DVC Wonder, West Coast Cruise May 15 through May 20, 2019,

[Cruising Engineer]

Looking at port Adventures offered for San Francisco this year is one to Alcatraz island and Sausalito. For those who may be thinking of doing the Alcatraz tour on your own, here is a link to the website where advance tickets can be booked. Tickets go on sale 90 days in advance and it does fully book 4-6 weeks ahead of tour dates/times. There are no walk ups so you will want to plan & book your tickets shortly after they become available to be sure to get tickets.

This is the site that’s goes with the NPS for the tickets
https://www.alcatrazcruises.com/?_ga=2.82343058.541217756.1533435649-412321653.1533435649

Thank you for the information We're looking into this.

 

[Bellecruiser]

Looking at port Adventures offered for San Francisco this year is one to Alcatraz island and Sausalito. For those who may be thinking of doing the Alcatraz tour on your own, here is a link to the website where advance tickets can be booked. Tickets go on sale 90 days in advance and it does fully book 4-6 weeks ahead of tour dates/times. There are no walk ups so you will want to plan & book your tickets shortly after they become available to be sure to get tickets.!

Great info! Thanks so much!

 

[Bellecruiser]

Hi All,

We decided to switch to the Oct Member Cruise as we wanted to take the EBTA in May. This looks like a great cruise, and I wish you all the best!

 

[bobbiwoz]

Hi All,

We decided to switch to the Oct Member Cruise as we wanted to take the EBTA in May. This looks like a great cruise, and I wish you all the best!

I will see you on that one! Booked it with friends.
Tom and I are still on this one.

Once again, interested people in Local Candy/Snack Exchange, please mention here!

 

[bobbiwoz]

How is everyone? We spent some time in F&W and enjoyed ourselves. We did two cooking demonstrations, one a shrimp dish and the other a boneless short rib meal that we definitely will be having!

We are doing the A by Disney, so that keeps us busy in San Francisco. How about in Victoria? Besides the Parliament buildings and Butchart Gardens, does anyone have another destination there?

 

[Mathmagicland]

How is everyone? We spent some time in F&W and enjoyed ourselves. We did two cooking demonstrations, one a shrimp dish and the other a boneless short rib meal that we definitely will be having!

We are doing the A by Disney, so that keeps us busy in San Francisco. How about in Victoria? Besides the Parliament buildings and Butchart Gardens, does anyone have another destination there?

Hi, Bobbiwoz - sounds like F&W was fun, maybe I will make it there some day.

Re Victoria, we have a late (to me) arrival/ashore time, 10:30 a.m. The Gardens are likely a primary focus for us, though the Craigdarroch Castle also looks very interesting. There don’t seem to be a lot of Port Adventures to choose from in Victoria, which is usually my starting point for research. I did a bit of research re options to get to the gardens on our own, but the cruise port Adventures does seem to be a good option given the distance from port. Haven’t done much more research yet than that. Though I probably need to get started as it’s just seven months away now.

 

[bobbiwoz]

Hi, Bobbiwoz - sounds like F&W was fun, maybe I will make it there some day.

Re Victoria, we have a late (to me) arrival/ashore time, 10:30 a.m. The Gardens are likely a primary focus for us, though the Craigdarroch Castle also looks very interesting. There don’t seem to be a lot of Port Adventures to choose from in Victoria, which is usually my starting point for research. I did a bit of research re options to get to the gardens on our own, but the cruise port Adventures does seem to be a good option given the distance from port. Haven’t done much more research yet than that. Though I probably need to get started as it’s just seven months away now.

I will check out the castle. We did drive to Butchart Gardens from the port, that was in 1994, so I obviously do not remember the driving detail, but I have many pictures in my album, so I would like something new. Years before that I had tea at the Empress Hotel, that was in 1963.

 

[Mathmagicland]

I will check out the castle. We did drive to Butchart Gardens from the port, that was in 1994, so I obviously do not remember the driving detail, but I have many pictures in my album, so I would like something new. Years before that I had tea at the Empress Hotel, that was in 1963.

Re the Parliament buildings, since we are in Victoria on a Sunday, visiting Parliament limited to a tour either an arranged group tour or one of the public tours offered there.

https://www.leg.bc.ca/content-peo/Pages/Public-Tours.aspx

 

[2_Eagle_Mom]

How is everyone? We spent some time in F&W and enjoyed ourselves. We did two cooking demonstrations, one a shrimp dish and the other a boneless short rib meal that we definitely will be having!

We are doing the A by Disney, so that keeps us busy in San Francisco. How about in Victoria? Besides the Parliament buildings and Butchart Gardens, does anyone have another destination there?

SO bummed we couldn't make F&W this year. Hopefully next year!

We'll be staying on the ship in SF (we are from the SF Bay Area, so unless we want to run home to do laundry, we will enjoy the empty ship). I'm thinking spa visit and movies!

We just visited Victoria this summer. We went to Buchart Gardens. It was AMAZING and definitely a must do. We booked the tour through CVS Tours. https://www.cvstours.com/sightseeing-tours/butchart-gardens/ The thing that we loved was we were able to determine how much time we spent in the gardens and then just hopped on the next departing bus. It made for a much more relaxing tour than those that tell you how much time you have and what time to get back on the bus. Our tour included the Butterfly Gardens. It was nice, but not something I need to do again. From where I understand the cruise ships dock, Buchart Gardens is on the other side of the island, so there is about an hour drive to/from.

My goal this year is to go on a whale watching tour of some kind. Not sure if we will book through Disney or on our own. Oh and we will definitely be stopping at the Beaver Tails shop on Broughton Street. If you ever had the Beaver Tails in the Canada Pavillion in Epcot (circa late 1990s to 2004) you will want to make a detour to get one (or more) of these. If you never had them, they are flat whole wheat fried dough that you then add toppings to. Absolute heaven!!

 

[bobbiwoz]

SO bummed we couldn't make F&W this year. Hopefully next year!

We'll be staying on the ship in SF (we are from the SF Bay Area, so unless we want to run home to do laundry, we will enjoy the empty ship). I'm thinking spa visit and movies!

We just visited Victoria this summer. We went to Buchart Gardens. It was AMAZING and definitely a must do. We booked the tour through CVS Tours. https://www.cvstours.com/sightseeing-tours/butchart-gardens/ The thing that we loved was we were able to determine how much time we spent in the gardens and then just hopped on the next departing bus. It made for a much more relaxing tour than those that tell you how much time you have and what time to get back on the bus. Our tour included the Butterfly Gardens. It was nice, but not something I need to do again. From where I understand the cruise ships dock, Buchart Gardens is on the other side of the island, so there is about an hour drive to/from.

My goal this year is to go on a whale watching tour of some kind. Not sure if we will book through Disney or on our own. Oh and we will definitely be stopping at the Beaver Tails shop on Broughton Street. If you ever had the Beaver Tails in the Canada Pavillion in Epcot (circa late 1990s to 2004) you will want to make a detour to get one (or more) of these. If you never had them, they are flat whole wheat fried dough that you then add toppings to. Absolute heaven!!

Well, you sold me to try Beaver Tails!

I will look into CVS tours, and see what they offer. We recently spent a day in Queen Elizabeth Park and the conservatory in Vancouver, and we have been to Butchart Gardens.

Thank you!

 

[Mathmagicland]

We booked the tour through CVS Tours.

Thanks for sharing about this tour company, that might be a better option with the flexibility on transport to the Gardens. I’ve been looking at the various DCL options & trying to figure which would give the longer time in the garden.

Do you know, does the ship dock close to the Empress? Or is it walkable? Or are there provided shuttles from the cruise ship to somewhere reasonably close to the Empress?

 

[bobbiwoz]

Thanks for sharing about this tour company, that might be a better option with the flexibility on transport to the Gardens. I’ve been looking at the various DCL options & trying to figure which would give the longer time in the garden.

Do you know, does the ship dock close to the Empress? Or is it walkable? Or are there provided shuttles from the cruise ship to somewhere reasonably close to the Empress?

It’s been 1994, on RCCL, we docked within walking distance of the Empress.

 

[Mathmagicland]

It’s been 1994, on RCCL, we docked within walking distance of the Empress.

Thanks!

 

[2_Eagle_Mom]

Do you know, does the ship dock close to the Empress? Or is it walkable? Or are there provided shuttles from the cruise ship to somewhere reasonably close to the Empress?

I don't know for certain where the ship will dock, but when we were on a water taxi, they pointed out where the cruise ships dock and it was not the marina right across from the Empress. I just checked Google Maps and it looks like it is about a 1.4 mile walk from the downtown area. I found the website for the Cruise Terminal http://www.victoriacruise.ca/greater-victoria/transportation that has walking maps as well as other transportation options.

 

[bobbiwoz]

I don't know for certain where the ship will dock, but when we were on a water taxi, they pointed out where the cruise ships dock and it was not the marina right across from the Empress. I just checked Google Maps and it looks like it is about a 1.4 mile walk from the downtown area. I found the website for the Cruise Terminal http://www.victoriacruise.ca/greater-victoria/transportation that has walking maps as well as other transportation options.

Thanks!

 

[Mathmagicland]

I don't know for certain where the ship will dock, but when we were on a water taxi, they pointed out where the cruise ships dock and it was not the marina right across from the Empress. I just checked Google Maps and it looks like it is about a 1.4 mile walk from the downtown area. I found the website for the Cruise Terminal http://www.victoriacruise.ca/greater-victoria/transportation that has walking maps as well as other transportation options.

Thanks for this info & link

 

[Cruising Engineer]

Heads Up: BJ's has Disney GC 8% off. Just bought some for the May cruise. Don't know how long it will last, but it's on for today (Tuesday Oct 23).

 

[Mathmagicland]

https://www.waltdisney.org/exhibitions/mickey-mouse-walt-world

Big announcement from the Walt Disney Family Museum - the special Mickey Mouse exhibit currently in NYC for Mickey’s 90th is coming to the museum starting on May 16. Our cruise stops on San Francisco on Friday May 17, so this will be there just in for our member cruise port stop.

 

[islandsnoopy]

https://www.waltdisney.org/exhibitions/mickey-mouse-walt-world

Big announcement from the Walt Disney Family Museum - the special Mickey Mouse exhibit currently in NYC for Mickey’s 90th is coming to the museum starting on May 16. Our cruise stops on San Francisco on Friday May 17, so this will be there just in for our member cruise port stop.

Thanks for the info! Planning a visit to NYC to see the exhibit next month.

 

[Mathmagicland]

https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/onboard-activities/palo-restaurant/

For those interested in Palo, pricing has increased for reservations made starting yesterday.