Alaska cruise- seeking suggestions

[kimbe21]

I am looking into an Alaskan cruise for my family (me, DH, DS6 & DS8) in June/July 2017. For those of you who have done the DCL Alaskan cruise what did you like/ dislike?

Has anyone done an Alaskan cruise on another cruise line? Again, pros/cons?

I'm wondering if my boys (age 8 & 10 at travel time) will enjoy Alaska. We cruised on The Magic last year to the Bahamas and they think cruising is the best thing ever!

My husband is worried that we won't see enough of Alaska if we are on the ship. Obviously, we would get off the ship at each port but I think he is worried we won't get the full experience of an Alaskan vacation (I'm not really sure what that experience is!).

Any suggestions/feedback would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I am looking into an Alaskan cruise for my family (me, DH, DS6 & DS8) in June/July 2017. For those of you who have done the DCL Alaskan cruise what did you like/ dislike?

Has anyone done an Alaskan cruise on another cruise line? Again, pros/cons?

I'm wondering if my boys (age 8 & 10 at travel time) will enjoy Alaska. We cruised on The Magic last year to the Bahamas and they think cruising is the best thing ever!

My husband is worried that we won't see enough of Alaska if we are on the ship. Obviously, we would get off the ship at each port but I think he is worried we won't get the full experience of an Alaskan vacation (I'm not really sure what that experience is!).

Any suggestions/feedback would be appreciated. Thanks!

A lot depends on whether you are looking for a Disney experience with Alaska thrown in, or an Alaskan experience, with longer/better port options.

There are other cruiselines that have "done" Alaska for years, and they do hold the majority of permits to cruise Glacier Bay (Disney does not). We've been to Alaska twice on Holland America and enjoyed it. There are other people that enjoy the Disney experience more.

Your husband is right in that to truly see Alaska, a cruise isn't the best way. But it will introduce you to the wonderful vistas and activities available.

 

[JimmyV]

Has anyone done an Alaskan cruise on another cruise line? Again, pros/cons?

Princess has Alaska down to a science. For the price of a DCL "cruise only", you could get a land and sea package on Princess. And they sail into Glacier Bay, which, to me, is essential for any Alaska trip. As noted above HAL does and well, but in comparing the two lines, I think that Princess would be a better fit for children. Norwegian has some sailings that go into Glacier Bay as well. I haven't done one of their cruises, but you should check them out. NCL tends to have more outdoor play areas around the pools for kids, but in Alaska, that might not matter.

I'm wondering if my boys (age 8 & 10 at travel time) will enjoy Alaska. We cruised on The Magic last year to the Bahamas and they think cruising is the best thing ever!

If they loved cruising generally, they will love Alaska. Bald eagles. Bears. Whales. Gold rush towns. It's impossible not to fall in love.

My husband is worried that we won't see enough of Alaska if we are on the ship. Obviously, we would get off the ship at each port but I think he is worried we won't get the full experience of an Alaskan vacation (I'm not really sure what that experience is!).

I have to admit that I had the same fear. Could the Inside Passage and the panhandle be the "real Alaska"? Oh yeah. And as noted before, you can add on a land-based package if you want to get into Denali and the inland areas. But frankly, the vistas from the ship and the what you will see and do in the port stops is every bit of "real Alaska". Mountains. Glaciers. Whales. Eagles. And on our trip up to Emerald Lake out of Skagway, we saw moose and bear. I can't imagine what sort of "experience" your husband is after, but I promise that a cruise with well-planned excursions will get you all the Alaska you could ever hope for. The ship shows you a whole lot of Alaska.

 

[bcwife76]

Following. We have an Alaskan cruise booked on DCL for August 2016, but we're not sure if we're keeping the ressie or switching to Celebrity. This will be the only time we cruise to Alaska while our kids are younger (I can see doing it again for our 20th wedding anniversary but that's 8 years away lol) so do we spend the money now on the Disney cruise while the kids are still young or save the $, going with a less expensive line.

 

[ChristineNJ]

We cruised to Alaska last year at the end of June. My son was 12 and my daughter was 10. It was an absolutely phenomenal vacation. I think my husband would go back in a heartbeat. My son was MIA most of the time we weren't in port because he pretty much moved into Edge for the week, but he really enjoyed the sights and the excursions we booked. My daughter also enjoyed it.

We did some amazing excursions. We really enjoyed the Disney exclusive excursion in Juneau where they take you to Admiralty Island to explore and then you go whale watching. We also bit the bullet and spent the money in Skagway to take the helicopter up to the glacier. Not only did they do a flyover, they landed and we got to spend 45 minutes exploring. It was ridiculously expensive. I think that one excursion was 10% of the cost of the trip, but worth it.

 

[Pens Fan]

I agree with the others that you will see plenty of "real Alaska" on a cruise, especially if you book some great excursions. My husband and I did a 2 week land based vacation in Alaska about 20 years ago and while it was wonderful, we preferred out DCL cruise a few years ago. We went whale watching in Juneau (plus a stop at Mendenhall glacier), took a float plane out of Ketchikan to a salmon hatchery to watch bears fishing, and drove UTV's up to a mountain lodge in Skagway. It was an amazing trip and our then 14 year old son crowned it his favorite vacation ever at that time (I think Iceland last summer may have supplanted it though). We loved our land based trip, but we were there for two weeks and I believe we were a little ambitious on the amount of area we tried to cover - lots and lots of driving! Alaska is vast. On a cruise you can go to bed and wake up in a different town, ready to go.

We would like to return to Alaska, but the next time we will probably sail on either Princess or NCL. We have been through Tracy Arm twice now and while it's amazing we really want to see Glacier Bay. Disney doesn't go through there. I'm not sure exactly which cruise lines have the permits, but I know that Princess, HAL and NCL do and DCL does not. We are looking at the one way itineraries that start in Vancouver and end in either Seward or Whittier. From there, you can do a land based tour which gives you the best of both worlds. We want to show our son Denali, for sure, and Katmai has always been on our bucket list as well.

Whatever you decide, I feel pretty confident in predicting you won't be disappointed. The wonderful thing about Alaska is there is so much to see and do, it really doesn't matter how you choose to go about it. You will love it!

 

[kimbe21]

Thank you all for the replies and pictures! I am getting so excited and it's 2 years away (and not even booked)!!

I showed my husband the Princess & DCL websites last night and he was much more interested in the one way cruise itineraries with a land portion at the end.

We've only ever been on one cruise last year to the Bahamas and while the DCL was wonderful the price for DCL Alaska is about $3000 more than the other cruise lines. While I live and breath Disney, I'm just not sure it would be worth that much more money. I feel like that money would be better spent adding the Land portion onto the Princess cruise.

Are there any online forums, like the Disboards, for Princess cruises?

Thanks again! I appreciate your help!

 

[holula]

Cruise Critic has a good Princess board. In my signature I have a DCL vs Ruby Princess trip review.

Alaska is one of my favorite places I have ever visited. Definitely my favorite cruise. I think it's a good way of getting a taste of Alaska. We plan on doing Alaska again at some point and will do a one way Princess cruise with Denali at the end. Next time for us, Glacier Bay is a MUST.

 

[JimmyV]

I showed my husband the Princess & DCL websites last night and he was much more interested in the one way cruise itineraries with a land portion at the end.

I think this would be perfect. My daughter wasn't quite as young as your children will be when they go, but we managed to plan a trip that was very appealing to her. Here is a copy of my full Journal/Review or our Northbound one-way cruise:
http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1903541

 

[havoc315]

I am looking into an Alaskan cruise for my family (me, DH, DS6 & DS8) in June/July 2017. For those of you who have done the DCL Alaskan cruise what did you like/ dislike?

Has anyone done an Alaskan cruise on another cruise line? Again, pros/cons?

I'm wondering if my boys (age 8 & 10 at travel time) will enjoy Alaska. We cruised on The Magic last year to the Bahamas and they think cruising is the best thing ever!

My husband is worried that we won't see enough of Alaska if we are on the ship. Obviously, we would get off the ship at each port but I think he is worried we won't get the full experience of an Alaskan vacation (I'm not really sure what that experience is!).

Any suggestions/feedback would be appreciated. Thanks!

We did Alaska this summer... our kids were also 8 & 10...

We loved the trip overall. What we disliked the most -- You have to really keep your fingers crossed for decent weather. You can just as easily get a whole trip of bad weather. We had good weather UNTIL we hit port. All 3 of our port days were pretty miserable in terms of weather. Rains were so bad in Juneau that they canceled our whale watch after an hour on the water, and we didn't see any whales. Skagway had periods of such dense fog and rain that we couldn't see 10 feet in front of us, though there were times it cleared enough to be very scenic. Ketchikan was still very wet, but we had a great flight seeing experience. So it was jackets every day, no blue skies when on land, lots of rain. Very little wild life. Weather was so bad that first they postponed the Frozen deck party, and then eventually cancelled it. By far, that's what we disliked the most. But we still had a great time, and still loved seeing Alaska.

You see PLENTY of Alaska. Particularly if you book the right excursions. For example, in Skagway, don't just walk around the town... don't take the train where you just whir by stuff. We did a private tour that took us up through the Yukon. 7 hours of really seeing amazing vistas and learning about the real Alaska and Yukon. No, you won't see Denali or Anchorage, but you will be amazed by what you do see. And particularly with kids at that age, cruising is much easier than a land based trip.

We loved the ship. The Wonder is an older ship, I think it's the sister ship of the Magic though. Very well kept, great service. Food was pretty good. Shows were ok.

Some photos to give you an idea of how much we did and didn't see:

Leaving Vancouver (weather was still great):

Sailing out of Vancouver by Adam Brown, on Flickr

Tracy Arm day: Weather was still clear skies. But it is cold on the water near the glacier.

Tracy Arm Glacier, Alaska by Adam Brown, on Flickr

Skagway/Yukon: Lots of clouds and rain:
Yukon Road on a Rainy day by Adam Brown, on Flickr

Lake in the Yukon by Adam Brown, on Flickr

Juneau, saw no whales on our whale watch, but did see:
alaska-1338.jpg by Adam Brown, on Flickr

alaska-1283.jpg by Adam Brown, on Flickr

To get an idea of the dreary weather that day:
Mendenhall Glacier in the rain by Adam Brown, on Flickr

And finally Ketchikan, did a float plane through the Misty Fjords.. This was the least horrible weather:

Misty Fjords by Adam Brown, on Flickr

Landing on the lake by Adam Brown, on Flickr

As I said, we had bad luck with the weather. So this is kinda the worst-case weather scenario. You can also get days of clear skies. And despite the horrible weather, we still saw plenty, we still had an amazing vacation.

 

[sayhello]

I am looking into an Alaskan cruise for my family (me, DH, DS6 & DS8) in June/July 2017. For those of you who have done the DCL Alaskan cruise what did you like/ dislike?

Has anyone done an Alaskan cruise on another cruise line? Again, pros/cons?

I'm wondering if my boys (age 8 & 10 at travel time) will enjoy Alaska. We cruised on The Magic last year to the Bahamas and they think cruising is the best thing ever!

My husband is worried that we won't see enough of Alaska if we are on the ship. Obviously, we would get off the ship at each port but I think he is worried we won't get the full experience of an Alaskan vacation (I'm not really sure what that experience is!).

Any suggestions/feedback would be appreciated. Thanks!

I agree with JimmyV and the others that Princess is the way to go. They do cruisetours, which combine a one-way cruise with a variety of land tours, and it's phenomenal! The best of both worlds. Princess has their own Lodges that they use for the land portion, and they are wonderful! Well located, pretty, well-maintained. The Princess Lodge on the Kenai Penninsula is one of the nicest Lodges I've ever stayed at. And make sure you cruise the Kenai Fjords! My absolute favorite part of Alaska!

I showed my husband the Princess & DCL websites last night and he was much more interested in the one way cruise itineraries with a land portion at the end.

Just from personal experience, I'd suggest doing the land portion first, then the cruise. First off, you get the longer leg of the flight (to Anchorage or Fairbanks) over with before the cruise (you'd probably fly home from Vancouver, which is a much shorter flight to most places.) But mostly, the land portion can be a lot of go, go, go! and getting up early, etc. It's nice to get that out of the way, and then have the more leisurely cruise to relax afterwards. We met lots of folks going the opposite direction who said they wished someone had told them land portion first, then cruise.

Sayhello

 

[havoc315]

Thank you all for the replies and pictures! I am getting so excited and it's 2 years away (and not even booked)!!

I showed my husband the Princess & DCL websites last night and he was much more interested in the one way cruise itineraries with a land portion at the end.

We've only ever been on one cruise last year to the Bahamas and while the DCL was wonderful the price for DCL Alaska is about $3000 more than the other cruise lines. While I live and breath Disney, I'm just not sure it would be worth that much more money. I feel like that money would be better spent adding the Land portion onto the Princess cruise.

Are there any online forums, like the Disboards, for Princess cruises?

Thanks again! I appreciate your help!

I've done NCL and DCL cruises with kids.... DCL runs significantly more, but I have found it worth the extra price with kids..

The biggest difference is kids clubs, particularly for those ages. At no extra charge, Disney has amazing kids clubs that can occupy the kids every day from about 8am to midnight. Kids will never object to going, they will absolutely love the clubs. On NCL, the kids weren't enthusiastic about the clubs, and the clubs were barely ever open! They were mostly only open on sea days, and then only from 9-12, 2-5 and 7-10, or something like that. (plus had to wait on line to check them in and out each time) So want to do an adult activity at 1pm? No luck. Want to do an adult dinner without the kids? Only if you feed the kids first and book the adult dinner later. (DCL will feed the kids in the clubs).
Furthermore, the customer service on DCL just blows away other cruise lines. Not to mention, I'll take the movie theater constantly running the newest Disney movies over a casino. Disney family friendly entertainment. Soda/coffee being included instead of having to pay extra.

Whether all this stuff is worth the extra cost is a subjective question. But for me, I'm willing to pay the premium considering my kid's current interests and ages. If it was just my wife and I, or when my kids are teenagers with different interests, my priorities may change and I may prefer a cheaper cruise line.

 

[dugthetalkingdog]

My DD(20) and I did the Alaskan cruise in Aug and had the best time. My daughter really did not want to go on this trip but she knew I wanted to. By the 2nd day, after seeing Tracy Arm and just
how beautiful the area was, she was already planning our trip back. We did the White Pass Railroad, Helicopter Dog Sled and she did the Snorkeling excursion. Unfortunately, next time we will be going on RCCL, Disney is just to expensive. No matter what cruise line, Alaska is awesome and everyone we met in port was friendly.

 

[Conorama]

We did DCL Alaska this summer with our 7 year old and it was out best cruise ever- by far- and we thought Disney was brilliant about the whole thing ... and we're not even that into Disney (never been to the parks, haven't seen most of the movies, etc.). It was a great mix of getting to see Alaska, while being relaxing and very family-friendly.

The weather is what it is... but we're used to it, as we spend most summers on the East Coast of Canada in the North Atlantic, so we were prepared and it didn't bother us in the least. On Tracy Arm day, our kiddo was one of only about 10 that we saw who wanted to do Base Camp up on Deck 10, because it was cold and rainy. We had to go and retrieve him 90 minutes in, to make sure he warmed up a bit. We felt about the same as he did. It rained in Juneau, just like the photo above, but that was our best day, actually, exploring on our own, in a cool forest that grew up around abandoned mines. It remains our favourite memory from the trip- and it was just us and the locals, their dogs and the rain.

It probably depends on what you're looking for. We like the reliability of DCL, so we save up and pay for it (except not right now because of the HORRENDOUS Canadian dollar - OUCH.) On one of our (non-DCL excursions) we met passengers from another line (I think it was Celebrity) who were upset that they had such limited time in port and that they weren't told of the "rules" about getting off past a certain time prohibiting them from getting to land (it was a tendered port they had been at- not one that we did). I suppose they could have just not read something somewhere, but it was an interesting comparison (at least according to them!)

Basically- we were very inspired by our trip, and will return one day on our own to explore more - but it was a fantastic way to see parts of Alaska. The scenery is incredible just about every time you look out your window.

To each his own, basically- but this was truly a bucket list trip for us, and it was the best of our 4 DCL cruises, by far.

 

[Anonny]

If you have the time and the money, consider adding a land portion to your cruise. Princess is not the only way to go for a cruise-land tour. For the last three summers, my sister has worked as a tour director for the company who is contracted to provide the land portion of the cruise tour for Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, NCL. There are some very nice options for an escorted motor coach tour of several days or more that can be purchased as a cruise tour package.

Or you can do it yourself on land by renting a car or taking the train or Park Connection bus.
Explore here for ideas to see the rest of Alaska.
http://www.alaskatravel.com

Last summer after our Celebrity cruise from Vancouver to Seward, we rented a car for a week to explore.

Have fun with your research and have a great time in Alaska.

 

[xlxo]

I am looking into an Alaskan cruise for my family (me, DH, DS6 & DS8) in June/July 2017. For those of you who have done the DCL Alaskan cruise what did you like/ dislike?

Has anyone done an Alaskan cruise on another cruise line? Again, pros/cons?

I'm wondering if my boys (age 8 & 10 at travel time) will enjoy Alaska. We cruised on The Magic last year to the Bahamas and they think cruising is the best thing ever!

My husband is worried that we won't see enough of Alaska if we are on the ship. Obviously, we would get off the ship at each port but I think he is worried we won't get the full experience of an Alaskan vacation (I'm not really sure what that experience is!).

Any suggestions/feedback would be appreciated. Thanks!

Thoughts...

• I recommend July... will cost more, but weather will be better in Vancouver (Cascadia). Vancouver has a fireworks show on July 1st at the cruise terminal. There is a fireworks competition in late July that makes it special when in the area
• DCL has one weakness.... it does not sail to Glacier Bay if you wanted to see Glaciers. Tracy Arm's Sawyer is an example of glacier extinction.
• DCL strength is pixie dust (expensive pixie dust).... the kids will be snorting it so high.... they won't know they are in Alaska.
• I went with HAL for Glacier Bay and significant savings compared to my DCL trip the following year.
• HAL/Princess will have a much smaller program for kids.
• Princess appeared to offer more quad cabins compared to HAL on my ships. Better for families.
• HAL offers photo packages... saving me big money where on Princess I can spend more than the cruise. I prefer HAL for the photo package like DCL.
• a common afterthought is not enough time in Vancouver.... a bonus port that is worth staying a few extra days
• if hotel cost is an issue for a multi day Vancouver stay, look to hotels a few blocks away for significant savings.
• Just a little south off Vancouver is Storybrooke... is that worthy of a stop.

 

[IBelieveInTheMagic]

So much to consider and this comes up a lot on most forums. It really depends on what is important to you and your family and what priorities you might have. To our family the ship absolutely does matter as well as some of the other amenities we might look for. We sailed with DCL to Alaska in June 2013 and we are returning in August 2016. From a pricing standpoint, when I booked and the occasional times I look for fun, DCL was either cheaper than the others or barely more. For the three of us in an Oceanview (9C) this next sailing it was $4400 after our OBB but that does not include the $200 OBC and about $400 Costco Cash card I'll receive after the sailing. When I take into consideration other way I can save for the DCL cruise it's a no-brainer for us. I keep telling my friends (who don't believe we'd sail another line at the moment), if I indeed found a "bargain" or something that to us felt remarkably different I'd very heavily consider it but for us, that has not happened. We have sailed others in the past so we feel we can compare and we just prefer the DCL experience at the moment especially when the price is relatively the same or cheaper.

Also for us - we fell in LOVE with Vancouver and that's a definite for us too. I've been to Seattle several times and it's also a great city but Vancouver is just something special. That played into our decision too although I did consider other sailings but again, nothing was either far cheaper or better for us. I don't think you can go too "wrong" with Alaska as it's indeed beautiful and a lovely experience.

Now, don't get me started on the Spring Break pricing...lol

Heather

 

[kimbe21]

I think this would be perfect. My daughter wasn't quite as young as your children will be when they go, but we managed to plan a trip that was very appealing to her. Here is a copy of my full Journal/Review or our Northbound one-way cruise:
http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1903541

I really enjoyed reading your trip report and seeing your photos. Incredible! Thank you for sharing.

 

[kimbe21]

Thoughts...

• I recommend July... will cost more, but weather will be better in Vancouver (Cascadia). Vancouver has a fireworks show on July 1st at the cruise terminal. There is a fireworks competition in late July that makes it special when in the area
• DCL has one weakness.... it does not sail to Glacier Bay if you wanted to see Glaciers. Tracy Arm's Sawyer is an example of glacier extinction.
• DCL strength is pixie dust (expensive pixie dust).... the kids will be snorting it so high.... they won't know they are in Alaska.
• I went with HAL for Glacier Bay and significant savings compared to my DCL trip the following year.
• HAL/Princess will have a much smaller program for kids.
• Princess appeared to offer more quad cabins compared to HAL on my ships. Better for families.
• HAL offers photo packages... saving me big money where on Princess I can spend more than the cruise. I prefer HAL for the photo package like DCL.
• a common afterthought is not enough time in Vancouver.... a bonus port that is worth staying a few extra days
• if hotel cost is an issue for a multi day Vancouver stay, look to hotels a few blocks away for significant savings.
• Just a little south off Vancouver is Storybrooke... is that worthy of a stop.

Thanks for the video link!

 

[kimbe21]

If you have the time and the money, consider adding a land portion to your cruise. Princess is not the only way to go for a cruise-land tour. For the last three summers, my sister has worked as a tour director for the company who is contracted to provide the land portion of the cruise tour for Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, NCL. There are some very nice options for an escorted motor coach tour of several days or more that can be purchased as a cruise tour package.

Or you can do it yourself on land by renting a car or taking the train or Park Connection bus.
Explore here for ideas to see the rest of Alaska.
http://www.alaskatravel.com

Last summer after our Celebrity cruise from Vancouver to Seward, we rented a car for a week to explore.

Have fun with your research and have a great time in Alaska.

After doing a little research I think a land portion is a must! So much to see and do. It's kind of overwhelming (but fun to plan!).