Laura1123
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Mar 29, 2016
I can’t tell you how excited I am for our upcoming cruise on the Wonder to Alaska! Currently we are 30 days from sailing (May 29, 2017 sailing), and we booked the cruise on release day back in spring of 2016 (over a year ago).
Alaska trip reports have been soooooooo helpful for me during the planning process (in fact, I have read all of them more than once), that I knew I wanted to do my own trip report, and hopefully help someone else out in their trip planning.
Sailing along in our cabin will be DH, DS9, DS6 and myself. My parents will also sail along in their own cabin across the hall from ours. We will be in cabin 5514 with a large porthole. Yes, a verandah would have been nice, but we decided to put the money it would have cost to upgrade towards our excursions. I don’t think I will mind walking along deck to view the majesty of the mountains and think it will be nice to meet others that are doing the same as well. We shall see.
While we all have cruised at least once, this will be our first Disney cruise. My husband, sons and I are huge Disney fans. We used to live in Florida, only a few hours away from WDW and have spent so many wonderful times there together. My parents have spent vacations with us there as well, but they would never go if we weren’t going too. We chose Disney Cruise Line for its service reputation, the kid’s clubs and entertainment. I’m praying I’m not disappointed with our choice.
We will arrive the Friday before the cruise departs, so we have a few days to adjust to the time change and explore Vancouver as well.
We decided to rent a 2 bedroom condo on VRBO instead of staying in the preferred hotels down by the port. The Pan Pacific looks lovely, but that is a hefty price tag for 2 double beds. The condo will give the six of us a little more room to spread out, as well as a kitchen and laundry facilities for convenience.
While in Vancouver, we hope to visit the Capilano Suspension Bridge Park, Granville Island, Stanley Park and Grouse Mountain. I am hoping for beautiful weather so that we can walk or take public transportation for wherever we need to go.
Vancouver Craft Beer Week also happens to kick off while we are in Vancouver. We are big craft brew fans, so hopefully there will be something we can take part in, even with the kids in tow.
We have a few things planned for our port days in Skagway, Juneau and Ketchikan, but not too much.
In Skagway we will do a sled dog excursion through Alaska Excursions. We will have the chance to learn about the dogs, how the sleds work, etc.- but also have a chance to be pulled in a golf cart by a team of dogs. While the train in Skagway looks amazing (and that is what my parents will go on), I just didn’t think the kids would enjoy it very much, and we weren’t ready to invest the money on a helicopter trip to a glacier to ride the dog sleds on snow and ice. We will save that for a later trip when the kids are much older. Before leaving Skagway, we plan on going to Skagway Brewing Company for a pint or two and probably a snack.
In Juneau we have rented a mini-van for the day from Juneau Car Rentals. We will be able to pick up the car right at the port and head out to Mendenhall Glacier (hopefully beating the crowds). If time allows (and the weather is nice), we will probably try to check out False Outer Point, Treadwell Historic Trail, Tracy’s King Crab Shack or Alaska Brewing Company.
Ketchikan is known for its rain. We will likely walk to the Southeast Alaska Discovery Center and then try to hike a small trail in the Tongass National Forest if the weather is nice. Maybe we will try to catch the lumberjack show if we don’t get a chance to see the one on Grouse Mountain.
Once we arrive back in Vancouver on Monday, we will head to the airport for our 1pm flight back to the states. From what I have read from others’ reports, we will probably be exhausted. It will be a long day, but by then, it will be nice to get back home to our own bed and pets.
I can’t wait for the adventure to begin. Planning has been fun, but I can’t wait to experience it all and spend some quality time with family.
Alaska trip reports have been soooooooo helpful for me during the planning process (in fact, I have read all of them more than once), that I knew I wanted to do my own trip report, and hopefully help someone else out in their trip planning.
Sailing along in our cabin will be DH, DS9, DS6 and myself. My parents will also sail along in their own cabin across the hall from ours. We will be in cabin 5514 with a large porthole. Yes, a verandah would have been nice, but we decided to put the money it would have cost to upgrade towards our excursions. I don’t think I will mind walking along deck to view the majesty of the mountains and think it will be nice to meet others that are doing the same as well. We shall see.
While we all have cruised at least once, this will be our first Disney cruise. My husband, sons and I are huge Disney fans. We used to live in Florida, only a few hours away from WDW and have spent so many wonderful times there together. My parents have spent vacations with us there as well, but they would never go if we weren’t going too. We chose Disney Cruise Line for its service reputation, the kid’s clubs and entertainment. I’m praying I’m not disappointed with our choice.
We will arrive the Friday before the cruise departs, so we have a few days to adjust to the time change and explore Vancouver as well.
We decided to rent a 2 bedroom condo on VRBO instead of staying in the preferred hotels down by the port. The Pan Pacific looks lovely, but that is a hefty price tag for 2 double beds. The condo will give the six of us a little more room to spread out, as well as a kitchen and laundry facilities for convenience.
While in Vancouver, we hope to visit the Capilano Suspension Bridge Park, Granville Island, Stanley Park and Grouse Mountain. I am hoping for beautiful weather so that we can walk or take public transportation for wherever we need to go.
Vancouver Craft Beer Week also happens to kick off while we are in Vancouver. We are big craft brew fans, so hopefully there will be something we can take part in, even with the kids in tow.
We have a few things planned for our port days in Skagway, Juneau and Ketchikan, but not too much.
In Skagway we will do a sled dog excursion through Alaska Excursions. We will have the chance to learn about the dogs, how the sleds work, etc.- but also have a chance to be pulled in a golf cart by a team of dogs. While the train in Skagway looks amazing (and that is what my parents will go on), I just didn’t think the kids would enjoy it very much, and we weren’t ready to invest the money on a helicopter trip to a glacier to ride the dog sleds on snow and ice. We will save that for a later trip when the kids are much older. Before leaving Skagway, we plan on going to Skagway Brewing Company for a pint or two and probably a snack.
In Juneau we have rented a mini-van for the day from Juneau Car Rentals. We will be able to pick up the car right at the port and head out to Mendenhall Glacier (hopefully beating the crowds). If time allows (and the weather is nice), we will probably try to check out False Outer Point, Treadwell Historic Trail, Tracy’s King Crab Shack or Alaska Brewing Company.
Ketchikan is known for its rain. We will likely walk to the Southeast Alaska Discovery Center and then try to hike a small trail in the Tongass National Forest if the weather is nice. Maybe we will try to catch the lumberjack show if we don’t get a chance to see the one on Grouse Mountain.
Once we arrive back in Vancouver on Monday, we will head to the airport for our 1pm flight back to the states. From what I have read from others’ reports, we will probably be exhausted. It will be a long day, but by then, it will be nice to get back home to our own bed and pets.
I can’t wait for the adventure to begin. Planning has been fun, but I can’t wait to experience it all and spend some quality time with family.
We also chose an oceanview room with the large porthole to allow for more excursion $$. Great minds think alike!
