Monthly Archives: November 2013

Disney Cruise Ports – Zip-lining in Skagway, Alaska

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Magical Memory Monday – Skagway! Alaskan Cruise 2011

I can’t say enough about how much we enjoyed our opportunity to visit and learn about the great state of Alaska aboard the Disney Wonder.  Skagway was the second of four ports on our cruise.  Our departure was from Vancouver (loved!) before the ship visited Skagway, Juneau and finally Ketchikan (more on those another time).  We also spent a day aboard ship in Tracy Arm Fjord which is a destination (allows you to see the Sawyer Glacier), but you stay on the ship to enjoy it.  We booked excursions in three ports (Skagway, Juneau, and Ketchikan) through Disney Cruise Line, and while all of the excursions were enjoyable, our favorite by far was our adventure in Skagway.

We like thrills, we like action, and only one of us is afraid of heights – so we thought zip-liningDSCN1879 sounded just right for us.   We met with our group on the ship at 8:45 am before heading off on our bus ride which included a short tour of Skagway before taking us to basecamp in Dyea.  The scenery is spectacular and, this may sound weird, but the air is the cleanest, freshest air – more on that in a minute. 

Once we reached the “Musher’s Camp” area, we boarded a Unimog for the upward climb to the zip lines.  A unimog is an open air, all terrain vehicle (Mercedes) that gained its fame during World War II.  Along the way, our driver pointed out the abundant sphagnum moss growing in this scenic rain forest –  he told us that sphagnum DSCN1881only grows where the air and water are both extremely clean.  So as we rode in the chilly air, we all stuck our faces out into the breeze and took deep breaths of the clean air – heading up, up, up towards our ELEVEN zip lines and four suspension bridges which would take us over glacier fed waterfalls and rapids in the incredible wilderness.  FYI:  The moss is extremely think and spongy on the ground – you can actually bounce on it.  If you ever find yourself standing on moss in the Alaskan rainforest, give it a try.  

First we were given our equipment (harnesses, helmets, and gloves) and received anDSCN1892 instructional lecture before practicing on the training line.  This line was short and low to the ground – easy.  We were ready!  Our small group consisted of the four of us along with a mother and her tween-ish son (also from our cruise).  Our two guides, young men both with a great sense of humor, were from other parts of the U.S., just summering in Alaska to work as zip line guides (we thought that sounded like a lot of fun).

The longest line was about 750 feet, but all the lines were a LOT of fun.  Megan is a tiny bit afraid of heights so we thought we might have to, well, ummm….shove her off the platform when her turn DSCN1917came, but she surprised us all with her bravery!  We all had a fantastic time and would do this excursion again in a heartbeat.           

Mammoth Waterfalls & Ultra Zip Line Adventure – was the name of the Disney Cruise Line excursion when we were in Skagway.  I see the name has been changed to Grizzly Falls Ziplining Expedition.  It is listed on the cruise line’s current excursion menu at $169 per person.  If you are booked on an Alaskan cruise, I highly recommend this activity IF you’re traveling without children or if your children are at least 10 years old.

Have you ever cruised or thought about cruising in Alaska?  I’d love to hear about it!

The Disney Twitterverse – Week ending 11/16/13

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What the Disney Peeps Were Tweeting About Last Week:

  • Disney Holiday Celebrations – still a very hot topic.  If you’re interested in seeing what’s up, check out the Disney Parks Blog for awesome pics and details.
  • Magic Bands and Fast Pass Plus – rollout and testing continue right along with the controversy about the whole MyMagic+ project.  Many tweets linked to this article in the Orlando Sentinel about the project’s scope, schedule and delays.
  • Disney Cruise Line announced and opened booking for early 2015 itineraries.  AllDSCN1683 four Disney Cruise Line ships (Magic, Wonder, Dream, and Fantasy)  will begin 2015 cruising out of Florida.  If you’ve been dreaming of a first Disney cruise, that might be a great opportunity to take one.  Rumors persist of possible Mediterranean and Baltic cruises later in 2015 aboard the newly redesigned Magic – I’m holding out for one of THOSE!  Learn more about the 2015 cruises here or at Disney Cruise Line.
  • Saving Mr. Banks – This movie is generating tons of interest.  The film stars Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson. From the official website: “Disney’s “Saving Mr. Banks,” inspired by the extraordinary, untold backstory of how Disney’s classic “Mary Poppins” made it to the screen. When Walt Disney’s daughters begged him to make a movie of their favorite book, P.L. Travers’ “Mary Poppins,” he made them a promise—one that he didn’t realize would take 20 years to keep.”  Opens in select theaters December 13th and everywhere on December 20th.  Personally, I’m excited to see what all the hubbub is about.

What were YOU tweeting about last week?

Epcot’s Canada – Le Cellier’s Cheddar Cheese Soup

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 O’ Canada!  What a great Epcot pavilion.  Not just because of the Canadian Beer kiosk out front (Molson or Moosehead, anyone?), or “Off Kilter” the kilt-sporting band that provides “Celtic rock” entertainment (who doesn’t love a bunch of guys in kilts?).  No, it doesn’t have a ride (like Mexico or Norway) or a cool department store (Japan), but it does have Le Cellier Steakhouse.  Scoring a reservation to this cozy (read:  small) table service restaurant takes luck, flexibility and serious planning!  Even at 180 days out, you’ve got to be willing to take what you can get and plan the day around it.

Le Cellier (The Cellar) is designed as a dine-in wine cellar.  Think exposed beams and stone arches.  It’s dark, it’s romantic, and lit by softly glowing candles and chandeliers, serves upIMG_3006 some delicious steaks.  What people really talk about though, is the soup.  The cheddar cheese (with beer) soup is wildly popular – Le Cellier’s signature dish!  We order it every time we go…it’s served with breadsticks and is practically a meal on its own.

As I mentioned last Saturday, the cooler weather has brought on serious soup cravings.  I want Le Cellier’s cheddar cheese soup!  Well….since I’m not going to Disney World, I’ll just have to bring a little Disney World to me and find the recipe!  I started at my premier choice for IMG_2089all Disney food info – The Disney Food Blog.  Eureka!  Sure enough, it was right here.  In the Chef BigFatPanda’s DIY Disney Column.  So, basically 11 ingredients (I’m not counting salt, pepper, or the chive garnish since I – gasp – changed the garnish). 

I like to cook and I cook a lot.  I don’t bake much (yes, there’s a difference between cooking and baking) because my sweet tooth is nearly non-existent and baking generallyIMG_2090 takes more precision with measurements (not my thing).  This recipe was fairly easy.  I served it with a spinach salad (dried cranberries, toasted pecans, feta, balsamic vinaigrette) and some French bread.  Raymond took me shopping and out to lunch today (for my birthday), so soup for supper was just the ticket.  Megan and Grant (her boyfriend of 3 years) joined us for dinner – Megan brought the birthday cake (Thanks, sweetie).  Only drawback was missing Joseph (Expand your mind, Sonny, I’ll see you on Thanksgiving break), but what a great meal (and good company) to end a wonderful day.

IMG_2091How do you bring Disney World to YOU? 

The Creatures of Disney World

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Squirrel at Home, Moth in Key West, Raccoon at Home.

Little Back Story:

Before I delve right on into today’s post topic.  I need to give you some background info on the youngest member of The Fam, Joseph. He was, like many a boy-child born here in the Sportsman’s Paradise, a big fan of catching and studying all manner of creepy-crawly things.  Almost from birth.  We implemented a catch-and-release rule at our house by the time he was five.  We did allow a few pets and over the years Joseph cared for dogs, cats, pet rats, a gecko, a hairless guinea pig named Rufus (oh, just imagine how cute! No.), and some mail-order larvae that, thankfully, did turn into butterflies.  The rest of Joseph’s animals just came for a visit and then moved on.  That list included many snakes, skinks, and lizards, one baby possum, a baby rabbit, a baby raccoon, a flying squirrel, and an enormous garden spider named Mildred that lived outside our dining room window (Joseph tossed bugs into her web and she lived there for five months).  Joseph!  If you are reading this, call your parents!  (Sorry, empty nesting is HARD!)  Back to my post.

Here’s the Disney part: 

Animals at WDW

Bunny: Epcot, Ducks: Magic Kingdom, Lizard: Studios

What Joe’s awesome animal finding skills mean for us when we’re on vacation at Disney World is that, if there’s a creature or critter around, Joseph’s going to spot it.  Duck and baby ducklings at Magic Kingdom?  Joseph will point them out.  Lizard on a tombstone at The Haunted Mansion?  Joseph will see it.  Bunny in Epcot?  You bet Joe will show it to you.  All that is, and was, just fine.  Until one day at the China pavilion in Epcot.  Our darling boy, with no advance warning whatsoever, reached into the carefully manicured landscaping and pulled out a snake.

SNAKE!

SNAKE! Epcot China Pavilion

Genuinely concerned about the snake’s well-being, Joseph began looking around for an Epcot Cast Member he could give the snake to-hoping it could be safely moved from such a high-traffic area.  I was freaking out – not about the snake itself, I was used to that (at least it wasn’t poisonous this time)- I just knew there was pretty much no chance at all that any Cast Member would be willing to take that snake off Joseph’s hands.  So I began quietly trying to talk him into putting the snake back where he found it.  I took a few pictures (and noticed a few random strangers doing the same), and continued to coax Joseph – I argued that the snake looked like it would be just fine if only Joseph would PUT IT BACK!  Took me a few minutes, but finally Joseph decided that it did indeed look healthy enough and he gently sent it on its way up the same tree below which the snake had been found.  Whew.  We resumed our vacation with no further reptile encounters. 

What’s your most unusual animal encounter at Disney World?