DCL Alaska or Caribbean?

[Shawn W]

Hey Fellow Cruisers,

I have been on 12 DCL cruises on all the boats, but they have all been a combo of bahamas, eastern caribbean, and western caribbean. This year, for my 30th birthday, I thought about taking my wife and I on an Alaskan Cruise.

However, I notice the price is much higher and I have to now include the cost of airfare (since we are Floridians). I have some questions for the group and any insight would be much appreciated.

1) Is the Alaskan Cruise worth the extra money?

2) Is it work 2K more to go from Oceanview to Verandah on this type of cruise? On Caribben, I am just as happy with an oceanview.

3) Since it's cold, I assume there is no pool time, so what other unique on-board things do you do?

Any other insight to help me make a good decision here would be welcomed. Thanks!

 

[sambycat]

The Alaskan cruise is the best cruise we have ever taken. Personally, I would aim for a verandah room of any kind or an ocean view. Yes, you could find a less expensive non Disney cruise and some people swear that the Disney Alaska itinerary is not as strong as other lines but we loved it.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Hey Fellow Cruisers,

I have been on 12 DCL cruises on all the boats, but they have all been a combo of bahamas, eastern caribbean, and western caribbean. This year, for my 30th birthday, I thought about taking my wife and I on an Alaskan Cruise.

However, I notice the price is much higher and I have to now include the cost of airfare (since we are Floridians). I have some questions for the group and any insight would be much appreciated.

1) Is the Alaskan Cruise worth the extra money?

2) Is it work 2K more to go from Oceanview to Verandah on this type of cruise? On Caribben, I am just as happy with an oceanview.

3) Since it's cold, I assume there is no pool time, so what other unique on-board things do you do?

Any other insight to help me make a good decision here would be welcomed. Thanks!

It depends on whether you want to see Alaska for the Alaskan experience, or if you want to do Alaska with Disney thrown in on the side.

For the most part, Alaska is about the itinerary, and, if something like Glacier Bay is important to you, DCL doesn't go there.

I think it's "worth it" to go to Alaska, but I don't think it's worth it to do so on DCL. As to whether a verandah is worth it, that's up to you. There are those who won't do a cruise (Alaska or otherwise) any other way. There are those who say "stick with an inside room, and save the money for excursions". We've been to Alaska twice, once in a verandah, once in an oceanview. Oceanview was fine, as we spend most of our onboard time up on deck for a full 360 view.

Pools are heated, and the weather in Alaska can be quite warm at times. Pool time is not out, just because it's Alaska.

 

[Quellman]

It depends on whether you want to see Alaska for the Alaskan experience, or if you want to do Alaska with Disney thrown in on the side.

For the most part, Alaska is about the itinerary, and, if something like Glacier Bay is important to you, DCL doesn't go there.

I think it's "worth it" to go to Alaska, but I don't think it's worth it to do so on DCL. As to whether a verandah is worth it, that's up to you. There are those who won't do a cruise (Alaska or otherwise) any other way. There are those who say "stick with an inside room, and save the money for excursions". We've been to Alaska twice, once in a verandah, once in an oceanview. Oceanview was fine, as we spend most of our onboard time up on deck for a full 360 view.

Pools are heated, and the weather in Alaska can be quite warm at times. Pool time is not out, just because it's Alaska.

@Shawn W I agree with PrincessShmoo 100%. Unless you just have to have the Disney product, you can do Alaska much cheaper and on comparable lines. Princess, Royal, and Carnival are good options. We actually sailed Carnival when we did Alaska. There are some really cool active excursions as well. We did a kayak trip, there are also hiking and other neat things. (I mention because when we sailed I was 26 and saw you are 30 now).

 

[Hundredacre]

I would pick another cruise line for alaska (we are actually). Dcl is expensive for alaska. Also the price ratio for their verandas is much higher than on other lines. For us= not worth it. At least on the disney cruises off of Florida and galveston you can justify the price with castaway cay.

 

[tlynk]

Like you and others we have sailed to the Bahamas and to both the Western and Eastern Caribbean on DCL and I would do the Alaskan again. I recommend DCL for first timers who love sailing with Disney. I thought it was the best cruise ever! It was a unique experience. I did splurge on a balcony though, but my adult kids had an inside, and my uncle and aunt had an oceanview. We all LOVED the Alaskan itinerary. We kept pretty busy with onboard activities and viewing the beautiful scenery from the ship when not in port.

 

[bcwife76]

The pools are heated on the Wonder so you will use them. And just because it's Alaska, don't assume it will be cold. I haven't done the Alaska cruise yet (we were supposed to this August but changed to a Bahama's cruise) but I've heard it can be 55F or it can be 80F depending on day/month that you choose to go.

 

[Geomom]

We are doing the DCL Alaskan cruise (our first ever cruise) this summer. One of the things I'm looking forward to are the Alaskan Naturalist talks in one of the theaters. We also can't wait to see Mickey and gang in their Alaska outfits on Tracy Arm day--and of course, the beautiful scenery!

We're doing a 2nd floor oceanview room. I'd like to 'see' the outside, but figure we'll be out and about most of the time anyway...and we can't justify the extra $3,000 for a verandah.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

but I've heard it can be 55F or it can be 80F depending on day/month that you choose to go.

It can be 55F or 80F depending on the whims of the Alaska weather (even on the same day). The general philosophy on that is "If you don't like the weather, wait 15 minutes." And it's quite true.

 

[princessnicchia]

I can't vouch for Disney to Alaska (I've only done Princess here) but I CAN vouch for Alaska. Come, you won't regret it. It's so beautiful and in a completely different way then the beauty of the beach/hot areas. I also think that the cruises that incorporate a land and sea (or doing a land portion on your own if you like) is an awesome way to see more of the State--cruises only do Southeast Alaska (which is AMAZING) but if you do a land/sea cruise you will get to see the more northern parts of the State. They are really so different that it is good to do both, especially if this is a one-time, once in a lifetime trip. Remember, Alaska is a REALLY big State. So our different regions have completely different topographies and climates.

 

[cruisehopeful]

1) Is the Alaskan Cruise worth the extra money?

2) Is it work 2K more to go from Oceanview to Verandah on this type of cruise? On Caribben, I am just as happy with an oceanview.

3) Since it's cold, I assume there is no pool time, so what other unique on-board things do you do?

Any other insight to help me make a good decision here would be welcomed. Thanks!

1.) It is worth it. Alaska is a beautiful place. As mentioned by others, you can get a cheaper cruise by using a different cruise line, but it's your vacation and your $ and you choice. Even though we've done Disney Alaska already, we are doing it again.

2.) In my opinion, no. Others insists that a verandah is important on an Alaskan cruise. I'd rather use that money for port adventures, which are very expensive. There is plenty of viewing areas on the decks and in the Cove/Outlook cafe (for adults). The tracy arm day is narrated and they serve hot food out on the deck. If I had a verandah, I'd still be up on the deck enjoying the service anyway.

3.) I didn't use the pools at all, but other people did. My cruise was very cold and rainy on the sea days.

 

[IBelieveInTheMagic]

We booked our 8/2016 DCL Alaska cruise for around $4400 (for the 3 of us) which is *cheaper* than a Fantasy sailing for us by quite a bit. This is our 2nd sailing to Alaska and yes, many times over, we find it very worthwhile and again - cheaper than the Caribbean for us and either the same as other cruise lines or cheaper. Granted we have to add in a little more for the flights from the East Coast to Vancouver but still worthwhile for us.

The question of verandah "worthiness" comes up quite a bit here and the best answer is really only you can decide it. I personally feel the difference of about $2500-$3000 is *not* worthwhile to upgrade to a verandah. On our first Alaska cruise in 2013 as my memory serves me, it was only about $1000 more to go to a 7A which yes, felt worthwhile so we did it. The verandahs for Alaska increase more and more over the other categories every year.

Alaska is amazing so I say go for it!

Heather

 

[xlxo]

Thoughts...

• do budget extra days pre/post-cruise in Cascadia (Vancouver/Seattle). There's lots to do to fill a few weeks.
  • Vancouver alone is bigger than all the Alaskan ports combined.
  • Some areas of Vancouver is like you are in in China or India if you want to explore the multicultural food experience.
  • the loonie oil ruble has a currency collapse.... everything in the port is on SALE with a 40% discount!
  • look to hotels a few blocks away from the cruise terminal for significant savings!
• Deck 2 as huge oceanview windows.... it feels like a climate controlled balcony.
• do compare costs to other cruise lines... especially if you are willing to skip snorting the pixie dust. One difference is a magical place called Glacier Bay that Disney excludes.
• do think about which month you want to go. May and September are cheaper.... however the weather is colder or wetter. mid-July is the best... but it's also peak cruise season.
• Storybrooke?
• Alaskan mosquito's are Zika free!

 

[Pens Fan]

I'd take Alaska over the Caribbean any time - even at an extra cost. Our DCL Alaska cruise 4 years ago was hands down the best vacation we had ever taken as a family. That is, until last summer's Iceland / Norway cruise . We have booked a second Alaska cruise already for 2017, though this time we are switching to NCL. We want to see Glacier Bay and Disney goes to Tracy Arm which we have seen twice before.

As for the verandah, oy vey. That usually gets a lot of heated debate here. For what it's worth we always sail in a verandah. We spent hours on it in Alaska and Iceland/Norway and felt it very much worth the extra cost, but hardly ever used it in the Bahamas or Caribbean so the money was pretty much wasted there. YMMV. If you are sweating the money, everything you can see on the verandah can be seen from the deck (better 360 deg views, but probably a little colder and you will be sharing the space at times with others). Excursions in Alaska are pricey - much more so than a lot of the Caribbean ones. Even if you use an outside vendor, it's going to cost you. Factor that in when you price things out and make your decision.

I was surprised how many people used the pools in Alaska - not every day, but a lot. But then, heck, I saw kids in the pool in Norway and Iceland (and some downright miserable Disney CM's lifeguarding in polar gear). As others have said the weather in Alaska is so unpredictable, it's hard to say ahead of time what it will be like. But I can promise you one thing, good weather or bad, the scenery will be amazing!