eandesmom
I'm with Beast
- Joined
- Jan 5, 2009
Sunday 8/28.
BFP: Ketchikan. Our no plans day.
What wed do again: Id still stroll the waterfront and creek street. Adult pool and hot tub! Pirate night! Character breakfast was a blast even if the food was meh. Rebooking done via card and phone was definitely the way to go, any time that desk was open there was a serious line.
What wed do differently: I really should have mapped out how to get to Creek Street. Though there were signs, it still wasnt terribly clear to me and we wasted some time. I would also do more dining homework as there may have been an even better option but we were happy where we ended up. I wish we could have done the hike wed planned here. While it was a nice and lazy day it didnt have quite the wow factor of the other two ports and Im not sure why. Arguably the cutest of the ports in some ways, I think we still felt something was missing and I think it was the lack of a defined plan or excursion. It was a great day, dont get me wrong, I think it just fell a little short compared to the other two and we probably could have gone back to the ship, or eaten, earlier than we did. Pirate night, at least the dinner portion, was a blast. Somehow it fell short at the party but Im not sure if thats due to it being inside, the Alaska vibe or the fact that my kids are just not into those kinds of shows any more (they had a similar lackluster response to the sailaway party).
Our day in pictures:
Monday 8/29
BFP: At Sea, no plans.
What wed do again: The second part of the day was golden for me and I think the morning, pretty darn great for everyone else. . Hot tub, pool, reading on deck, Wine and Cheese in the room, sunset on the verandah, great dinner, show and adult entertainment. Perfect really!
What wed (I'd) do differently: NO laundry! Its not like we were flying home or going anywhere else after disembarking. I could have just dedicated a suitcase to dirty clothes. Serious waste of a couple of hours. I could have had a workout, and then a beer on deck! I also should have picked up my own souvenir earlier as I did know what I wanted. We also never tried Beach Blanket for lunch and it would have been a great day to do that. Id also be more organized with the packing as that felt very rushed to get the darn suitcases outside the door and as a result, we had too much to lug to breakfast in the morning.
Our day in pictures:
Ok these arent from the last day but since those are pretty much all show pics it seemed like a good spot for them.
Tuesday 8/30
BFP:Disembark, get picked up by my mom and make our way home. Very likely we will stop either in Bellingham (Boundary Bay Brewery and Bistro) or Mt. Vernon (Skagit Valley Brewery) for lunch.
What wed do again: Gosh, it's such a depressing thing, the end of a trip, but I guess we'd have to get off the ship gain, like it or not!
What wed do differently: Be bad and leave our bags in the stateroom till after breakfast if I thought we could get away with it. Perhaps, depending on tablemates and servers, consider breakfast at the buffet (if its open in the disembarking day, Im honestly not sure) or even do room service. Id also try to avoid last minute errands of any kind although they seem to happen whether you plan ahead or not.
Our day in pictures:
Since I didnt take any on the last day you get a couple of ..souvies!
I had very good intentions of taking pictures of everything when we got home. However as all 3 boys commandeered shirts right away, I never really had everything together to take any! They do all seem to get worn so thats a good thing! Here is what we ended up with.
Jeff. Alaska Brewing Company Hat (Juneau), Alaska Brewing Company Shirt (Juneau), 3 different Ketchikan seaplane shirts. One Alaska mug.
Evan. Great north tee (like a northface knockoff) from Skagway. 3 different Ketchikan shirts. Moose Puppet (Skagway). Vinylmation pin. Slinky dog pin. Alaska knit hat (Ketchikan). Baby pooh and owl pins (which killed me to see him pay full price for but it was his money. They are cute but it was surprising choices!) A goofy pillowcase with lots of fun siggies!
Eric. Skagway ziplining tee. Moose puppet (Skagway). Ketchikan shirt. Seems like there is one more shirt but I cant think of what it is. Mini stuffed eagle, bear, whale and husky (Ketchikan). Disney Alaska pin with Chip and Dale, lanyard KTTW and extra pink holder pocket thing. And of course, a pillowcase!
Me.
Skagway brewing company pint glass. I have a thing for these; will pick them up from cool brewpubs when we travel. My favorite one is from Kona Brewing liquid aloha is the slogan on the glass. LOL! This is actually not the beer I had but I liked it as it referenced the Chilkoot Trail.
Alaska Mug. I actually use this WAY more than I thought I would. In general, Im not big on plastic mugs for anything and never use any of the refillable mugs from WDW Ive carted home. This one, maybe b/c its the darker color, or just cooler, I do use as my backup travel mug when my favorite ceramic one is dirty. Go figure!
And an inaugural tee
I wear this shirt ALL the time. My only issue with it is the burnout fabric does pill, but I still really really like it! I really wanted a DCL coffee cup but just didnt find a mug I loved enough to buy. Major WAH on that one. I passed on a DCL ornament and wish I wouldnt have but other than that, am quite content with what I bought. This one shirt was the most expensive thing any of us bought. Was it overpriced? Totally. I still love it though. I figure the shutters pics are my souvies! Not to mention the fact that I DID treat myself to a mani/pedi.
So whats next?
Come visit my new PTR and see!
Book it. Buy it. BELIEVE it!
BFP: Ketchikan. Our no plans day.
What wed do again: Id still stroll the waterfront and creek street. Adult pool and hot tub! Pirate night! Character breakfast was a blast even if the food was meh. Rebooking done via card and phone was definitely the way to go, any time that desk was open there was a serious line.
What wed do differently: I really should have mapped out how to get to Creek Street. Though there were signs, it still wasnt terribly clear to me and we wasted some time. I would also do more dining homework as there may have been an even better option but we were happy where we ended up. I wish we could have done the hike wed planned here. While it was a nice and lazy day it didnt have quite the wow factor of the other two ports and Im not sure why. Arguably the cutest of the ports in some ways, I think we still felt something was missing and I think it was the lack of a defined plan or excursion. It was a great day, dont get me wrong, I think it just fell a little short compared to the other two and we probably could have gone back to the ship, or eaten, earlier than we did. Pirate night, at least the dinner portion, was a blast. Somehow it fell short at the party but Im not sure if thats due to it being inside, the Alaska vibe or the fact that my kids are just not into those kinds of shows any more (they had a similar lackluster response to the sailaway party).
Our day in pictures:
Monday 8/29
BFP: At Sea, no plans.
What wed do again: The second part of the day was golden for me and I think the morning, pretty darn great for everyone else. . Hot tub, pool, reading on deck, Wine and Cheese in the room, sunset on the verandah, great dinner, show and adult entertainment. Perfect really!
What wed (I'd) do differently: NO laundry! Its not like we were flying home or going anywhere else after disembarking. I could have just dedicated a suitcase to dirty clothes. Serious waste of a couple of hours. I could have had a workout, and then a beer on deck! I also should have picked up my own souvenir earlier as I did know what I wanted. We also never tried Beach Blanket for lunch and it would have been a great day to do that. Id also be more organized with the packing as that felt very rushed to get the darn suitcases outside the door and as a result, we had too much to lug to breakfast in the morning.
Our day in pictures:
Ok these arent from the last day but since those are pretty much all show pics it seemed like a good spot for them.
Tuesday 8/30
BFP:Disembark, get picked up by my mom and make our way home. Very likely we will stop either in Bellingham (Boundary Bay Brewery and Bistro) or Mt. Vernon (Skagit Valley Brewery) for lunch.
What wed do again: Gosh, it's such a depressing thing, the end of a trip, but I guess we'd have to get off the ship gain, like it or not!
What wed do differently: Be bad and leave our bags in the stateroom till after breakfast if I thought we could get away with it. Perhaps, depending on tablemates and servers, consider breakfast at the buffet (if its open in the disembarking day, Im honestly not sure) or even do room service. Id also try to avoid last minute errands of any kind although they seem to happen whether you plan ahead or not.
Our day in pictures:
Since I didnt take any on the last day you get a couple of ..souvies!
I had very good intentions of taking pictures of everything when we got home. However as all 3 boys commandeered shirts right away, I never really had everything together to take any! They do all seem to get worn so thats a good thing! Here is what we ended up with.
Jeff. Alaska Brewing Company Hat (Juneau), Alaska Brewing Company Shirt (Juneau), 3 different Ketchikan seaplane shirts. One Alaska mug.
Evan. Great north tee (like a northface knockoff) from Skagway. 3 different Ketchikan shirts. Moose Puppet (Skagway). Vinylmation pin. Slinky dog pin. Alaska knit hat (Ketchikan). Baby pooh and owl pins (which killed me to see him pay full price for but it was his money. They are cute but it was surprising choices!) A goofy pillowcase with lots of fun siggies!
Eric. Skagway ziplining tee. Moose puppet (Skagway). Ketchikan shirt. Seems like there is one more shirt but I cant think of what it is. Mini stuffed eagle, bear, whale and husky (Ketchikan). Disney Alaska pin with Chip and Dale, lanyard KTTW and extra pink holder pocket thing. And of course, a pillowcase!
Me.
Skagway brewing company pint glass. I have a thing for these; will pick them up from cool brewpubs when we travel. My favorite one is from Kona Brewing liquid aloha is the slogan on the glass. LOL! This is actually not the beer I had but I liked it as it referenced the Chilkoot Trail.
Alaska Mug. I actually use this WAY more than I thought I would. In general, Im not big on plastic mugs for anything and never use any of the refillable mugs from WDW Ive carted home. This one, maybe b/c its the darker color, or just cooler, I do use as my backup travel mug when my favorite ceramic one is dirty. Go figure!
And an inaugural tee
I wear this shirt ALL the time. My only issue with it is the burnout fabric does pill, but I still really really like it! I really wanted a DCL coffee cup but just didnt find a mug I loved enough to buy. Major WAH on that one. I passed on a DCL ornament and wish I wouldnt have but other than that, am quite content with what I bought. This one shirt was the most expensive thing any of us bought. Was it overpriced? Totally. I still love it though. I figure the shutters pics are my souvies! Not to mention the fact that I DID treat myself to a mani/pedi.
So whats next?
Come visit my new PTR and see!
Book it. Buy it. BELIEVE it!