North to Alaska on the Wonder--August 9-16
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**DrDolphin** · 08-22-2011, 03:04 PM

Great updates from the Vancouver Lookout and the Vancouver Aquarium!!

Shadowfax · 08-22-2011, 07:12 PM

Tuesday, August 9--Disney Wonder Embarkation

I got up early and headed out for my usual routine of going to get a cup of coffee and a scone while using the internet at Blenz. This would be the last time that I would be able to get online for a while, since I did not want to pay the exorbitant fees to connect while at sea.

After that, I headed back to the room and Dave and I packed everything up. We both packed a day bag with our pajamas, a change of shirt and our medications. I packed all the dirty laundry in one bag and the clean laundry in another bag. We killed some time looking at information about the ship (thanks to the PDF version of the Passporter Cruise Guide) and then headed down to the port. We had to go through customs at the port and then checking in for the cruise. Check in was fairly easy, and we waited around for our boarding number to be called. The people watching was very entertaining.

Finally, our boarding number (11) was called and we were walking on to the ship! Disney welcomes each family on by name (The Disney Wonder welcomes The Jones Family!) but you can ask to be introduced by any name. I asked that we be introduced as “Belle and the Beast!” We got a round of applause and some laughter.

Once onboard, it was 12:30 and we were able to try to get reservations for Palo, the adults only restaurant on the ship. We really wanted to try to score a brunch reservation, but Palo only has a limited number of spots since they only serve brunch on sea days.

The line was very long and we waited without moving for quite some time. We later found out that the computers were down and that is why the line was immobile.

While in line, I saw Belle come out in her yellow dress. Belle is my absolute favorite princess, even though I am 47 years old, I always try to get a picture taken with her or at least meet her. Dave, who was waiting right in back of her, motioned to me that I should wave to Belle. It took a while, but she finally looked my way. I waved and signed “I love you” to her. She got a huge smile and clasped her hands over her heart. Later, when she had finished greeting the kids, she walked over to ME and said, “I had to come give you a hug!” So we hugged and then I told her she was my favorite princess because she liked to read. She got excited and said “Do you like to read too?” and then we had a lovely conversation about books and reading and teaching. Apparently, she is reading Romeo and Juliet to the Beast and she has been reading Sleeping Beauty. My only regret from this encounter is that I was not able to get a picture. I'm the photographer in the family, but my camera was in my bag, over with Dave, and I was NOT moving out of that line.

Right after my conversation with Belle, the line started moving and I was able to secure one of the last brunch openings for our first sea day! I was very excited and walked over to tell Dave. I pretended that there wasn’t any availability left and he believed me for a few minutes until I started jumping up and down and told him that we had gotten brunch for the next day.

After that, we got a light lunch, since we were going to be eating relatively early at 5:45 and it was already almost 2. As we were finishing lunch, an announcement told us that the staterooms were ready, so we went down and checked out our stateroom and met Aristo, our cabin steward.

Our bags had not yet arrived, so we headed off the the DisBoards meet. I know, I know, but there was a lot of information on the DisBoards about Vancouver and the cruise that I had gotten while researching the trip, so I figured it would only be polite to introduce myself. It was nice to put names to faces and we had a very nice conversation. Then we went to the mandatory lifeboat drill and got instructions on what to do in case of an emergency.

We headed back to our cabin and sat on our balcony as we slowly pulled out of Vancouver and headed out to sea.

I changed for dinner and then we went down to Triton’s, the first restaurant on our rotation. We had the TAPTAPT rotation. We met our tablemates, and all of them had Maine or Massachusetts connections and we were all DVC members, so we had lots to talk about. Dave tried the escargot and said it wasn’t bad, while I had the shrimp cocktail. Then Dave had and avocado citrus salad while I had the French onion soup and for our entrees I had the lobster macaroni and cheese and Dave had the sea bass, which he pronounced “excellent.” I had a taste and it was very good. For dessert, Dave had the chocolate mousse and I had a combo of the mousse and creme brulee. The chocolate mouse was “grown-up” chocolate...rich, dark and slightly bitter. It was gooooooood.

After dinner,we went back to our room and found that Aristo had given us our first towel animal...a swan, which I then dressed up in my sunglasses and pin lanyard.

We skipped the show and went to our verandah and watched the coast go by and the sun go down. We did not come to Alaska for shows, except for the natural kind...

I also unpacked our bag of “clean clothes.” At around 9:30, we came in, got ready for bed and we rocked to sleep by the gentle motion of the ship.

Up next: Brunch at Palo and a sea full of dolphins...

HollyH · 08-22-2011, 08:14 PM

Catching up...

I didn't know that you could walk on the roof of the convention center! That might have been fun to try, but the comments from our party were along the lines of how that roof needed mowing

. The fruit from Granville Island was wonderful, wasn't it? We bought some grapes and raspberries and neither lasted very long. We visited the Vancouver Aquarium on Monday, too (but we went in the afternoon after visiting the Capiliano Suspension Bridge in the morning). Those sea otters were surprisingly large -I wasn't expecting that.

Glad you got the Palo brunch ressie. What great interaction with Belle! Can't wait to see if you got a good picture of the "sea full of dolphins". I tried, but none really captured how cool that was. Can't wait for more.

**Colexis Mom** · 08-22-2011, 09:13 PM

What a great first day onboard!

Grammy Grumpy · 08-22-2011, 10:11 PM

Wow, you got so much done in the few days you were in Vancouver and wow again for your first day on board. What was the location of your cabin? Starboard or Port?

We plan on doing a lot of the things you did, including the trolley and the sights you saw, Aquarium, and we are going to do a tour that will take us to Grouse Mountain and the Capilano Bridge.

Oh, how easy was it to get a taxi and was it expensive? Did they take US $?

Can't wait to hear more.

**chezp** · 08-23-2011, 01:44 AM

Great start to your cruise!

Shadowfax · 08-23-2011, 03:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grammy Grumpy

Wow, you got so much done in the few days you were in Vancouver and wow again for your first day on board. What was the location of your cabin? Starboard or Port?

We plan on doing a lot of the things you did, including the trolley and the sights you saw, Aquarium, and we are going to do a tour that will take us to Grouse Mountain and the Capilano Bridge.

Oh, how easy was it to get a taxi and was it expensive? Did they take US $?

Can't wait to hear more.

We were on the starboard side, cabin 5626 and we loved it. No complaints about our cabin at all. (Our neighbors was another story...

)

It was VERY easy to get a taxi in Vancouver. They are all over the place and there was a line of taxis outside our hotel every morning and through most of the day. We got one cab that took a credit card and one cab that wouldn't, but gladly accepted US money. Most places gave you 90 cents on the dollar for US money (but we had one nice taxi driver who took $11.00 US for an $11.00 CD cab ride. It was $35.00 from the airport to the hotel we stayed at (The Sutton Place) and $11.00 from the hotel to the aquarium. It was $7.50 from the hotel to the port. We took the Skytrain from the port to the airport on our way home and that was very easy to do.

Shadowfax · 08-23-2011, 12:36 PM

Wednesday, August 10: Day at Sea

I woke a few times during the night, but managed to get right back to sleep. I got up at about 6:45 and took my meds, then went out on the balcony. While I was using my binoculars, glassing an area near a small island, I saw a spout and then the flukes of a whale tail as he dove. He spouted and dove again and then was gone. Just a little bit later, I saw a seal pop his head up out of the water. The day was off to a promising start.

We went up to deck 9 for breakfast at Beach Blanket Buffet and had a delicious but light breakfast. They had everything from fresh fruit to hot and cold cereals, eggs, breakfast meat, bagels and more.

I headed off to find the laundry. It’s not exciting, but it had to be done. There are three self serve laundries on the ship. I went to the sixth floor laundry first, but all the machines were in use. So I headed to the 7th floor, and found two empty washers. I figured out how to use all the machines (it was harder than you might imagine!) and did two loads of laundry. Then it was time for showers and getting ready for brunch at Palo.

We went up to brunch and enjoyed it thoroughly! Palo is the adult only restaurant located in the aft of the ship. It has huge floor to ceiling windows so we could watch as we sailed the Inside Passage. The brunch was amazing. There was a huge selection of cold appetizers such at cheeses, seafood and salads, plus you could order hot foods like pizzas, breakfast specialties, tilapia, chicken parmesan, and veal. Then there were desserts like tiramisu and chocolate panna cotta. We had a server named Mariana from Argentina and she was wonderful.

After brunch, we walked out to see a large pod of Pacific white sided dolphins playing alongside the ship. Dave estimated that there must have been 150 of them riding the waves. I saw a mother and baby swimming right next to each other. I could not get any good pictures, unfortunately, but I will show you what I have. (I needed a better zoom, I think).

(I promise you that all those splashes are Pacific white-sided dolphins.)

We watched them for a while, explored the ship for a little bit and then headed back to the verandah where we enjoyed the beautiful scenery.

By that time, Dave was getting sleepy, so he laid down for a nap and I went to the gift shop! I got a long sleeve tee shirt that I wanted and spotted a charm for my bracelet that Dave is going to get for me. As I was walking along the port side, a pod of orcas was spotted. They were too far away to get a good picture of, but at least I can say that I saw them! Then I went back to the room and sat on the balcony for a while.

At about 3:30, Dave got up and we got ready to go to another meet and greet, this time with some Passporters who were on the cruise. (

Hi Holly and Michelle!) We met Holly and Michelle at the Outlook Cafe and they were both delightful. Holly, Dave and I all had mochas in the DCL Alaska travel mug they were selling. Michelle was a little sea-sick, so she ended up coming a little late, but we still had time to chat. While talking, we saw another whale surface, spout and dive showing his/her flukes. Holly spotted it first. She's got good eyes!

By that time, it was time to get ready for dinner, so we got dressed and headed down. Tonight was “formal night” but Dave did not was to lug a jacket across country for one meal (and I don’t blame him) so he wore a nice button down shirt and chinos and I wore a nice (but by no means fancy) dress. At dinner people were wearing everything from gowns and tuxes to what we were wearing, so we never felt underdresses or uncomfortable. Two of our tablemates did not go to dinner, as they felt uncomfortable with formal night, so it was only 4 of us at our table. Dave had prosciutto ham and melon, broccoli and cheese soup and then a smoked duck breast salad and I had carmelized scallops and then steak and baked potato. For dessert, I had the vanilla bean creme brulee and Dave had the raspberry cheesecake. We both really enjoyed our meals.

After dinner, we headed back to our room and sat on the balcony again. When it got too cold, we went inside and watched from the couch until it was too dark to really see anything. Then we got ready and went to bed. It had been a wonderful first day!

BTW, Dave and I really enjoyed cruising! We will definitely be cruising again in the future!

**Colexis Mom** · 08-23-2011, 01:35 PM

What a great day at sea!

Shadowfax · 08-23-2011, 06:25 PM

Thursday, August 11, 2011--Tracy Arm Fjord

We got up around 7:30 and had room service for breakfast. We had hung the tag out the night before and we got coffee, muffins and fruit to enjoy while watching the scenery.

After that, we strolled down to the shops. Dave usually gets me a present during our vacations and he wanted to get me the DCL Chamilia charm for my bracelet. Well, they had the charm, but they could not use a credit card because we were at sea, so we just charged it to the room and Dave said he would get me something else when we went to one of our ports of call. (Which he did, in Skagway).

After that, we watched the scenery from our verandah for a while. We were very excited when we saw our first piece of ice floating in the water and the water started taking on a vivid green hue (from the glacial minerals).

Then headed up to Beach Blanket Buffet for lunch. Finding seating was very difficult, but we managed to find a place eventually. We got the food from the buffet and then I went back in line to grab some food from the BBQ on deck. The only thing ready was the salmon (which was what we wanted) so I loaded up the plate and went back to where Dave was seated. (Dave uses a cane to get around, so it’s usually easier for me to get stuff). We had a great lunch, and then, because we were really hungry and the food was good, we went back through the line and got some more.

The day was a bit foggy and drizzly, but we did not mind that. It was also cold, but we had prepared for that was well, wearing layers of clothing to keep up warm. Even though we had a verandah, I wanted to get to the top of the ship for full on views of the glacier, so we braved the elements with many other hardy souls and I snapped pictures almost constantly. There were also harbor seals swimming around and hauled out and the pack ice near the glacier, but I was never able to get a picture of them. We were amazed by how close Captain Guus and the pilots could get us, especially with all the ice in the fjord.

We watched until the full glacier was in view but by then we were getting really cold, so we relinquished our spot on the rail and went back to our stateroom to warm up and view the scenery from our stateroom. I had gotten windburned out on deck, so I stopped in the shop to purchase some aloe with lidocaine and that immediately made me feel better. We continued watching the scenery from our verandah.

We decided to skip our dining seating that night and just go up to the Beach Blanket Buffet a little later. For one thing, Dave was not that hungry after the double lunch he had eaten and secondly, we just did not feel “presentable” enough. We went up to deck 9 and both of had turkey dinners. Then back to the room for more scenery as we sailed out of Tracy Arm and headed north toward Skagway.

Up next: B is for ... bathrooms?

HollyH · 08-23-2011, 08:15 PM

That was a fun meet! It was nice to chat

.

Wasn't Tracy Arm amazing?!?!? I know you mentioned that you didn't/weren't going to the shows. Clayton (Cruise Director) mentioned how close Captain Guus got to the glacier at the show that night. He said that we got closer than any other Wonder cruise this season!

**Colexis Mom** · 08-23-2011, 08:34 PM

Great pictures from Tracy Arm Fjord.

**chezp** · 08-24-2011, 01:53 AM

Wow, wonderful photos!

My goodness, this time next week we'll be on the Wonder!

Shadowfax · 08-24-2011, 07:25 AM

Friday, August 12: Skagway!

We got up early because our excursion was early. It was drizzling out, so we suited up in our layers and packed up our binoculars and cameras in our backpack. We were supposed to meet at the Walt Disney Theatre at 7 am. Fortunately, Goofy’s Galley was open for breakfast so we headed up to get some pastries and some much needed coffee.

After our breakfast, we headed down to the theatre. We were given Mickey Mouse stickers and soon we disembarking the ship. We got on a bus, driven by Susan, and she took us to a different dock so that we could board our high speed catamaran ferry to Haines. Susan gave us information about what wildlife we might see on the trip. Then she said, "And of course, what everyone is most interested in is the B word..." Everyone on the bus said "Bears?" And she replied, "No, Bathrooms!" It was very funny, but she did then tell us that bears had been spotted in Haines and there was the possibility that we would see some. The ferry trip was very pleasant, with a local naturalist pointing out sights and wildlife to us on the way. We saw a few eagles and some harbor seals.

(Pulling into Haines. Note the rain!)

When we got to Haines a light rain was still coming down, but Dave and I were properly dressed and so did not mind it (and we did not get wet, either!). We were met by Don and Judy who would be our guides for this trip. Don was the former Head Ranger of Glacier Bay National Park and Judy literally wrote the book on the plants of Southeast Alaska (she is a published botanist). We used the bathrooms at the dock, since we were warned that we would only have access to a portapotty once we got to Chilkoot (also spelled Chilkat) Lake and then we boarded the bus. Don was narrating and Judy was driving. Don was fascinating and he know a lot about the area, as did Judy. He talked about John Muir, the Tlingit native people of the area and the animals. Don and Judy also told us about the behavior they expected from us if we saw a bear and we all agreed to follow the rules. (Like if they told us to get back on the bus, we should get back on the bus, not take a few pictures and then get back on the bus!)

We pulled over to a bakery, which Don called a low-calorie bakery, because it was closed. But Judy knew the owner and it was right on the river near a spot where eagles could be spotted and near an eagle’s nest. We got out and looked at the gorgeous scenery and saw an eagle in a tree.

As we were looking at the eagles and the river, someone spotted a mama bear and two bear cubs in the distance by the bridge! I grabbed my binoculars and I was able to see them. We were all so thrilled that we had gotten to see bears, even in the distance. We all said at that moment that our trip was made...little did we know what was in store for us!

We got back in the bus and followed the road by the river upstream. As we got to the salmon weir that crossed the river, we saw, not 40 feet away from us, the mama bear (nicknamed Speedy) and her cubs fishing in the river. One of the cubs had a fishing lure stuck in his lip, but Don said that the cub would most likely pull it out on his own and it did not seem to be bothering him or keeping him from eating. Although Judy was not really supposed to stop there, there was no traffic and she did, allowing us to get great video and photos of the bears.

Seriously, I could have watched them for hours! We finally moved on when the bear family crossed the road and disappeared into the woods.

After that magical encounter, we continued up the road until we got to Chilkoot Lake, where there is a park. The lake is surrounded by the Takshanuk Mountains and you could even see Davidson Glacier, although there were clouds hanging on the higher peaks.

We got out and used the portapotty and then Judy led us on a fascinating nature walk up into the rain forest. We went through 5 different ecosystems and Judy explained each one, pointing out the flora. She also pointed out bear scat so that we could avoid stepping in it!

(Old Man's Beard...the kids call it Moose Snot!)

After the walk, we got back in the bus and headed off to get lunch. On the way back to Haines we were lucky enough to see *another* mama bear (this one nicknamed BMJ for Big Mama Jamba) and her three cubs on the other side of the river! They did not get as close as Speedy and her cubs did, but BMJ is about 30 years old and a very wise and cautious bear! Still, we could see them clearly and loved watching them fish and eat salmon.

We went back to Haines and had our lunch at a local restaurant. It was a bag lunch with a chicken caesar wrap, grapes, chips, a cookie and a bottle of water. It was very good! (We were supposed to eat in a Tlingit tribal house, but for it was too wet to do that, for some reason).

After lunch we went back to the dock, said goodbye and thank you to Don and Judy and took the ferry back to Skagway, bubbling with excitement about the bear watching we had done.

Once in Skagway we did some shopping and enjoyed wandering around the little town, which we loved. It had a charming rustic ambiance to it, and it really felt like Alaska to us.

That night was the Taste of Alaska menu. Dave had the elk and I had the salmon. We thought the food was good, but we have actually had better salmon when my dad makes it. Go figure! We had a great time talking with our tablemates about the excursions that we had been on. They we all envious of our good luck with the bear sightings.

Then it was back to the room and out on the balcony for more scenic viewing. (I was really glad that I had booked a room with a verandah. We used it a lot!) Then it was lights out, because we had another early excursion booked for Juneau!

(In hindsight, Dave and I both agree that Skagway and Haines were our favorite towns and that the Alaska Nature and Wildlife Expedition was our favorite excursion!)