Welcome And Alaska Cruise Preview

Intro 0:03

Please stand clear of the doors. por favor manténgase alejado de las puertas . Please stand clear of the doors.

Alicea 0:24

Hello everyone, I'm Alicea.

Nathan 0:26

I'm Nathan.

Sara 0:28

And I'm Sara.

Alicea 0:29

And welcome to episode 240 of Adventures and Mouse Capades. Today we are excited to welcome back our friend Sara for her fourth appearance on the show. This time Sara is fresh off an unforgettable seven-night Alaskan sailing aboard the Disney Wonder with her two kids. Someday we'll get on there.

Nathan 0:48

Yes.

Alicea 0:50

From breathtaking glacier views and wildlife sightings to sometimes rainy port days, onboard activities, and the realities of cruising Alaska as a family, we are diving into what it is really like to experience one of Disney Cruise Line's most popular itineraries. Whether Alaska's on your bucket list or if you're wondering if it's worth the hype, Sara is here to share all of the details, surprises, and tips from her family's adventure. So grab your favorite cruise beverage or soft serve and come along as we head north to the last frontier. Welcome back, Sara.

Sara 1:25

Thank you. Glad to be back.

Nathan 1:26

Yeah, I can't believe this is your fourth time on the show.

Sara 1:30

Time does fly.

Nathan 1:32

One more, you'll be gold.

Sara 1:34

Wow. Does that come with a gift?

Alicea 1:37

It won't count until the next one.

Nathan 1:38

Yeah. Okay. Yeah. On the sixth, you'll be gold. Yeah. Yeah. Disney DCL rules.

Sarah’s Cruise Background And Why Alaska

Nathan 1:46

So remind listeners who may not have heard some of your previous episodes with us a little bit about your background and and and your travel history because you've done a lot of sailing.

Sara 1:57

I have done a lot of sailing. Um, my first time on a cruise ship was in the fourth grade, and um I really got um bitten by the love of cruising in college. I traveled on semester at sea, and then since then I've just not stopped cruising. So I've been on most of the major cruise lines, but Disney is sort of my favorite. Okay, it is my favorite.

Nathan 2:20

With good reason.

Sara 2:21

By a lot.

Nathan 2:22

Yeah. What made you decide Alaska was the next Disney cruise adventure for your family? Was this kind of like on your family bucket list that you needed to check off?

Sara 2:32

Yes. So I've lived my whole life in the Pacific Northwest. And before I had kids, I had the opportunity to sail to Alaska on princess cruises, which was incredible. And I knew when I had kids, as soon as they were old enough to really appreciate it, we were going to Alaska. And I can guarantee this will not be our last time to Alaska. I'm already trying to figure out when we can go again next. Um, it's just it takes Pacific Northwest beauty to a whole nother level. And it's, I mean, it's really completely unimaginable and undescribable. You just have to get there to really understand it. Yeah.

Alicea 3:07

Yeah. What excited your kids the most before the trip? And uh remind folks how old they are now.

Sara 3:14

I have two kids. Um, my daughter is seven and my son is nine. And if I'm being honest, it's the kids' club. Um but beyond that, they were really excited for one of the excursions that we booked, taking a helicopter to a glacier and going dog sledding.

Alicea 3:31

Oh, wow.

Sara 3:32

So that was the one thing that um they were most excited about.

Nathan 3:36

Yeah. Well, I mean, that makes a lot of sense. Those dogs are amazing.

Sara 3:42

Yes, yes.

Packing Layers And Weather Expectations

Nathan 3:43

All right, before we get there, let's talk about getting ready for the trip. So Alaska is very different than packing for Castaway Cay. How did you prepare?

Sara 3:53

We prepared for months. Um, Santa and the Easter Bunny were in on the action. Um, you know, everything from hand warmers to um digital cameras, um, binoculars, extra thermal layers. It's a lot of stuff and a lot of layers. So new puffy coats, new fleece jackets for everybody. Um, so I just kind of packed it away as good promotions came up on Amazon. Um, it was a good opportunity for us to update our outdoor gear. Turns out we didn't actually need most of it, which was un love a happy surprise.

Nathan 4:32

Yes.

Sara 4:32

Um, but you know, it's it's a lot of luggage, like you need more luggage than when you're going to the Caribbean. Um, the nice thing is, is it's a more casual sailing. So if you're somebody that likes to dress up, I like to dress up for dinner. I didn't wear most of those clothes that I took, which was, you know, I didn't need to take them, but we drove, so I felt like I had a little bit more freedom.

Alicea 4:55

Oh, nice

Sara 4:56

what I packed.

Alicea 4:57

Yeah. Were you constantly checking the weather before you sailed?

Sara 5:02

Yes. Constantly checking the weather. And everybody in the Facebook group for our sailing was constantly checking the weather. And every day we looked for the two weeks leading up to our sailing, it got worse and worse and worse. And it looked like we were gonna have 45 to 50 degree weather all week and solid rain. So, much to our surprise, it was between 65 and 70 and sunny every day. We didn't experience any rain.

Nathan 5:26

That's insane. And this is

Sara 5:28

insane.

Nathan 5:29

Mid-July. I mean, you were sailed on the 13th of July uh out of Vancouver. We did last year when we went on Celebrity, we were basically the week before that. Yeah. Uh, and it was uh not nice. I mean, it wasn't horrible, but it wasn't 70 degrees and sunny. Typical Alaska.

Sara 5:50

And when I sailed on Princess, it was the week after um in July, and we had a good mix. We had one warm day in Ketchikan, which makes sense, it's the farthest south. Yeah, um, but we had rain, we had fog, we had all the other things on other days. So it was real, even the Alaskans were like, this is this is not normal.

Alicea 6:08

This is no rhyme or reason

Sara 6:09

spot for us.

Nathan 6:10

Yeah,

Sara 6:11

none. So you have to be prepared when you go to Alaska for all different seasons.

Nathan 6:15

Yeah. Well, so this was your first time uh sailing Disney on the the Disney. Well, was this your first time on The Wonder?

Sara 6:23

It was our second time on The Wonder.

Nathan 6:24

Okay, got it. Um, but it was your first time sailing on Disney out of Vancouver.

Vancouver Hotels Port Planning And Parking

Sara 6:29

Yes.

Nathan 6:29

Where did you stay the night before?

Sara 6:32

We stayed, um, we did a couple of different things before we went. So we actually stayed in two places in Vancouver. We stayed um at a World Mark resort, the Canadian, um, one night, and then we stayed at the Pan Pacific Hotel the second night. So the night before we got on the cruise, and the Pan Pacific is in the same building as Canada Place. It's on the cruise port, yeah, which is where the cruise ship docks and leaves from. So we woke up early, we watched the ship sail in under the bridge and come into port, and then we could hear the announcements on the ship from our room while we were getting ready, and they take your luggage down to the ship. It's there are a couple different options that Disney partners with staying in Vancouver, but the service and the views and the Pan Pacific make it the best.

Alicea 7:20

Yeah, that's where we stayed as well.

Nathan 7:22

It was pretty darn fantastic.

Sara 7:23

It's pretty amazing.

Nathan 7:24

Yeah.

Alicea 7:25

How does Vancouver compare to Port Canaveral or other Disney ports that you've used?

Sara 7:31

That's a really good question. Um, you know, I you have to plan a little bit more for Vancouver. It's a big city. The port is right downtown uh in the big city. And uh, whether you're driving or flying, there's just a little bit more planning involved. Um you know, Disney does do a transportation shuttle, a bus from the airport to the cruise port the morning of. If you're staying by the airport, they have a sky train that you can take in. But I think that's the big, um, the big difference is you are in a major city. It's also very cool. I think people are missing out if they don't spend a couple of nights in Vancouver because there's so much to do right down there at the cruise port area. You can hop on the hop-on, hop-off bus, you can walk to Stanley Park, um, you can go up to the suspension bridge that they have there. There's just a lot to do in Vancouver. It's a really cool city to explore.

Nathan 8:27

And especially if you're staying right at the Pan Pacific or even someplace just downtown, you don't have like that hour plus bus ride to get from wherever you're staying, like at the at the parks, in one of the resorts, or even if you're sailing out of like Galveston, uh, you know, that's an hour to an hour and a half bus ride if you've got uh the Disney hotel that's there at the airport in Houston. So yeah, it's incredibly convenient.

Sara 8:55

So walking to the terminal, you just can't beat it.

Nathan 8:58

Yeah.

Alicea 8:58

How's parking? Because you said you drove up there, so I'm assuming you had to pay for parking up there.

Sara 9:05

Parking is not for the faint of heart, it has um tripled in price in the last few years. It was about 700 Canadian dollars to park for eight nights at the Pan Pacific. Yeah, it wasn't cheap, but I will say parking was easy. We were right by the front door and um their parking garage, you know, one elevator takes you to the Pan Pacific and the other takes you to the cruise port. So we were steps from our car when we got off the ship and we were on our way back to the United States pretty quickly.

Nathan 9:34

So 750 Canadian, that's like a hundred bucks. No, I'm kidding.

Sara 9:39

Basically, right?

Nathan 9:40

No, no, it's not that not quite.

Sara 9:42

It was about 500 and 550, I think.

Nathan 9:45

Yeah. I mean, we were surprised by how expensive the parking was uh sailing out of Seattle, because when we uh went last year, you know, it's just a gravel lot. You still have to take a shuttle bus over. It's not like you're in the same building anywhere near that. And it was, I think it was like 425 for a week.

Sara 10:05

And it was that makes me feel better.

Nathan 10:07

Yeah. And that's US dollars.

Sara 10:10

Right.

Nathan 10:11

All

Returning To Disney Wonder Feel

Nathan 10:12

right. So revisiting the wonder, you guys, you know, basically uh step out of your hotel room right into uh the the main lobby there, if you will. What was it like? First impressions getting back on the ship.

Sara 10:26

We love The Wonder. Um I love the small ships. Um, she's my third favorite ship, if you're keeping track. And um she there's just something so relaxing. She feels like a small ship. There was staff that we recognize. There was staff that recognized my children from the dining room. Oh, and that just makes you feel so special. And I think that's the Disney magic, is you develop a bond with some of these cast members that you see from ship to ship. Um, and it was great because it was just like coming home.

Nathan 11:00

Yeah. That's awesome.

Sara 11:01

And we also didn't the thing I like about sailing ships, we've already sailed, is we don't have that FOMO to try and cram everything in. We can really soak it in and take time to to do different things because we've already kind of done some of the basics.

Alicea 11:15

Yeah.

Glacier Day At Dawes Glacier

Alicea 11:17

Let's go into Glacier Day, actually. It's let's dive right into the uh itinerary here.

Sara 11:23

Okay.

Alicea 11:24

Um, so depending on the conditions, Disney visits the Dawes Glacier in the Endicott Arm or the Sawyer Glacier in the Tracy Arm Fjord. Where did you guys end up?

Sara 11:34

We ended up in uh Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier.

Alicea 11:38

Okay, perfect. Nice. What was your family's reaction when you all first saw the glacier?

Sara 11:44

Well, it you know, it's kind of at the end of the day. You don't get to the glacier until about two o'clock. And so as you're sailing up the arm and the fjords, you can see other glaciers up in the mountains. But when we actually got to the glacier, you know, it was part of it was my kids were kind of done because we've done a lot of character meet and greets that day. Yeah. Um, but they're just like, wow, it is incredible. And I think the thing that did it, even for me, you know, I've been to Glacier Bay, which is, you know, the kind of the end all be all if you're keeping track of glaciers. But it doesn't, it it didn't seem any less spectacular to me. And the excursions that get on the little boats that get really close to the glaciers, you can see those, and it really puts into perspective how enormous the glaciers are and the icebergs that are floating in the water, and just it was spectacular and it was warm, like it wasn't freezing to be outside. It was like we just kind of just sat there. We ate room service, tomato soup, and grilled cheese, and it was kind of a perfect time.

Nathan 12:48

That sounds amazing. I think ours was like we were there in the the early morning slot and uh it was drizzly and cold, and so we weren't really interested in being out on the open decks for too long because we just got so cold. Man, that now we have to go again for sure.

Sara 13:07

Oh, yeah.

Nathan 13:08

Of course, you know, as long as we can guarantee good weather.

Sara 13:11

Good weather. Well, I'll give you a little pro tip.

Nathan 13:14

Yeah,

Sara 13:15

we signed up for the shutters um family photo session, and we had scheduled it in the morning. And when we got on the ship, the .. was like, You want to do it in the afternoon when we're at the glacier. Because you don't know before you get on exactly when you're gonna get to the glacier.

Nathan 13:35

Right.

Sara 13:36

Right now, they're doing them in the afternoon, but that's not always true. So um we were able to move, so we did family photos. Be surprised when you get the Christmas card at the glaciers, which was absolutely incredible.

Nathan 13:51

That's awesome. That's a that's a heck of a pro tip right there.

Sara 13:54

Yeah, yeah, it is money well spent, I will tell you.

Nathan 13:58

Yeah.

Alicea 13:59

How are they with the icebergs leading up to it? Because I remember when we did it, like um it was kind of cool to see these icebergs coming out, these little ones, and then they get bigger, and then they get bigger. Um, I remember Sterling had quite the reaction to those. Yeah.

Sara 14:14

Yeah, they love those. So we started to see those while we were in line up on deck, meeting characters, and um, my kids both had binoculars, and so I was like, look, they're icebergs. They're like, no, those are not icebergs, and they're trying to make up what they are. I was like, nope, those are icebergs. Look through your binoculars. And they're like, you know, it was mesmerizing because they're such an electric shade of blue. Yes, and they really stick out on the horizon. Um, they thought they were really cool, and so then we were talking about um, you know, how they come down on the tides from the glacier and how the glaciers calve and they come down. And then there was a naturalist on board, and we didn't see we didn't ever see her, but she was doing some announcements at different times over the loudspeakers and talking about the depths of the fjord and sort of, you know, how those icebergs come to be and how long it takes them to get out to sea. And it, I mean, it's really cool.

Alicea 15:03

Yeah. Yeah. Did you guys get to hear any or see any calving?

Sara 15:08

We saw just a tiny little bit. There was one of the glacier boats just right up there. Um, gosh, it would have been amazing to see. But we saw just a little bit. There wasn't as much as I saw at Glacier Bay. Um, but we did see a little bit.

Nathan 15:21

Yeah. Where on board did you find the best viewing spots? Because if there's a lot of characters going up on deck, there's, you know, maybe a lot of uh spots that you would really want to be to look at the glacier and everything else that may be taken up with lines. How did that work out?

Sara 15:38

Yeah, conveniently we were in the lines. So we, you know, the it's a bummer to be in the lines. Amazing to see the characters and their incredible costumes. The photos are incredible with the backdrop going up the fjord. Um, but those are prime spots to be watching for whales. We saw whales, otters, seals, icebergs while we were waiting in line for those characters. Um, once we got up to the glacier, we actually went back to our cabin and just enjoyed it from our veranda where it was quiet. The kids could like take their shoes off and kind of relax. Um, and that I really recommend that if you have a veranda, because everybody that was up on deck, you know, we're cramming to be up in all the good spots. But they stop. We were there for about two hours. They stop and they have one side of the ship turn to face the glacier, and then they really slowly turn around and then they stop and they let the other side enjoy the glacier. So you're not going to miss anything going back to your cabin.

Nathan 16:35

Right.

Sara 16:36

And you can do it kind of in the privacy of your own veranda with room service.

Nathan 16:42

Plus, if you are, you know, like in the morning, uh, if the if the glacier's in uh you know later in the day, you know, it's almost like Disney has figured out a way to make those character lines a feature.

Sara 16:54

Right.

Nathan 16:54

Because, you know, you want to be outside, right? Assuming there's great leather weather, you want to be out there and having those best views.

Sara 17:01

Yes, it was I can't complain because we had great weather. I it would be nice if they operated it a little bit more like the royal gathering, maybe where you waited in one. I wouldn't mind waiting two hours to meet maybe three characters at once, um, you know, just so you're not in lines all day. Um, but we did, we got to see all the characters we wanted to see. Okay.

Alicea 17:25

Who did you see?

Sara 17:26

We saw Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Goofy, Pluto, and Chip and Dale.

Alicea 17:30

Oh my gosh, you saw them.

Sara 17:32

We did, we did see them all. Um, we were not gonna see Chip and Dale, but the line by then was super short because we are not the faint of heart. And it was just a 15-minute line, which seemed very short compared to the others we had been in. They are very efficient with the characters, two photos per group, no autographs. So they do keep the lines moving, but everybody wants the photos.

Nathan 17:52

Yes, yes. How long were the long lines? I'm assuming I'm assuming for you know Mickey and Minnie.

Sara 17:59

We so Mickey came out at 8:30. We went out to deck at 7.45 to find a giant line that was about 45 minutes once he came out. And from there, we spent a total of we spent a total of six hours in line and we just went back and forth. We were with other families, and literally everybody was doing this, so I didn't feel bad doing it. Yeah, but you'd have people waiting in different lines, and then you'd let a few people go in front of you so that you know you could get photos and swap back and forth. Um, but that was the only way to that was the only way to do it, and not everybody has that, you know, extra adult to to be able to do that, but it was worth it. The kids work and we have some great photos, but it was it was a day.

Nathan 18:43

Yeah. Wow. That's I I I get your point now. Like if they did it like the royal gathering where you know it's not a pay for, but you get timed, you know, tickets and all the rest of that stuff, and they manage, you know, one one big line, and then you go through and get all the characters, that would be way more efficient for everybody.

Sara 19:02

Even if it wasn't, even if it wasn't a reservation, even if you just went up and waited in a two-hour line, right? That's still less time. I mean, we spent six hours in line, it's still less time.

Nathan 19:12

Wow.

Alicea 19:13

If you just go through and do yeah, because yeah.

Sara 19:16

But you know, it was great. They had um, they also do a frozen on Glacier Day on Alaska Cruises. And that deck party, it's basically a sing-along similar to the one that you can do at um Hollywood Studios. And they either do it at 11 a.m. or they do it at like 745, 7:30 between the dinner seatings.

Alicea 19:42

Right.

Sara 19:43

I don't know how they choose which it's gonna be the week before us. It was between dinner. Ours was during 11 at 11. But we were already on deck, so we could watch it and um while waiting in line, which was very convenient. Um, I will say it's a little bit of a bummer if you want to dress up for frozen. Because if you're in an outfit that you want for the Glacier Day photos, then frozen's in the middle. So my daughter didn't get to wear her frozen costume to the show, but she did wear it to dinner where they have a frozen menu. So it all worked out.

Alicea 20:15

So, what was the Glacier Day outfit?

Sara 20:18

We all wore red buffalo plaid. And my son had a navy blue vest to match um Donald. And my daughter had a dress, so she sort of matched Daisy. It was very fun, and also warm and functional because you could layer underneath it, yes.

Nathan 20:35

Excellent.

Alicea 20:36

That is fun, yeah.

Nathan 20:38

Do you think that was the most memorable day of the cruise?

Sara 20:44

You know, I can't pick a most memorable day of back. I mean, they were all all of our days were so good. It definitely ranks up there at the top. Um, because it was just a great day. I mean, you just it's so beautiful. Every time you look out to sea, it's so beautiful. And every five minutes the scenery is completely different. It's just absolutely amazing.

Nathan 21:08

So it's in the top seven of your top three.

Alicea 21:15

Fair enough.

Skagway Excursions Gold Rush To Yukon

Alicea 21:17

All right, I'm gonna move on to Skagway. Uh, what excursion did you guys do in Skagway?

Sara 21:22

We did two excursions in Skagway. We really packed it in. We were in port for a long time. Um, and we did two booked through Disney. So we knew that we would get to both of them.

Alicea 21:33

Okay.

Sara 21:34

Uh the first one that we did first thing in the morning was Lyersville, which is um an old town. It's the site of the town called Lyersville that was a two mile town right at the entrance to the Yukon Trail. So it was like the last place where all the all the gold rushers would go to buy all their supplies that they needed that were required to get into Canada.

Nathan 21:55

Yeah.

Sara 21:56

Um, and it's definitely geared towards younger. kids but it was fun so you go and it's they have all these tents set up and um an old store and all these artifacts and things to look at and then they do a puppet show that um they have people in costume and then they do a puppet show with singing that um kind of talks about the history of the town and how people would come to be there and what they would do there and then they would go off on their way to get rich or try to get rich. So it was good because the kid it like leveled the history down to where the kids could really understand it. And then there was a scavenger hunt around the village and the scavenger hunt led you to gold panning.

Nathan 22:41

Oh very cool.

Sara 22:42

So we went gold panning and Chip and Dale showed up and helped gold pan. Also it was a Disney exclusive it was very fun and they were you know their normal selves they were very fun to interact with and um yeah and then um as we were finishing up gold panning which is not easy by the way

Nathan 23:01

did you pay off the cruise that way though?

Sara 23:03

I wish we did not we got we each got three to four small flakes but we did do it. It's good it's good yeah and then as we were finishing up gold panning Donald showed up and he was there mostly for photos and um so we got photos with him and then then you head over to an all you can eat salmon bake. And the food was excellent. And for what we paid for this excursion I feel like we got a lot. It wasn't very long but we got a lot of great experiences. It could have probably been like 15 to 20 minutes longer just so we didn't have to rush through our meal.

Nathan 23:41

Yeah.

Sara 23:42

But the salmon was incredible equipped over the fire and then we got on the bus and went back to the ship.

Nathan 23:46

That's awesome.

Sara 23:47

Well what was the second thing you did the second thing that we did was um a Skagway streetcar and um trying to remember the exact name it's like the Skagway streetcar um I'm not gonna remember but we did a Skagway streetcar and so those are historic little yellow buses basically and we got a 30 minute tour of downtown.

Nathan 24:11

Okay.

Sara 24:11

And then we transferred into um a 25 person minivan and we drove up the road into Canada. And the cool thing about doing that is you get to stop at all the vistas and take photos.

Alicea 24:25

Yeah.

Sara 24:26

And our driver um a gal named Christine she was absolutely incredible. She's a professional photographer so all of our photos are really really good. Oh that's awesome and she was just very funny and entertained us the whole way with history and details about the flowers and um there's a fault line that you can see from the road like you can see the fault line coming down one side of the mountain and going up the other which is wild, wild. And then when you get to the top there's a big lake and you see it from the train too but there's a really big lake up there and she pointed out to us how it's separated. Part of the lake is snow melt and part of it is glacier melt and they are different colors and you can see it very clearly when you know what you're looking at. And so then you go up to Canada they check everybody's passport and then she dropped us off at the train we had um an assigned train car that we shared with another minibus so we had lots of space in the train car and we rode the train back and then she picked us up at the bottom and took us back to the ship.

Alicea 25:27

Okay.

Sara 25:28

And so

Nathan 25:28

that's pretty fantastic.

Sara 25:29

It was an awesome tour and um it can be in reverse so some people took the train first and then she picked them up at the top and drove them back down.

Nathan 25:38

Makes sense

Sara 25:38

the drive is faster than the train so I knew because I had done the train up and back the last time I went that it's long. Yeah and it's really awesome the first half and the second half is long. So we've seen this before and if it's the weather's rainy it's you can't be outside you know it's nice when the weather's nice you can be outside on the train cars on the platforms looking at things. But I like this because it was a little bit faster. I liked being able to get out of the minibus and take those incredible photos with the welcome to Alaska sign um and just see it from different vantage points because the road and the the railroad tracks are on opposite sides of the valley. So it was really cool and it's gonna be my go-to recommendation for

Nathan 26:25

yeah that sounds fantastic

Sara 26:27

tours yeah yeah it was great.

Nathan 26:29

Taking notes.

Alicea 26:31

Yes we did the train both ways yeah when we were

Sara 26:34

so you know exactly what I'm talking about.

Nathan 26:36

Yes and we could see we had pretty decent weather on the way up and then the clouds moved in and we saw nothing on the way back.

Sara 26:45

Do you remember if you did a morning train or an afternoon train?

Alicea 26:49

We did morning

Sara 26:50

interesting because usually it's the opposite right you can't see anything on the way up but then it clears up and you can see going down.

Nathan 26:56

Well we were all pretty shocked that it was decent weather when we first got there considering the way the rest of the week had been and would continue to be uh the I know we'll we'll get there here in a little bit I'm sure but like the helicopter tours like our friends that we were sailing with had a helicopter tour out of I don't remember where and it was canceled because like there was no visibility and super low ceilings and all the rest of it.

Sara 27:21

Depending on what glacier you're going to they have like a 50% cancel rate. Yeah which is pretty high.

Juneau Helicopter Landing And Dog Sleds

Nathan 27:28

Let's move on to Juneau what did you do in Juneau?

Sara 27:31

Uh Juneau was helicopter day.

Nathan 27:33

All right

Sara 27:33

and um because we were with a group we wanted to make sure that we all got on the same time so we booked it through um a different travel company we direct booked it through a direct um and it was great uh they picked us up we had to get to if you're familiar with Juneau we had to get to the tram station and we were docked I think it's dock AJ I think is the name of it the far one but they have double decker buses that are constantly running so we never had to wait for a bus. It was very very efficient and they drop you off right there at the tram station. So that's where we went to meet our um driver and our group had ended up having a private driver out to the airport and um got all checked in. I was very impressed with the seriousness of safety that they impressed upon all the guests and it was just the safety things were repeated over and over in many different ways so you could pick it up regardless of your learning style. And then we hopped in bright yellow helicopters and the helicopters travel in groups of three and it was absolutely incredible. I for the record I have said I would never ever in my life get on a helicopter ever and I would especially never take my children on a helicopter.

Nathan 28:53

Uh-huh how’d that work out?

Sara 28:55

we all loved it

Nathan 28:56

oh that's awesome

Alicea 28:57

so was this the first time for everybody

Sara 28:59

yes

Alicea 29:00

oh wow okay

Sara 29:02

and it was fantastic

Alicea 29:04

yes yeah

Sara 29:05

so you land um you know we you get there very quickly up to the glacier and we saw Mendenhall Glacier on our way up we went to Herbert Glacier which is off the same ice field but in a different valley and um landed right there at the dog camp and got safety briefing and off we were on dog sleds which was

Alicea 29:26

this is so cool

Sara 29:27

wild. It was so wild

Alicea 29:30

I saw a a vlog um of somebody doing this and I I made Nathan watch it I'm like I want to do this yeah like this is the one that I want to do I want to take a helicopter onto a glacier and go um meet some doggos and yeah

Sara 29:46

I will tell you a couple things about the dogs really surprised me and I'm not a dog person. My kids love dogs. I'm just not a dog person. The dogs are really small

Nathan 29:56

yeah

Sara 29:56

which I was not expecting I expected these big monstrosities of dogs you know like what you see in snow dogs. It was not like that. They were very small and they were so friendly and they loved you know the um the trainers would tell us which dogs were okay to interact with and it was most of them and they just they would roll over they wanted belly rubs they wanted to get right in your face and lick you and they were so friendly and fun. And even me, the non-dog lover was down there petting the dog took me longer to warm up but um I have one daughter my daughter now wants to be a helicopter pilot because her helicopter pilot was a female and a dog trainer. So she's gonna just combine them.

Nathan 30:36

Sure.

Sara 30:37

And then my son is now wants to breed um all right Alaska huskies.

Nathan 30:43

All right well yeah plans

Sara 30:47

and we spent the entire helicopter ride back um explaining why we were not gonna get a dog today.

Nathan 30:55

Yeah yeah which I hate the fact that I feel like I need to make this PSA but we heard a story when we were there because we did a I forget which town it was we did there was no helicopter involved but we did see a uh a a dog camp and and

Sara 31:13

did you go to the one where you pet the puppies

Nathan 31:15

yes

Sara 31:15

that's Skagway

Nathan 31:17

okay um but we heard a story there and I just heard a story within the last few days of people trying to smuggle puppies back onto their cruise ships and like people what no just

Sara 31:33

wow I wow I mean I did hear we had friends that did that tour in Skagway and they did hear about all the safety check-in and check out at the dog that they had to do because people steal the puppies which it's just so mind boggling to do you how are you going to hide that on the cruise ship? How are you gonna get that through customs in Canada?

Nathan 31:54

Like these people just no just just no

Sara 31:59

here's another interesting little tidbit that we learned about the dogs is the dogs were all different colors and shades of fur but their DNA they are all the same they all have the same DNA. They are all Alaska huskies Alaskan huskies which I also thought was fascinating.

Alicea 32:16

Yeah they they look so different so different and they're like like you said they're smaller they they don't look like the huskies you think huskies look like they're a totally different type right they are bred for racing or just being on the glacier being on the snow and pulling sleds.

Sara 32:33

Yep it was very cool and I highly recommend it.

Nathan 32:37

That's awesome. Well I was gonna ask what the kids thought but now we know they have their whole career and life story planned out. So I guess it made an impression

Sara 32:44

they're gonna be living on glaciers in Alaska

Alicea 32:48

I'm sure there's a degree for that somewhere.

Nathan 32:50

Right.

Sara 32:51

Somewhere

Alicea 32:53

all right let's move on to Ketchikan um what did you guys do in Ketchikan?

Ketchikan Totem Poles And Lumberjack Show

Sara 32:59

Ketchukan was um a little different because we had a later port arrival so we didn't get in we couldn't get off the ship until it was supposed to be about 1145 but we got in a little bit early we got off the ship about a half hour early um so we just went into town a walk around and then we had a tour scheduled pretty early um that took us out to the Saxman village which is um it's just outside of town and they have they are building totem poles there. And um so seeing how they make totem poles we learned about the history of you know the design of totem poles and how they're revealed to the tribes and um how they're given back to the land. And so they have a number of totem poles there that are in the process of going back to the land which was cool to see kind of full circle. And then they have a totem pole um like a pavilion that has totem poles all around it. And so we learned the stories of the different totem poles and my kids said that that was their absolute favorite part. And then we went inside one of the clan they have a clan house there for the Beaver clan and um they did a show it was like it was so cool. It was like little kids and adults and they were singing and dancing and then people from our group got to go up and they taught them a little dance and they gave them um little cloaks to put on and they got to perform.

Nathan 34:23

Oh wow

Sara 34:24

and it was really really cool. And after that it was very cool. And my kids have um we've done their DNA and so we know that they have a little um salish Indian and uh so they love doing all those things and I'm you know excited as they get older to help them kind of dive into that culture um a little bit more and learn about it. And then after that we get back in the bus. They took us to um it's right in downtown Ketchikan there is a I'm not gonna remember exactly what it is. It's a museum it's like a natural history museum.

Nathan 35:03

Okay.

Sara 35:04

And they have different setups of the different types of terrain and climates that they have in Alaska so you can learn about the animals and different places in Alaska. And we didn't spend a lot of time there. They have a craft at the end where you can make bracelets uh and then the tour concluded at the exclusive Disney lumberjack show which um you know a lot there's a lot of back and forth about if people should schedule just a regular lumberjack show or if the Disney exclusive is worth it. You know Goofy did make an appearance it was right at the beginning that's the only Disney exclusive piece other than everybody else was on our ship. It was fun to see Goofy come out and do calisthenics and that was very entertaining. But the the lumberjack show was fun and it was if you know you like to compete and cheer people on it was very very fun a little bit cheesy but mostly fun. And we enjoyed it and then we just walked around and went back to the ship. So it was a shorter kind of port day for us which was good because we were we were pretty tired by then.

Nathan 36:10

Yes well you had two sea days uh getting up to Alaska and then and then back down south. Yeah any highlights on board?

Sea Days Movies Mixology And Palo Brunch

Nathan 36:19

How did how did y'all pass the time?

Sara 36:21

I don't even remember um the first day oh the first day we saw Toy Story 5 highly recommend Girl Math. I saved money going to the theater we saw five on the ship we also saw the new live action Moana so I saved a lot of money going on in Alaska group awesome um but

Nathan 36:40

first time that phrase has ever been uttered

Sara 36:43

yeah yeah so we saw the movie we did um a mixology class which was fun I've done a mixology class before I did it on um the wish and it was kind of fun because often if you've done those classes sometimes they're kind of the same from ship to ship but this mixology class was completely different than the one that we did on the Wish.

Nathan 37:02

Awesome.

Sara 37:03

It was very interactive we all took turns going up and making drinks um it was very fun and uh the kids enjoyed the kids club we actually did not get in the pool at all. Wow I think my kids forgot that there were pools which I was okay with for this particular cruise. And then we did Palo brunch with all the other women that I was cruising with. So we did that on our last sea day which is always a big hit. Yeah lots of trivia we um lots of trivia we did some art projects okay um and just you know relaxing around the ship which is nice to do the entertainment stuff on that ship was really good. We had they had a good variety for us to choose from because it kept us kept us busy.

Nathan 37:49

On your port days I know there's also you know things going on on the ship and you have things in the in the theater at night and stuff like that. Did you get up to anything you know after your your time ashore uh while you were in Alaska or is it mostly recharge time and try to just like get those batteries boosted back up for the next day

Sara 38:10

we did go to um one of the shows I don't remember which one now such a such a blur um but one really cool thing happened on our sailing we um our cruise was part of the Broadway star series.

Alicea 38:25

Oh nice

Sara 38:25

okay so we had two Broadway stars get on our ship one had um starred as jasmine on Broadway the other had starred as Nala on Broadway um the one who had starred as jasmine was also Elphaba and so one of the nights they did um one of the nights they did something late at night in the adults only spaces we didn't go to that one but we did go to the one in the main theater the Buena Vista Theater not the Buena Vista Theater the Walt Disney theater and it was jaw-dropping yes so incredible and they took turns singing solos and duets and my son who dreams of being a theater star was just in awe uh as was everybody it was truly incredible um and then they did a meet and greet the next day where they answered questions and things and fantastic um so if you have the opportunity to be on board when they are doing one of those I would highly recommend 100% um taking advantage of that spectacular entertainment

Alicea 39:28

it's not uh it's not every cruise that offers that

Sara 39:32

not many

Alicea 39:33

no we we were lucky enough we had we had two Broadway stars in our destiny sailing as well that's awesome um but yes very much highly recommend and if you can get to the other one that they do as well so one little later at night and for the adults um that was that was amazing for ours as well that's when they did the non-Disney songs

Sara 39:55

yes yeah yeah yeah it was really good we are lucky enough on our next sailing on the treasure they're gonna be a couple of stars so now we know what to look for on the schedule

Nathan 40:06

well plus and and now your son has a a full package of what we're gonna do we're gonna be you know a theater star that's also a dog breeder for Alaskan Huskies

Sara 40:18

and he also wants to be a um a mechan um um material scientist so he's got a lot of plans yeah

Nathan 40:25

sure

Alicea 40:26

a lot of different different options

Nathan 40:28

do it all yeah do it all

Sara 40:30

as long as there's good Wi-Fi in a glacier why could you not do it all?

Alicea 40:36

Did they get any time in the kids' club or did they get enough time in the kids' club? Because I know they both enjoy it very much.

Sara 40:43

They did have a lot of time in the kids club um not as much as they normally do or maybe as they wanted but we had talked about that before this cruise that this was a different type of cruise that you're gonna sit through dinner. You're not leaving dinner early to go to the kids club and they did really well um the nice thing about sailing on the wonder this time is it was seven nights and our last sailing was four. So we got the extra show at Animator's palette which we've sailed on the magic twice the wonder now twice we've sailed on the dream we've never gotten that second show on animator's palette so it was really cool. So we got to see some things that we hadn't seen before which was fun. So they did stay through dinner which is a big adjustment for them. They don't usually make it to dessert

Alicea 41:30

what did they think of Animation Magic?

Sara 41:32

It was really cool and I'm still kicking myself that I did not submit a drawing.

Alicea 41:36

What?!

Nathan 41:37

What are you doing?

Sara 41:38

I I don't know I was just enjoying watching everybody else draw and then I was like oh I should have been drawing and then I didn't and I didn't realize they were gonna put everybody's up and it was so cool and now I'm mad.

Alicea 41:52

You'll just have to go on another do it again.

Nathan 41:55

Yeah I just know that when I do that and I make my drawing that I am disappointing my dad who is an artist of many many decades and and taught and and has you know sold works and all the rest of that stuff. And I have the worst horrible looking stick figures ever and I just want to publicly apologize to my dad.

Sara 42:18

Well that's one of the big reasons that I didn't do one and I'm not an artist. My kids are better artists than I am. And we only had two colors we only had red and green and I felt very limited.

Nathan 42:27

Yeah it wasn't

Alaska Cruise Takeaways Cost And Verandas

Nathan 42:29

Christmas. Well it could have been Christmas in July could have been there you go

Alicea 42:32

I mean it was cold so

Nathan 42:35

very true

Sara 42:36

ish

Nathan 42:37

well let's kind of talk about Alaska cruising in general just as as some takeaways now that you can reflect on this you know you've done it with Princess you've done it now with Disney with the kids who would you say an Alaskan cruise is perfect for

Sara 42:53

I think Alaska is an awesome cruise experience for a family. I I do recommend having your kids be a little bit older maybe five or six to really take advantage of all that Alaska has to offer I'm not saying younger kids won't enjoy it or that you can't have a great time but I do feel like there's more to appreciate and enjoy when they're older. And a lot of the excursions are adventurous in nature so they have higher age limits like my daughter is really mad that as a seven year old we could not go ziplining because Disney has a limit that they have to be eight to zip line. So you know there are some parameters like that in place. Alaska's a really awesome multi-generational trip as well. Yeah and I do have a lot of clients that are taking grandma and grandpa and all the brothers and sisters and all the grandkids and Disney's really nice because we can book them all together. We don't have to worry about how many people are in each cabin. We can pick the cabins that everybody wants and get everybody either next to each other connecting or close. And so I I think that if you want to go experience something that's gonna those memories that are gonna last a lifetime, um, Alaska is a great option. It's a bigger ticket vacation. So, you know, if it's something that's on your radar, I recommend, you know, starting a budget, starting, start saving for it. Um, because the cruise itself is gonna be more expensive than a Caribbean cruise, and the excursions are gonna be more expensive. And oftentimes I find myself on Caribbean sailings not really interested in many of the excursions. And it's the exact opposite. In Alaska, you're gonna want to do all the things.

Alicea 44:38

So is it worth the premium price?

Sara 44:42

Worth every penny. Worth every penny. Yeah, yeah. It's worth every penny. And you know, the other thing that comes up with Alaska is the verandahs are a significant price jump over an ocean view or an inside cabin. And if you can budget it, I highly recommend a veranda. We use our veranda more in Alaska than on any other sailing because there's always something to see. The fjords are so narrow, and um, you can see land, you can see wildlife outside your window at any given time, and the scenery is just incredible. It's so nice to just be able to pop in and out. Um, and an ocean view is great too. You know, if that's what your budget allows, you know, being able to see outside, I think is key. The other piece is it's light so late and it gets light so early. You have so many more daylight hours to enjoy your veranda than say in the Caribbean.

Nathan 45:37

Yeah, right, right. I think we talked a little bit about this or hinted at it. Would you do Alaska again? And

Sara 45:45

100%.

Nathan 45:46

Is there anything you do differently?

Sara 45:48

This is a good question. We will 100% do Alaska again. Um, I would I've only been in July. I would love to go in the fall later in September when you have a better chance of seeing the the northern lights, um, which is hard for school. So that might not happen anytime soon.

Nathan 46:05

Um I've also heard the the later in the like if you can get late August or into September, you're more likely to see the bears out because they're stocking up on the salmon and during the the salmon runs than uh getting ready for hibernation and stuff like that.

Sara 46:18

So that's the really cool thing I think about Alaska is it's a short season and every month is distinctively different than the other months. So I would really like to go at different times. I do, we are national park junkies, so at some point we're gonna get on a princess ship and go to Glacier Bay so that my kids can check that one off their list. Um, but that will be a little bit, we're not ready for Princess just yet.

Nathan 46:45

Yeah, that that's fair. That's fair. Yeah.

Alicea 46:48

What's a piece of advice that sticks out that you would give to somebody booking their very first Alaskan Disney cruise?

Booking Advice With Alaska Expertise

Sara 46:55

I would really recommend finding a travel professional who has been to Alaska to guide you through the process. You know, booking is kind of the easy part in cruising. If you're somebody that cruises a lot and you've booked a lot of cruises, um Alaska you can book, but there are so many nuances to Alaska which ship you're getting on, which itinerary when you're in port, those things can really make a big difference. You know, we chose the wonder over the magic for two really important reasons. One is the magic is not going to Juneau, which is your easiest access to a glacier because Mendenhall Glacier is just out of town.

Alicea 47:35

Yeah.

Sara 47:36

The other reason we chose the wonder is because when the the itineraries came out, the magic was docking at Ward Cove instead of Ketchikan proper, which is a shuttle ride away.

Alicea 47:47

Right.

Sara 47:48

Which might not seem like a big deal, but that's already a shorter port. And so when you have to build in those transit times, that really cuts down on your port experience. Um, but those are things that you don't know to look for unless you are working with somebody that is experienced and has been to Alaska and can kind of guide you through those things. Um some cruise lines do not have priority docking permissions and they tender, which um can also take port time away. So if as long as you know that going in, I think that those are those are things you can work around.

Nathan 48:20

Yeah.

Sara 48:20

But you don't want those to be a surprise. Yeah.

Nathan 48:22

Right. Yeah. I I wish that's my one regret. We did sail to Alaska with a travel advisor, and we did not have that level of support. And there were so many things that I wish we had known about not just Alaska, but just our first time sailing with celebrity that we were surprised about, you know, uh different things and how they handle stuff and and stuff like that. We just did things that we didn't know. You know, we've been with Disney literally like almost 20 times at that point. And all these other lines are just different. And having somebody who has sailed with the line that you are going to book, whether that's Disney or Princess or Celebrity or Royal or whomever, um, having somebody who has that experience is so important to have. So that's a great point.

Sara 49:17

Even within, even within just Disney, for example, somebody who sailed on the smaller ships, because they're a very, very different experience than the wish class ships. There are different things that you need just to know.

Nathan 49:31

Yeah.

Sara 49:32

Because they they do things differently.

Nathan 49:34

Yep. Well,

Alaska Quick Picks And Packing Musts

Nathan 49:35

we're not gonna let you get away scot clean this time just because you've already passed Alicea's torture test before. Oh no. We have an Alaska version of the torture test.

Alicea 49:45

Okay.

Nathan 49:46

So with that, Alicea, do your worst. I mean, best.

Alicea 49:50

Okay. Uh, one word to describe Alaska.

Sara 49:55

Majestic.

Alicea 49:57

Best meal of the cruise.

Sara 49:59

Palo brunch.

Alicea 50:00

Oh, yes.

Sara 50:01

That's such a cop-out, though. Because we all know that that's true.

Alicea 50:05

But what entree did you get?

Sara 50:06

Uh the chicken parm.

Alicea 50:08

All right.

Sara 50:08

Which it was not the best chicken parm I've ever had in.

Alicea 50:11

Oh no.

Sara 50:12

But it was okay because I was very, very full.

Alicea 50:16

Something to think of for next time. I've heard get the parm and the lasagna and eat them together.

Sara 50:25

Well, I haven't done that per se, but I have split the lasagna and split the parm because some so I guess I technically have done that. Yeah. The lasagna is really incredible too. I mean, there's nothing that I've ever eaten there that I don't love.

Nathan 50:39

Right, exactly. Like it's never horrible.

Sara 50:41

Like, if I could just live on almond croissants and those um um Nutella things, yeah, my life would be good.

Alicea 50:52

Our Palo Brunch on The Destiny, they did not give us the sweet breads. We just had the savory breads. I know

Sara 51:00

the falling.

Alicea 51:02

After the end, I'm like, wait a minute. I didn't get a n almond croissant!.

Sara 51:06

You deserved a basket of almond croissants delivered to your cabin for that.

Alicea 51:10

We'll just have to do it again.

Nathan 51:12

We were full. So

Alicea 51:13

we're very full.

Nathan 51:14

Okay.

Alicea 51:14

All right. Best port.

Sara 51:17

I love Skagway.

Alicea 51:20

Best excursion.

Sara 51:22

Helicopters and dog sleds.

Alicea 51:23

Yes. The best photo spot.

Sara 51:28

If it's not Glacier on Glacier Day, um, I would say driving up the Yukon Trail on the bus has some really incredible photo spots.

Alicea 51:42

Your favorite Disney character moment.

Sara 51:46

Um, this is kind of embarrassing. I um I was just in a real mood one day. I can't tell you why. I don't even remember why. I just remember I was like very frustrated with one of my children, it was being a lot, and we were waiting in line to see Minnie, and she was in her formal gown. She wears this beautiful white formal gown.

Alicea 52:06

Yes, that's it.

Sara 52:07

And we finally, we finally have a daughter finally got up to the front, and it was just Minnie, and I was just grumpy. I wasn't gonna meet Minnie, and Minnie waves me over, and I was like, I'm sorry, Minnie, I'm just really grumpy. And Minnie grabs me and she pulls me into a hug, and it just made me cry. Like it's the silliest thing, right? Um, but I was just it's those magical Disney moments. It was just what I needed in that moment, and I was fine after that, but it was just just that moment.

Nathan 52:39

Yeah,

Alicea 52:39

Minnie's not gonna let you be grumpy.

Nathan 52:41

Nope.

Sara 52:41

She's not, she's not turned my whole night around.

Nathan 52:45

That's amazing.

Alicea 52:46

All right, rain gear, necessity or overkill?

Sara 52:49

It's a absolute necessity, yeah. Um, and not the ponchos that are disposable that you wear at Disney World.

Nathan 52:56

No,

Sara 52:57

I had this conversation multiple times in our Facebook group, and you know, we were lucky enough not to need the rain gear.

Nathan 53:04

Yeah.

Sara 53:04

But when it rains, it's windy and it's cold, and those ponchos are not going to do anything. So a good raincoat is a necessity. Yep.

Nathan 53:12

Yep. Yep.

Sara 53:13

Yeah.

Nathan 53:14

Plus, even if it's not raining, those good raincoats are going to be a nice just outer shell, even if you don't have a lining.

Sara 53:21

Exactly. It doesn't need to be thick

Nathan 53:23

right.

Sara 53:23

Yep. And a hood that fits.

Nathan 53:25

Right. Right. Take it from the three Pacific Northwesterners that you're listening to right now. This is the way to go.

Sara 53:33

Yes.

Alicea 53:35

One item everyone should pack.

Sara 53:37

Besides a raincoat, a pair of binoculars.

Alicea 53:40

A pair of binoculars.

Sara 53:41

Get a cheap pair. We bought a pair, the ones that we bought. I actually replaced my travel binoculars because I bought some from my kids that were $12 on Amazon, and they were better than my big binoculars and my travel ones, and they were perfect. Everybody had their own binoculars. There was no fighting. Everybody could watch everything at once.

Nathan 53:59

That's perfect.

Alicea 54:01

One thing you wish you had known before sailing, or something people just had a tendency not to know. Yeah.

Sara 54:08

Gosh, that's really hard because I'm such a planner. And I answer questions all day long. So I like to think that people get on knowing all the things.

Nathan 54:17

Um well, let's pivot it. Like, what are what's like one of the biggest common mistakes that you see people make?

Alicea 54:22

Common mistakes or the most common question folks have.

Sara 54:26

You know, I think any cruise and Alaska specifically, you can't do it all. Um, and just part of what makes Alaska's Alaska special is just sort of being in the moment. You know, we had a WhatsApp group on our sailing and for wildlife spottings, you know. If there are whales, drop everything, go see the whales. Right. You know, you can't do it all. You're gonna miss stuff, but just kind of live in the moment. Um and I do think that being in the Facebook groups, if you're in a good one, you can get a lot of really good information and a lot of um helpful tips in those. And there are really good people that you can follow on social media that will give you a lot of really good insider tips.

Nathan 55:11

Yes, like yourself.

Sara 55:12

Yeah, yeah. Okay.

Nathan 55:13

We'll get there.

Alicea 55:14

Like Alaska score from one to ten.

Sara 55:18

Oh, eleven.

Nathan 55:19

Yeah.

Sara 55:20

Yeah. It was, it did not disappoint. It was, you know, I think this will be one of my kids', I hope it's one of my kids' core memories as they go into adulthood and maybe something that they share with their kids.

Alicea 55:34

What do you think that they will still talk about?

Sara 55:37

The dog sleds and the helicopters. And they have been talking to people about the totem poles a lot.

Nathan 55:43

Wow.

Alicea 55:44

That's that's cool.

Sara 55:45

Yeah. My son actually bought a totem pole keychain. He was like, I just want to remember the stories of the totem poles.

Alicea 55:50

Oh, that's fun.

Nathan 55:51

Oh, that's special.

Sara 55:52

Yeah.

Where To Follow Sarah And Wrap-Up

Nathan 55:53

Well, Sarah, we mentioned it a few minutes ago. How can people find you, follow you? You know, how can you help other people have these kind of magical adventures? See what I did there?

Sara 56:06

That was good. I like it. Um, you can find me on TikTok. I'm Magical Adventures with Sara. Um, that's my name on Facebook and Instagram as well. And I do have a Disney Cruise Line 101 series that's pinned on my socials where I just kind of go through some of the things we've talked about, what to expect for embarkation day and debarkation day and kids' clubs. And kind of I really enjoy helping people get all of the tips and insider information to help them maximize their cruise. Because I think there's nothing worse than getting on a Disney cruise and not having any idea that there's door decorating and there's, you know, different things to do around the ship. You know, you want to, it's an investment in your family, and I enjoy helping people maximize their investment.

Nathan 56:52

Well, you've definitely given us some some good ideas, and I know that we are eagerly awaiting the uh next itinerary drop so we can figure out uh which of these tips we can put to good use.

Sara 57:03

Probably October.

Nathan 57:05

Well, Sarah, thanks again so much for joining us. Can't wait to have you on again after your next trip. Actually, what is next, Disney Wise?

Sara 57:14

Next, we are going in September. My we're taking my mom on her very first Disney cruise. And we are sailing concierge on the Disney Treasure.

Nathan 57:23

Oh, you're gonna love that

Sara 57:25

Gonna be a great time. It's a little bit bougie and we're very excited.

Nathan 57:29

It's not a little bit bougie,

Alicea 57:31

it's very bougie.

Nathan 57:31

Very bougie.

Sara 57:32

A lot bougie, and we're very excited.

Nathan 57:35

Yeah, that that'll be that'll be fantastic. Uh excited to uh follow along and see all the fun. It's gonna be great. Awesome. Thanks again, Sara.

Sara 57:45

Thanks for having me again. It's always a joy.

Nathan 57:48

Well, as we wrap up and Alicea heads off to do her motherly duties of picking up a kiddo, I want to remind you all that we are not affiliated with Disney or any of their subsidiaries. Everything you hear on this show is based on personal experiences, opinions, and questionable snack choices. We are, however, proudly affiliated with fun and Alaskan Cruises. If you're planning a Disney vacation, we always recommend working with a travel advisor, just like Sara, or reaching out to Disney directly to help make the magic happen. And if you enjoyed today's episode, please take a second to rate and review the show. That really helps other Disney fans find us. If you have a question, a topic suggestion, or a Disney story you'd love to share, please send us an email at podcast at our mousecapades.com. You can also find us on Instagram, Facebook, and threads at OurMousCapades, and on YouTube at OurMousCapades Pod. And of course, don't forget to share us with your friends, your family, and Disney fans of all ages. Thanks so much for listening. We'll be back in your ears next week.

Intro 58:57

Thank you for flying Star Tours. Bye bye.