Monthly Archives: September 2018

Disney Cruise Port Activities – Vancouver Food Tour

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When we travel, we like to take advantage of touring options that meet two specific goals.  The first is that we don’t view our chosen travel destination through the window of a vehicle and the second is that we see and learn as much as possible in the time allotted.

For example – We experienced both Barcelona and Copenhagen via Segway tour and those experiences were educational, entertaining, and covered a lot of ground!  We did a walking tour of Bergan, Norway that taught us about the city’s amazing history.  We learned a good bit about Alesund and Geiranger, Norway by sea kayak and mountain bike respectively.  You get the idea.  We like a bit of adventure with our history lessons.

Disney Cruise Port Activities – Vancouver Food Tour

Vancouver presented a challenge for me.  I knew the weather would likely be rainy, so I searched online for an activity that fit the criteria and would still be enjoyable in wet weather.  When I came upon the Gastronomic Gastown Tour, I knew I’d found a winner!  This three-hour walking tour combined both the history of Vancouver’s oldest neighborhood with the opportunity to taste the fare at four different restaurants.  This sounded perfect to me and Raymond agreed. Disney Cruise Port Activities - Vancouver Food Tour

With some careful time-calculations, I figured we could make the 3:00 pm tour on arrival day.  Our plane was scheduled to land at about 11:45, I figured an hour through customs, an hour to our hotel and we’d have plenty of time!  I figured wrong.  Or I should say…I didn’t allow enough wiggle room for a flight delay, which we had.  We landed 30 minutes late and customs took 90 minutes. If our driver hadn’t been waiting for us (thank you Disney Cruise Line ground transfers!), we would never have made our tour.

We rushed into the Fairmont Waterfront at 2:45, checked in, ran our suitcases to our room and hit the street; arriving at the Gassy Jack Statue to meet our tour group at exactly 3:00! Disney Cruise Port Activities - Vancouver Food Tour

Vicky, our guide, was friendly and knowledgeable and was equally as excited about Gastown’s revival from near demise in the 1970’s as she was about the neighborhood’s awesome food scene. (I found this link about Gastown history with a wonderful collection of photos.) Vicky had us introduce ourselves and say where we were from and what our favorite food is. Disney Cruise Port Activities - Vancouver Food Tour

Our first stop was at La Mezcaleria, an authentic Mexican restaurant for tacos and cocktails.  The flavors of the Carne Asada tacos we chose were delicious and well-seasoned.  The cocktails were not too strong (considering this was the first stop) and a bit exotic for Raymond and I who are not typically mixed-drink kind of people. Disney Cruise Port Activities - Vancouver Food Tour

Next up was Nickli Antica Pizzeria for pizza and beer and we were thrilled with the quality and flavor.  This was my favorite stop on the tour.  The pizzas were absolutely wonderful!  Not too heavy and with perfectly cooked crusts. Disney Cruise Port Activities - Vancouver Food Tour

Third stop was at Tuc Craft Kitchen for pork belly with dipping sauce, a Scotch egg, and parsnip fries.  We enjoyed glasses of red wine with our dishes.  This was by far Raymond’s favorite place.

Finally, we dropped in at Wildebeest for dessert.  Crème brulee with rhubarb jelly on top was served with..uhm…a pretty pink drink (for the life of me I can’t remember what it was!).  The crème brulee was an incredible combination of sweet and tart and I ate WAY too much of it.  The rhubarb was a perfect compliment to the sugary, crusty-topped sweet custard.  If you know me, you know I don’t have a sweet tooth and normally skip dessert.  I was so glad I was all-in for this one!

As we walked between restaurants, Vicky directed our attention to points of interest and wove stories of Gastown’s history throughout the experience.

The three hours flew by and before we knew it, our appetites for both food and information were completely satisfied.  We wrapped up the tour with a lesson about the famous Gastown Steam Clock.

Sure, it was still early when we arrived back at the Fairmont, so we made time to enjoy a whisky at the bar before turning in.  The next day would be our 29th anniversary – the main reason for our getaway and we had so much planned!

Follow along for more about this trip as we enjoy our anniversary dinner at Notch8, sail away on the Disney Wonder and make our first ever visit to Disneyland!

Just Back Trip Review – Highs and Lows of our Disney Land and Sea Adventure

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Good Gracious! Raymond and I are still exhausted! But very pleased with the heaps of happy memories we amassed on our Disney Land and Sea vacation. We thought of the 9-day trip in terms of phases. Phase 1: Vancouver, Phase 2: Disney Cruise on the Wonder, Phase 3: Disneyland. Today my goal is to put together my initial thoughts on the trip overall. (There will be detailed posts for every phase later.)

Just Back Trip Review – Highs and Lows of our Disney Land and Sea Adventure

Vancouver was great! The weather? Not so much. That didn’t keep us from enjoying an entertaining, educational, and delicious food tour on Saturday. Sunday was our anniversary, so we spent the day at a leisurely pace. Originally, we’d planned on either biking around Stanley Park or visiting Granville Island’s marketplace. The rain made both of those sound unenjoyable, so we strolled around in the rain, stopping to eat at Cardero’s on the harbor. We’d eaten here once before with Megan and Joseph prior to our Alaskan cruise in 2011, so we enjoyed happy memories along with a light lunch. Dinner that night was a fancy one at Notch8 in the Fairmont Vancouver just a few blocks from our hotel. Fantastic meal!

We crossed the street late Monday morning and stepped aboard the Disney Wonder. Since repositioning cruises tend to sometimes offer (relatively) bargain prices, Raymond had booked concierge stateroom 8044 for our anniversary celebration and the experience did not disappoint. I’ll fill you in on all the concierge details later but getting on the ship first to enjoy a special lunch in Tiana’s Place was fantastic and kicked off the cruise in a special way.

Tuesday, we docked in Astoria, Oregon. We had no idea what to expect from this little town of 10,000. The early weather predictions showed a huge chance of rain, so we were overjoyed when the day turned out to be sunny! We had a 3-hour bicycle tour planned from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm. This turned out to be a perfect way to enjoy this port of call. Astoria is charming, the ride along the waterfront was flat, and the folks we met were as friendly as could be. I can’t decide what was my favorite part of the day but seeing sea lions for the first time was amazing.

Wednesday and Thursday were at-sea days. Raymond and I spent a lot of time in the fitness center trying to mitigate the accumulation of cruise food and beverage calories. We took a spin class both days and found Nicholas from South Africa to be an excellent (and challenging!) instructor. As a bonus, we also had some excellent whale-watching opportunities in the fitness center since it’s at the top of the ship and has huge windows.  We dined at Palo (adults-only restaurant) for both dinner and brunch, enjoyed two different beverage-tasting seminars, saw a movie, drank lots of coffee in Cove Café, and had a wonderful time!

Friday, we arrived in San Diego. We managed to get off the ship, Uber to the car rental place, pick up our ride, drive to Anaheim, drop our bags at the hotel, and enter Disney’s California Adventure before lunch!  Thus, Phase 3 began earlier than expected and with the most perfect weather imaginable. Once at Disneyland, we made the most of every minute!

I have so much to share with you!  Were mistakes made?  Yes, two major ones that resulted in (relatively minor) unhappiness.  We found so much to love about every aspect of this vacation and would do it all over again (with a couple of important modifications).  I’ll cover everything in detail, so please stop back by over the next couple of weeks.

Now?  I’m still catching up on sleep!  But I’ll be back soon and hope you will be too!

Disney Dining – Who Would Love Enzo’s Hideaway?

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Looking for someplace new to try at Walt Disney World?  Want to get away from the noisy crowds?  I may know just the place for you.

Disney Dining – Who Would Love Enzo’s Hideaway?Enzo's Hideaway

The menu is basic Italian.  The setting is so off the beaten path, it’s actually underground.  You might want to consider giving Enzo’s a try if any of these seem appealing…

You want a more grownup experience – While I can’t make any guarantees, there were no children in Enzo’s when we were there.  When you’re on vacation at an ultra-kid-friendly place like Walt Disney World, sometimes it’s nice to know a place where mostly only grownups go!  Great date-night option.Enzo's Hideaway

You love a good cocktail before (or after) dinner – Oh, the choices!  Not the run of the mill offerings, the cocktail menu is glorious!  We enjoyed wine with dinner, but for dessert I chose one of the fancy cocktails on the menu and I was simply delighted.

You love a cozy, quiet atmosphere – It’s low-key.  The vibe is intimate, casual, and a bit hushed.  We loved that aspect.  Even though we were a party of six, we wanted to be able to enjoy conversation without loud music playing or other interruptions.Enzo's Hideaway

You love a good night out in Disney Springs –  Sure, there are bunches of new places to try, but Enzo’s has a certain quiet charm perfect for a cocktail, meal, or an after dinner drink.Enzo's Hideaway

You appreciate Disney theming – It’s a speakeasy!  The entrance is unassuming and the interior does not disappoint.  We were expecting a feeling of “secret club” and that’s exactly what Enzo’s feels like.  We’d been to The Edison for cocktails the night before and were familiar with the layout of that restaurant.  Imagine our delight when we asked for directions to Enzo’s restrooms and we were shown an industrial storage area to cut through that ended up…at The Edison’s restroom area!  Genius!

Joe’s Disney College Program – Packing Tips

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Joe’s Disney College Program – Packing Tips

-By Joseph Green

The Bare Necessities

I wouldn’t take anymore than you need to be entertained when you’re not working and have free time by yourself (almost never). The ONLY entertainment I brought for myself was my computer so I could watch Netflix and my guitar because out of all the musical instruments I could take, it seemed most logical. I mean, it’s Disney world. You’re not going to be spending much time in your room alone so there’s no point in being excessive as far as packing is concerned.
You probably think you need to take as many clothes as you can carry… you don’t. Odds are, 6 days of the week you’re going to be wearing a costume, so there are not as many opportunities to wear “regular clothes” as you’d think. Taking more than you need will only be more of a hassle on you when you’re moving. If you’ve never been to Disney World, or if you don’t go regularly, you’re going to buy lots of souvenirs, if you buy lots of souvenirs you’re gonna need room to take them home, if you take too much stuff to the DCP you’re not gonna have room for your souvenirs, and if you don’t have room for your souvenirs you’re probably going to need a glass of milk to go with that regret.

Honestly, before you get out your suitcase, make sure you have these things (they’re truly the most important)!

  • Patience
  • A good sense of humor
  • The ability to be flexible, cooperative and get along well with others
  • Solid time management skills
  • Most important of all, a strong work ethic

When packing, use the less-is-more philosophy.

Clothes:  I took some casual clothes, a couple of business casual outfits and a sport coat for training, some layers like sweatshirts and jackets, work-out clothes (there was a gym and plenty of places to run).  Some people like to dress up a little for housing functions and get-togethers, but I didn’t.  I packed running shoes, dress shoes, and casual shoes for walking around the parks.  Don’t worry about work shoes until you get there.  I received my work shoes with my costume and didn’t have to shop for those.

I also took bedding (twin xl), mattress topper, pillows, and towels, some basic cleaning supplies and laundry detergent, toiletries, and a coffee maker.  That was all I really needed right away.  Do you need apartment decorations and a fancy shower curtain?  Nope.  Do you need extra pots and pans?  No, you don’t, but what you will need is cheap plastic food storage containers.  I cooked things like pasta and other meals that made lots of leftovers I could enjoy for several days, so those containers were the first thing I bought after I moved in.

You can borrow an iron and ironing board, vacuum, broom, mop, games, DVDs and lots of other stuff from housing – don’t bring those things.  Remember – the more you bring, the more you have to haul home at the end of your program.  Tons of stuff gets left behind or thrown away.  Unless you spend all your free time in your housing unit (do not do this!), you won’t need to treat it like a dorm room.

About a car

I know it’s not feasible for everyone to bring their own vehicle, but I was very (VERY!) glad I had mine.  I never used the Disney bus transportation.  I was happy to give coworkers rides to and from work and occasionally, a lift to the airport.  I have a thing about being on time and if there’s any chance I’m going to be late for anything, it stresses me out.  Don’t get me wrong, using the bus system works for many people, but I was happy to know, barring anything unforeseen, I’d be on time for work every day.  Plus, when my hours got long during Spring Break (12-15 hours per day), I didn’t have to add bus-waiting time to the length of those days.

That’s it!  Pack light and be ready to work hard and have lots of fun.  Check back for my next post about making the most of your Disney College Program experience and thanks for reading…Joe.