It was finally THE DAY!!!! We had planned for more than 455 days for this trip and it was finally here! We actually woke up earlier than we thought we would considering the time change and having so little sleep from the day before. We watched the Wonder come in from our window and listened to the port authorities as she came in.
We went across the street to get a quick bite to eat and stop at the 'drug store' to buy some sinus medicine as it is the only thing I didn't pack and I know Dale always seems to get congested from the 'recycled' air (as he puts it) on the ship. So I wanted to be prepared and not need any reason to visit the ships medical center. We grabbed our Starbucks and head back to our hotel room for a bit. One of the advantages of staying at the Pan Pacific is that they will take your luggage directly from your room to the ship. This way you do not have to lug it down and drop it off. Considering they were working on the elevators in the building at the time, it was nice to not have to wait to take luggage down and just take ourselves to the ground floor. Because we had a LOT of luggage!
With Disney Cruise Line when you check in online you are assigned a port arrival time. The earlier the port arrival time, the earlier your 'boarding group' to get on the ship. Because we were cruising concierge this trip, we did not need to check in and pick a port arrival time but we could check in at the first window which was 10:30am. So we anxiously waited until our 'arrival time' to go check in and we entered the queue. As you enter, they confirm your port arrival so that those with later port arrivals are not let in yet and they could see that we were sailing concierge so we were directed to a separate line. When it is time to start checking in, the first group through are those passengers that were sailing 'back to back' This means they just completed the Alaskan cruise and were also going on our cruise. They have to get off the ship so that customs can clear the ship and then they can get back on before anyone else.
Soon, it was our turn!!! We were finally checking in for our cruise and given our little gold stickers which identified us as concierge for when we entered the boarding area and we were given bracelets to identify that we cleared security. We still have to go through customs before boarding the ship, but this was pretty easy. Of course, I got flagged and had to go see the agent and he told me it was because I didn't smile for the camera, lol. They take the photo so quickly that you don't even realize they are taking it, you don't have time to even do anything. I was quickly sent through and we were walking through the 'Mickey & Minnie'! There are mouse ears in Port Canaveral but not here in Vancouver where they only sail for a few months. Once we entered the large holding area we were directed to the concierge 'lounge' which was really just another holding area where we would be let on the ship first.
We sat in this area for a little bit while others joined the group. I spotted some friends I have been chatted with online for months and finally got to meet them in person!!! Also so a good friend we cruised with in the past who was on the sailing. Due to running our Facebook group, oddly there were people who would say hi to me that I didn't know but felt like I should. Some people you chat with online don't have photos with their profiles so you really aren't sure what they look like in person. But it was nice to just relax for a little until it was time! We sat in this area for just a short while before the 'Family of the Day' was announced and led on board. Then just a few minutes later the concierge guests were welcomed on board! When you board a Disney cruise, you are welcomed aboard by your name and the cast members greet you right in the atrium. It can be overwhelming when you've been waiting so long for a cruise. I will not lie there have been times I've had tears in my eyes, being so excited to be back on the ship.
Once on board there is a private luncheon for those who are sailing concierge. It's a more intimate lunch instead of the hustle and bustle of the buffet where it seems to be chaos with lots of noise and lots of kids, lol. It was nice and relaxing to just sit and say 'AH!' A nice glass of wine to start the trip and one of the concierge hosts made their way to our table to introduce themselves to us. We enjoyed this leisurely pace so much. We were actually one of the last families out of the dining room I believe.
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