Our first full day on vacation and we have a sea day! I think out of all of the days I was most nervous about our first Sea Day. As previously mentioned, my family had never been on a cruise, so we didn’t know what to expect.
A typical family vacation for us is planned to the max (by yours truly), and I have an itinerary finalized weeks ahead of time. That is not how it works in the cruise world. On a Disney Cruise, you find out what the ship’s activities are via the Personal Navigator that you receive during turndown service (or one can view the digital navigator through the Disney app) anytime you are on the cruise.
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I was also nervous because I was terrified of seasickness! Luckily, my mom thought ahead and made us take a Bonine tablet every day to ward off seasickness. Clear weather and a smooth ocean (minus the last sea day) blessed us with an easy sailing.
Senses Spa
Our morning started off with a knock on the door from Room Service! After drinking our coffee, eating pastries, and watching the daily Good morning Disney channel my sister and I headed over to Senses Spa Fitness Center while mom started getting ready for the day. Now, this being the first day of the cruise, and a sea day, the gym was super packed! The evening before we tried signing up for the 9 am Spin class, but that was full. We were too late for the 7 am Morning Stretch routine (but who needs to stretch?), so we tried taking the 730am fast abs class – which was also full. To not ruin a perfectly good workout time, Ally and I opted to jog on the treadmill.
Senses Spa is on Deck 9 all the way forward. When running on the treadmill, you have the option to watch the screen on the treadmill or just look up and watch the open sea in front of you! While jogging, I kept my eyes open for whales, but unfortunately, I did not see any.
After going to the gym, the whole family went to Triton’s for breakfast and headed back to the stateroom to get ready for a day full of activities.
Into Alaska’s Wilderness
Mom and Ally headed over to the Walt Disney Theatre to listen to Doug Jones’ presentation Into Alaska’s Wilderness. During this lecture, they learned a lot about what to expect while we were sailing through the Inside Passage and what wildlife to see from the balconies. Those two also accidentally took a nap during the presentation. A little-known fact – if you stick the Lindsly Ladies in a dark theater with someone with a calm voice, we will fall asleep!
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Anyone Can Cook!
While the family was busy learning (and napping), I got ready to attend the Disney Cruise Line Anyone Can Cook in the D Lounge. This class is inspired by Chef Gusteau’s motto in Disney’s Ratatouille. Classes are held at various times throughout the day in different venues. This version of Anyone Can Cook was for adults only, and we had a cooking demonstration for Lobster Ravioli with a Tomato & Garlic Broth, and we sampled a glass of chardonnay.
Chef went through the whole recipe step by step, and it felt like we were on a real live cooking show! There were cameras and screens to make sure everyone could see what Chef was cooking. Chef’s end product looked a little different than ours. I found that the sample broth was very runny (compared to Chef’s that was thick and tomatoey) and I also discovered that I do not care for Lobster.
The room was small, maybe thirty adults taking the course, and we were able to ask Chef any questions we wanted. The only question that a guest asked was “Where can I order Lobster Ravioli onboard?” and the answer was “During this class! The Disney Wonder took it off the menu after the Dry Dock in 2016.”
Napkin Folding
While I was in class, mom and Ally did some exploring around the ship, including stopping at the 24-hour drink machine to make us iced teas. Our next class was attending a Napkin Folding Class, also in the D Lounge. This course taught us six different ways to fold napkins. I did not realize how much work was involved in folding napkins. We did some of the usual napkin foldings found on the ship during dining events: a fan, a stalk of corn, a suit jacket, another fan, a candle and Peter Pan’s Boot.
After taking this course, I had a much better appreciation for all the expertly folded napkins at each of our dining venues.
For lunch, we went to Cabanas for a quick grab and go buffet. When we were leaving Cabanas, we discovered that they were offering mulled wine to warm guests up. We didn’t purchase any because we had to run to our next activity – Humpback and Killer Whales: What we Can’t See…featuring Doug Jones!
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Humpback and Killer Whales
During this talk, we learned about all the sea life that we could possibly see while onboard. Jones is a naturalist based out of Juneau, Alaska who comes on board to discuss all of his adventures. My favorite thing about Jones is that he takes and uses his own photos in his presentations. Jones had some magnificent stories and photos about all the whales we would see in the ocean. He mentioned that it was a bit early in the season to see a ton of whales, but we were able to see a couple of HumpBack Whales and my mom and sister swore that they saw a killer whale from the balcony. After our nap, I mean lecture, we headed on over to the D Lounge for our Mojito tasting.
I highly suggest taking at least one tasting course while on a Disney Cruise ship. The class does cost between $20-30 per person but are well worth the price for the educational value and delicious drinks!
Relaxing and anti-formalwear
After the mojito tasting, we decided to forgo any other activities and just lounge on our balcony to watch the inside passage. One of my favorite things that we did on this trip was all pile onto the balcony, sit back, and just let Alaska pass us. It is hard to describe how beautiful and peaceful the scenery is and pictures do not do Alaska justice.
After hanging out with the family, we got dressed for dinner. The Evening Attire was Formal night, but we opted out of dressing up Formal. I wore my white and blue striped sweater, a decorative scarf, leggings, and my Tieks and felt adequately dressed. There were some women dressed in sequined dresses and ball gowns and some men in suits and tuxes, but it was not necessary. I also saw other families less dressed up than me wearing t-shirts and jeans. When it comes to clothes on a cruise – wear what makes you feel comfortable! It was quite cute to see the little kids all dressed up in their Sunday best.
Dinner was in Animator’s Palate and shortly after we attended the Captain’s Reception before going to the Golden Mickey’s.
The Golden Mickey’s
The Golden Mickey’s is set up like an award show where there is a red carpet, and all the “stars” are interviewed. I loved sitting down and watching guests get interviewed on the big screen and then seeing those same guests walk down the steps to find their seats. The show was excellent, except the main character, the stage manager transformed to host had an annoying quality. The show featured snippets from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Tarzan, Mulan, The Little Mermaid, One Hundred and One Dalmatians, Toy Story 2, Lady and the Tramp, Tangled, The Lion King, and of course, Beauty and the Beast. I enjoyed watching these classics come alive on the stage.
Naturally, after the show, everyone swarms the stores. We browsed Micky’s Mainsail and White Caps but didn’t find anything that we needed to buy. One fun fact: If you adore the shampoo that your host gives you, you can purchase a large bottle from the shopping area.
After a bit of shopping, it was time to go to bed even though the sun was still up at 10 pm! The next day we had a whole day filled with exploring Endicott Arm (originally Tracy Arm Fjord).
Other activities I would have tried if I had time
- Art of the Theme Show Tour
- Diamond Jackpot Bingo
- Disney Club Vacation Club Group Preview (you could win an onboard credit!)
- Golden Mickey’s After Party
Read More Disney Wonder Cruise Report
Disney Alaskan Cruise Embarkation • Disney Cruise – Sea Day • Disney Cruise Endicott Fjord • Skagway Excursion from the Disney Wonder • Best of Juneau Excursion – Plus Whales • A Couple of Hours in Ketchikan, Alaska • Last Day at Sea and Disembarkation • Delicious Dining on the Disney Wonder (Part 1) • Delicious Dining on the Disney Wonder (Part 2) • Disney Alaskan Cruise Embarkation
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Lisa Baynham
Thursday 29th of June 2017
Mal: we are leaving on 4th of July for a Princess cruise to Alaska. Looking forward to it. Thanks for your input!
mlindsly
Thursday 29th of June 2017
Wonderful! It is truly a trip of a lifetime! What ports do y'all stop in? We stopped in Skagway, Juneau, and Ketchikan.
Elise Cohen Ho
Sunday 25th of June 2017
I have the perfect candidate for a Disney Cruise. I will certainly share this information.
mlindsly
Sunday 25th of June 2017
Wonderful! Alaska was amazing too!
Courtney Helena
Thursday 22nd of June 2017
Wow, this looks amazing! I've heard really good things about the cruises but had no idea. There are so many things to do and it's so attractive! Well, it is Disney. Thanks for sharing this!
Julie
Thursday 22nd of June 2017
That trip sounds so wonderful!! I have always wanted to take an Alaskan cruise 🚢 and add..Disney PERFECT!!! The Golden Mickies show sound like a BLAST!!