Wonder to the Land of the Midnight Sun~~~August 20th 2012~~~

[RVD90277]

Murray's Guide looks great! I'll get it.

I'll say hi if I see you at Palo for brunch .

 

[reisdawg]

I have Palo brunch scheduled for day 3 (Tracy Arm) and Palo dinner for day 4 (Skagway).

I have enjoyed Palo dinner in the past but have never had the brunch. Does anyone know what brunch is like?

I also hear that the view is nice so hopefully it'll be great for Tracy Arm.

Also, for anyone who cares, Palo reservations always fill up early online but if you go straight to the reservations area (they usually set it up in one of the rooms (e.g. Wavebands, etc.)) after you get on the ship, they have plenty of availability. And if you're wondering...yes, it's worth the $20 surcharge. I just don't like missing out on pirate's dinner or the lobster dinner in the main room.

Also, I have been on this ship a few times in the past so I know it fairly well if anyone has questions, etc.

A few quick tips from me:

1) bring a power strip - very handy to charge batteries, laptop, etc.

2) bring a refillable water bottle - they have free soda on the top so it's nice to fill up so you have soda in your room. I am trying to cut down on my soda intake but free soda is too tempting.

3) You can buy pirate's gear on ship but it's cheaper if you buy it in advance.

4) If you like wine, you can bring wine onboard. Your room steward will give you a corkscrew. You can always order wine or you can fill up a glass from your room and walk it to dinner if you're a cheapo (it'll be as if you are walking to dinner from one of the bars).

5) If your kids are picky eaters, they'll usually accommodate. I know my kid ate like mac & cheese every day on one of our cruises. He also got mickey mouse ice cream pretty much every day. The ice cream station on the top is pretty nice.

6) I like the burgers and hot dogs for lunch by the pool. I like it more than the buffet or waiting around forever in one of the dining rooms.

7) The gym is pretty busy the first morning. By the end of the cruise, it's empty. Kind of like New Years resolutions right?

8) Shore excursions are cool if you have a "can't miss" type of activity that you want to do for sure. But I usually just walk off the ship and play it by ear...there are usually a lot of folks off the ship trying to sell you tours and stuff like that.

For Skagway, I rented a car with Avis. I plan to drive part of the Yukon trail. We'll see how that goes...

T minus 11 days....can't wait!

We also have a reservation for Palo on Tracy Arm Day at 1030.

 

[Boutilier]

We have Palo for dinner on pirate night - it is my least favorite menu and without the kids thought it would be a good night to skip. I booked our brunch for Victoria day. Since we will be missing dinner that evening I thought having a nice meal earlier in the day would make up for it.

I just started packing today and it was hard to think about wearing sweats and jackets when it was 105 degrees. We were still outside swimming in the pool at 8:30 tonight!

Jennifer

 

[RVD90277]

Anyone know how cold it gets? Are jackets good enough or do we need actual winter coats (e.g., ski parkas)?

Even here in Seattle, it has been pretty hot.

 

[DisSarahK]

LOL, our brunch reservation is at 10:30 on Tracy Arm day. Too bad we don't know what everyone looks like--we could all say hello!

As for the Alaska weather, I've been checking the Accuweather reports online for the various cities. It looks like highs of 50-60s and rain. I think Tracy Arm day is the day that might be cold, but I don't know how to check the weather there. People look pretty bundled up on deck in the pictures I've seen posted.

 

[RVD90277]

I know what you look like...

 

[DisSarahK]

I know what you look like...

LOL, I guess I mostly still look like my signature picture--it is from four years ago though on our first trip to Disneyland. My husband still looks exactly like that though.

 

[shasbrooke]

Hi All,

My family of four from San Diego will cruising on the 20th as well. We consist of DH (me), DW, DD9 and DD11 and are all very much looking forward to getting the party started. Bummed we missed out on the FE. This being our first Disney cruise, we didn't know about it until after finding this thread. We are spending one night in Seattle before we cruise and have that day jammed with events already. As for the cruise, we are booked on a couple excursions...

1. Skagway - White Pass Raliway
2. Juneau - Sled Dog Camp

I really want to take my girls fishing in Ketchikan, but have yet to find exactly what i am looking for (think "A River Runs Through It"). Not sure if it will be possible, but will keep trying some of the local charters I find online. If anyone has some good insight on non-boat fishing options in Ketchikan, I would love to hear about them.

I will try to post a picture in another message. Can't seem to get it to work in this one. If you happen to see us, please say hi.

@DisSarahK and others - Thank you so much for all the contributions to this thread. They have really been helpful.

~Steve

 

[DisSarahK]

Welcome to you and your family, Steve! I'll add you to the list of cruisers later tonight.

I think you have to have a certain number of posts to post a picture...maybe 10 or 15?

I'm no help on the fishing, sorry! Maybe someone on the main forum knows. Or look on the Cruise Critic boards in the Alaska section. There are a lot of people there who cruise to Alaska on all sorts of cruise lines.

 

[reisdawg]

My son has outgrown his sized 6 suit so I have to buy a new jacket. Does anyone need a suit for a young man? Will to bring to give or loan if someone needs it for formal nights. Can post/email pics and give measurements if needed.

 

[DisSarahK]

August 20th Cruisers!

*DisSarahK...Sarah, husband, two children (girl age 8, boy age 6)...from the Seattle area
*shanstef...Shannon, husband...from the Seattle area (plus their friends from Belgium!)
*RVD90277...husband, wife, one child (boy age 6), MIL, SIL, SIL's husband...from SoCal--just moved to the Seattle area!
*Jennymom2...Jenny, husband, two children (genders? ages 4 & 2), G'ma, G'pa, Bro, SIL, two children (genders? ages 4 & 1)...from TX
*mkmouse25...Mary, sister Helen, one child (Mary age 15)...from NJ -- Helen is turning 50!!
*boutilier...Jennifer, Tom...from CA (celebrating 18th anniversary on August 20th!!)
*lmagnee...Liz, husband, two children (girl age 10, girl age 7)...from SF Bay area
*KZPow / Xscream...KZ, husband, two children (boy age 11, girl age 8)...from Maple Valley, WA
*AJaquins...wife, husband, plus mother and FIL in another cabin...from Yakima, WA
*Aparrent...wife, husband, one child (boy age 4)...from Dallas, TX
*Ljbadfan...husband, wife, plus parents
*magluk...magluk, two children (girl age 11, boy age 7)...from NY
*3xDisney2012...Jen, husband, one child (boy age 7)...from Seattle
*reisdawg...husband, wife, two children...from WA (also traveling with grandparents)
*Ilion...Ilion, Ilion's mother, two children (girl, girl)...from Victoria, BC
*MickeyMouse101
*Caewings...Caewings, husband, three children (boy age 8, girl age 5, girl age 18 months)...from SoCal (also traveling w/ MIL, BIL, 2 SIL, & 6 y/o niece)
*NorthernLynn...NorthernLynn, plus fourteen other members of her family (three generations!)...from northern Canada
*shasbrooke...Steve, wife, two children (girl, age 11, girl age 9)...from San Diego

FE Participants! signups are closed!

*aparrent
*Boutilier
*reisdawg
*DisSarahK
*mkmouse25
*lmagnee
*Magluk
*Ilion
*KzPow/xscream
*3xDisney2012

 

[KZPow]

I'm enjoying everyone's posts & the information you are providing. Thanks so much. I'm getting so excited about our trip. One more week!!

 

[DisSarahK]

In one week we'll be parking our car and heading to the Wonder!! Woohoo!

 

[MickeyMouse101]

Welcome! You are an experienced Disney cruiser--a lot of us are new to DCL...any tips/tricks you can give us?

Sure! I have a few tips for new DCL cruisers.

1. Up on deck 10 of the ship there are 4 beverage stations. They offer Nestle hot chocolate which is good for the cold days! Bring your own marshmallows (spelling?) as DCL doesn't supply any.

2. You do not have access to your stateroom until 1:30 on day 1 of your cruise due to freshening of the room. You cannot make use of your suitcase during this time as they check them in so bring a carry-on with swimsuits, sunscreen, and anything else you might need for those few hours. We always bring a spare set of clothes incase of spills.

Hope this helps! If I find time in between packing, I'll add more!


Sailing away in 2 days!

-MickeyMouse101

 

[RVD90277]

One small tip.

We usually eat breakfast at one of the buffets (Parrot Cay or Beach Blanket) but last time we noticed that they didn't have hash browns over there. They do have hash browns in the main dining rooms for breakfast so we asked one of the waiter in the buffet and they were happy to get us some from the kitchen. So now we always eat at the buffet and ask for hash browns from the kitchen.

 

[RVD90277]

A few more random tips.

For those who don't have Palo reservations (online fills up really quickly), you can make reservations on the ship. There is usually plenty of availability but you have to go there quickly...like as soon as you get on the ship. Last time I went right after eating lunch and was able to secure a reservation anyway but if it's important, I would head over right away.

IIRC, Palo reservations was in Wave Bands.

I have done the wine tasting onboard and it's ok. I think it's worth whatever the fee was (around $15 or $20?) but I've had much better wine tastings before.

Palo is definitely worth the surcharge. I have never had the brunch though so we'll see how it is.

The ship does kind of die off at night. I'm generally more of a night owl and typically party til dawn on the party ships like Carnival, etc. but once it hits around 11pm, the ship kind of empties out. It's nice though because you do have the ship to yourself for the most part.

Kids club is also open really late...like until midnight (?). I don't usually let my kid stay up that late but for those who are ok with it, they'll watch your kids for that long.

If you want a character picture, check the schedule and show up around 5-10 minutes early. You'll probably get a picture within 5 minutes of start time. If you show up on time or 5-10 minutes later, you'll have a much longer wait.

(this one is probably not popular) but on disembark day, if you're just way too sick and tired of waiting around for your turn, you can usually just walk out early anyway and your bags will be there. I don't do this but I've heard... Actually last time I left with my group but when I got to the luggage it was mostly all gone (because everyone else in my group left early).

BIGGEST SECRET TIP (that i hesitate to write about here): If you really want a room upgrade for cheap, you should show up early...like when the port opens. Check in and then walk over to the port supervisor's desk and ask if there are any upgrades available. Some people have gotten the royal suites (e.g. Roy and Walt Disney suites) for huge discounts. But these go fast so go early. With the cat 3 and better suites you also get concierge service so they'll book Palo reservations, etc. If you do go for the upgrade, they'll give you new keys, etc.

I got lucky and got room 6134 which is a plexiglass suite (cat 6) at the price of a cat 7 because it's slightly obstructed so I don't think I'll try upgrading this time but maybe I will...

 

[Ilion]

Doesn't appear to be much for upgrades from the looks of things, but I plan on checking at the pier and hoping for a little magic!

 

[Ilion]

Anyone know how cold it gets? Are jackets good enough or do we need actual winter coats (e.g., ski parkas)?

Even here in Seattle, it has been pretty hot.

I'd been semi-regularly checking the weather in Skagway and noticed the highs and lows were similar to what we've been having in Victoria. I think that's pretty similar to Seattle.

 

[DisSarahK]

Well, Seattle is in the 80s and 90s this week--definitely not Skagway weather, LOL! I think my children are envisioning themselves frolicking in a pool and basking in the sunshine...clearly they don't listen to their mother!

 

[3xDisney2012]

Thanks for all the wonderful tips! I am slowly getting ready for our trip....everyone over here is super excited! My FE extender finally came in the mail. Does anyone know if there are towels by the pool area? I am trying to figure out if I need to pack them in my day bag.