DisneyDiva84
Fantasy is real and reality is fantastic!
- Joined
- Jan 18, 2010
Embarkation!!!!: Day 3
Yes, this post gets a lot of exclamation marks. How could it not? We were so excited and the day started with a crazy moment to get us going.
We were laying in bed and of course, the kids started waking up as the sun came up. My son jumped out of bed and started pulling back curtains saying, "you guys, lets see the Disney boat." I looked at the clock, 6:20AM. I had heard the Wonder typically pulls in around 5:45, so I thought there was no way. To be honest, I was a bit dissapointed myself. Well during this time, my husband had gotten up, to help my son not fall off the chair he was standing on, and pulled the curtains completely open. I was laying there just talking to him when suddenly I spotted her! I literally sprang up (about rolling over my daughter next to me) and my son was full on ecstatic. It was a gorgeous sight! And it was really neat thinking we were among the first guests to see the Wonder arrive!
Obviously at that point, the kids were up. So it was time to get dressed and have a light breakfast in the lounge before heading over to the pier. We thought killing time at the pier would be perfect because we could walk right up to the Wonder and continue to build the excitement. It was really interesting to see them unloading bags and hearing debarkation announcements from the crew. My son loved waving hi to all the crew members cleaning rooms. We also made guesses at which window was ours. This was our first time with an Oceanview on DCL and we were really ready to see it!
Is it time yet?
After hanging out at the pier, it was time to head back to our room for the final pack up! We hailed a taxi and headed to the port around 10 AM. Yep, a full hour before our 11 AM check-in time. We figured it couldn't hurt to be early AND again, our kids were going crazy in the small confines of the room.
So again, let's talk about the Port of Vancouver. Our taxi backed into the unloading area and porters took our bags the second we arrived. We kept both bookbags only, having re-packed things the evening prior. We had included swimsuits, diapers, the basics.
After the porters greeted us it was upstairs to Disney Check-in. At this point, Avery (4 year old boy) was almost bursting with excitement. He kept telling everyone good morning. A lady stepped out of a breakroom on our way up commenting that they could hear him inside and everyone was laughing. We went to the Silver/Gold check-in but there wasn't really any line and got boarding group 4. This part was the easiest of the day. The young lady who had greeted Avery in the hallway, Brooke, came walking up while we were checking in and knelt down in front of the kids with a duffle. "Do you guys want one?" It was full of different stuffed animals! Audrey chose Minnie and Avery chose Olaf. Not a bad way to start a day right?
After our moment with Brooke it was down another hallway to Customs. Again short lines, just tough with kids in tow. Then it was down one last hallway to the waiting area!!!!
This waiting area was so much bigger than Port Canveral or any others we have sailed from. Just all-around more open. My in-laws took a few seats in the chairs provided on one end while we opted to wait for the characters. We were first in line when Mickey came out. You will notice there isn't a picture. Audrey wasn't really feeling that particular meet. Pluto was out next and you can tell she was quite shy! We figured this was better than the meltdowns she had in February at the Walt Disney World Resort. At least now she was letting us approach them!
The family in all the boarding excitement!
My son loves the characters, so when Pluto didn't have a line, he was happy to keep him company! It was just the two of them for a bit, which was really fun to watch!
We took a spot on the floor in the waiting area. It was wide open, and we thought it would be better if the kids could run around a bit. Two Cast Members walked up and started talking to us about our day. I told them it was nice to just sit after a few lines and a fun morning. Alex, one of the Cast Members, stopped me mid-sentence and walked away. I honestly thought it was an emergency or something. He returned with a boarding card and told me we should have a magical day... It was the first boarding group! Seriously, at this point, I was worried about the voyage because who gets that much pixie dust at the start!
Boarding group 1 was called, and we were on our way!!
Since our in-laws paid for our cruise fare, we wanted to thank them. My husband was on a mission the second we were on the ship. Rainforest Room couples pass. He ran up to the Senses Spa, and I took the elevator with them to Cabanas. We've heard these are hard to come by, so we wanted to be sure to get them first thing. My in-laws were thrilled and completely taken by surprise. For those that don't know, Senses Spa offers passes to the Rainforest Room. There are daily ones you can get before the sailing, but you can get one for the entirety of your trip when you board. The couples pass was $193 plus upfront gratuities, and my in-laws will tell you it was worth every cent. They were up there probably 2-4 times each day!
After Cabanas, and since we boarded earlier than planned, we had some time to look around before the rooms opened. Audrey was late for her nap, so in an attempt to distract her, we went to the Oceaneer Club Open House. Avery's favorite princess is Ariel. Who do we see as we walk in??? Again, my husband and I were just beaming at this point!
Making things more emotional (we are only on Day 1 right?) Audrey totally warmed up to Ariel. She gave her a hug almost instantly! Avery got to give our favorite mermaid a tour of the club as well. It was really amazing. We must have had her to oursevles for about 15 minutes or so!
We also stopped by "it's a Small World" nursery and registered Audrey. We knew she wouldn't hold up well during dinners, so this was our first time utilizing the facility. The great thing is you can cancel your reservations or change them up to four hours in advance, with no penalty! It really helped us out, as things change daily, and the facility is adorable!
Our room was ready as scheduled. We were in room 5512 and our in-laws were in 5514. There was no connecting door. Would you believe I don't have a picture of the room itself?! I have porthole shots that I will share later
The room was great though. We loved having the couch in the back as opposed to the front of the room when you walk in on the Inside Cabins. There was so much more storage space, too! I don't know if we will ever go back to Inside Cabins now... Also, apparently rooms on deck 5 aren't booked as quickly because guests are worried about being close the kids' clubs. Well, we didn't hear a peep. I'm telling you it was one of the quietest rooms we've had on any line period. The only thing I would do differently is to book an aft room, rather than forward. Our room was on the opposite side of Cabanas, Oceaneer Club, Nursery and theater. While it didn't seem like a long way when we booked, it kind of was. It was also down a side hallway, which just made it feel a bit longer. Regardless, it was a fantastic room.
My husband sat with Audrey for her nap while I took Avery to the pool area. Yep, it was gorgeous out, so we put those swimsuits to good use! He went on the waterslide and swam in the main pool. Of course, as he was getting out of the main pool, he completely hit his head on the safety rail. I mean a welt-creating-hit. Poor guy was wailing. At first the lifeguards didn't see, but once they did, it was a quick chain of events. The Manager came over, interviewed Avery and gave me the rundown in case he had a concussion. Fortunately he was fine, but it was great to know he was in good hands should anything develop. I should note, he loved the ice packs that they gave him. They were the break and cool kind. He liked to shake it, and it made for a good distraction to the bump on his head.
When Audrey woke up, we ran back downstairs, changed and waited for the Muster Drill. The drill was over, and it was off to the fun. Whatever you do, don't miss the sail away from Vancouver. It is a stunning port, and people were just in really good spirits. Ready for Alaska!
Waving to all the folks on the bridge we saw the day before!
Dinner for the evening was Animators Palate. Mickey made his appearence, but man, I don't know if we noticed. We were on such a high from the day!
The scenery continued to improve, and my husband took this that evening!
Side note: Time changes are rough! We had been up since 5 so nearly all of us were ready for bed by 8/9 PM!
Next up: Disney Wonder Day 2: At Sea and on our way to America's Last Frontier!
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