Alaska Blog: Disney Cruising is the only way to see Alaska
WOW! What an adventure this trip was. It was a great balance of adventure and relaxation because, we decided to take a Disney cruise. This allowed us to be as adventurous as we wanted without exerting too much energy, like on our last trips. It’s so nice to be able to come back to the ship after a long day and just drop the kids off at the Kids Club, while us parents have some wine and downtime.
I found a great deal on a 7 night Disney cruise that left out of Vancouver. The reason it was so “cheap” (I really mean, cheap for Disney) was because it was right in the beginning of the school year and approaching the end of Alaska’s season. I also chose the GTY option that they gave me, which means that Disney picks your stateroom. You basically have no say in it, so it can be risky. At the same time, it can be great because you could possibly get an upgrade. This is the only way to make things cost effective for my family of 4. We finally received our stateroom number about 2 weeks before we left. At first we were a little nervous because it was directly in the front of the ship, which means a little more movement, which means possible seasickness. Once we arrived to our room, we realized that it was an upgrade! The room was bigger than normal and it was perfect. I did in fact pack everything necessary for preventing any sickness and everything necessary if someone did feel sick, just in case.
We flew into Vancouver the day before our cruise. The airport is about a 30 minute train ride to the Waterfront Port where the ship is docked. We used our Hilton points to stay at a hotel close to the port that way we didn’t risk any delays at the airport essentially making us late for our embarkation time. That night while in downtown Vancouver, we walked around, bought wine bottles for the ship (you can take 2 bottles per person on with you), and had some dinner. Vancouver is a pretty little place with plenty to see and do. I enjoyed the weather there because it truly felt like fall. Something that’s rare here in San Diego.
The next morning we were up bright and early ready to roll! Unfortunately, things went downhill really fast. Quinn (my 4yo daughter) woke up with a fever. I just couldn’t believe it! What timing huh? I sent dad off to the store to pick up some medicine to hopefully knock it out. On top of that, as I was getting dressed, I realized that I had forgotten my bra! Again, I couldn’t believe it! Now, I know what you’re thinking. And Noooo, I didn’t hop on the plane braless. I wore workout clothes with a sports bra but didn’t bring a real one. A normal one? Whichever. You get what I’m saying. Clearly I’m killin’ it in life. Luckily, the hotel had a shuttle that took me directly to Nordstrom on the way to the port. Issue resolved!
At this point the Motrin had kicked in and Quinn was feeling better. My son was beyond excited to board the ship! I was super excited myself. We took our first Disney cruise last year in September and had the best time. So the anticipation for this one had been a long time coming. The warm welcome you receive while boarding is like no other. Disney truly makes you feel all the feels.
We did quite a bit on this trip so I will break some of the days up into different blog posts. That way it’s easier to navigate and not so much to read at one time. There truly is so much to do on the ship, plus add excursions in to the mix and it makes for a really busy trip. Our time flew by so fast. At the end of it, my son kept asking me why the cruise was only 2 days. I just have to laugh at that because, that just shows you how much fun he was having. If you’re ever in a position to take your family on a Disney cruise, I would highly suggest you jump on it. There’s nothing else like it.
