Alaskan Cruise? Pros/Cons

[SteffyLou]

Hi Everyone,

My husband and I have been on 6 Disney cruises. Five of them were short (3, 4, and 5 day) and one of them was the 7 day Eastern Caribbean cruise.

We are looking at possibly going on the Alaskan cruise. I am very hesitant about going on this cruise, mainly because I have no idea what it will be like.

Is there a thread about the Alaskan cruises on here listing pros and cons?

Has anyone ever been on an Alaskan cruise on one of the other cruise lines?

How cold is it?

Are excursions a must or can you just tour on your own?

Would it be worth it to do this cruise or to wait and do like the Western Caribbean?

Thank you for all of your help!

Stephanie

 

[NancyIL]

I have been on 3 Alaska cruises (2 on Princess and 1 on HAL) and have another booked for 2011. Alaska is beautiful, and it's a wonderful place to visit during the summer when it's hot in the rest of the country. The weather might be warm in the port towns, but it will be chilly while the ship is sailing and at the glacier (it it gets that far).

DCL's Alaska cruise doesn't interest me due to price, lack of a good glacier visit, and the number of kids that will be onboard.

 

[tvguy]

Alaska is amazing. Yes it will be cool. On HAL they had staff on deck with blankets and hot split pea when there was anything within view of the ship while cruising that might draw folks out on the deck.

Any whale watching excursions, or wild life excurisions would be at the top of my list, especially if you have kids.

I think the one vivid memory I have from our Alaska cruise is how many bald eagle we saw. Instead of sea gulls, the ports are just covered with bald eagles.

Personally, I'd do Alaska over the Western Caribbean.

The scenery on an Alaskian cruise must not be missed.

 

[jilljill]

There are a couple of threads on here regarding Alaska.
You can also look on cruisecritic.com on their Alaska boards.

Only you and your family can decide if going to Alaska is on your 'must do' list of vacations. If you are beach people and only want to do beach vacation then I don't see this as your type of destination. We are the type that doesn't matter where we vacation as long as it's nice and we have a good time.

 

[ppiew]

I have been on a Regent Alaskan cruise. It had another port more than Disney - Sitka Alaska, which was truly a wonderful port! Great fishery to see and a multitude of other things. I don't see any ziplining in Ketchican on the dCL cruise. . Actually the DCL Alaskan cruise is sparse with ports (I think). Also we LOVED a land tour we took from Anchorage to Denali - it was FANTASTIC. So yes, I too am hesitant about the DCL cruise, although it sounds like there will be a lot of kid friendly excursions.
Re weather, no it was not cold. (we were there in June and I would guess the 60's and 70's) We did bring rain jackets just in case, but didn't need them.

 

[SteffyLou]

The cruise would actually just be my DH and I (both 30 years old).

I am not a huge sun tanning fan and require an umbrella when we go to the beach, so I wouldn't miss that. I think I just get nervous that it will rain too much and we won't have a lot to do on the actual ship.

 

[aurorafan65]

We did the baltics last year & they handed out blankets when it was chilly on-deck. I'm sure they'd do the same thing in AK. So I don't think I'd be as concerned about the weather - as long as you bring appropriate clothing.

We almost booked AK while we were on-board the Magic but I really didn't like the itinerary. I really wanted to go to Glacier bay. I've been doing my research & we opted for Celebrity cruise lines & Hubbard Glacier.

From the research I've done I think it is possible to do the ports on your own. Some of the tour companies actually send you back to the cruiselines websites for booking. Be forewarned though some of the activities in AK are expensive. I was looking into a whale watching tour which is $150 per person - sees to be the norm. They also have helicopter/plane tours to the glaciers which start at $299 per person.

Like Jill suggested you could try crusiecritic for more info

 

[justmestace]

You have to go into an Alaskan cruise KNOWING that the weather is hit or miss. If you can't go with the flow, then there's no point in going.
I'm sorry if that sounds harsh, but it's true. The week before we went to AK, it rained all week. We were lucky, since we only had rain one morning, and then one night.
Even the morning that it rained didn't stop us. We had raincoats and walked around Ketchikan anyway.

Shore excurisons are not a must....you can get off in port and see the sights w/o spending any money. The ship's excurisons are expensive, and many people report that they got a better price by waiting and booking with vendors that were on the docks in port. I would gladly do that, I felt very safe everywhere and all of the vendors knew what time we needed to be back to the ship.

My only thing is that I'm not sure I'd go with DCL. Sorry....I love DCL....but I would rather fly to Seattle and cruise another line, which has more stops than DCL and not spend the time or money to get to Vancouver, not to mention that DCL is more expensive in the first place. JMHO

 

[sayhello]

I agree with justmestace. You can hope for nice weather (it definitely does happen) but *expect* pretty much anything. It rains in Ketchikan probably 95% of the time, so just expect that, and then you won't be disappointed. It's generally a fine, misty rain, and totally didn't stop anyone from walking the town, doing shows & tours & shopping. There is a chance that helicopter tours *might* be canceled if the weather is too ugly.

Since you're not a sit in the sun kind of person (neither am I) I'd say Alaska would be a good option. It's totally possible to "do" the ports without excursions, but some of the best stuff is outside the towns, and might require at least a local tour to get you there. I second checking out cruisecritic, as they have a LOT of info there about the ports. And yes, that does make a lot of the excursions expensive.

That said, I also agree that DCL does not have a very good itinerary. I have a feeling it was the best they could do as the new kid on the block, but the fact remains it doesn't have a good glacier viewing option. It has the same issue as any round-trip Alaska cruise, in that you are WAY to far away before & after the cruise to effectively do any sort of land-based add-on unless you add another round-trip flight to Anchorage. But if that isn't important to you, then it isn't.

Personally, I'd choose a different cruiseline if it was me (I've done Princess, and loved it.) But if you are adamant about it being Disney, I'd choose Alaska over the Western Caribbean any day!

Sayhello

 

[IndianaPrincess]

We did a Alaskan cruise on NCL in 2005 and just loved it. The scenery was amazing. We booked a couple excursions on our own and had a wonderful time.

That said, I agree with the others - I would not do the Disney cruise for this one. They are really lacking in the glacier viewing. Those days on our cruise were so perfect and I can't imagine missing that... especially for the extra cost of going with DCL.

As for the weather - I was in my bathing suit on some days and in my winter jacket and earmuffs other days. It really did change that much!

 

[scdak]

I've been on 2 alaksan cruises although not with DCL, and out of the 20 cruises that I have been on I would have to say that Alaksa is by far my choice of cruise destinations! I would not classify myself as an "oohhh and aahhh" type person when it comes to scenery but the sights in Alaksa were awesome!
The shore excursions are more expensive than typical Caribbean ones but as someone else said, its possible to see the ports without excursions, each port is so different from the other ones, unlike the Caribbean ones where they are all so similar.
Weatherwise, yes there is rain esp in Ketchikan where they measure rain in feet like snow instead of inches!
As far as temperature.........well, it was alot of fun being in the heated pool looking out at the people on the deck wearing heavy coats, hats and covered with wool blankets that they provided instead of pool towels. We have pictures on a train tour in Skagway with snow on the ground and we were in shorts (only 2 people in shorts mind you) but the air temp was above 70 and it was very sunny!
I would pick another Alaskan cruise in a minute if given the chance (ie. if someone was paying for it) but I will just look forward to my next cruise in Feb 2011 to 4 more Caribbean ports that I haven't managed to see!

 

[Alaska DogCat]

I've never been on Alaskan Cruise, but can attest to the beauty of my adopted state. Everyone needs to come here once in their lifetime. I came for a year fourteen years ago and am still here.

The weather is hit or miss--particularly in the Southeast portion of the state where the Disney Cruise goes. However, even in rainy weather, there is much to see. The grandeur of this land is amazing and if you have the chance to come, do it now. You may fall in love with the sliver of Alaska you see on the cruise and decide you want to explore further. Keep in mind that Alaska takes up the geographic space of 21 states...it's GIANT.

 

[MarkRG]

Such negativity!

Only need one statement, really.

Pro: It's DCL and everything that entails, in Alaska.

 

[NancyIL]

Such negativity!

Only need one statement, really.

Pro: It's DCL and everything that entails, in Alaska.

Most of us who have been to Alaska are recommending NOT going on DCL!

 

[MarkRG]

Most of us who have been to Alaska are recommending NOT going on DCL!

So? Omg, we're not going to Glacier Bay©®tm...
We will be sailing to someplace that has glaciers, good enough for me.

And being on DCL trumps most of the reasons to sail other lines for me, as it does in the Caribbean. That is my one and only point.

 

[NancyIL]

So? Omg, we're not going to Glacier Bay©®tm...
We will be sailing to someplace that has glaciers, good enough for me.

And being on DCL trumps most of the reasons to sail other lines for me, as it does in the Caribbean. That is my one and only point.

If the only way you'll go to Alaska is on a Disney ship, then by all means...go on DCL!

 

[MarkRG]

If the only way you'll go to Alaska is on a Disney ship, then by all means...go on DCL!

Thank you, I will!

I will not deny or even remotely attempt to hide the fact that for us, DCL is the perfect fit for cruising, always has been, and will continue to be going forward.

 

[NancyIL]

Thank you, I will!

I will not deny or even remotely attempt to hide the fact that for us, DCL is the perfect fit for cruising, always has been, and will continue to be going forward.

So far my DCL Bahamas cruises have been for the ship. I go to Alaska to see Alaska, and the ship is secondary. I'm sure we will both enjoy our 2011 Alaska cruises.

 

[mmmears]

Nothing is perfect. Sure I'd rather it went to Glacier Bay...

But for those of us who are interesting in taking another DCL cruise and interested in going on a cruise in Alaska taking the Wonder in 2011 is a great option!

I'm going on vacation and want to see part of Alaska but also experience the fun and magic of Disney.

IMO it all depends on what you are looking for.

 

[PE_TCR]

I have been to Alaska on Princess before. I am going to Alaska with DCL next summer. How can you pass up going back to Alaska and being taken by the Wonder? Anythign you miss with Disney will be more than made up for with pixiedust. If I REALLY wanted to see Alaska again the way I want to I would do a land tour.