we did not win but it was fun and I enjoyed a beer with my tablemates.

Memory Making – I wasn’t sure about this but it fit my schedule so I stopped by the Promenade Lounge. There was a large table and they had some Disney Cruise Line scrapbooking papers and cutouts along with a large bin of scissors and markers and glue sticks. The room was filled with parents and children. I picked up some scrapbooking papers and cutouts and headed back to the room.

Senses Spa – Acupuncture – I had saved money for a facial and massage. I wandered to the spa and attended a brief explanation of acupuncture. I have always been curious about this and read it can be beneficial for arthritis. The doctor (from Lisbon) demonstrated by putting a pin in our hand. I didn’t feel a thing! I decided to forgo the facial and massage and give acupuncture a try.

I made an appointment and explained the advanced arthritis in my knees. He said that acupuncture might help with the pain but the stiffness I experience when standing up after sitting for a while or when standing for a long period of time would still be there. I asked how I should proceed with this when I returned home. He said three sessions in one week would be beneficial, then one per week and after a month probably once a month.

I went ahead with three sessions during the week. It took about an hour. He rubbed an oil (smelled like eucalyptus) on my knees and then placed about 12 to 15 pins in each. I didn’t feel a thing. Then he said to just relax for about 40 minutes and he would be back. I relaxed and thought about all that I was enjoying on the cruise. He returned and removed the pins. I was surprised when I got up and walked. I felt no pain!

I attended the other two sessions during the cruise. I found that I had almost no pain in my knees when walking around or in bed. Amazing! Since I’ve been home the pain has very slowly been returning. I’ve since talked to someone who uses acupuncture for their arthritis and swears by it. I’m going to use my alternative care health insurance benefit to find someone locally for acupuncture.

Shopping – Disney has two large stores across from each other on one deck and another small store that is obscurely hidden but didn’t having anything that interested me. I visited the two larger stores about four times before I made my purchases. Disney merchandise can be overpriced and I wanted to be careful with what I bought for myself. I also wanted to purchase gifts for family back home and didn’t want to indulge in something right away in the Disney store only to find something better in one of the port cities we would be visiting.

In the end I bought a Christmas ornament for myself and the Chaney’s, a coffee mug and a large tote bag for Kay (I wanted one myself but resisted). The total cost of these items allowed me to buy the “specially priced” Disney Alaska Cruise fleece blanket for myself.

Character Breakfast – We had reservations for the Character Breakfast on our first At Sea day, however, once we secured the brunch at Palo’s I turned in the tickets at Guest Services. I loved the Character Breakfast on our Caribbean Cruise but given a choice, one must go with Palo’s.

Bourbon Tasting – One evening at something like 10:00 pm we had a Bourbon Tasting at the Cove Café (I think that’s where it was). We were seated at tables with five samples of bourbon in front of us. The cast member was very knowledgeable about bourbon—history, the differences in the bourbons we tasted. I like bourbon but usually enjoy it with Seven Up. Drinking it straight creates a long slow burn down your throat and then a warming in your chest. This was a lot of bourbon to sample in one hour! Sadly we left most of it behind.

History Talk – On an At Sea day we attended a morning talk on the history of the Northwest Coast Indigenous People. It was held in the movie theater. The woman was knowledgeable and went through a series of slides. It was interesting to learn about the totems and the symbolic drawings.

Glacier Day – Endicott Arm & Dawes Glacier

Our first excursion was not really an excursion. The Wonder normally would go up Tracy Arm but early in the season there is a lot of ice there so they opt for Endicott Arm. I’ve been told that this has better scenery.

After enjoying brunch at Palo, we returned to our room to dress for a day out on deck. I put on a warm shirt, then my flannel shirt, my large warm puffy jacket, a scarf, gloves and hat. We headed up on deck. I walked out the door and told Lisa and Sis “I’m going back to the room and take off some of this clothing.” I shed the jacket, scarf, gloves and hat and put on my vest.

On deck I wandered around midship in awe of the scenery. It was a sunny day with very few clouds in the sky and only an occasional soft breeze. The water was a gorgeous green-blue. The characters were at the front of the ship and it looked crowded so I decided to just relax in a deck chair and admire the scenery. A cast member strolled by with a cart serving hot coffee and hot chocolate. He also had an assortment of “additives” including Kahlua, Baileys, and Amaretto.

I chatted with a gentleman next to me who was from Atlanta, Georgia. According to him, it is the greatest city in the world. I chuckled inwardly and told myself to remember to tell Lisa about this. To anyone who asked I said I was from Oregon and she said she was from Atlanta but originally from the Bay Area in California. Lisa’s job required a move to Atlanta but I know she won’t be truly happy until she returns to the west coast.

After relaxing, enjoying the scenery and thanking the Lord for the opportunity to see this, I got up and headed to the back of the deck. There I found Lisa and Sis. We ordered drinks and enjoyed the scenery. Large chunks of blue/green ice would float by. In their own way, they were beautiful but it’s also a little sad that they came from the glacier. I read later that one was pulled out of the water and you could take a chunk off and eat it. I’m sorry to have missed this. Must have been at the front of the ship.

Eventually we felt the ship rotating around. As the ship retreated from Endicott Arm we said goodbye to the Dawes Glacier. Amazing to think that glaciers once covered the United States and moved their way south.

Skagway – Dogs, Puppies and Shopping

The excursion everyone generally takes at Skagway is the train ride. It takes about three hours up into Canada and then returns. Lisa, however, booked us on a bus tour. At the last minute she asked about changing to the train but we agreed the bus would be just fine. I am so glad we did not change our plans because we learned that a few days earlier there was a rock slide that blocked a portion of the tracks and there would be no trains running. Thousands of passengers coming off the cruise ships and their plans had to be changed.

We later learned the bus tour is much faster than the train tour and we go farther north. We boarded our bus. Lisa and Sis sat in the back. I sat toward the front next to a woman about my age from London. She was from a different ship traveling with two friends who were seated at the front. We had nice conversations along the way—oohing and ahhing the scenery.

The driver was also the tour guide. He was great. The drive was only a couple hours with gorgeous scenery along the way. He stopped several times so we could get out and take photos.

We had to stop at the Canadian Border—The Yukon! A Canadian immigration officer came on board. We had to hold our passports open to our photos and hold them up to our faces. She walked down the aisle and verified we were all legal. On the way back, it was much different. The bus was scanned for radiation. This could mean two things: someone is bringing in a dirty bomb, or, someone has recently went through radiation for cancer. We had no issues either way.

We arrived at the dog mushing camp. We hit the ladies room and then headed to our 30 minute lunch. This was probably the worst meal of the entire trip. A piece of dried out chicken breast covered in burnt barbeque sauce. A half of a potato that had been baked or grilled but had nothing on it and a scoop of commercially prepared coleslaw. Beverages were coffee and water. You could purchase a soda but there was no one at the bar to serve. Dessert was homemade sugared donuts. Our driver/tour guide claimed these were well worth the drive up to the Yukon. They were fresh, cake donuts covered in sprinkled sugar. Warm and good but nothing to write home about. While the meal was not great, I would still recommend this tour.

We headed out to see the puppies. They have set up an environment for the tourists with a petting zoo—other animals such as donkeys. I headed to the large puppy area. I had imagined quiet little sleeping pups you could hold in your hands. These guys were a little older and were active! They were like a huge gaggle of barking sixth graders. Constantly moving, playing, fighting—difficult to shoot photos.

Throughout the area were boards which described dog mushing. These dogs were small than I thought they would be. In the winter, they put little booties on them to protect their feet.

Our next stop was a large tent where a young Swedish man explained dog mushing to us. I raised my hand and asked if you could make a lot of money doing this. He said “You can make a million dollars but you need a billion dollars to do it.” If you are into it, it’s probably in your blood.

We then headed over to the dog teams. There were about a hundred dogs in kennels—barking, barking, and barking. You had to shout above the fray. There were these cart type sleighs. Lisa sat in the front, then Sis and then me. Behind me would be the “driver.” They started hooking up about a dozen dogs to our sleigh. The barking got louder. “Take me! Take me!” These dogs are bred to love mushing! Several started howling. It was crazy loud!

With our dogs hooked up, we took off. I had always felt sorry for the work these dogs do but it’s in their blood and they love to do it. We were on a dry dusty trail. I think Sis and Lisa got the brunt of the dust. We ran about a mile on a trail through the woods. I imagine in the snow it would be really cool.

After our dog sled trip we had time to visit the gift shop. We were in Canada so I picked up a few souvenirs for the folks back home. We boarded our bus and headed back to Alaska. Along the way we stopped for photos.

We also stopped for bears! When bears are in hibernation, their kidneys shut down. To get them going they eat dandelions. Where is the best source for dandelions? Along the side of the road. Our first sighting wasn’t much, it was a bear who was into the woods and leaving—I didn’t see him. The next two, however, were each on the side of the road. Our driver would pull over and let us take photos from inside the bus.

I would recommend this excursion. Other than the lunch it was worth the money. After the tour we split up and did shopping in Skagway before returning to the ship.

Here is a link to the website for our Skagway Excursion: https://www.viator.com/tours/Skagway/Yukon-Dog-Sledding-and-Sightseeing-Tour/d943-29957P8

Juneau – The Foodie Tour & Shopping

For this excursion Lisa arranged a Foodie Tour in Juneau. Lisa’s knee was really bad and by this time had secured a wheelchair from Guest Services. I pushed her for a while until we got to a spot where there was an incline. Ack! It was steeper than I thought and I had to hang on to her for dear life until the walkway flattened. After this, her mom took over.

Our tour guide met up with us. There is a fishermen’s memorial. It is a rounded wall with the names engraved on it of those who had been lost at sea. She had Sis stand at one end and me at the other. We could whisper to each other and hear each other! Amazing!

Our first stops included:

· Tracy’s King Crab Shack. If you go to Juneau, you absolutely must dine here. We had a crab bisque and crab cake. Both delicious! This was my favorite of the tour.

· Deckhand Dave’s. We had panko crusted salmon filet with house-made tartar sauce. Good.

· Barnacle Foods. We tried kelp salsa and chips. This was great. I purchased a jar and Lisa and Sis purchased a variety. I also found an assortment of Alaskan salts and some jars of jam (Sitka Spruce Tips, Alaskan Huckleberry and Salmonberry). They packaged up our items and shipped them directly home to us. The salts by the way are awesome. Flaky and flavorful.

· McGivney’s Downtown. This is a bar inside a hotel. We had a “hog wing” (a pork rib covered with a barbeque sauce) and a sample of beer. Both were okay.

· SALT. This is a high end restaurant and if I find myself spending the night in Juneau, I would dine here. I honestly can’t recall what we had here. It was good thoug.

· Harbor Tea & Spice. We sampled Ice Cave Blue Tea. I did not care for this place. A strong scent that annoyed me. Lisa and Sis made purchases here.

· Chef Stef’s. This is a candy maker but we did not visit. Instead, we received some samples of spruce tip salted caramels in our shopping bag.

After our tour ended we went shopping. Pretty much all the shops are along one main street. I purchased a variety of items. We then headed back to the ship.

While the Foodie Tour was interesting I think next time I would explore the Mendenhall Glacier and take the tram tour up the mountain.

For information on the Foodie Tour: https://www.juneaufoodtours.com/tours/a-tour-with-taste/

Ketchikan – Fishing!

When we first started planning I decided I wanted to go fishing: salmon or halibut. My research found that Ketchikan had the best fishing for the time of year we would be there. Lisa planned Skagway and Juneau (and did a great job—there are so many excursions to choose from) and I coordinated the fishing excursion.

I researched about 40 charters and selected Go Fish Ketchikan. It was a wise choice. I emailed the captain, Joe Bowen, and he was quick to respond. He even telephoned me to explain everything. He can take three to six people. I think most of the time he takes “serious” fisherman—people that book with him year after year. Initially we reached out to our Facebook page to find an additional two or three people to reduce the cost but only one woman responded and she never followed up. In the end I am glad it was just the three of us.

After exiting the ship there was a cab waiting for us. Lisa was in her wheelchair so I asked the cab driver if we could put it in the trunk. He said yes, but he couldn’t help us because he only had one leg. The wheelchair stowed, Lisa and Sis sat in the back and I sat up front. Our driver was a very old, crusty man with a white beard who looked like he had lived a hard life. Our drive to the Marina was about 20 miles. He asked where we were from and when I said Oregon, he said “I lived there for a while.” I asked where and when he replied “Scappoose” I exclaimed “That’s where I live!” I asked if he knew the Trtek’s and he said no but said “I spent most of my time at the Wigwam Tavern. Is it still there?” Well, yes it is. And that told me all I needed to know.

We arrived at the Knudsen Cove Marina and picked up some snacks and met Joe. We asked about bringing the wheelchair on board and he said, no, to just leave it there on the dock. It would be just fine. And it was there when we returned several hours later. This is a small marina where everyone knows everyone else.

Captain Joe’s boat was just perfect for the three of us. He had us fill out forms for fishing licenses then explained all the safety procedures. He provided coffee, soda, smoked salmon, crackers and some homemade salmon spread. Into the adventure I ate the smoked salmon and now wish I’d tried the salmon spread.

We headed out to fish! I wish I had taken a map with me so Joe could have marked where we went. The waters were not too bad and the sun was out most of the time; when it wasn’t it was overcast but no rain. The King Salmon weren’t meeting their spawning population goal so the State of Alaska Department of Fish and Game limited salmon fishing to catch and release. Because of this, we did halibut, rockfish and cod fishing.

Once we arrived at an area to fish, Joe got out the fishing poles and set them up in the holders around the boat. He showed us the hooks and bait he used. Cast the lines out. Told us what we would do if we caught something—and he would take over if needed. He even had an electronic reel that could do all the work.

And then we waited for the fish to bite. Joe was a little reserved at the outset but the three of us wore him down. Before long we knew everything: from his wife (lives in Seattle—where he goes to in the off season), former residence (Beaverton, Oregon) and even his cats (photos included). He is a great guy. I would love to fly up to Ketchikan for a couple days and fish with him again.

After several hours we didn’t catch anything but we weren’t upset. Joe, however, felt really bad. I think he enjoyed our company. It sounded like he’s had guys in the past who would get upset. Not us. We knew it was a crapshoot.

I should mention that early on I was looking across the water and thought I saw smoke. Joe said it wasn’t smoke it was a whale. Sure enough you would see the water spouting up and then the tail fin. Cool! We saw this several times while at sea.

Finally Joe said we had about an hour left for fishing and suggested we move over to another area for salmon fishing. If we caught anything we would have to throw it back but we could take some photos for bragging rights. We moved to a different area. He reset the poles and we started trolling. We looked near the shore and saw something that Joe said is rare—he’d never seen it before. There was a pod of about a dozen whales moving along the coastline. Continuous sprays of water and tail fins. It was a truly incredible site and we were able to watch them for a few miles until they disappeared. In addition to the whales, bald eagles flew around our boat.

About 30 minutes into this trolling, I began to feel nausea set in. I had been using a prescription for the scopolamine patch so the effect was not as dramatic as it could have been. But just in case, I advised Joe that maybe it was time to call it a day. Joe started reeling in the poles. Low and behold one of them had snagged a little 9-inch rockfish. Joe took the fish off the hook and told us to look across the side of the boat. “Look at the fish as I toss it across the boat.” We did and as the fish flew into the air over the side of the boat, a bald eagle flew across and grabbed the fish mid-air and flew off. This was absolutely stunning!

We headed back to the marina and everyone got off the boat—a hilarious process. We found a table and sat down to pay Joe. He said we were a great group and felt bad about our not catching anything. He said if we liked he would catch some fish over the next several weeks, have them processed and shipped to us if we would pay for the processing and shipping. We said “Yes!” and completed the paperwork.

A few weeks after arriving home, Joe emailed me to say fishing was not good but he caught a couple, had them cleaned and processed and they were on their way. A box arrived a couple days later with several packages of fish—each package contains two generous servings of fish. I think it’s all halibut but not really sure. As of this writing, I’ve prepared one package and shared with Pat. It is fresh and delicious!

I highly recommend Joe Bowen and his charter: https://gofishketchikan.com/

Next Cruise – Placeholder

Disney offers a special offer while you are on the cruise. If you sign up they charge your account $250 and if you take another cruise within two years then you receive 10% off and you get a $200 shipboard credit. I thought about doing this but wasn’t sure I would be doing a Disney Cruise within that time frame. Lisa had filled out one of the forms and asked me to turn it in to Guest Services. They sent me to the Disney Cruise Desk. No one was there but there was a box to place Lisa’s form.

They had blank ones on the table. “What the heck! I can always cancel and get my $250 back.” I filled one out and put it in the box. As it turns out, when I returned home and chatted with Diana she said they were thinking about doing another Disney Cruise in the Caribbean or Bahamas in March 2020. We later changed it to early or mid-May. So glad I did the Placeholder!

Disembarkation

I thought the worst part of a cruise was packing up on the last night. This actually went well for me—probably because I planned for extra space in my luggage for souvenirs and I visualized that space as I bought things. I was just fine. We put our luggage out that night. I had my oversized Disney Cruise tote bag I purchased on my first cruise. It was just fine the next day for my sleepwear and toiletries.

The worst part of this cruise was disembarkation. At the start of the cruise we all filtered in over a period of time. Disembarking was over 2,000 people all at once. We exited the ship in groups. There was a table where I picked up the Ulu knives I had purchased (Disney had confiscated them when I boarded the ship in Skagway).

Our luggage was all lined up except one of my bags was missing. This had happened to Kay on our Caribbean Cruise and we found hers mixed in with another group so I was hopeful we would find mine.

Two cast members were there to help with the search. (Note: I recall reading that you should take photos of each bag in case this happens with the cruise line or airline. I will do this from now on. It would have been nice to show them a photo.) One of the cast members explained that sometimes a bag will fall off a cart and so they pick it up and put it on the next cart. I found my bag in the luggage group next to ours.

Getting through customs was easy. Then the line to get a cab. It was horrendous. Lisa was in a wheelchair so they set her at the front of the line, off to one side with our luggage. Sis and I, however, had to go through the queue. It went up and down, up and down, up and down, turned, back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, turned, up and down, up and down, lather, rinse repeat.

In the middle of this Sis realized that she had left her purse with her camera and iPhone 10 in Triton’s where we had breakfast. Luckily Lisa had her passport. Later, Lisa called and the purse and its contents were returned to them.

It took about 90 minutes before we reached Lisa, got our luggage in a cab and headed off to our hotel.

Our Day in Vancouver

We arrived at our hotel, Le Soleil about 1:00 pm. Our room was ready! I laid down on the couch for a short nap. I think Lisa and Sis did the same. We got up and Lisa suggested we get lunch and catch the Hop-On-Hop-Off bus. We headed to the Cactus Club Café around the corner and then took a cab down to Canada Place.

Lisa had purchased tickets for two Hop-On-Hop-Off Bus Tours. We boarded the first bus which drove us around town to the various neighborhoods. A recording would play describing the history, shopping and other facts about each area. This was my first experience on one of these tours. I thought they were fine. Lisa, however, said she had done many in the past and this was the worst. Generally you have a human being on board who will describe the neighborhoods.

After the city tour we got off and boarded another bus for the “park” tour. This took us to Stanley Park which is beautiful. It was a gorgeous day to do this and I found it relaxing to just sit and view the scenery. Thank goodness we didn’t get off the bus—I was just too tired for any exploring. However, if (when?) I come back to Vancouver I will have an idea of the places I would like to explore.

We returned in time for dinner and decided to dine at our hotel restaurant. I had a salad with fish; again, no sense of the Indian cuisine. After dessert, we headed to our room. I repacked my luggage and went to bed.

Good-bye Lisa and Sis

In the morning we took a cab to the airport. We said our good-byes and headed to our respective airlines. I had a little bit of time so I purchased a pastry and coffee for breakfast. I paid with a $20 bill and received change in Canadian money. Ugh! No American dollars. So I used the cash to purchase a variety of Canadian branded candy to bring home.

My flight was nice and quick. I arrived in Portland, collected my luggage and called Kathy. She came by to pick me up and take me home. Pat came over and I told them all about the trip and handed out their souvenirs. Chris came over and I gave him his gifts. And later Kay stopped by and I gave her the Disney tote bag I had purchased. Everyone seemed happy with their gifts.

Final Remarks

I love the Disney Cruise Line.

· It is expensive but first class service. I work hard so I’m comfortable with my investment.

· I like that you unpack once and settle in to your new home for a week.

· I love the food—especially Palo

· I love visiting new places but you “come home” to the safety on the ship

· I love the various activities (classes, spa, bingo, movies, and shows).

· I love that you can just plain relax. Although I didn’t do it on this trip, there is nothing more pleasant that sitting on your veranda or lounging on a deck chair and enjoying coffee or other beverage; enjoying the scenery or reading a good book.

· I can’t wait for my next cruise in two years!
 
Great report!

I can't believe you met someone from Scappoose who is now living in Alaska. Small world.

I can't wait for our cruise in May 2020. :)
 
Great report! It's so nice that the fish captain sent you halibut even though you didn't catch any. How long did the fishing excursion take?
 
Hi!! Planning our first Alaska cruise in May 2020, this was super informative and fun to read. Thank you for posting!
 



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