Family Cruise - Disney 2025

Barbara used the very dangerous words “I’ve been thinking” and a few years ago started the ball rolling to take the full family on a vacation. It started as a trip to Hawaii, then slowly moved to a Disney Cruise concept. With our oldest grandson turning 13 it was a short window to get everyone to find the time and to make the schedule work. Andrea and Barbara did the planning, scheduled between other events in our lives and it was going to happen!!

Jerry and Barbara flew up to Vancouver a few days early to visit Jerry’s sister Linda, then everyone arrived on Sunday June 15 so we could leave on Monday June 16 for a 7 night adventure on the Disney Wonder Cruise Ship from Vancouver to the Alaska Inner Passage and back to Vancouver!! It was epic!

First stop Vancouver with Linda and Charles Picciotto. Also met up with my niece Sarah and her “little” children Emma and Ben.

Linda took us to the VanDusen Gardens. It was typical delightful and cloudy. Fun to see all the flowers and talk with Linda.

We stayed in the Blue Horizon hotel, very close to the Cruise docks (walking distance).

Warm pool? Time to swim

We had wrist bands that allow access to the rooms and to pay for things on board! Very handy, but needed charging.

And the family

Getting ready to go on-board the ship!

They have professional photographers everywhere (each picture can cost up to $20). The whole group!

And we are off leaving the Vancouver docks

A great slide in the “children” area. It really needed to be a bit warmer for most of us.

Unlimited self-serve soft ice cream. What’s not to like?

First evening – but it didn’t get dark until after 9pm

Adult beverages

Animal Towels – so much fun!

First two days “at sea” and our first “semi formal” dining. We learned all about rock-paper-scissors at dinner.

Related?

The Koenig Family from the top deck of the ship

Lots of eagles…

We took the big ship closer to a glacier. We got off onto a little ship (unmanned) to get really close. It was a bit cold!

From the deck all the mountains come into view.

Yes, it’s cold

Lots of ice, lots of melting

The glacier

I always seem to fall in love with harbor seals – in Redwood City or Alaska. These guys stay near the glaciers to avoid the killer whales that seem to like to eat them.

Then back to the boat to continue spoiling us all with good (fun) food and games at dinner.

Off the boat at Icy Strait a pure tourist trap with rope courses, “museums” (actually shops), and long zip lines.

They have gondolas taking you up the hill

Mel, Waverly, Miles and Analiese did the ropes course.

Speaking of long zip lines, the allowed Koenigs did the long run down and didn’t die.

Martin captured the killer photograph! A group of humpback whales in a feeding bubble curtain. The go down, blow bubbles and chase the fish to the surface. We saw this multiple times during our boat tour.