I have, what might be considered a harrowing past. In 2015 after years of barely scraping by, following a major cancer incident and the ensuing permanent disability that followed I managed to do the (to us) impossible. I took my family on not only the first real vacation we'd had in 7 years, but a dream Disneyland vacation.
At the conclusion of that impossible trip, I looked at my wife and said "I loved this, the atmosphere, food and characters were amazing, but I'm exhausted! I like the rides but I don't need them to have a great time, I wish there was a way to have that."
Half way home I remembered seeing ads for Disney cruises 20 years earlier. I knew what I had to do.
Pre-trip - Overcoming Obstacles Part one identifying the problem
It's one thing to contemplate a fantastic vacation, and quite another to make it happen. Here is a short list of challenges facing me as I started this journey:
1. CinderellaLove, to this point had no experience with, and also no good things to say about cruising. In fact, she was terrified of the idea, knowing most of what she knew about cruising from news reports of accidents.
2. I knew nothing about cruising whatsoever, what it would cost, where It would leave from, and even what I wanted out of a cruise besides my original statement about being lazy in a Disney environment.
3. CinerellaLove and C are both highly prone to motion sickness. And ever since multiple trips on the Tower of Terror at DCA I now have a major anxiety to heights including seeing others leaning against railings.
4. Within a few months of getting back from that amazing Disneyland vacation, MTurk had some changes and stopped having nearly as much work to do. Because of this, my only identified source of vacation income mostly dried up.
Off hand, one might be inclined to think that this whole cruising thing was a terrible idea with little hope of success, I however was not deterred challenges are simply a way of growing and as I stated, I know that I can do impossible things.
Coming next: Overcoming Obstacles - Part two getting educated
Pre-trip - Overcoming Obstacles Part Two: Getting Educated (Problem 1)
Music plays a big part in my life, I often quote musical lyrics as advice or rational for decisions.
As Cinderella tells us "A dream is a wish your heart makes"
but also I I learned from a 1974 Christmas special "Even a miracle needs a hand"
And so, it became time to attack the problems, because obviously these songs taught me that anything is possible.
Problem 1. CinderellaLove's (heretofore to be known as "CL") antagonistic/fearful attitude towards cruising:
CL felt that she had heard many news reports of people falling overboard, or broken cruise ship catastrophes causing major trauma for the passengers.
In my (hopefully logical) mind, it seemed that cruising couldn't really be that dangerous if it became popular because older people loved to do it. I knew that most of CL's information came from the same popular media locations that make flying appear dangerous, however CL knows the statistics of danger for flying and so has no worries.
Somewhat surprisingly my best source of objective information on the matter came from the less than elegantly named "www.cruiseshipdeaths.com" hours of reading into it, and cross referencing showed that including old age related conditions (natural deaths) there really aren't that many deaths on cruise ships compared to the number of people who go on them. (for example in 2017 there were an estimated 25 million cruise ship passengers and of those there were 46 deaths, including 15 of natural causes, and 11 from a bus crash on an excursion)
Although I don't have more complete information on the remaining 20, I do know that of those that remain most include poor choices with alcohol consumption (we don't consume alcohol), accidents related to old age (we are both middle aged), and other off the boat activities which could happen to anyone on a vacation to those locations.
Fortunately CL is rational and after a little time with these simple facts, she ceased to be concerned about cruising safety at all.
Coming next: Overcoming Obstacles Part two: Getting Educated (Problem 2)
Overcoming Obstacles Part two: Getting Educated (Problem 2 and most of 3)
Problem 2: All I know is that it exists...
Not surprisingly I actually tried to tackle all of the problems simultaneously.
as far as Disney cruising goes however all I knew was this image that I remembered from many years ago
honestly that's it, not much to go on, and I have a sister who enjoys the more party-centric style of Carnival cruising.
With faith that Disney was more in line with our needs I quickly found Cruising on the Dis boards. Prior to this I had only used them for Disneyland, since most seem to be based on Disney World and do not apply to me. I asked a few questions, and then made the stupidly obvious journey over to the official web page to see where Disney cruised.
Darn, Hawaii was not an option.
To make matters worse, I'm probably the only person ever who (at the time at least) had no interest in the Caribbean/Bahamanian cruises. (still not top of my list but Castaway Cay certainly is attractive). Suddenly a stray question asked years ago about sea sickness let me on on the fact that Alaska's often smooth as glass inside passage is perhaps the one cruise in the world that is unlikely to cause sea sickness.
Since we live in the Pacific Northwest it seemed like a good omen. I asked CL, who said that she has always wanted to go to Alaska!
Awesome this also took care of most of Problem 3: CL and C's proclivity to motion sickness!
At this point, the gauntlet had been thrown! Two of my best skills are research and writing. (feeling really conspicuous saying that in a long monologue )
Over the course of about a year I read EVERYTHING I could on the Disney Alaska cruise, I read every trip report to Alaska that has ever been put on Dis boards, hundreds of posts with the word Alaska in the title, in the cruise boards, and every "tip" thread I could find, I also read many threads and posts from other sites. In addition I asked dozens of questions and got hundreds of opinions.
While I was reading I copied every good bit of advice or explanation on how things work on the cruise, after about a year it seemed that there was little left to learn, at least nothing major, so I organized everything into topics and deleted obviously incorrect information and duplicates.
after another 6 months or so I came up with the not so humbly named:
The book is 100 pages at 8 1/2 x 11 but covers nearly everything that anyone has ever asked me about the trip .
I started sharing it with the Dis boards as I completed sections, but I let two people who believed that their information was better than mine ruin the fun for me (sometimes it was, but usually it was one persons word against another). Hopefully I don't get that hassle again here.
Anyway I learned a few very important things while putting this book together.
1. This ship is one of the 2 places in the world that one can see Remy (from Ratatouille) the other being Disneyland Paris (this is important to me because I have an unusual trauma related connection to Remy)
2. There is such a thing as "the Palo brunch" and I need to experience this at all costs.
In addition to this I also did a ridiculous amount of research (but not nearly as much by comparison) on Seattle and Vancouver (including a very frustrating week learning all of the public transit options, and routes of Vancouver)
Coming next: Overcoming Obstacles Part three: Getting Money
Overcoming Obstacles Part three: Getting Money (Problem 4) But actually; getting educated again.
As Barrett Strong said in 1959:
I had no job, no source of current income (over the cost of living), and actually, in the interim (since the Disneyland trip) I actually was using anything extra I could get to put myself through college... again.
I am determined to get off of disability and make a difference in the world. A few months after our Disneyland trip I had another long surgery and rather long recovery (only a month in the hospital this time) but with an improved physical functionality and therefore quality of life; so yay!
Prior to our Disneyland trip, I had earned a degree from an online college that I cannot recommend, it was a useless degree and I didn't actually learn anything (but I did pull a 3.84 GPA, .01 from graduating with honors) I wanted to go to grad school. But I knew that I didn't know enough to get by.
I applied for a second Bachelors degree at the new local university, I was encouraged by the department chair to simply go straight to the Masters program, but I knew better, and explained that I was sure I didn't know enough to get by (and also it would be cheaper to do both and have advanced standing in the Masters program)
On the first day of class I was really glad I made that choice, It was me and a bunch of college Juniors and I felt like an idiot, I didn't know most of the stuff they all would answer together as a group. Long story short, the next year and a half was the most scholastically educational time of my life. I managed to graduate, this time from a good school, with a 3.98 GPA, the highest of the graduating class!
At this point, a reasonable person might be asking where the getting money part comes in, because all I did was spend more...
Au contraire, my last semester of this degree (and 2 months after) was an unexpected paid internship. I did it again, when the time came to book the first cruise to Alaska 2018 I already had more than twice what I needed for a deposit, and by the end of the internship, I had paid for everything that could be paid for in advance, including pre-paying gratuities, an excursion and a souvenir budget for the ship.
And with that, I'd solved almost all of our major problems with nearly a year to spare...
I am a sociologist, I learn best by watching people in action. So many people here on the Dis boards talked about their Facebook cruise groups, and all of the things that happen on them. A little over two years ago I snuck into the first Alaska cruise group of 2017.
I understand that many people might think this is terrible of me, I was excited and wanted to learn what I didn't know that I didn't know. I now throw myself and my transgressions on the mercy of the Dis boards, and hope for at least a partial absolution.
At the time they didn't require permission to join. I determined to hide in the shadows and just watch what was happening. It was very enlightening. I learned about groups and sign ups and meet ups and how people dealt with last second problems, I learned that I needed to book my hotel the minute it was available and that there were many kinds of exchanges to plan for.
I let myself off the group shortly after they got back, I honestly don't remember a single detail of any person in the group. but with this experience my theoretical knowledge was essentially complete.
There was nothing left for me to ask, it was now time for me to prepare and wait.
In all of my research I realized that, as a foodie, for me at least, the pinnacle of dining on this trip is the Palo brunch.
Unfortunately I also discovered through research and following the other cruise group, that first timers have a very hard time getting into the Palo brunch on an Alaska cruise.
There is good reason for this, the Palo brunch is a spectacle of flavors and experiences.
I Identified 4 ways of getting into the Palo Brunch
1. Be incredibly lucky and have a spot still open for 4th string signups.
(this did not happen)
2. Be incredibly lucky and catch a spot open up when someone who had one changes their mind
(this also has not happened)
3. Get into a special private party
(this is tricky and based on availability) but the private parties are all opened at the same time so nobody has better odds than anyone else, ho)
4. Rush to the part of the ship where reservations can be made immediately upon getting onto the ship and be lucky enough to get one of the held back spots.
(it would really help to know my way around the ship)
I knew that ways one and two would be incredibly unlikely, though in the group I observed one or two people were so lucky to get a spot that had opened up (my current cruise group has not had anyone so fortunate thus far).
Therefore, I knew that my best chance to get into the meal was to be a part of the private party which can be arranged 30 days before the cruise. however, there are a limited number of private parties available (sometimes the number is zero) I had to be in the first party.
My best odds at this were to be the one making the request. But I only knew 3 other adults going on this trip, and one didn't want to go....
I had to be the Facebook group leader...
Fortunately my research helped me to know almost as much about this trip as anyone, even though I've never set foot on a cruise ship before.
I booked our cabin first thing on the first day of booking, on the last booking before Disney separated out the levels. the next thing I did that morning was start a Facebook page for the cruise! then someone who started a group noticed me and asked if I wanted to do admin for her, correctly formed, Facebook group. (I was so close! also she was perfectly lovely about everything)
Our cruise doesn't leave until next month, but I cannot believe how much I have grown to love my group! We have helped each other, encouraged each other, comforted each other through a death in the group, and celebrated the victories of many of our people. We hope for each other and worry with each other. It's more like meeting up with long lost friends and family than just random people from the internet who share a common interest in Disney cruising.
Anyway, after all that mushy stuff, well more than a year after I became assistant admin to the group, I did not get into Palo the easy way, but as the leader, I was able to orchestrate the Palo group, and we got one seating approved!
I made it! I got everything I wanted out of the group and so much more!
Hey you guys, I'm planning on writing more again today, I'm sorry if this much pre-cruise information is not what you are looking for. I promise to do my best to have a great report when I get back in June.
Because of my research and my excitement, I knew that I should book everything as soon as possible (or when I was comfortable with the prices in the case of airfare)
I have a habit of going on an on about things I am excited about. When we started planning this trip, we told our neighbor about it and teased that she should come too. She said yes! haha.
I told her that I had read here that it was a terrible idea to arrive on the day of the cruise in case of complications, and because we were planning on using Southwest points our family decided to go through Seattle. She agreed to join in the fun.
To save money we booked an AirBnb in Seattle back in May of 17', it was everything one could hope for from a place in Seattle, half a mile to Pike Place Ocean View High Rise lots of space and only $450 for 2 nigths in a place big enough for 6 people.
Last week my friend got a refund because the listing was pulled from AirBnb The cheapest hotels in the area are now 7-900 a night and we'd need 2! We were concerned to say the least.
In desperation I looked at every remotely local AirBnb and VRBO trying to be anywhere near downtown and not in an airport hotel that would require a $75 Uber or hour long bus ride to get downtown.
Always the last place you look, I threw the dice on a listing that sounded good, but had no photos or map on VRBO in the northern area of Maple Leaf. The description was way too nice for the cost and the lack of photos was a bit concerning, but we were desperate and all of the reviews were glowing.
I sent a request and had to write a description of our needs. I explained that our nearly year out plans had fallen through and threw ourselves at their mercy.
I got approved that night. The next day I received an email that they were happy to help and that if I checked out their page again it would have photos.
The owner had explained that they had just completed a $24,000 renovation on the property and were having trouble updating the listing, with updated prices. But they were happy to help us out and give us the old price!
It saved us almost $200 off of what it would have been if we booked the next day, and, this home cost us $50 less than our downtown location. Effectively we will come out of this for about the same amount of money! I'm shocked.
Additionally, we are still working on getting a better soloution to our Flight home, booked about 6 months ago, we were happy with the deal that got us to our tiny home airport, but a month ago Delta told us that the flight time had changed and now our layover would go from 45 minutes (at an airport 2 and a half hours away) to 5 and a half hours.
I was finally able to make some progress with Delta, now instead of my perfect flight leaving at 1pm and arriving home by 6pm I need to leave at 11am and still get home at 6.
Unfortunately it has an extra layover, but it beats the 5 and a half hour wait or the 6 am start time they tried to convince me on (which would have made a 12 hour day of flights and layovers
Five years or so ago, I told CL that I really wanted to go to Seattle, but I had no idea why. All I knew about it was the Space Needle and Pike's Place (and I have an issue with heights).
When we started looking into this trip I was very glad to see that I had a good reason to get there.
When planning this trip, I had little idea where my life would be (I started planning this trip in 2015) What ideas I did have were completely wrong anyway. Nonetheless I was certain that 2 weeks was the most I could manage to get off or pay for or whatever. I was right about the time off.
Anyway, with the cruise taking a week of that time, and travel being 2-3 days of it I didn't have much left to split between Seattle and Vancouver, my first (and also my child's first) time outside of America. CL simply could not fathom that we would me making this trip, so the onus of planning was on me. I decided that the travel day and a Saturday before the cruise would need to be sufficient to experience Seattle (at least for our first time).
I immediately tried to figure out how to do everything in 36 hours (obviously this is not even slightly possible). I checked out the Seattle City Pass which at $90 per person is a crazy deal. It would grant admission to the Space needle, the Aquarium, a harbor tour and a selections of museums, a garden and the Zoo. I figured out a hectic schedule that would allow us to do everything! Then CL and I had a 3 day weekend in a nearby major city with a similar schedule. We managed to do about 1/3 of the things we had planned. We had a lot of fun doing what we did, but I was constantly disappointed about the things we had missed.
About the same time as this revelation, I learned that the cruel people of Seattle decided that the Space Needle wasn't nearly terrifying enough. So they decided to replace the floors, many walls, and even some seating with glass
OK I was really trying, but there is just no way. It was time for a totally new plan.
This time I would focus less on the touristy aspects that look super fun and try to do more of the local cultural stuff that CL and I really value.
Pikes place is still a necessity. So That alone is our plan of the evening of our flight and there are many convenient dining options, then we will rest up for the next day.
On Saturday (that's next Saturday as I write this!) we'll Go to lunch at a restaurant that I serendipitously discovered in the international district of Seattle. Little Sheep. (it's a brand of hot pot soup mix that DS loves) and it turns out to be down the street from an off the beaten path local hang out "the Seattle Pinball museum"
Unlimited game play on Dozens of Pinball machines and classic arcade games for the bargain price of $15 per person! We plan to round it out with an authentic dinner in Chinatown.
I've never left the country before. I don't think my parents have ever either. Getting a passport was a new experience for me and in some uneffable way, walking out of the passport appointment I had the feeling that my world got bigger. Nearly anywhere that I have seen in a photo was now, in some ways a place that I could go to. I had never before thought of them as surreal places, but knowing that I am now allowed to go to India or Morocco or Tokyo as long as I am willing to spend the money to do so is redefining of my sense of self in some way.
....So anyway, even though it's just over the boarder, it is a big deal to me to be in a foreign country. I want to make the most of it. Now living in a landlocked mountain state I severely miss the one thing that Vancouver seems to have in spades, cultural experiences.
Because I am cheap by nature, the first thing I did when researching Vancouver was look for discounts, hoping that I would find myself interested in options that were also highly affordable. While I was looking, I came across what looked like Epcot, but with a spiders web of lights around it:
Of course this would be the one museum that cost 2-3 times as much as all of the others to get into...
But the architect is too successful, I could no longer imagine our trip to Vancouver without going inside. This began a long search (I had the time) to find a way to get in for a discount. A few days of exploring Vancouver websites later I came across vancouverattractions.com. Through this website getting tickets to multiple places at once allowed us to save a lot. Especially since the other places that we were interested were so inexpensive. In the end we got 3 days worth of activities for about $75 USD for the three of us.
In addition to Science world we also got tickets to Biodel Conservatory, (I didn't know that any of these existed outside of England)
and Dr. Sun Yet Sen Classical Chinese Garden
Oh also, because it is a cultural icon, I may also have purchased $75 CAD in resale gift cards for Tim Horton's (but I only paid $40 USD) did I go overboard? Probably, but my kid really likes donuts.
Day 3 of our trip, it feels like we just started... Once I got used to how unpredictable Ubers could be in such a populated area it stopped being stressful. We had some wonderful experiences in Seattle, and I'll report on those later on to Vancouver and no more internet for a while.
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haha I don't know how I earned you already, but I'm excited to have you follow along. 
. 
. It was very enlightening. I learned about groups and sign ups and meet ups and how people dealt with last second problems, I learned that I needed to book my hotel the minute it was available and that there were many kinds of exchanges to plan for. 
The cheapest hotels in the area are now 7-900 a night and we'd need 2! We were concerned to say the least. 
We had a lot of fun doing what we did, but I was constantly disappointed about the things we had missed. 
on to Vancouver and no more internet for a while.
