Disney Alaska: leaving the ship and touring Vancouver

Now onto my least favorite morning.....our last morning on the ship. We were given a 7am breakfast slot and had a great morning. We were off the ship by 9am and had booked a private tour for this day. 

Our driver Matt was waiting for us and we were quickly on our way. Highlights of our visit included Stanley Park and Granville Island. 

And then off to the airport where we said bye to my parents. We flew to lax and then red eye to cincinnati. The girls were great (a bit slap happy but great) and we were home early Tuesday morning. 

What an amazing vacation. 

Oh and .....we signed up to take one in next 24 months. My plan is disney Hawaii (non cruise) next year and cruise #3 in 2017. 

Disney Alaska: last sea day

And And before we knew it, it was our last full day of the cruise. We had great weather and views today! 

We played more games, visited more characters, and enjoyed the beauty for the day. 

J took a great pic of the view from the treadmill. 

Baby C was worn out. 

We watched a bit of the basketball game and then went to our last dinner. C needed sleep so I took her back while J took S to plutos PJ party! She loved this last cruise and loved it again. 

Disney Alaska: Ketchikan

Our last excursion day was Ketchikan. We docked mid-morning and were assigned our character breakfast for this day. The character breakfast was a lot of fun. 

After breakfast, we did some games onboard and then got ready for our excursions. 

The guys went fishing while the girls went to a native village and to a lumberjack show. 

We also got to see an old college friend who now lives in Ketchikan. 

And then tons of character visits with our Pixar friends. 

And then a lovely dinner and bed. 

Disney Alaska: Juneau

Our next stop was Juneau, the capital of Alaska. We had another morning excursion - the Mendenhall Glacier & a wildlife/whale watching tour. But first some great pics overnight from balcony. 

We met our tour and were quickly on our way. We saw many bald eagles during our short drive to Mendenhall and then were met with great views of another glacier. My parents hiked down closer to the glacier while we went inside to learn a bit more and let S use the telescope to see the glacier. It's sad to see the effects of global warming as the glacier used to come all of the way to the visitor center and is now very far away.

We re-boarded our bus for a short trip to the marina where we joined our wildlife tour. The boat was very nice with plenty of snacks and kid friendly activities. We saw 4-5 whales including some air blows and one tail flop  & also many different sea lions & a few more bald eagles. S really enjoyed watching for the animals and playing in the activity book they gave her. The whales were incredible.

Back on the ship, we enjoyed a late lunch and then it was Pixar Pals dance party time. We arrived a little early and got a great spot right by where the characters would pass by. This was a highlight for me & S loved dancing with the characters, especially Mrs Incredible and Mike from Monsters Inc.

J went to the new Avengers movie and then we had a date night at Palo, the adults only restaurant on the ship. S stayed in with my dad while C and my mom explored until C fell asleep. Notice, Woody telling everyone to be quiet due to the sleeping baby.

Palo was delicious and worth the extra money - it is on the top deck in the back of the ship with marvelous views and great service. So glad we tried it this time as we had skipped it last time.

Next up, Ketchikan!

Disney Alaska: Skagway

Our first port was Skagway, a beautiful small town of about 800 people. We were already docked by the time we woke up and this was our earliest excursion morning. We had breakfast and then headed to meet our tour- the White Pass Scenic Railroad.

Given C's age, I chose the 4 hour train only tour instead of the longer options that included train one way and bus the other way. The views were breath taking and the commentary enjoyable. We learned that White Pass was one of the main routes that the early settlers took and let's just say that couldn't have been fun to hike!

We got to see many beautiful views including some large waterfalls, interesting tunnels, and even passed into Canada again. We also spotted a black bear cub. S & my mom had a fun time looking for the different flowers and plants they noted in our brochure. C slept most of the way up and then just seemed mesmerized looking outside on the way back.

We returned around lunch time and split up -my parents stayed in town to explore and shop, while we went back to the ship for lunch, rest, and fun time.

We finished our scavenger hunt for Anna's sweets as today was the day that the shipped turned Frozen! This was super fun - Daisy dressed up like Elsa, there was a dance party, and then a Frozen party in the evening. The Frozen dinner menu was interesting and included some northern specialties.

disney Alaska- second full day- at sea sailing Tracy Arm

Our second full day was again spent at sea, but we were sailing the beautiful Tracy Arm fjord and glacier area. I really didn't know what to expect and this day was amazing!

We started with great views that just got better and better! After breakfast and finding our scavenger hunt clues, S wanted to go to the kids club for a chip and dale activity so we dropped her off for a bit. The rest of us went to hear a naturalist talk about the glacier before my parents headed to bingo, J to the gym, and C & I for a walk. 

The views kept getting better and better with whale sightings and amazing scenery. After a yummy lunch, we went back to our cabins to enjoy the views as we approached the glacier. 

Once we started to leave the glacier area, there were more activities on board, including..... Characters!!

Dinner tonight was at animators palate, which is super cool due to the show they do. And then bed time to prepare for our first excursion day.