The Last Day of our Disney Wonder Cruise

It was the last day of the wonderful Disney Wonder Cruise that we accompanied our daughter and oldest granddaughter on.  We were sailing from the end of Baja California, Mexico, back to San Diego, where our cruise began five days before.

There were beautiful blue skies and warmer temperatures so we enjoyed sitting on our cruise ship cabin veranda and taking walks outside along the ship's decks.  Although we were sailing fast the ocean was calm and serene.

 

Although there was a children's club on board with many activities available, and the pool and slide on an upper deck were open, this day our granddaughter wanted to relax with us and listen to her music.  She also enjoyed this large lollypop that she bought in an onboard gift shop.  

One event she did not want to miss was a photo opportunity with one of her favorite Disney movie characters, "Stitch," from the movie Lilo and Stitch. She had a lot of fun taking a 'selfie" with him! 

At ten years old she wasn't as interested in the other Disney characters, as she was when we visited Disney World together when she was five, but she really enjoyed the more contemporary characters she saw on the ship.

We all watched the sun set over the Pacific

Dinner that evening was held at the "Animator's Palate" restaurant on the ship.  The walls of the restaurant are filled with screens that change all during the meal and show famous Disney movie sketches in black and white as well as colorful backdrops and scenery from the movies.  

On this last night, we were told there would be a surprise!  As we were seated at our table we were given a paper that had an outline of a person and told we could fill in details for the person any way we wished with colored pens and pencils. After were finished coloring the waiters collected our papers.  Then, after dinner and before dessert was served an announcement was made that our drawings had become animated!

If you click on the short Youtube above you can see how the drawings were animated and each table's screen showed a video of them walking, dancing, and skating,  across the screen.  It was a lot of fun to see our drawings come alive!

After dinner, there was a fireworks display off the upper deck and a wonderful musical in the theater of classic  Disney characters called "Cavalcade of Characters."

Our last blanket sculpture was a cute elephant!

The ship returned to San Diego, California, by seven in the morning and the disembarking process went very smoothly.  This was our last look at the Disney Wonder Cruise ship as we drove away to the airport. All in all, it was a fabulous and memorable trip!  

Thanks for coming along and reliving all the memories with me!

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Disney Wonder Cruise Along the Baja California Sur Part One

 Disney Wonder Cruise Ship

 

Our oldest granddaughter was turning 10 in February and our daughter had the wonderful idea to celebrate her birthday on a five-day Disney Cruise along the Baja California Sur in Mexico. Our granddaughter's 5th birthday happened to occur on a trip to Disneyworld--click here to read that blog post--so a Disney Cruise would make this birthday five years later extra special. 

My husband and I decided to go along on the cruise.  We have been very careful the last three years and have not traveled out of state because of worries about the Covid-19 virus, but we decided it was time to begin to travel again as we were fully vaccinated and boosted and had our family physician's approval. Since this was a last-minute trip we were the only ones in our family that could go along on the cruise since the rest of our family had work and school obligations. 

San Diego Harbor

We flew from Denver to San Diego, California. the day before the cruise was to depart and visited the San Diego Zoo--see my last blog post about that visit here.

Our last-minute plans meant we decided to take a cruise ship stateroom together on the Disney Wonder Cruise Ship.  It had a queen size bed and also a murphy bed and another bed that lowered from the ceiling that the cruise crew assigned to our floor set up every evening, so it easily slept four people  What we were delighted to learn was that this larger verandah room on the 8th deck is accompanied by "concierge service" which meant many perks for the entire cruise! As concierge members, we were the first group to board the ship and also depart the ship at the end of the cruise,  and there was a wonderful private lounge we were able to visit all day on an upper deck.  It served delicious snacks and hot and cold beverages during the day.  We all enjoyed this lounge and private sun deck that was part of it throughout the cruise as places to relax. 

After boarding the ship we were served a light lunch in one of the restaurants on board. All passengers have a choice of eating breakfast and lunch individually served in a restaurant or at the large buffet dining area.

The Disney Wonder cruise ship "Sail A Wave Party"  took place on one of the top decks with songs and dance and many Disney character appearances on the stage. It was lots of fun!

There was also the mandatory attendance safety drill which is held on every cruise ship after everyone boards, where lifejackets and lifeboat loading stations are discussed.  My husband and I have been on three cruises before this one. Our first was in the maiden year of the Queen Mary 2, which departed from New York to Quebec Canada, and the second was on the Princess Cruise line to the Mexican Riveria--click here to see the first of a few posts I wrote about that enjoyable cruise, and the third on a Princess Cruise line where we had a land and sea Alaska Adventure--click here to read about the unusual beginning we had on that cruise trip. Many more Alaska posts follow which you can read under the Alaska blog label--click here-- if you keep clicking "next" after each post.

Before we knew it was time for dinner! Everything we ordered was so delicious.  I particularly enjoyed trying all the different soups each night from the menu, as I often make soup as our dinner at home. 

That evening, we attended the show at the Walt Disney Theater and saw a magician, Siegfried Tieber perform. He was very entertaining and personable. We really enjoyed the show!  Disney Wonder does not allow photos or videos of the show to be taken, but we were able to meet the magician afterward for photos.  He actually had called our daughter onto the stage to take part in a skit during the show and also called on my husband to check out one of his props for the audience.

After the show, we were all tired and went back to our ship's stateroom where we saw our bed's blanket throw twisted into a shape--this night was a swan--and chocolates were provided.  

It was the end of a wonderful day on the Disney Wonder Cruise Ship and we were sailing away towards our first stop on the Baja California in Mexico, the town of Ensenada, which will be in my next blog post.

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The San Diego Zoo is also a Botanical Garden

I was away last week with my husband, daughter, and oldest granddaughter on a special early birthday celebration for our granddaughter who is turning ten years old this week. Five years ago we happened to celebrate her fifth birthday at Disney World in Florida and this time we went on a Disney Cruise Line trip from San Diego, California, to San Luis Los Cabos in Mexico.  We flew into San Diego a day early and that afternoon we visited the world-renowned San Diego Zoo!

The San Diego Zoo is a 100-acre wildlife park and home to over 12,000 rare and endangered animals, representing more than 650 species and subspecies, and is located just north of downtown San Diego in Balboa Park.  It was actually the second time I visited the zoo--I blogged about it in 2008--click here to read that post--but this was to be a first-time visit for our daughter and granddaughter. 

The Zoo is also an accredited botanical garden, caring for more than 700,000 individual plants, including a prominent curated assemblage of close to 13,000 specimens, representing 3,100 species.

On your visit to the zoo, you will see towering acacias, sturdy conifers, and stately palms to rare succulents, California natives, and an astonishing array of blossoms vying for the attention of pollinators.

Some of the flowers I saw at the zoo

San Diego’s mild climate makes it possible to grow many different types of plants than almost anywhere else in the United States. The Zoo and Safari Park also act as “rescue centers” for rare and endangered plants.

Information from the zoo website: 

"TheSan Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance is saving and protecting wildlife—including plants—worldwide. As habitats have dwindled and disappeared around the globe, plants have their own place in the conservation spotlight. Without plants to provide oxygen, moisture, food, and shelter, ecosystems cannot survive, and neither can their inhabitants. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance’s plant conservation efforts are international in scope, working with partners to help save some of the most endangered plants, including coral trees, palms, cycads, and orchids that are nearly extinct in their native habitats. As part of these efforts, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance maintains the Native Plant Seed Bank, a collection of preserved seeds from plants all over the world, and partners with the Center for Plant Conservation, a consortium of botanical gardens that collaborate on plant conservation initiatives."

When we entered the zoo the first thing we did was take the Skyfari Aerial Tram to the far end of the zoo so we could walk downhill from the higher elevation at the rear of the zoo, and that was when I fell in love with all the magnificent trees and foliage we passed over. 

Perhaps because we left our home in a snowy and cold Colorado, seeing all these lush tropical trees filled me with awe and wonder!

I think I took more photos of the trees than of the animals.

We did see many of the animal exhibits and since we visited in the late afternoon many of the animals seemed to be getting a restful "after lunch" nap.

I was happy to see the new elephant 2.5-acre area that was being built on my last visit in 2008. There are many activities inside it for the elephants to enjoy.

The very best part of our visit to the zoo was seeing our granddaughter have a good time! 

We were all excited to know that the next day we would be beginning our Disney Cruise--more about that in my next post.

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Back from a Coast to Coast Travel Interlude

I'm going to interrupt my Rocky Mountain National Park posts to tell you why I've been rather quiet the past two weeks, both on this blog and commenting on your blog.  I was traveling! I had a rare break from full-time babysitting of my granddaughter during the week, to take two back to back trips--one to beautiful San Diego, California, and one to upstate New York, where we attended the wedding of our friend's daughter.

California is one of my favorite states to visit--I have written almost 50 posts about this state that you can see under the label: California. When my husband had a business convention to attend in San Diego I was excited to be able to accompany him!  This was my third visit to San Diego--you can see my prior posts about it under this specific label: San Diego.

I think my photo collage tells the story of why I love this city so much. (You can enlarge this photo and all photos on this post by clicking on them once, and then clicking on it again to see it enlarge to full size).  It really is a paradise on earth! It's year-round moderately warm temperature keeps it in bloom, and it's blue skies and Pacific Ocean Bay waters give it an azure glow. It is also a large US Navy base, so there are always carriers and other Navy ships in the bay to see, and I was fortunate enough to see a submarine changing crew out in the bay when I went on a seal boat tour. The city's historic Gaslamp District has some amazing restaurants, and I happily indulged in as much seafood as I could! I also finally heard a free organ concert at Balboa Park that is held every Sunday at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion-- one of the largest outdoor pipe organs in the world!

One of my favorite places to visit in San Diego is Coronado Island, located across the Coronado Bridge, and where the magnificent historic Hotel Del Coronado is located. You can read a prior post I wrote about the hotel at this link. The hotel is celebrating it's 125 anniversary this year! I enjoyed walking along the beach and dipping my feet into the Pacific Ocean again. It is always fun to see the creative sand castle structures that are usually on the beach--there were even some festive sand pumpkins!

I was also able to visit the nearby valley town of Temecula, on a full day wine tasting tour of three different wineries.

After leaving California, my husband and I flew across the country into JFK airport in Queens. We then rented a car and spent the night at my brother and sister-in-law's home on Long Island. The next day we drove upstate New York to Rhinebeck, where we would be attending a wedding weekend.

The further north we drove the more colorful the early autumn foliage became. It was such a  pleasant drive!

We stayed in the historic Delamater Inn in Rhinebeck. The Delamater was erected in 1844 and was designed by one of America's first architects, Alexander Jackson Davis, and is considered one of the finest examples of American Carpenter Gothic.

The Delamater Inn is part of the Beekman Arms Inn-- established in 1766, it is the oldest continuously running inn in America. It once housed Revolutionists George Washington, Benedict Arnold, and Alexander Hamilton. It was here that Aaron Burr and Hamilton exchanged insults that lead to their famous duel and Hamilton's death!  Franklin Delano Roosevelt began every one of his political campaigns from the front porch of the Beekman Arms Inn. You can read more about the history of the inn at this link. Rhinebeck is full of historic buildings, including the Rhinebeck Reformed Church which you can see on the right of the photo collage above. It was established in 1731 by Dutch settlers who formed Dutchess County, New York. They were having an apple pie festival on the weekend we visited, and we bought two pies to bring back to our NYC families.

The town of Rhinebeck is a wonderful destination! It's scenic tree-lined streets and slate sidewalks lead to charming specialty shops on the avenues, and a multitude of Victorian style houses on the surrounding streets

I could not resist taking photos of some of the delightful houses in the town. Each and everyone was well maintained and very appealing!

There were many autumn touches everywhere I looked, and I felt fortunate to be here during one of my favorite seasons.

Of course, the best part of the wedding weekend was the gorgeous wedding my friend's daughter had in nearby Germantown, New York. Her ceremony took place on the banks of the Hudson River on a spectacular autumn afternoon. They had their reception in a large tent on the historic property they rented for the day, with dancing in the refurbished barn space. My friend Rosemary not only made her daughter's dress by hand but all the decorations! Yes, she made these paper chandeliers, the wedding arch and even the linens for the tables.  She is such a marvel!  It was a stunningly gorgeous wedding!

I'm now back home in Colorado, enjoying watching my neighborhood's aspen trees turn their fabulous shades of autumn gold! Unfortunately, I also came home with a bad cold which knocked me out a few days with sinus headaches and a cough. After babysitting all day all I had the energy for was to go to sleep. Thankfully, I'm all better now and will be catching up with you all as much as possible.

I hope you are enjoying this beautiful autumn season, wherever you live!

La Jolla Coast, California..and a Winner!

I'm returning to show some more scenes from our recent trip to California where my husband and I drove up the Pacific Coast Highway, Route 1, from San Diego to San Francisco. Before we left beautiful San Diego we stopped by the coast of La Jolla which is an affluent, hilly, seaside suburb located twelve miles north of downtown San Diego.

La Jolla is surrounded on three sides by ocean bluffs and beaches, and I enjoyed watching the seals swimming and basking in the sun along this coastline.

Harbor seals are a coastal species of marine mammal of the order of pinnipedia. They must come out of the water onto dry land each day in order to survive. You can read more about the seals and their La Jolla habitat at the La Jolla Friends of the Seals web page.

We were back on the road and on our way north!

For many miles of the trip we had ocean views on one side.....

...and views of California hill side houses on the other!

I was so excited and anticipating about all the wonderful sights I was going to see in California. This was definitely a trip we dreamed about, and I hope you'll follow along as I show more in my next few posts.

And now for the winner of the free My Memories Digital Scrapbook Software download give away!  I used the Random Number Generator and number 10,  Jeanne of the  Backyard Neighbor blog was the winner! Congratulations, Jeanne, I know you'll enjoy this software!

Even if you did not win the give away you can take advantage of the My Memories digital scrapbook software promotion by entering this code STMMMS34516 at check out and you will be provided with a special $10.00 discount off the purchase of the My Memories Suite Scrapbook software and a $10.00 coupon for the MyMemories.com store - $20.00 value!

I made the photo collage of the seals above using this software.  It's quick and easy to use, and I have been enjoying making pages for my family photos that I will make into books, or frame.  It feels good to finally have an easy way to scrapbook all the digital images in my folders, and I hope you'll also take advantage of using this top rated digital software for your photos.

I'm linking this post to "Outdoor Wednesday" on Susan's blog A Southern Daydreamer, and "Alphabe Thursday," on Jenny Matlock's blog --the letter is "B" and there is so much blue water and sky in these photos I hope this post qualifies!