We have been on 5
DCL Alaksa cruises since 2013. Being from Arizona when its 120deg F in July the Alaska cruise is the perfect vacation.
Weather varies...Even the "bad weather" days we have had have been good. The worst it gets is foggy and rainy Temps are usually in the 60s but we have several times where it was 70+. Bad weather usually means its raining and for what's it worth you need a coat but not icy snow stuff just drizzly rain. I uploaded some photos from Tracy arm on a bad weather day.
Coolest thing was our first time we were going into Tracy Arm, and the cloud cover was low and raining a little. All we could see was water falls coming down and some of the mountains. Water Falls right down into the channel It looks like the water falls we coming down the clouds or the Heavens. It was almost dead quiet and you could hear the Eagles but no see them. When we got the glacier it was amazing the icebergs in the channel and the ship maneuvered through them Some small ones and some larger ones. It was cool. a couple of times the crew even lowered a basket and picked up a piece of ice and left it on deck. It usually lasted most for of the cruise. While it looked like a little piece it was huge and weighed like 800lbs they said. The photo below is after it was on the deck for about a day. The Glacier below is South Sawyer (Tracy Arm) Disney doesn't go in there anymore.
One trip it was like 76-78 in Ketchikan and they thought it was a heat wave.
No snow, this is southern Alaska as you will learn going there is a rain forest. I think Ketchikan gets like 160-180in of rain a year. Its crazy. The scenery is beats everything we have seen and visited even Hawaii. Glaciers are awe inspiring. The wildlife is abundant. There has not been a cruise to Alaska that we have not seen a load of wildlife. Sometimes even whales from the ship. Whale watching, Skagway has the train. Juneau we have done the dog sled camp and this was great with a 5yr old got to play with the puppies.
Bears, sea otters, whales, moose, Bald Eagles are like pigeons they are everywhere. We have not done and excursion that we didn't like. Some we have done multiple times.
The best is Hubbard Glacier, Disney only does this one on the 9 night as its a ways up there past the other towns.
As far as the pools go. They play on the TV all week that the water temp is like 40deg F, but the Mickey pool and Goofy pools are like 82F
The kids usually do the pools some but mostly only on the really nice sunny days. If its cold and rainy they usually have hot chocolate and bread bowls filled with hot soup. You just sit back and look at creation. Its really pristine wilderness, just like God made it. You feel like you are on a horizontal escalator like at the airport and watching the coastline go by. It feels like you in a channel and its just a couple hundred yards to the edge of the forest. You can see Eagle, we have seen Moose, Bears, and Elk all from the ship along the coastline. I love to just stand there and watch the world slide by.
Highlights
--Ketchikan Neat's Bay float plane tour, saw Bears digging Salmon out of the bay as they we ready to run
--4x4 tour out Skagway where you drive on ATVs up the mountain and look out over miles mile and miles of mountain peaks. They had a lodge 1/2way up stopped on the way up for fresh made warm cookies. Then on the way back had lunch with fresh Halibut, Salmon and fixings
-- St Georges Inlet Crab excursion. You got out in boat and pull up some pots. Dungeness Crabs. These are in the inlets and fjords. You see tons of eagles. Our Boat captain had fish to throw out for the eagles. He would whistle show them the fish. They would come off the tree tops and swoop down right next to the boat and pick up the fish when thrown in the water. Frozen the fish would float for a short time. Afterwards head back to the lodge and have an all you Crab dinner.
--Skagway the Train to Canada, Beautiful ride
--Icy Straight Point whale watching has been really good. Saw a couple pods of Orcas, Humpbacks bubble feeding, porpoises, sea lions seals
--Sitka the Otters and Whale watching was great
--Juneau Taku Glacier Lodge is the best we have seen there. You fly on a float plane over a bunch of Glaciers then land on a river, and at this lodge. The Glacier just across the river and you can sit on the front porch and see it. Wild Blue berries, Grilled Salmon lunch and we have seen bears both times we have been there. On one trip the Mama and 2 cubs came right up the lodge. They got chased up tree and we were taking photos and were about 20-30ft away. They just sat in the tree looking at us. We at them.
--Hubbard Glacier with the "Calving" ice is a humbling experience to know that the ice is hundred and thousands of years old. They tol us that Hubbard is one of the few Glaciers in Alaska that is advancing. Hubbard has like 350-400+ft vertical face out of the water. This is like a 30 story building sticking out of the water. They told us its about as tall as the Space Needle in Seattle. I think its like 5-7 miles wide at the face. Seals camped out on the icebergs
I can't say enough. We were just on the Magic B2B 4 night and Marvel Day 5 night and one thing we noticed was nothing really in terms of wildlife. Alaska you just have to look for it its all around you.
Alaska on DCL is 2 thumb's up best views and scenery of any of cruises so far. I would bet you will have a whole new take on DCL and cruising after the Alaska Cruise.
We are looking to do Norwegian Fjords, and may a northern Europe...but Alaska is hard to pass up every time w get a chance.
