Disney Wonder May 29 trip report in Alaska!

Endicott Arm Day (day 3)


As always please visit my blog for images/better formatting https://plaidshirtyogapants.com/disney-cruise-endicott/


Our second day of the cruise was Tracy Arm Day AKA Endicott Arm day because – well no one has made it to Tracy Arm in 2017 at the time of this writing.


Senses Spa


This morning started off with an early morning workout at the Senses Spa! I finally was able to secure a spot at Fast Abs while my sister jogged on the treadmill. So since this was my first actual class on the cruise, I showed up early (7:15 am for the 7:30 am class) so I could figure out what I needed to do. As the Sunrise Stretch class was wrapping up, I scrambled to try to figure out what I needed to do to make sure I had a spot in class.


So this is one activity that I feel like Disney could improve on. Are you telling me, that there isn’t enough room on the entire ship that they can’t have a separate room for the fitness? The classes are held behind the treadmills and in front of the leg areas, which makes it awkward when someone decides they need to work their quads while you are struggling to keep up with bicycle sit-ups.


Luckily, the class is only 30 minutes long, so I wasn’t tortured for too much – it is vacation after all! But I did get a good workout. We did three different round of exercises which included planks, bicycle sit-ups, crunches, and other ab-focused workouts. The whole idea behind this class is to come every day (I did not) so you can hold your plank longer throughout the trip. My only other complaint is someone stepped on my pony-tail (ouch!), and some other man decided he needed to work on his quads while I was very close.


After our morning workout, we headed over to Triton’s where we had breakfast and learned from an overhead announcement that we would not be going to Tracy Arm but Endicott Arm. I was immediately upset because I didn’t know if this means we would still be able to do our Disney Port Adventure – Glacier Explorer TC01.


Doug Jones


Before our 12 pm excursion, we visited our favorite naturalist, Doug Jones, in the Walt Disney Theater to listen to his talk Ice fields and glaciers: Nature’s Time Machine? If you have been following along, you could guess that all three of us took a brief nap during this talk – It was an hour long, and we woke up at 630 am!


Jones continued with an excellent talk about glaciers, and we got to see more of his fabulous photos and stories. One of my favorite stories he told was when he took a helicopter to hike a glacier. After this once in a lifetime trip, Jones told his neighbor about his glacier experience, and his neighbor asked him if he would every make that trip again if the opportunity arose. Well, of course, his answer was yes – and a few weeks later he and his neighbor were able to take a helicopter trip to hike a glacier.


Of course, the two glaciers that we saw were not hike-able. Many of the glaciers in Alaska are reseeding, but Hubbard Glacier is growing!


Endicott Arm


As mentioned earlier, we purchased an excursion through Disney Port Adventure – Glacier Explorer TC01. The funny story behind this is that I stayed up all night to register us online for Palo and excursions. The second I went to register us for Tracy Arm day ( the first task of the evening) it was sold out, and I was devastated. Well, I was ok with it because not only am I the vacation planner, I am also the budget keeper, so I thought that if we didn't go on the cruise, money could be saved for another vacation.


This Alaskan trip was going to be a trip of a lifetime (in all honesty, our bucket list is so large that we probably wouldn’t visit these same areas of Alaska but a different area) and the family opted to do whatever we could to get this excursion. A few weeks before the vacation, we were able to reserve tickets for just my sister to see the Glacier. A few weeks after that, I was able to book a spot for me, which means we were going to leave mom on the ship. Leaving mom on the ship was ok because this tour was not handicapped able, but a few days before the trip we were able to book mom a ticket also! The Disney gods decided to bless us and allow us all to get an upfront view of the glacier.


We booked the noon trip to see Endicott Fjord. If you take the noon trip, you need to make sure to eat a huge breakfast because you will be on the excursion during prime lunch time. Going at noon also means that you miss the morning activities, but let's be real, everyone goes to Alaska to see the nature, does anyone care about trivia or napkin folding?


Right before noon, the whole family went down Azure on Deck Three; Bingo was running late, so we were all lined up in the hallway waiting for instruction for the crew. Since we were not in an actual venue, the cast couldn’t identify those with mobility needs – aka us. Mom and I hopped on the elevator to go down to Deck One so that we could get on the catamaran.


Once on the catamaran, we were ready to see Endicott Fjord. The captain and crew gave us a rundown of the area and informed us that if they saw any wildlife, they would announce it on the intercom. Right when we were traveling down the passageways, my Canon Rebel XS decided it wanted to die. I was devastated because the only way I could capture this trip was with my Go Pro and iPhone. This trip was the first time I didn't bring my Canon Point and shoot because I felt as if I "didn't need it." The catamaran carried us all through the narrow passageway and pointed out beautiful cascades and waterfalls. At one point, we stopped right next to a waterfall to admire its beauty. A great tip that the crew gave us was to film the waterfall in Slow-Mo for a beautiful post.


While sailing up the Fjord, there were many times it felt like we were racing the Disney Wonder. Of course, our catamaran was much smaller and could go much faster, so we always won the race. One of my favorite things to see in the Fjord was the chunks of glacier just floating down the waterway. It took everything in my power to not yell “Iceberg straight ahead!” After spotting a few mountain goats, bald eagles, and seabirds, we finally were able to witness Dawes Glacier.


Let me tell you, seeing a glacier for the first time it completely awe-inspiring. There are no words or photos that can describe what I witnessed when seeing Dawes. The blue-white tinge of the glacier and the calving was so exciting to see in person. Sitting by a glacier and hearing the crackling of the ice begging to fall, and figuring out where it was going to fall from was the highlight of the excursion.


Our catamaran got extremely close to the glacier, but when we looked over the shoulder we saw that the Disney Wonder was pretty close also! Later we learned that was the closest the Disney Wonder had ever gotten to the Glacier. Our Catamaran also scooped up a piece of glacier for everyone to touch. I’ve learned that the Wonder tries to do this also, but it is a much harder process on the large ship, and you have to wait with hundreds of people to take a photo with a piece of ice instead of a handful.


Even though the excursion was 3 hours, it felt like we were out there forever! Glacier day was by far the coldest day – along with my Plaid Shirt, I wore gloves, an ear cover, and a waterproofed jacket. We did run into a little bit of rain, so I also wore a North Face Rain Coat that I purchased just for this trip.


The Catamaran went back to the Wonder to let us off, and allow the next excursion to get on. Once we got off the catamaran we had a mission – run to the room! Since we had a balcony, we knew we were going to get a good view of the glacier for at least a little bit, because the wonder does a 360 rotation, so everyone has a chance to see the glacier. Once in the room, we ordered room service and my sister, and I went to Deck ten to get mulled wine.


Mulled Wine


I am not sure if it was just so chilly outside, or if the Mulled wine was that good, but Ally and I made friend with the cast that was serving guests mulled wine. Guests were able to buy a mug (with wine!) for $10 a then refills were around $5. Of course, being thrifty, Ally and I brought our refillable tumbler so we could bring more servings back to the cabin.


When ordering, we asked the cast members if they would judge how quickly we requested a refill. Willing to please, they said that they would not judge, so we poured the wine into our tumbler and asked four our (discounted) refill. The cast members laughed and quickly obliged to our request.


Bringing the wine back to our cabin, the three of us split and tasted the wine while enjoying the glacier. We proceeded to take selfies on our balcony, and it felt like we were the only ones looking at the glaciers. We could not hear any of our neighbors below or next to us.


Once the two mulled wines were finished, I hurried up and ran to portable station on Deck Ten for two more refills. The reason why this mulled wine is one of the best that we had is that it has a ton of garnishes! There were berries, nuts and other spices that were added to the concoction.


Beauty and the Beast


Exploring the glacier lasted until 5 pm, and we had our regular dining rotation at 5:45 PM at Tiana’s Place.


After dinner, we opted to skip the Magic & Illusion show of Kalin & Jinger (Magic isn’t our thing) and decided to see Beauty and the Beast in 3-D in the Buena Vista Theater. A good hint for those with accessibility issues – the main entrance is on Deck five, but the accessibility entrance is on Deck Four.


One of my favorite features of a Disney Cruise is being able to see newly released, or soon to be released, movies while on board. The only caveat to this is that we were in Alaska (with a crazy late sunset) and we wanted to soak in all the beauty Alaska had to offer. Beauty and the Beast were the only movies we had to time to see, but there was a good selection of movies to watch.


The movie lasted well past our bed time, so there wasn’t much else we wanted to do besides go to be to get ready for the next day – Skagway!


Other activities I would have tried if I had time

• Art of the Theme Show Tour

• Animation: Minnie Mouse

• Animation: Donald Duck

• Crafts: Origami Creations
 
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Hey, guys! I won't be posting a new post this Thursday because I got an eye ulcer! I have to stay in a dark room and with all the screen time I had today with my 9-5 I don't have the eye power to write, edit, and format the article tonight.


BUT - good news! Next week you will have two posts!


Tuesday - Disney Dining part 2

Thursday - Trip Report Skagway


If you haven't read all the posts yet take some time to read all the posts:


TOP 25 TIPS FOR PREPARING FOR AN ALASKAN DISNEY CRUISE
DELICIOUS DINING ON THE DISNEY WONDER (PART 1)
DISNEY ALASKAN CRUISE EMBARKATION
DISNEY CRUISE – SEA DAY
DISNEY CRUISE ENDICOTT FJORD
 
Hey, guys! I won't be posting a new post this Thursday because I got an eye ulcer! I have to stay in a dark room and with all the screen time I had today with my 9-5 I don't have the eye power to write, edit, and format the article tonight.


BUT - good news! Next week you will have two posts!


Tuesday - Disney Dining part 2

Thursday - Trip Report Skagway


If you haven't read all the posts yet take some time to read all the posts:


TOP 25 TIPS FOR PREPARING FOR AN ALASKAN DISNEY CRUISE
DELICIOUS DINING ON THE DISNEY WONDER (PART 1)
DISNEY ALASKAN CRUISE EMBARKATION
DISNEY CRUISE – SEA DAY
DISNEY CRUISE ENDICOTT FJORD
Get well soon! :grouphug:
 
Oh! As much as we love vicarious vacations, please take whatever time you need, we'll still be here when you are ready
 


And....we are back! The eye is off of 'bed' rest and I can safely wear contacts and be in a room with light again!

the blog post:

As Always, if you want to see the formatting and images please visit my blog at https://plaidshirtyogapants.com/delicious-dining-disney-wonder-part-2/

Welcome to the second part of my dining review! This post will cover everything, except for Palo Visits, that I ate from Day 4 until Day 8 aka Debarkation day. If you haven’t read the first part of this dining review, you can read it here.

Day 4 – Cabana’s For Breakfast - Skagway Day

With an early morning excursion, we had to be off of the boat by 830 am. We braved the buffet line at Cabanas! Navigating the buffet and little kids running around wasn’t that bad.

After securing a spot by the window, we went to see what was available for breakfast.

The buffet included but was not limited to
Various Egg Benedicts
Hash browns
Bacon
Sausage
Rotating Vegetables
Omelet station
Mickey Waffles
Pancakes
Fresh Fruit
Yogurts
Cereals
Pastries
Pound cakes

This first day, I wasn’t sick of eggs yet, so I opted for an Eggs Benedict, asparagus, hash browns, bacon, and sausage. I’m glad I had such a big breakfast because we were going to be on an excursion all day long and ended up not eating lunch until close to 1 pm.

Day 4 – Excursion - Skagway Day

Lunch was included on our Best of Skagway tour at the Liarsville Gold Rush Trail Camp & Salmon Bake.

Even though lunch is portrayed as “All You Can Eat” there are many different tourists all trying to eat at the same time, causing all you can eat to be not true. Also – the food wasn’t up to par that going back for seconds wasn’t on the table!

Food that was available: Alaskan-Caught Salmon, chicken, macaroni and cheese, rice medley, beans, coleslaw, salad, cornbread and blueberry cake. The beverages were lemonade, coffee or you could purchase beer and wine.

Two long-serving stations had a total of four lines serving all of the tourists in this area. I am not a seafood fan, so I opted for the baked chicken. I guess because there weren’t any chicken breasts available, I found the chicken a little off-putting. I did grab a small piece of salmon to taste – even though it was tasty (it had some pineapple glaze) I am still not a seafood person.

My two favorite things that they served was the cornbread and the macaroni and cheese. Carbs much? We also had our first sips of Alaskan Brewing Beer to compliment our lunch.

Day 4 – Triton’s For Dinner - Skagway Day

Since we skipped Triton’s on the first day, I was excited to go to the restaurant for dinner. This night, however, the menu strayed from the standard rotational dining menu and instead had a Frozen theme. In fact, the whole even had a Frozen theme!

Our servers presented us with a sparkly menu, and my family looked at what we were going to eat. The Frozen menu was the same at all three restaurants and had a Norwegian theme.

Bread service was a Knackebrod, Dark Rye Bread with Liver Pate Dip.

My sister started with Elsa’s Coronation Scallops – probably one of the most beautiful dishes in the standard dining rooms. The puff pastry was so vast and fluffy that I wished it didn’t have scallops but something else I enjoyed.

While Ally was eating her scallops/puff pastry dish, I started with the Duke of Weselton Favorites – meat and cheese plate. There were a few different choices of the meats and cheeses but only one Pumpernickel cracker! There was one meat I was a little afraid to change because I thought it was venison and I had a previous bad experience with venison.

I followed the appetizer with the Anders Baby Field Greens salad with vanilla, apricots, Brioche Croutons, Candied Walnuts, and Lingonberry Dressing. I’ve never tasted Lingonberry, but the dressing tied the salad together.

For dinner, I ordered the Herb Roasted Chicken while my sister got Han’s Juniper Wild Boar Filet. She said she wanted to be adventurous and enjoyed the Baby roasted turnips. Luckily the Chicken was delicious, and quite big because Ally didn’t enjoy the wild boar. I took a bite of the boar, and it did taste a bit gamey. Of course, when our Server, Svjetlana, saw that Ally was eating off of my plate she reminded us that this was our vacation and if we ordered something we didn’t like she would be more than happy to get us another dish. We sheepishly told her it was ok. We wanted more dessert and less main course meals!

For dessert, we tried a little bit of everything. Mom opted for the Pannekaken – a Norwegian Pancake that was pretty good and I, of course, ordered Elsa’s Chocolate and Raspberry Tart. This evening was the night I also started ordering ice cream with all of my desserts because why not have double dessert?

I was not that impressed with this menu, and if I had to do it again, I would rather go to Palo on this day instead of on the day that we went.

Day 4 – Whiskey Tasting & Pizza Party - Skagway Day

For some reason, we decided it would be a smart idea to sign up for a 10 pm whiskey tasting. WHY would we ever do this? Well, we decided that we needed to learn about the spirits of the world.

When we walked, we first saw a display of all the different Whiskeys that are available on the cruise. There were small groups of people sitting at their tables with their four whiskey tastings poured out. There was also water to help cleanse the palate. I realized quickly that this tasting was going to be painful compared to the mojito tasting because there wasn’t going to be anything to assist with the taste of Whiskey.

We learned about all the different types of whiskey including Scotch, Irish, Canadian, and American Whiskeys. Our bartender-instructor took our taste buds all over the world. My favorite whiskey was the fifth surprise whiskey that he poured for us – the Laphroaig 10 Islay Single Malt Scotch Whiskey. The unique taste and smell are one of the only whiskeys I could manage to drink straight without making a face.

Our bartender did pass around a bottle of Pappa Van Winkle 23 year, a rare, limited release bourbon made at the Buffalo Trace Distillery. Even though we were not allowed to taste it, we could pass around the bottle and smell it. Our bartender told us that one shot of this bourbon on the Disney Cruise cost $350 and that someone who took the whiskey tasting earlier in the cruise came and tasted this bourbon.

After drinking all that Whiskey, we needed something to soak up so we could go to bed! I walked over to Pinocchio’s Pizzeria and grabbed a couple of pizzas for the family to enjoy. When I first arrived, there wasn’t anything appetizing, but then two pizzas came out of the oven – one pepperoni and one veggie. The pizza did hit the spot with all the whiskey in our system!

Day 5 – Cabana’s For Breakfast - Juneau Day

Cabana’s for breakfast doesn’t change much from day to day. The only interesting food item I discovered on this day is that by the waffle/pancake topping area they have a bowl full of whipped cream. After spotting that gem, I began putting whipped cream on a plate so I could top off my coffee. Whipped Cream was a good surprise to keep me in line with my breakfast traditions at home.

Day 5 – Excursion - Juneau Day

The Best of Juneau port excursion also included lunch and the family was not that excited about this tidbit since the food the day before wasn’t the best we had on the trip.

Well, we were wrong to be skeptical about the food! Our Whale watching tour was with Allen Marine Tours which included lunch at Orca Point Lodge.

Orca Point Lodge is on the Colt Island, a remote island, and served a delicious Salmon Bake Feast. The feast included Salmon, chicken kabobs, vegetable medley, rice pilaf, salads, and brownies. They also had Alaskan Brewing Beer for sale.

The lodge itself is a great area to relax after chasing whales for a couple of hours.

Day 5 – Palo For Dinner - Juneau Day

We ate at Palo for dinner instead of Animator’s Palate. I was quite disappointed that we would not be able to animate our cartons, but the adult dinner was worth missing out on some fun. The full review will post next Tuesday with my Full Palo Review.

Day 6 – Cabana’s For Breakfast - Ketchikan Day

We did get into port until 11:15 am so we went to Cabana’s late. Everyone had the same idea! It was a struggle to find a table inside – it was one of the few days it rained on the cruise so outside was not an option.

After about 20 minutes trying to battle the table hoggers – Mom scored one next to a window so we could enjoy the misty rain. I was completely over breakfast foods at this time that I poked around the buffet not finding anything exciting, until – I found the breakfast pound cakes!

The pound cakes came in various flavors – chocolate, lemon, vanilla, and poppy seed and each one was more delicious than the next! Mom favors lemony flavors while I opt for chocolate flavors, but each cake was delicious, dense, and moist.

Day 6 – Burger Queen - Ketchikan Day

Unfortunately, the rain and wind ruined our plans to see Misty Fjords on a seaplane and even though we rebooked out 1 pm excursion to both 3 pm and 7 pm, the weather was too bad for any planes to take off. We had two options, wander around town and find something good to eat, or go back to the ship, eat lunch, and get off the board again.

Luckily, from the message boards, I remembered of a cutesy little shop called Burger Queen that many travelers and Disney Crew members raved how delicious it is, so the family walked through the tunnel to the small shack on Water Street.

Lucky for us, Burger Queen had a table inside, and we were able to hide from the misty rain. After perusing the menu, we ordered some delicious grub.

Ally ordered the ½ order Halibut and Chips. Mom ordered the Seattle Cheeseburger (sans 1000 Island), and I ordered the Sriracha Bacon Burger (sans 1000 Island). We also split a Large French Fry.

The meal was quite filling and kept us full for the rest of the evening. We did end up taking the bus to the other side of town and got some Flat Whites from Starbucks. The Starbucks Mug was the only highlight of our excursion cancellation because I collect Starbucks mugs from all my travel destinations!

After battling the bitter cold and rain, we got on board earlier than needed for our 5:45 reservation. Arriving on the boat, we were greeted with hot mulled wine (well we refilled our cup!) the only thing the mulled wine was right in the draft and was more of a luke-warm mulled wine. If you are interested in warming up with a mulled wine after an excursion day, I would skip the mulled wine in the lobby and go to one of the bars to get a decently warm mug of mulled wine.

Day 6 – Tiana’s For Dinner - Ketchikan Day

Tiana’s Place was celebrating Mardi Gras Y’all! Our servers were most excited about this day because it was Tiana’s unlimited Beignets day!

Our servers asked us if we wanted to try the Bayou Experience Rum Sampler for $15 and we all agreed – why not? The Bayou Experience is rum that is made in a small town outside of Lafayette, Louisiana. The samples included the Select Rum, Satsuma Rum, and Spiced Rum. I enjoyed the Select and Spiced Rum while mom and Ally Enjoyed the Satsuma Rum. (We bought a bottle of the Satsuma Rum when we got back home and made our Mojitos with the knowledge we learned from our Mojito tasting!) I ordered a coke to go with my rum and made myself a miniature rum and coke!

I started with the Sautéed Gulf Shrimp and Grits which also had Andouille Sausage, Grilled Green Onions. Ally ordered the Louisiana Hot Crab Dip.

I ended up ordering one of the Vegetarian entrees – Eudora’s Artichoke Ravioli. The ravioli had sautéed spinach, lemon butter, sage, and pecorino cheese. It was a light compliment for the large quantity of desserts I was about to eat.

I ended the dinner with some of Tiana’s Buttermilk Beignets and the Chocolate Doberge cake. The Beignets were good for not being in New Orleans, but I was confused as to why it had a chocolate dipping sauce. The Doberge cake was quite a disappointment. Now I know, that my hopes should not have been up, I was on a cruise ship, but this dessert should not be labeled as a Doberge Cake! The cake was filled with Chocolate Chantilly Crème instead of pudding. The cake was good, but not a good representation of one of my favorite cakes.

The evening was wrapped up with a New Orleans Style second line! Louis the Alligator came out with his horn and got everyone all excited for the second line. Most of the guests got out of their tables and joined in the fun! Of course, Ally and I brought our white napkins and pretended they were handkerchiefs to wave while we strutted along the walkway.

Day 7 – Palo For Breakfast - Sea Day

Probably one of the meals my family and I were looking forward to the most! Palo’s Brunch! On my next Disney Cruise, I’m going to make sure we book at least two Palo Brunches because they are worth the upcharge for the extra relaxation. The full review will post next Tuesday with my Full Palo Review.

Day 7 – Triton’s For Dinner - Sea Day

Our final dinner on the cruise was Lobster day! Svjetlana and Phapakorn were so excited about the lobster day and of course Ally and Mom each ordered a lobster.

Bred Service was a Sourdough Bread with Roasted Red Pepper Dip.

Even though every night I drank an iced tea with dinner, Phapakorn brought me an iced tea and a Coke to the table! He remembered the night before that I wanted a Coke – too bad he didn’t bring me some rum to put in the coke!

I was finally in my groove of not feeling weird for asking for a customized meal. I wasn’t impressed by any of the appetizers, soups or salads, so I asked for the Smoked Duck Breast Salad, without the duck, as my appetizer. The salad was a bed of greens with walnuts, shredded apples, and a creamy lemon dressing.

Following my salad, I had the Fettuccine with Parmesan Crusted Chicken. This dish was delicious but was not as good as the parmesan crusted chicken I had at Palo a couple of evenings before. This pasta was mixed with some sweet peppers and mushrooms in a cheddar sauce.

I ended my final dinner with the Captain’s Table Sunday – a Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream topped with Chocolate Sauce, Whipped Cream, and a crunchy Meringue.

I ended the meal with a large scoop of vanilla ice cream with coffee poured over it and a large dollop of whipped cream on top!

Day 8 – Cabana’s For Breakfast – Debarkation Day

We were going to go to Triton’s for our last breakfast, but the night before we decided that we wanted to do a speedy walk off. With that in mind, we ordered our coffee carafes from room service around 11 pm and they were still warm enough in the morning.

While the family was doing some last minute packing, I ran up to the Cabana’s to grab a couple of things to eat to hold us over until we got to the airport. I grabbed a couple of sausages, pound cakes, and fruit because the buffet was slim pickings!

I hope you enjoyed my extensive review of basically everything I ate while on the Disney Wonder Alaskan Cruise that sailed on May 29, 2017! Check back next Tuesday for the final Dining roundups at Palo.
 
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These posts are going to be on Friday now instead of Thursday :) Here is the link! https://plaidshirtyogapants.com/skagway-excursion-from-the-disney-wonder/


The third day of the cruise was finally a land day! Time to step off the cruise ship and onto solid ground at Skagway!


As much as I loved being on the cruise ship, I was very excited to check out one of the inside package towns and all of the activities involved.


Credit Card Issues


Earlier this year, the credit card that I used to purchase the cruise was compromised, and I had to update the credit card on file. We received a voicemail from the finance department informing me that we needed to update the card.


Of course, there is nothing more embarrassing than a declined card, so I ran downstairs with my cell phone and new credit card to get things settled. I’m not sure if there was some confusion at the front desk, but my replacement card was still declined. After calling the bank and figuring a couple of things out, I was able to transfer everything to a better card (3X the points in travel!) and squared everything away.


While working with Guest Services, I was able to watch the crew add the gangway to the cruise ship. This morning was the only day I was able to watch this, and it was exciting! It was quite chilly outside, so everyone at Guest Services had their down jackets on while technically inside.


Best of Skagway SW29


After an overwhelming number of possibilities, my family decided we would book the Best of Skagway (SW29) to see the most we could.


Our day started with us boarding a motor coach and traveling to the Canadian border to stop at Fraser, British Columbia.


On the way to Fraser, our tour guide gave us an excellent narrative of everything that we could see easily from the street and what we would see from the train. While driving on the Klondike Highway, we learned that there are no stations on the actual Canadian/United States border due to the harsh winters and elevation. Both countries decided to move their Border Inspection Stations about 7 miles from the border to allow for easier life in the elements.


Once crossing the border was one of the most comfortable Canadian Crossings I have ever partaken in. When the Canadian guard came on the bus to ask us questions, he asked us if we were scared of the train. Of course, we said – no, why would we be? And he just told us to have fun.


Once everyone got off of the bus, we were assigned different rail cars to head back to the United States. Mom, Ally and I immediately ran to the right side of the train so we could get the best views.


We sat towards the back of the train car. I liked this option because it was closer to the bathroom, the heater and the coupling. The reason why I liked being so close to the coupling was that this was the best place to stand to get photos and to go outside for some fresh air. Towards the middle of the trip, the railcar was very warm, so if you go on this excursion or train, make sure to wear layers. By the end of the ride, I was all the way down to my t-shirt!


The beauty and history that goes behind the White Pass and Yukon Route Railroad are quite breathtaking. This 20-mile ride has many breathtaking turns, drops, and bridges. A couple of times, Mom and I spotted a couple of rail cars that took a plunging drop.


After snapping a couple of photos of the landscape, mom and me relaxed and just enjoyed the rest of the train ride. When in Alaska – you need to put the camera down and just enjoy the fresh air and scenery.


After our train trip was over, we boarded the bus again. Luckily mom had handicap seating, but it only reserved the spot for her. We were initially sitting right behind her, but a couple took our place. What I learned from these bus trips, is if you want to sit in the same spot (due to accessibility reasons) you want to leave a sweater or water bottle behind to ensure you can be close to your companions. This was more irritating than anything – why can’t people stay in the same seats?


Liarsville Gold Rush Trail Camp and Salmon Bake


I am not going to lie, this part of the excursion was strange. We had about two hours to enjoy Liarsville. Liarsville is a camp where journalists who were dispatched to cover the Klondike Gold Rush hung out. Originally, the Journalists were supposed to hike the White Pass, but once they discovered how treacherous the path was, they stayed at the base of the mountain.


After not producing genuine stories, the journalists then created tall-tales and fabricated first-hand stories of the success of the Gold Rush. These tall tales are why this area is known as Liarsville.


First, we had a buffet style lunch, and then walked over and took a couple of photos of the area. We walked around the cute bookshop to see if there were any Alaskan souvenirs we wanted to purchase. While we were browsing, these actors in complete costume gathered everyone for a show. Not really knowing what to do, we followed the crowd and watched the show.


Now – this is my bad for not reading the description carefully. I should have realized that when Disney stated “Gather at the Liarsville Hippodrome, where a cast of sourdoughs and dance hall girls will entertain you with a hilarious melodrama and a poem by the "Bard of the North," Robert Service,” that this was not my style of entertainment.


Many of the guests enjoyed the corny-ness of the show, our family, however, only survived about halfway through the high school musical production of bad poetry and Comin’ Around the Mountain. Once the family decided we no longer needed to watch the corniness, we continued with exploring the camp. There was an area to pan for gold, a fireplace and snacks to enjoy, and a waterfall.


While sitting at the campfire, a TV crew and a young family came and set up shop to film. I cannot remember the name of the show, but I think it was something like Vacation Creation.


After the tour had been done with Liarsville, we all got on the bus again to our final destination, the Red Onion Saloon.


Red Onion Saloon


This was the only part of the tour that wasn’t accessible (which we were informed of before I booked the tickets) and so I quickly came up with a game plan for mom. Across the street There is a Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Visitor Center, and as my readers know I adore a good Visitor Center presented by the National Park Service. Luckily, there was a movie playing, so I left mom there to enjoy some historical facts about Skagway, while my sister and I ventured through the Red Onion Saloon to discover the best brothel Skagway had to offer.


The tour was considered a “Quickie” 20-minute tour, and there were tons of sexual innuendos and naughty jokes that made you think twice.


The tour was very entertaining, and all of the ladies kept in character. It started off with your choice of beverage, and the guests walked through the different rooms of the brothel. One area that my sister and I found hilarious was that each of the ladies had a corresponding doll, so the men knew who was available for service. We learned all about the economy of Skagway and the reasoning why a woman would want to work here as opposed to another field of work.


The museum was entirely upstairs, hence why mom couldn’t come, and downstairs there is a full bar with many different drinks and snacks to taste. Once we finished up with the tour, Ally and I went across the street to get mom from the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Visitor Center and to get a stamp in my Passport to the National Parks book.


Skagway’s Downtown

Since this was our first port, we sought out two necessities: booze and coffee! First, we found a coffee shop that Proudly Serves Starbucks Coffee. Some may say that this is the only Starbucks in Skagway, but I feel that this is just a shop that sells Starbucks coffee and products. While her, we purchased some Via Packets to help with the low-quality coffee that Disney served on the Cruise.


We then went to Alaska Liquor Store to stock up on the wines we could bring on board. Each time we were in port we could bring an additional six bottles on board, two bottles per person. We took this time to stock up our cabin because our next port was going to be busy.


We walked around downtown to enjoy some of the shops and different areas in town. I didn't find anything I wanted to purchase, per say, but we did make a special trip down to Skagway Brewery to have a beer flight.


The beer flight included a couple of different beers: Boom Town Brown, Spruce Tip Ale, Prospector Pale, Chilkoot Trail IPA, and Blue Top Porter. We took this particular trip to taste the Spruce Tip Ale, and it was well worth the walk! Unfortunately, they didn’t bottle the beer as six pack – one of the options we could have brought onto the ship, and we couldn’t find any six packs at our other two ports!


Our tour took almost all the time in port, and we had a 5:45 dinner reservation, so we mostly stayed to the shops on Broadway.


What would I do differently?


If I had to pick another excursion or if I were to visit again, I would want to ride the train both ways. The scenery from the highway is nice, but on the bus, you cannot stop and take photos. Riding on the train was thrilling and a unique experience. I know a lot of people rent cars and drive themselves, but I highly recommend the train.


I wish we could have skipped Liarsville. It was juvenile and seemed to be a waste of money for both entertainment and food. The Red Onion Saloon was entertaining, and I would possibly want to do a walking tour of the city instead of the tour of the museum.


Back on the Cruise Ship


That evening we went to dinner at Triton’s and a Whiskey tasting at 10 pm. Due to the Whiskey tasting, we decided to skip Freezing the Night Away, and we tried to watch it on our TV. Even though there is an option of watching the live Broadway shows on television, I feel as if the quality is lost. I am not sure if this was a newer cast, but everything felt forced and awkward when it came to the acting.


There were also some bizarre puppets that I did not think needed to be in the show. However, if you want to watch the show from your room, you have four different options to view.
 
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As promised - here is my review of the Palo Brunch and Dinner


Plase, go to my blog to see the photos!


We had two dining experiences at Palo on the Disney Wonder. The first experience was a dinner on Juneau day and the second experience was brunch on the second Sea day.


There are two ways to sign up for this adult only dining experience; first, you can pre-book your reservations online through the Disney Cruise Planning website or by reserving it while on board.


I booked my reservation online because I was a first-time cruiser and wanted to make sure I got these Palo Reservations! We didn’t have trouble booking dinner, but we did have some issues booking brunch. Brunch was immediately sold out, and we eventually were able to secure two spots for brunch online. A few weeks later, we were able to book the final seat. We laughed and laughed saying that mom and I were going to have brunch together while Ally was going to sit by herself brunching.


A meal at Palo costs an extra $30 per person and is well worth the price if you are seeking an adult-only, Italian dinner.


Day 5 – Palo For Dinner – Juneau Day



We were sent invitations for our Dinner and received a phone call from the head chef inviting us to join Palo for dinner.


Even though we were not fans of dressing up for Formal Night, we did change out of our Plaid Shirts and Yoga Pants into something nice for dinner.


Our entire cruise experience had been quite pleasant so far, but we were in for a real treat for an Adult only dining experience. It took me until Palo to realize that even though we were not traveling with kids, we still needed a break from them!


The atmosphere in Palo was a white tablecloth, fine dining experience. There are fresh flowers on the table and a view that is to die for!


The best thing about Palo is that even though all the food on the Disney Wonder has been delicious, Palo uses some of the finest ingredients available to the chefs.


The meal began with a bread service with dipping sauces and an antipasti cart. At this point, we knew we needed to pace ourselves because everything tasted so rich and delicious. The appetizer consisted of prosciutto, bresaola, parmesan, olives and sundried tomatoes. This first course was full of flavor and delicious.


Wanting to try everything Palo had to offer, we all split the Tomato Mozzarella Caprese salad, the soft Potato Gnocchi, and the Fritto di Calamari e Gamberi. The Caprese salad was fresh and delicious. The Gnocchi was excellent, and the Calamari and shrimp were quite tasty. The shrimp was better than the calamari, so I wish there were more shrimp than squids.


Mom and Ally drank the Limone Basilico, a cocktail made with Absolut Citron Vodka, Limoncello and fresh Muddles Basil Leaves, while I drank the Chambord Mojito Martini, a Bacardi Limon Rum, Chambord, Fresh Muddled Lime and Mint Leaves. We also had Iced Tea. One of our favorite things about the cruise is that Palo’s Iced Tea used tea in an ice form! We were so entertained by this, that we started creating our tea ice at home.


After the appetizers, we received a palate cleanser to prepare us for our main courses.


On an average day, I would have stopped eating at this point, but we were on vacation – in a fancy all you can eat restaurant – so the family continued to eat.


For dinner, we each ordered our entrée and sampled each other's dishes. I ordered the Grilled Prime Beef Tenderloin with pancetta potato, sautéed spinach, and arolo chinato wine sauce. Mom ordered the Butternut Agnolotti with Sage Brown topped with amaretti and buffalo mozzarella. Ally ordered the Pennette Pasta tossed in a spiced San Marzano Basil Sauce topped with Garlic Shrimps.


My Tenderloin was cooked to perfection, and I wish I were able to eat it every single night! This steak was even better than the steak from Animator’s Palate that I ranted and raved from an earlier blog post.


After finishing up our entrees, it was finally time for dessert! We ordered a little bit of everything – two chocolate soufflés a tiramisu, and an amaretto soufflé.


The soufflés were delicious. However, I favored the classic chocolate soufflé and vanilla ice cream. The amaretto souffle was good, but the ice cream that was paired with it was not my favorite.


At the beginning of the meal, our waitress asked us what we were celebrating, and we mentioned that we booked the cruise to celebrate our three milestone birthdays. Once our dishes were cleared, our waitress brought some individual plates out for us, each with a different design, which said Happy Birthday!


Our experience at Palo was fantastic, and I wish I would have kept our second dinner reservation! We had originally booked the first night at Palo but canceled when we booked our excursion to See Endicott Arm (Tracy’ Arm).


We did have to miss our second night at Animator’s Palate, which was disappointing because we didn’t see the fun animations. If you go on a seven night Alaskan Cruise, I would suggest going to Palo on Frozen night because that was my least favorite menu.


Day 7 – Palo For Breakfast – Sea Day


If I thought that Palo dinner was exquisite, brunch is no comparison. First, this champagne brunch has both a buffet and a menu – so make sure you come hungry! We had 1030 am seating, but I wish we would have booked it for later. Unfortunately, this day was the only day we had rough Seas so that helped me not overeat as much as I should have (we even saw guests leave the dining area to go lie down in their rooms!).


Brunch started with some bubbly on the Mouse! Mom got the Bellini while ally and I opted for some Mimosas! We had a few of these because they were only $4 each.


First, you are given a menu to look over everything that is offered from the kitchen and before you can decide what you may or may not order – you are given a tour of the buffet!


Since Palo is a classy, Italian restaurant, of course, the buffet is classy. Mostly everything is on small plates or in small jars. These bite size bits make it easy to taste almost everything. And do not be embarrassed about going back for seconds – you paid extra for this! (Something I had to remind myself throughout Brunch).


With the ship rocking back and forth, our server helped guide us over to see all the different themed tables. There was a table for just seafood, a table for all the meats and vegetables, a table for all the bread and cheese one could want, a brunch/pastry table, and finally my favorite, a dessert table.


I’m not sure if it was because of the sea sickness, or I was just ready to chow down, but I didn’t take that many photos of all the goodies I scooped up! I did, however, take a few pictures of the buffet tables.


Since this meal was going to go well into lunch for us, we ate a lot of the lunch foods instead of the breakfast foods. Each of us ordered the heirloom Tomato and Basil Soup. This soup was delicious and I highly recommend ordering it. It is an excellent compliment to cleanse your palate from all the unique flavors from the buffet.


Even though it is not listed on the menu, a fan favorite from Palo is the Grape and Gorgonzola Flatbread. I’m sure the three flatbread offerings were delicious, but we wanted to push the boundaries by ordering something off the menu.


We ordered three entrees to split amongst the three of us, the Rollatini Melanzane, the Lasagna Bolognaise, and my favorite the Parmesan-Crusted Chicken Breast. Mom and Ally loved their pasta choices, but I adored the Chicken. I am sad that I skipped the steak, but if I could go back I would eat this chicken again!


We wrapped up dinner by grabbing one of every dessert and ate each one with the teeny tiny spoon.


Palo Overall


I know there is a lot of discussion on what to or what not to tip when it comes to the $30 charge per person. Supposedly about $5 per person goes towards your server’s tip, but I feel that if your server goes above and beyond, you should tip to your discretion. We factored in how much we would pay for a tip as if we went to a Hotel Brunch for Mother’s Day. Also, there is a service charge for all liquor purchases, and we ordered a couple, so we just tipped an extra $1 per person for the mimosas and Bellini’s.


I would go to Palo again for both Dinner and Brunch. If at all possible, I would like to go to a Palo Brunch twice (if there are enough Sea Days on the cruise) and I would go to Palo Dinner during a strange themed night.


Have you ever dined at Palo (or Remy?) Which ship did you experience brunch or dinner (or both!)?
 
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Juneau!

As always please visit my blog for the photos!

The fifth day of the cruise we were ready to see some whales!

Before we were even able to get off of the ship, we ran into Mickey and Minnie Mouse in the hallway! Even though there are tons of planned character events, my family opted out of participating in any of these activities due to lines and just the time allotted to see the characters.

However, I did want to see Mickey and Minnie in their Alaskan Gear and was so excited that I ran into them in the hallway on the way to our excursion. Granted, they do not stop to take photos so if you run into a character on the ship, be quick with your photos! I was able to snap a few in the hallway before they had to disappear to their next appearance.

Best Of Juneau (JU46)

After the awkwardness of the day before Best of Skagway experience, I was hoping that the Best of Juneau would be better.

We had a whole day planned to for Whale Watching and seeing Mendenhall Glacier.

As soon as we got off of the Disney Wonder, we boarded a bus to travel to Auke Bay. Our tour guide was a transplanted local and gave us all sorts of knowledge about the history of Juneau and just some interesting information about the two and economy. She pointed out the old Wal-Mart that pulled out of June as well as describing how almost everything they get come from Amazon, even though the 2-day shipping doesn’t apply to them.

After a half an hour drive, we arrived at Auke Bay where we got on a tour boat by Allen Marine Tours.

Whale Watching

There were quite a few Disney Cruise guests on our boat, even though it wasn’t 100% full you could tell that this was a popular tour. A head of us we had a two and a half hour cruise to find whales!

The good thing about booking this cruise with Allen Marine tours is they guarantee a whale sighting or they will give each person $100. With those odds, it is almost guaranteed that the tour group would easily find a whale.

The first hour or so, we rode all over the bay looking for whales. Unfortunately, we didn’t find much until a blow hole was spotted far away. Our tour boat and a few others raced to the other side to see if we could catch up with the whale. While over there, we waited for a while to see if the Humpback Whale would show herself again.

Well, she decided that it was time to take a nap. When Whales go to sleep, half of their brain shut off and the whale does this weird bobbing up and down swimming maneuver. Of course, the whale is a mammal, and they need to remember to breathe, which is when they bob back up to the surface to breathe before going back into the water. Humpback Whales usually sleep for about twenty minutes at a time for only two to two and a half hours a day.

Even though seeing a whale sleep is incredibly rare to find in nature, the tourists in the group wanted to see some whale tails!

Our captain continued to see if we could get away from the crowd and see if we could go track down another Whale.

Our captain tracked down another whale, and everyone was so excited to see this beauty. She showed herself to one side of the boat and then went under water.

The crazy thing about Humpbacks is they can show themselves in one place, and they might not pop up back again for a while and be halfway across the Bay! Finding and tracking the whales is a little difficult in May because not all the whales are back from migrating from Hawaii.

As y’all remember, my camera broke on the third day of the cruise, so all I had was my go-pro to hope to film this whale sighting. I was on the same side of the entire crowd filming with my go-pro wondering when this whale would pop up again. It was starting to rain, so I go out of the crowd to go inside to put my second rain jacket on. At the last minute, I decided to walk over to the other side of the boat to check out what was going on over. Not even 10 seconds later there was a whale’s blowhole, and I scream!

A whale popped out of the water!

Watching the whale swim in the water was one of the best things ever! She popped out of the water and allowed all of us to watch her. After a few more blow holes and swims, she decided to show bid us good by and show us her tail. It was time for her to dive down underwater for a while and time for us to eat lunch.

Part of the whale watching tour was to go to Orca Point Lodge on Colt Island to enjoy a feast. Even though we were allotted one hour on the island, that hour went by so quickly, and we didn’t walk the island too much. The beauty of this area was breathtaking, and I wish we stayed here longer.

Back on the boat, we cruised through Auke Bay where we saw sea lions, bald eagles, and many other sea birds.

Once we got back onto the bus, we went to see Mendenhall Glacier.

Mendenhall Glacier

Our next stop was to see another Glacier, hey it’s Alaska after all.

Mendenhall Glacier is a part of the Tongass National Forrest and is one of the most beautiful sights I had ever seen in my life.

I was so excited to hear that at least one trail is handicap accessible. We had mom’s transport chair and wanted to go for a ‘hike.’ We had two options, go on the Photo Point Trail which was fully accessible or the Nugget Falls Trail which was mostly paved but would be more difficult.

We decided we would take our hike on the Photo Point Trail. The walk up was easy, there were a few areas that had a steam grade, but nothing the Lindsly girls could not handle. Once we got to the top of the trail, there was this pleasant seating area, and we all sat down to enjoy the scenes.

While sitting here, we talked with a couple of the other people from different cruise ships about where they were going, and where they were coming from. We met a couple who’s vacation had just started, and we told them that ours was coming to an end. We exchanged stories about the different ports we had all been to while watching the glacier. This glacier didn’t have any calving, like Endicott, so I wonder if the cruise ships cause further erosion of the glaciers.

After enjoying our time by the glacier, we went to the visitor center. We took the elevator to the visitor center because it seemed easier to do than the ramp.

In the visitor center, we learned that there is a high chance to see bears in this area, so hikers need to be very careful where they are wandering. We also learned that even though Alaska’s Glaciers are receding, there is one glacier that is growing – Hubbard Glacier.

After thoroughly exploring the visitor center we gathered and just admired the beauty of Alaska and the great outdoors. It is not very common for us Southerners to just sit outside in the heat and admire the beauty – so this was a rare treat for us.

What would I do differently?

I enjoyed this excursion, but if I did do anything differently, it would be to spend additional time at Mendenhall Glacier. As much as I enjoyed the food that was a part of the Whale Trip, I would have liked to walk closer to the waterfall that was close to the Glacier.

Also, we didn’t have any time to explore downtown. I think this is because we spent too much time on the whale watching – but that is nothing I can complain of! I would love to come back to Juneau and explore their downtown and also eat at Tracy’s King Crab Shack. Phapakorn, our assistant server, was so excited to have a few hours off in Juneau because he was going to eat all of the crab legs at Tracy’s.

Back on the Cruise Ship

After Mendenhall Glacier, we were well over our allotted time for the excursion and was cutting it close to the All Aboard time. Many guests asked for a downtown drop off, but we didn’t want to get left behind and decided to stay on the boat so we could get ready for our dinner at Palo.

We decided to skip Frozen: A Musical because we were tired and didn’t want to rush through our Palo Dinner for a play we were not interested in. We tried to watch it on our TV, but that didn’t work out for us. Even though there is an option of watching the live Broadway shows on television, I feel as if the quality is lost. I am not sure if this was a newer cast, but everything felt forced and awkward when it came to the acting.

There were also some bizarre puppets that I did not think needed to be in the show. However, if you want to watch the show from your room, you have four different options to view.

As always please visit my blog for the photos!
 
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As always - please go to the blog to see the photos and formatting: https://plaidshirtyogapants.com/disney-wonder-ketchikan-alaska/


Ketchikan was the last port of call until the long sail back to Vancouver. We were also in port from 11:15 am until 7:45 pm, so it was a different vibe and feel for excursion day.


I had decided to purchase tickets online through a third party to visit Misty Fjords National Monument, so it was the first time that we were actually on our own.


Morning on the Ship


Since we could not disembark from the Ship until 11:15 am, Ally and I decided to hit up the gym! The gym had significantly fewer guests compared to the first Sea Day and Endicott Arm Day. Ally and I just did some simple treadmill and weight exercises before heading off to breakfast. We also signed up for the coveted spring class for the next morning!


Breakfast was quite crowded at the Cabanas because everyone seemed to have the same idea as us – go to the cabanas as late as possible, so you do not get hungry while out and about in Ketchikan.


Finally, when the ship docked, we were able to get off to get on a plane trip.


Ketchikan


The whole day was rainy and misty – which is not a great combination to try to get in the air and fly to a national monument. The first thing we did once we got off the ship, was to dodge the rain and run right into the Southeast Alaska Discovery Center. We had some time to kill before our flight and watched one of the educational movies and explored the visitor center.


After spending about an hour in the store, the rain had slacked off, and we explored downtown and explored the shops. Many of the shops and restaurants are very centered around tourists. When we were in one of the convince stores, Ally found this faux fur hat, however, we went over to the Sitka Fur Gallery, and she bought a cute hat for the cold winters in New York.


Misty Fjord National Monument


Every time we go on a trip, we always try to do some air adventure, and it never works out. For Ketchikan, I decided to not book through Disney, but try booking an excursion through a third party. I decided to book my tour online through Alaska Shore Excursions. The trip was going to be 2.5 hours of scenic cruising to Misty Fjords and a 25-minute flight from Misty Fjords to Ketchikan. According to my email exchange with the company, as long as the handi-capable person could transfer from the chair to the boat and plane, they can store the transport chair during the rest of the trip.


Our tickets instructed that we wait for our tour guide at the “Liquid Sunshine” Rain gauge on the side of the Ketchikan Visitor Center. Of course, the rain and wind were not on our side, and our 1:15 pm trip was canceled. Taquan Air was the actual company that was going to bring us around, so the tour guide instructed that we go and try to re-book with Taquan Air directly for a later flight because the weather may improve.


The 3 pm flight was full, so our only option was the 5 pm flight. With nothing planned and three hungry travelers – we decided to go check out Burger Queen.


Burger Queen


Ketchikan is pretty handicap able when it comes to hills and what not, there were a few areas that were a bit intense. First, we didn’t realize there was a footbridge in the tunnel, so there was some excitement in trying to cross the street while using the transport chair. Also, there is at least one big hill, but we were able to skip a few streets and deal with the incline.


After eating at Burger Queen, we continued to explore the city.


Back up plan


Even though Mom and I read probably every trip report and blog in the world preparing for this trip, I did not have a backup plan for Ketchikan. In true Lindsly Fashion, we just winged it. Since we walked all the way over to Burger Queen, we decided to look at some of the antique shops and unique stores in the area. It started raining again, so we quickly ran back towards town, debating if we wanted just to continue to brave it in the rain.


After a quick Google search, I learned that there was a grocery store Starbucks not too far away and we could take the free public bus all the way to the Safeway so I could purchase my favorite souvenir – a You Were Here Starbucks mug.


Of course, we got on the bus going the wrong way, but we were able to get a little sightseeing of the rest of the area that we were not able to cover by foot. The almost round trip did not take that long, and we had 20 minutes to go into Safeway, look for more spruce tip beer (we didn’t find any), purchase my Starbucks Mug, and purchase a few coffees for the family.


What would I do differently?


I wish I had made a backup plan for Ketchikan instead of just winging it. I usually plan every little detail when it comes to these trips, but for some reason, I didn’t prepare a backup plan. My back up plan would probably have included mapping out what restaurants I would want to dine at (even though I loved Burger Queen), how to utilize the bus program, and some other sightseeing areas we would want to knock out. Of course – it was pretty relaxing just being able to walk around town and do whatever we wanted.


All Aboard


Even though the All Aboard wasn’t until 7:45 pm our dinner reservations at Tiana’s was at 5:45 and we didn’t want to miss Mardi Gras at Tiana’s!


That evening there was a comedy show that we opted to skip so we could explore the ship, sit on our balcony, and enjoy the scenery. At first, we wanted to find the secret deck that we've read about on all of the blogs. We searched high and low (and even got on the internet to see if we could figure it out). Well, let me just tell you, there is no longer a secret deck on Deck 9 anymore, in fact, the area that used to be the secret deck now looks like this.


Also, while exploring, we were able to watch the taping of the Morning Show! Walking around we saw that the cruise directors were filming int he D club and as soon as I saw them I yelled 'Look the Morning Show!' They did not get out of character at all! When I was walking back to my room, we actually ran into Donald Duck and we were wearing the same Plaid Shirt! Who knew that Donald looked so good in red and black?


We still had a few bottles of wine left over that we needed to consume, so we spent the whole evening sitting on the balcony keeping our eyes peeled for whales and other wildlife.


That night, the seas turned for the worse, and we got our first bout of what it felt like to be seasick.
 
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Following along. Just read thru your adventure thus far, love it! Thinking of trying an Alaskan cruise in 2019. Can't wait to read the rest.
 
A day late but I've been so distracted with IRMA!

As always please click this link to see all the photos and formatting: https://plaidshirtyogapants.com/last-day-sea-disembarkation/

The final day of the cruise was an interesting one. After four days full of excursions at Endicott, Skagway, Juneau, and Ketchikan, we finally had some downtime to enjoy the ship on our own. We were a little exhausted from may days full of activities, so this Sunday at Sea was a more relaxing one.

First Time on Rough Water
As y’all all know, this was my first every cruise. We were so worried about getting sea sick that we took sea sickness medication every day. Sea day was the first day we experienced any movement or rocking of the boat. After a stormy night, and a rough morning, we used this whole day to relax on the ship and enjoy the last few moments in Alaska.

Going to the Gym
I was dying to try the Spin class first thing in the morning. The first two times I tried to sign up the class was full. So I was determined to make this class. I quickly got dressed and made my way over to the Senses Spa to get my spin on. While walking down the hallway, I noticed I couldn’t keep my balance. I was gently rolled from one side of the hall to the other and noticed a man in the hallway had the same stumbling issues.

Rough Seas – This is Going to be Fun
Determined to do the class. I found the perfect bike and jumped on. Traditionally, the class has ten people spinning at one time. The spin class takes place in the middle of the gym – quite awkward if you ask me. I picked my favorite seats in the class and waited for my fellow gym goers to show up.

Only three more people showed up, and two of them sat right on top of me. Seriously. There are ten spots, why did you have to sit next to me? Anyways, the spin instructor came in and gave us a little speech saying that the ship was rocking a lot today so if we felt ill, please get up and run to the bathroom. She also said that if for any reason she got up and ran to the bathroom to just keep peddling, and she would be okay.

I started the spin class with such determination, I mean the class was only thirty minutes long. But around the 10 minutes into the class, I felt ill. Spinning on the ocean on a regular day probably doesn’t feel any different than spinning but spinning on a rocky sea was quite the experience. While we were climbing hills and doing jumps, we were also rocking back and forth, so it felt like we were going to a square instead of just up and down. Let’s just say; I was so happy once the 30 minutes were over.

Brunch at Palo
Walking back to my cabin was not any easier than earlier in the day. Mom and Ally were swaying around the cabin, and we all got ready to go to Palo.

Palo brunch was delicious, and I wish we ate here for brunch every day! We, of course, had a couple of cocktails (this first one is from the Mouse!) which didn’t help with the boat rocking.

During brunch, I saw at least two people told their server that they were going to go back to their cabin to lie down. I felt bad that they had to miss brunch, but I didn’t blame them at all. At One point, I looked out the window past mom and said ‘woah, those mountains sure are going up and down a lot!’

After brunch, Ally and Mom headed back to the cabin and I stubbornly headed over to the Disney Vacation Club Group Preview to try to win a gift card (I didn’t).

Evening on the Balcony
The sea calmed down, but after the massive brunch and being bounced around everywhere we decided we needed some down time in the cabin. So we opened up the blinds and soaked in the scenery and sun. We may have also taken a nap.

After we were well rested, and the sea was calm, the family sat on the balcony knocking off a couple of bottles of wine. While sitting on the balcony, we saw a man in a little-motorized boat serenading us with his trumpet. He wasn’t the best trumpet player, but he was having a grand time playing for us. He even played “When the Saints Go Marching In” and our whole balcony hooped and hollered.

Even though this spontaneity wasn’t Disney planned or sponsored, it was one of the magical moments on the boat!

Dinner
That evening we dined at Triton’s, and it was Lobster Day. During dinner, we dropped off our gratuities to our Head Server, Server, and Assistant Server. We talked to them about our options of either doing the express walk off or dining on the boat. Even though Svjetlana and Phapakorn informed us that we should be fine dining at Triton’s with all of our luggage and take the express exit right off the boat, we opted to skip breakfast the next morning.

Disney Dreams
After dinner, we went on over to The Walt Disney Theater one last time to watch Disney Dreams. This show was by far one of my favorite shows on the cruise! It had all of the Disney character classics and flowed the story of a young girl named Anne Marie. Each time a new Disney character appeared on stage, you could feel the excitement of seeing Peter Pan, Cinderella and Aladdin. Out of all of the shows on the ship, this was the one that I enjoyed the most. It felt like a classic Disney Parks show.

Disembarkation Day
The next day was Disembarkation Day – we decided to grab breakfast in the Cabanas and just walk off with all of our luggage. When you do a walk off, you technically do not have any help with your bags, but we didn’t have any issues maneuvering off of the boat. We were able to walk out, pass customs, and get on the Disney bus to the airport all before 8 am! Our bus driver gave us a quick tour and history of Vancouver while driving us to the airport.

Once we arrived at the airport, we ended up spending some time in the Plaza Premium Lounge before flying back to New Orleans.

This seven-day cruise was truly the journey of a lifetime. I hope to return to Alaska again whether it is on another Disney Cruise or to make a land trip.

If you missed any of my posts for my trip reports for the cruise, please see below:
Day 1, May 29, 2017, Vancouver
Day 2, May 30, 2017, At Sea
Day 3, May 31, 2017, Endicott Arm
Day 4, June 1, 2017, Skagway
Day 5, June 2, 2017, Juneau
Day 6, June 3, 2017, Ketchikan
Day 7, June 4, 2017, At Sea
 
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Bumping this up in case anyone is on the cruise or doing last minute planning! I can’t believe it’s been two years 😭 we want to go again (maybe 2020’or 2021!)
 
Bumping this up in case anyone is looking to book the Alaskan Cruise for 2021! It was worth any penny and we are wanting to go again!

How I Saved
Over 13% on my Disney Cruise

Wow! Just finished reading your TR! What an amazing job you did.
We booked the May 17 2021 Disney cruise to Alaska. Cannot wait!
We got one of the secret verandah rooms as well. I can already taste the mulled wine:drinking1
Can I ask you if any movies are played on funnel vision during an Alaskan cruise?
 

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