And we are back from our Alaskan Disney Cruise! In summary … SO MUCH FUN.
Day 1: Vancouver
We flew out the day before the cruise and stayed at the Fairmont hotel, located in the airport.
The kids played at the hotel pool for an hour before my friend Jenn picked us up for dinner at her house. And wow, what a dinner … multiple dishes of homemade Indian food and barbecue kebabs. I had planned to hold back (pre-cruise eating seems a bit excessive, no?), but couldn’t help myself. The kids had a great time playing at the park after dinner … which was right outside their condo. Thanks Jenn and Walter for your hospitality!
Day 2: At-Sea
We checked out of the hotel and took the very first shuttle to the port. Since we were early, the bus driver gave us a quick tour of Vancouver. As soon as we got on the boat, Calie saw Cinderella at the balcony. She ran over to hug and talk to “Cindy”, who without any lines, spent some time conversing with her. (Either star struck or trying to impress her favorite princess, Calie informed her that we “live in Disneyland.”)
We walked around the ship (Disney Wonder), which was the exact same ship we were on in 2006 on a 4-day Caribbean cruise. We grabbed lunch at Beach Blanket Buffet before checking into our stateroom. Since it was our 2nd cruise with Disney, they gave us a beach bag filled with 2 water bottles and other small promotional items. Zachary was thrilled to sleep on the top bunk … and Calie was in-tears jealous (which I believe fueled his thrill).
We counted down the start of our sailing with music and dancing on the pool deck. Then it was off to sign Zachary up for the Oceaneer’s club/lab. I was pretty sure the age cutoff would be strict, but figured it wouldn’t hurt to ask whether Calie could participate. Since she was 3 months from her 3rd birthday, completely potty trained, and able to communicate well (they tested her by asking a few questions), they let her join! Nice surprise!
We saw the ‘All Aboard: Let the Magic Begin’ show followed by a late 8:15pm dinner at Animator’s Palate. We booked in January and unfortunately, early dining was already full. With the kids’ regular bedtime at 8:30pm, it wasn’t ideal … but at least we weren’t dealing with a time change (for kids on the east coast, 8:15pm would be 11:15pm!) Kids were in bed and asleep by 10pm, and James went to see ‘Mars Needs Moms’ in 3D.
Day 3: At-Sea
While I’d love to say I exercise to stay healthy, the truth is I exercise so I can eat more. And this is especially true on a cruise. James got up early in the morning and went on a 3 mile run (9 times around deck 4.) Then I took a 30 minute spin/cycle class followed by a 3 mile run, while James took the kids to see ‘Gnomeo and Juliet.’
(As a side note … the run was awesome … couldn’t beat the views and both James and I saw a pod of orcas! Well, I saw 3, but James insists he saw ~50)
With a full day on the boat, we played pingpong and shuffleboard out on the deck.
Zachary went to 2 Oceaneer Lab events … one to make flubber and another to make chocolate chip cookies. Between labs, we had lunch, and Zachary also joined some kids outside for a pickup game of soccer. The weather was great … cool and sunny!
The kids enjoyed the scenery more than I expected them to.
We saw ‘The Golden Mickeys’ show followed by dinner (formal night) at Parrot Cay. As with every night, the kids shared a Mickey ice cream bar after dinner. Oh yes … and since it was June 1st … Happy 8th wedding anniversary to Me/James! 
Day 4: Tracy Arm
Another 3 mile run … followed by games at Promenade Lounge (Disney Monopoly is so much more fun that the original). Then a barbecue lunch on the deck … what an amazing view. We reached Tracy Arm a little after 1pm. It was so sunny that the kids had ice cream (what a mess!), and I insisted on a 2nd application of sunscreen. Characters walked around deck, greeting kids and posing for photos.
We stayed out the entire time. I would have expected kids to get bored after a few minutes, but they had fun finding “super tall” waterfalls and pointing out oddly shaped icebergs. We even saw some sea lions. As a bonus (sarcasm), I got a mini lecture on global warming from Zachary.
Every night, true to cruise tradition, we’d get a towel animal. Calie would pick it up, it’ll fall apart, Zach would say “You KILLED it!” Then they’d eat the chocolates to hold them over until our super late dinner, and work on the activity pamphlet for our next port of call. That night’s show was a juggling and balancing act by Max Winfrey. I think it was one of the kids’ favorite. Between the show and dinner at Triton’s, we went to Studio Sea to watch ‘Who Wants to be a Mouseketeer’ – it was pretty exciting. Last year, Zachary’s friend Alex won a magnetic Mickey sculpture on his cruise.
Day 5: Skagway
Off the ship! 
Our first port of call was Skagway. We purchased tickets for the White Pass scenic railway, ~20 miles up a mountain. Calie promptly fell asleep on the way up, which the tour guide said was very common for small children. Zach enjoyed it thoroughly though … spending as much time as I would let him (it was cold!) out on the observation deck. We went through 2 tunnels all the way to the Canadian border. Fortunately, Calie woke up and she was able to experience the scenes/ride down the mountain.
After the train ride, we went back to our ship for a nice warm lunch. Then we headed out again to walk around town. The Skagway museum was very small but interesting (duck neck quilt?!), and the kids liked the scavenger hunt game. For only $2 admission per adult and kids under 12 free, it was totally worth it. Plus the kids received Alaska state flags that they waved around all day.
James took the kids to the playground while I walked around the souvenir shops. There were some great prices on jackets (under $25) but we didn’t need anything, especially as we were pushing the 50lb limit on our luggage.
Before dinner (back at Animator’s Palate), we went to Studio Sea for another game show … this time ‘So You Think You Know Your Family’ … and Zach/James were selected as contestants. It was hilarious – Zachary admitted to playing ball in the house, breaking lamps and picture frames, and told the game show host how he barely makes it to school on time every morning. And they won! James and Zach are now proud owners of Disney Cruiseline caps. By dinner, Calie was acting fussy and feeling a bit warm. 
Day 6: Juneau
Our next port of call was Juneau, where we had excursion tickets for whale watching and a trip to the Mendenhall Glacier. It was my first whale watching trip, and the boat was a lot calmer than I expected. While rare, we saw numerous orcas … in addition to a few whales. The whales and orcas don’t jump up and do flips like they do at Sea World (I’m not sure why I was expecting that) … you mostly just see a spray of water from the blowhole, a fin, and a flicker of a tail. I did see one whale breach and make a huge splash. Poor Calie. She was feeling feverish and lethargic … and threw up twice on the boat. Fortunately, she didn’t have much of an appetite for breakfast and only had half a cup of yogurt. Still … yuck.
(It would have been nice to have a bigger zoom on my camera, but on the other hand, it was definately good to put the camera down – knowing I couldn’t capture great shots - and experience it more fully in person.)
After whale watching, our tour bus headed to Mendenhall Glacier in the Tongass National Forest. We took a 1.5 mile round trip hike up to Nugget Falls. James, ever the trooper, did the hike while carrying Calie.
As Calie was pretty miserable (not to mention stinky), we went back to the ship as soon as the excursion ended. While Calie napped in our stateroom, I took Zach to the Oceaneer’s Lab to make Lava. Calie woke up in time to meet us for ‘Toy Story The Musical’. This was the only major production I hadn’t seen on my previous Disney cruise, and it was great! Very well done; I was definitely impressed.
Since Calie wanted to sleep more, James opted to grab a burger and beer for dinner and stay with her in the cabin. Zach and I went to Parrot Cay for the nicer sit-down dinner, which included ahi tuna (my favorite!) appetizers. ’The Pirates in the Caribbean’ party was moved in doors due to inclimate weather … but even still, with the party starting at 9:45pm, we all opted to just go to bed.
Day 7: Ketchikan
The ship did not dock until noon, so James and I took turns running our 3 miles again. Calie was feeling better, but still not 100%. She was happy, but tired. We made a game time decision not to cancel our excursion in Ketchikan since the weather was good and the events we had were very mild. Our first stop was at Saxman Village where we saw a short video, followed by traditional dancing at the tribal house, and a tour of the totem making shed. A guide described the stories behind the totems, and we also saw a bald eagle and her nest.
Next, we went to the Great Alaskan Lumberjack show. I thought Zachary would be more interested than he was. Since the weather was so nice, and the air smelled so crisp/clean, we decided to walk around town. We walked along the harbor and passed stair streets, which are “streets” that you can only access by stairs, not roads.
Back on the ship, we were entertained by comedian Heath Hyche. I’m always a bit weary of standup comedy, especially family-friendly comedy, but it was good! Dinner that night at Triton’s was semiformal. And despite still feeling a bit feverish, Calie insisted on wearing her yellow “Belle” ($18 knock-off) dress. For the Gala dinner I ordered both the lobster tail and the ahi tuna entree (how could I decide, right?) There was a Gala Dessert Buffet at 11:15pm, but once again, we all opted to just go to bed. I’m thinking east coast cruises might work better for us, as with the time difference, we can stay up later!
Day 8: At-Sea … Day 9: flight home
On our last full day, we went to a character breakfast. Calie, who was feeling much better, was so excited. She was standing on her chair (excellent parenting, I know), pointing to the different characters. After awhile, I think she was overwhelmed; she was looking around, yelling out all the names, and then finally just said,”I love them all!”
The kids had asked about swimming earlier on the cruise, so we finally let them get into the pool. I felt chilled, but the pool was heated and the kids stayed in for almost 2 hours! Zachary went on the water slide a few times – the line was short, but still … brrr!
As it was another laid back at-sea day … we played more ping pong and board games. Throughout the cruise, Zach regularly checked into the Oceaneer’s club to play a Little Mermaid pinball computer game … on the last day, I decided to leave him there and see when he’d call us to pick him up. I waited 2 hours before I had to pull him out for a show.
Our final show was ‘Disney Dreams:An Enchanted Classic’ – James and I both remembered that it was Zach’s favorite show last cruise, when he was 2-years-old. After the show, he had signed ‘more’. Our last dinner was at Animator’s Palate, and after the kids went to bed, James went to see a late showing of ’Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.’
Tuesday morning, we had breakfast at Animator’s Palate (and stuffed a few cereal boxes in my purse for the flight back) before taking the bus to Vancouver airport and flying home.
While in the past I wouldn’t have wanted so many at-sea days, with young children, I wouldn’t want it any other way. There was plenty of downtime to just relax, rather than hussle from one activity to another. There was no (self-inflicted) pressure to ‘do-it-all’, and some of our best times were spent just playing games on the boat. As we drove home, Zachary said,”I had so much fun I totally forgot we had to go home.” James said he slept better because there was no work stress – and I stayed internet free by keeping my phone (which has work email) locked in the stateroom safe the entire time. I think that’s the measure of a great vacation … you’re so relaxed and in the moment, you forget to think about tomorrow.
I spent today digging myself out of over a week’s worth of email, and was pleased by the extent people on my team stepped up. And the best news … 2 more accepted job offers! Whoo-hoo!
Last but not least … Happy Birthday Mom! Hope you enjoy the photos and can join us on a future vacation!
