disnygirl55
Forever Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jul 1, 2006
INTRODUCTION
Hi there Dis friends!
I’ll be honest – I haven’t been on the Disboards for a while. I was pretty bummed with the whole Photobucket issue a few years ago and abandoned a trip report in the midst of it.
Then it was COVID pandemic time and there was not a whole lot of information other than speculation on when things would ramp up again (and during that time, one Aulani trip and two booked cruises were cancelled…..) It was a bummer couple of years, I’m sure many of you will agree, so I didn’t do a lot of torturous vacation dreaming and scheming.
After our eagerly awaited Aulani visit, Panama Canal cruise, and a second DCL cruise from NYC to Bermuda were all cancelled, we decided to cast our thoughts ahead to happier future times, and booked the 2022 East-bound Hawaii to Vancouver cruise and applied our cruise credits to it. Most exciting, in honor of our 30th wedding anniversary and our 50th birthday year (hubby and I were born only three weeks apart), we booked the Roy O. Disney Royal Suite (now category 1A). Somehow after re-applying all of our cancelled concierge deposits to this new sailing, it didn’t seem THAT expensive. I’m probably in denial about that, but when you keep saving each month for non-existent vacations over a couple of years, it adds up pretty nicely.
So, to anyone who is feeling that we are crazy to spend silly amounts of money on a Royal suite for just the two of us – you’re probably right. But please don’t hate – we feel a need to be perfectly spoiled after so many disappointments in 2020 and 2021. We DID try to convince family members to come along initially to bunk in that second bedroom, but the price differential was either too steep for them or they couldn’t take the time off work for that long.
This sailing, as I mentioned, it will be just myself and DH. Our DS is now 20 years old – yikes! – and will still have college commitments the first half of May. Here he is with us five years ago - when he was much shorter. Sigh.
Our plans:
Fly from Denver to Las Vegas
Two nights in Las Vegas at Caesar’s Palace
- Tickets to Cirque du Soleil “O”
- Dinner at Gordon Ramsay’s “Hell’s Kitchen”
Fly from Las Vegas to Honolulu
- Three nights at Hale Koa on Waikiki
- Re-visit some of our favorite experiences from our previous (and only) vacation to Oahu in 2017. Wow, has it really been 5 years already??!!
- Mai Tais here I come!
On May 6, 2022, we embark on the 10-night cruise leaving Honolulu, visiting Maui (Kahului), Hawaii (Hilo), and Kauai (Nawiliwili) x 2. Then five glorious days at sea sailing to the cooler climes of Vancouver, B.C. before catching an early afternoon flight back to Denver.
As I was searching for more details on this sailing on the Disboards (not a whole lot of luck, to be honest – trip reports are sadly lacking for sailings LEAVING Hawaii, as well as any Royal Suite experiences) – I came across the last trip report I did. Although it was not fully completed, it was fun to re-read my report, and it brought back some great memories. So, I decided to bite the bullet and create another report for this trip.
Our biggest worry now is that one of us will test positive for COVID either prior to boarding or upon disembarkation in Canada. From what I understand, DCL will compensate us for the cost of our sailing if the first happens, but we won’t be able to fly home if the second happens, and will have to get a rental car and cross the border to Seattle and either drive the long trip to Cheyenne or get a last-minute flight from Seattle to Denver.
Things can and are changing constantly in this regard as far as testing goes, so wish us luck and stay tuned! (BTW, both DH and I have gone through this pandemic disease-free thus far, so hopefully luck will stay with us).
31 days until we leave for the first day of this vacation! I’ll be back to post more details and “teasers” of plans before we leave. Here is the moment I am most looking forward to re-creating: my book and coffee on the verandah with the Pacific Ocean waves as my soundtrack:
Hi there Dis friends!
I’ll be honest – I haven’t been on the Disboards for a while. I was pretty bummed with the whole Photobucket issue a few years ago and abandoned a trip report in the midst of it.
Then it was COVID pandemic time and there was not a whole lot of information other than speculation on when things would ramp up again (and during that time, one Aulani trip and two booked cruises were cancelled…..) It was a bummer couple of years, I’m sure many of you will agree, so I didn’t do a lot of torturous vacation dreaming and scheming.
After our eagerly awaited Aulani visit, Panama Canal cruise, and a second DCL cruise from NYC to Bermuda were all cancelled, we decided to cast our thoughts ahead to happier future times, and booked the 2022 East-bound Hawaii to Vancouver cruise and applied our cruise credits to it. Most exciting, in honor of our 30th wedding anniversary and our 50th birthday year (hubby and I were born only three weeks apart), we booked the Roy O. Disney Royal Suite (now category 1A). Somehow after re-applying all of our cancelled concierge deposits to this new sailing, it didn’t seem THAT expensive. I’m probably in denial about that, but when you keep saving each month for non-existent vacations over a couple of years, it adds up pretty nicely.
So, to anyone who is feeling that we are crazy to spend silly amounts of money on a Royal suite for just the two of us – you’re probably right. But please don’t hate – we feel a need to be perfectly spoiled after so many disappointments in 2020 and 2021. We DID try to convince family members to come along initially to bunk in that second bedroom, but the price differential was either too steep for them or they couldn’t take the time off work for that long.
This sailing, as I mentioned, it will be just myself and DH. Our DS is now 20 years old – yikes! – and will still have college commitments the first half of May. Here he is with us five years ago - when he was much shorter. Sigh.
Our plans:
Fly from Denver to Las Vegas
Two nights in Las Vegas at Caesar’s Palace
- Tickets to Cirque du Soleil “O”
- Dinner at Gordon Ramsay’s “Hell’s Kitchen”
Fly from Las Vegas to Honolulu
- Three nights at Hale Koa on Waikiki
- Re-visit some of our favorite experiences from our previous (and only) vacation to Oahu in 2017. Wow, has it really been 5 years already??!!
- Mai Tais here I come!
On May 6, 2022, we embark on the 10-night cruise leaving Honolulu, visiting Maui (Kahului), Hawaii (Hilo), and Kauai (Nawiliwili) x 2. Then five glorious days at sea sailing to the cooler climes of Vancouver, B.C. before catching an early afternoon flight back to Denver.
As I was searching for more details on this sailing on the Disboards (not a whole lot of luck, to be honest – trip reports are sadly lacking for sailings LEAVING Hawaii, as well as any Royal Suite experiences) – I came across the last trip report I did. Although it was not fully completed, it was fun to re-read my report, and it brought back some great memories. So, I decided to bite the bullet and create another report for this trip.
Our biggest worry now is that one of us will test positive for COVID either prior to boarding or upon disembarkation in Canada. From what I understand, DCL will compensate us for the cost of our sailing if the first happens, but we won’t be able to fly home if the second happens, and will have to get a rental car and cross the border to Seattle and either drive the long trip to Cheyenne or get a last-minute flight from Seattle to Denver.
Things can and are changing constantly in this regard as far as testing goes, so wish us luck and stay tuned! (BTW, both DH and I have gone through this pandemic disease-free thus far, so hopefully luck will stay with us).
31 days until we leave for the first day of this vacation! I’ll be back to post more details and “teasers” of plans before we leave. Here is the moment I am most looking forward to re-creating: my book and coffee on the verandah with the Pacific Ocean waves as my soundtrack:
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Can’t wait to hear all about it. it Sounds amazing
But that canceled cruise led to a huge credit that made this "Royal" one possible, so while it was a huge disappointment, it has resulted in something wonderful that may not have happened otherwise. I love your excitement about the ducks - I hope my husband winds up feeling like your girlfriend. Right now, he just doesn't get it. 
That reminds me to charge my fitbit so I can track my mileage on board as we walk around. Ever since I got my Nordictrack and began doing scheduled walks on the treadmill, I've stopped using my fitbit, but it would be nice to know how many steps I'm getting in. Yes, concierge robes are dreamy. I don't wear them around as much as I should. Just thinking about them makes me feel so cozy. And I totally forgot the Lanawai Spa ones - you are right! Thanks for the happy thoughts!
This is going to be a fantastic trip for you both!!! Have the most amazing time!! I also wanted to note that although the US no longer has a mask mandate on flights, Canada does. So you will need to wear a mask from the moment you set foot into Vancouver International and you will need to wear it for your flight (unless they let you take it off after you enter US airspace I guess?!)
