Kristen Woolsey

Showing posts with label cruise. Show all posts

We just got back from our first Disney cruise aboard the Disney Dream! Previously, we had never considered a Disney cruise because they seem to be a lot more pricey than other cruise lines. Some of my cousins booked this cruise, and we decided to go for it. We booked it over a year ago, and paid it off so long ago that it actually felt very doable financially. In fact, I'm going to try to book future vacations this far ahead going forward!

The level of service was definitely amazing, and so was the overall experience. Disney knows exactly how to move huge crowds of people and our embarkation and disembarkation were SO fast - I was thoroughly impressed. Disney also knows how to entertain people, and we enjoyed all the shows and extra activities.

The main thing I love about cruising is the easiness of traveling with a large group. We had about 10 adults (my first cousins and their spouses) and then like 11 kids (my nephews and their 2nd cousins). It was a lot of fun to do things together, but also do our own things sometimes too.

Blake and I got a massage, and we also were really impressed by the adult only spaces. In fact, we already booked our placeholder cruise to go again just us two!

Here's a short list of things I bought for this cruise. We needed a few pirate accessories for pirate night - Mine and Blakes. I also bought these really comfy shorts as a swim cover up - so soft! And I can't tell you how many compliments I received on my beach bag! I absolutely love it and don't know how I went without one for so long.

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-Kristen

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Our First Disney Cruise

Monday, September 8, 2025

My family loves to cruise. We've gone on at least a dozen Caribbean cruises since I was a preteen! So, when Blake and I decided to try an Alaskan cruise, I was SO nervous! It just seemed like a totally different animal. And it was. But, in the best ways.

You can see all my Alaska Cruise posts here!

The Quantum of the Seas was a great ship! It's definitely ideal for Alaska because there were so many indoor activities, but also a hundred different places to sit comfortably and watch the mountains go by. Some of those places being outside, and some inside. The solarium is huge and right at the front of the ship so the views are always awesome!

I was really worried about what to wear. I found that jeans and a long sleeve t shirt were great for most things. We went the last week of April, first week of May. In the morning it was cold enough for a puffer jacket, and then by the afternoon we were stuffing our jackets into the backpack. I did wear my beanie a couple of times out on deck.

There were two formal nights on our cruise. I wasn't sure how to dress for these nights because Caribbean cruises have gotten really relaxed about dressy nights. I'm so glad I made the effort to dress up! I'd say almost everyone on board did. Blake wore khakis and a blazer, I wore an Amazon dress I adore, and then on the second night I wore a borrowed jumpsuit - which was great option!

These are my hindsight must brings:

- Binoculars

- A tote bag for those random things you need to carry around the ship, and when you don't want your whole backpack.

- Downtime activities. I read a lot on this trip so my Kindle was a must! We also loved playing cards on sea days.

- Lanyard for your sea pass. We've had these for years and they are just so handy.

- Reusable water bottle. Gotta hydrate, people! I loved having our Yeti tumbler filled up to take with us off the ship, and even in our room for nighttime.

- A different shoe for dinner time. Most of the day I would either be in an athletic shoe or a sneaker. It was SO nice to be able to change into something else with different pressure points for dinner. Other than the formal nights, for dinner I wore jeans, a top, a open cardigan, and these sandals. These sandals are the best anyway, but they are also great for travel because they are so incredibly light weight.

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-Kristen

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Cruising On The Quantum Of The Seas - What to Bring

Monday, May 27, 2024

The fourth stop on our Alaskan Cruise, was Victoria British Columbia! What a beautiful place. We heard ahead of time, from multiple sources, that Butchart Gardens are an absolute must. Because our ship was in port during the evening, we did the cruise sponsored excursion to the gardens. The gardens would have been closed otherwise. I'm so glad we did! It's a far drive from the cruise port to the gardens, and we were brought over on a very comfortable bus with an extremely informative driver.

I can not overstate how amazing Butchart Gardens is. It's INCREDIBLE. And overwhelming. We spent a few hours just meandering and snapping photos left and right. It's truly a taste of paradise.

They also have free clear and complimentary umbrellas everywhere for those pop up showers this area is prone to. We were there in the evening, but still had plenty of light for exploring.

The Gardens also has a great little cafe, and gift shop which we had fun perusing.

-Kristen

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Port of Call: Victoria, BC | Starring: Butchart Gardens

Thursday, May 23, 2024

The 3rd port we visited during our Alaskan cruise was Juneau! This city was really cool, and I felt that it was the most accustomed to large quantities of cruise tourists. LOTS of shops and tours right there off the ship.

We are so happy that we chose to do the Sled Dog tour while visiting Juneau. This was the coolest thing! If you are a dog lover, it's a must. This was a legitimate operation - these dogs actually race in the Iditarod and the Mushers were extremely knowledgeable. The tour included an extremely fun ride on the sled! I can't believe how fast and strong these dogs are. It's amazing! They clearly love to run too.

There was also a cool swinging bridge, and it overlooked a beautiful river as this camp is set up in the woods. The only sad part was there weren't any puppies! There were 2 momma-to-be dogs, and the pups were due in about 2 weeks. I really wish we got to see puppies, but the big puppies were fun too!

We also enjoyed some time at Alaskan Brewing, which was great, but crowded. The views from there are awesome, I'd just go when there aren't 4 ships in dock. You have to try some King Crab while you are in Alaska! It was a whopping $60 a pound, but gosh it was worth it.

The only thing I wish we had time to do was walk down to this amazing whale sculpture that was at the other end of the harbor. We drove past it, and I just wish we had a chance to stop.