Disney Alaskan Cruise - Who's been and has insider tips for me!

[Disneytravele55]

I've only sailed Disney one time before this from NYC to the Bahamas and back. It was on the Disney Magic. In a few weeks I'm sailing from Vancouver to Alaska and back on the Disney Wonder. Anyone done this cruise before and have some tips and tricks for me? Any big differences between the Magic and Wonder?

 

[Geomom]

We went last August. You can check out my trip report in my signature for info on what we did/saw. The Wonder has been reimagined since we cruised. It is more like the Magic after its' reimagination, but with different names for the lounges/restaurants. There is no Aquadunk, but the new Twist N' Spout slide is for both adults and kids. Tiana's Place MDR is supposed to have a show.

Tips:

• Make sure you attend some of the naturalist programs to learn more about what you might be seeing!
• We had an oceanview on deck 2, but still spent lots of time on deck 4 to look at the scenery. Lots of great views on the inside passage. On the last day at sea we saw humpback whales!
• Waterproof shoes are great. We had waterproof hiking shoes that came in very handy on excursions (and I should have worn them on deck on Endicott Arm Day.
• Packable raincoats, or some type of rain gear is a necessity. Maybe you'll be lucky and have good weather, but our week only had sun for the days at sea. Ketchikan is in the temperate rainforest. Most of the rain we saw was more of a light/misty type thing.
• As everyone says--pack/wear layers.
• If you go to Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau, they only allow you to walk around with water. No food or flavored beverages are allowed due to bears in the area.
• Alaskan Mickey and Minnie are together for pictures only on certain days (I think it was 'Tracy Arm', Skagway, and Juneau). DD17 figured out from the app when 'we' could see them. We saw them at 8:30AM on Juneau day.
• Frozen activities! New theater show, sail away deck party, Frozen menu, Anna's Chocolate Chase--scavenger hunt that takes place over multiple days--culminating with chocolate in your room if you've filled out the paper.

We loved our Alaskan cruise! Enjoy yours!

 

[Msidescooter]

We were last August (the week before Geomom actually). The only thing I can think of adding to the list is a nice camera (not your phone). There will be a lot of amazing sites that you'll want to capture and a real camera with a lens worth it weight in zooming will provide more photos than you can post online.

 

[xlxo]

Thoughts....

• what's your exact cruise date? Are you on the July 3rd sailing? The cruise terminal will have a fireworks show a few days before.
• Vancouver is best explored post-cruise when attractions are quieter on weekdays
• you want extra days in Vancouver..... lots to do. Look at hotels away from the cruise terminal for significant savings
• have you chosen your excursions yet?
• try to avoid arriving at the cruise terminal between 11:15am to 1:15pm. This is the busiest time for US customs, especially on multi-ship days. Some arrive early 10:30am where things go smoothly, while others skip the welcome lunch and purposely get there at 2pm or later.

 

[saxmangeoff]

We were last August (the week before Geomom actually). The only thing I can think of adding to the list is a nice camera (not your phone). There will be a lot of amazing sites that you'll want to capture and a real camera with a lens worth it weight in zooming will provide more photos than you can post online.

I would only add a caution not to get a camera just before the trip. You want a camera that you know how to use. Preferably one you can use without thinking about it.

 

[tnshsms]

All of the above are great tips. We went in May last year and I too have my trip report in my signature. Binoculars were also a nice add for the trip. We actually bought some waterproofing spray at Academy and sprayed our tennis shoes with it and that worked great...BUT we didn't hike anywhere either.

Any specific questions that you have?

 

[psac]

In Skagway, if you take the White Pass Rail (recommended), you want to be on the left side going up, or the right side going down, depending on which direction you do. (We did the train up, and the bus back for the gold panning stop, which was intentionally cheesy and fun.)

 

[woody64]

Thanks all for the info!

 

[Disneytravele55]

This is a lot of good info!

We depart June 12th and come back on the 19th. I got a hotel room for the 19th and 20th to spend some time in Vancouver. We're staying at a hotel close to the cruise terminal. Hopefully that doesn't impact our trip too negatively. It just seemed like it would be best to get our stuff from the ship to a hotel close by.

I haven't booked any excursions yet....I'm always hesitant to do them via Disney because I feel like the price is 2-3x more than if you just reached out to the company themselves...any thoughts or suggestions or reprimands on this? What excursions would you say are a must?

I've got a camera that I've used for several years that I'm planning on bringing. Binoculars, great idea! Didn't even think. I will for sure grab some.

Thanks for all the helpful info! I'm going to read through your trip reports too!

 

[xlxo]

Instead of going round trip on the White Pass train.... consider a bus combo to see both sides of the canyon.

 

[Geomom]

This is a lot of good info!

We depart June 12th and come back on the 19th. I got a hotel room for the 19th and 20th to spend some time in Vancouver. We're staying at a hotel close to the cruise terminal. Hopefully that doesn't impact our trip too negatively. It just seemed like it would be best to get our stuff from the ship to a hotel close by.

I haven't booked any excursions yet....I'm always hesitant to do them via Disney because I feel like the price is 2-3x more than if you just reached out to the company themselves...any thoughts or suggestions or reprimands on this? What excursions would you say are a must?

I've got a camera that I've used for several years that I'm planning on bringing. Binoculars, great idea! Didn't even think. I will for sure grab some.

Thanks for all the helpful info! I'm going to read through your trip reports too!

Excursions:
For Skagway I'd suggest booking ahead with Chilkoot Charters and do the Yukon bus/train combo. We did it with the dogcart ride option. It was a great day! We did the bus up (small bus that holds 24 people). Mike, our driver/tour guide stopped at tons of places for us to take pics. We had maybe 1/2 hour in the town of Carcross to shop/take pics. Then we went to Caribou Crossing Trading Post for a couple of hours? The price included the chicken bbq lunch there. We did the dogcart ride there, there are puppies to hold, other animals to see; a wildlife museum (taxidermy), and a shop. We stopped at a few more picture spots on the way to the train station. Took White Pass railway back to town. It was just the right amount of train for us. This day was the highlight of our trip!

Juneau depends on what you want to do--lots of people do whale watching from there. The Disney shuttle takes you from the port to the start of town--right where all the tour operators have booths, so you could decide that day if you want to do whale watching. Mt Roberts Tramway is also right in that area, best to wait until that day to see what the weather is like. We did one of the glacier shuttles to Mendenhall Glacier (through Juneautours) for $30/person roundtrip. They have a bus coming/going every half hour.

Ketchikan, again depends on what you like. There are totems here to see, the Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show, etc. You can get tix that day for the lumberjack show--it is very close to where the Wonder berths in town.

Vancouver--the area by the cruise terminal is nice, and you'll be right near the heart of everything and have easy access to public transit. There is a really nice walking area by the water. We stayed at Westin Bayshore (which is much closer to Stanley Park)--but we could walk to the cruise terminal (without luggage!) We walked to the seabus station and took a ferry across to Lonsdale Quay...then a bus that got us close to Lynn Canyon Park to go to the free, smaller, suspension bridge, and trails.

 

[bbel]

Best cupcake I've ever had - Sugar Mamas in Skagway.
Best crepes I've ever had - crepe escape in Juneau.
And always got candy in Ketchikan-dy...

Sorry they're all food related, I was a CM haha!

 

[bbel]

Also, nearly always saw whales Tracy Arm/ Endicott morning (we got kicked out out cabins for cabin inspection if we weren't working at that time and would get a coffee and head out to an open deck somewhere and were never disappointed).

 

[Jess_S]

It's easy to book shore excursions on your own in Alaska, so that's a great option. (We did book the Skagway gold panning through DCL because it included characters). I bought a book on Alaskan cruise ports that had info on what was near the ship on each port, so we used that after our big activity of the day.

One thing you might not think of is to pack short sleeves. On my first Alaska trip, we had weather in the 70s and I only had warm clothing. You definitely want to be prepared for a range of weather.

 

[saxmangeoff]

I haven't booked any excursions yet....I'm always hesitant to do them via Disney because I feel like the price is 2-3x more than if you just reached out to the company themselves...any thoughts or suggestions or reprimands on this?

I priced a Ketchikan excursion (zip line) on the vendor's site to compare prices. Disney's price was about $18 per person higher ($194/pp on Disney).

 

[spankswife]

Great info! Following...

 

[st0nehedge]

I just got back from Alaska on Monday and haven't been on the Dis much this week - I'll update with some tips soon!

 

[april1401]

Best cupcake I've ever had - Sugar Mamas in Skagway.
Best crepes I've ever had - crepe escape in Juneau.
And always got candy in Ketchikan-dy...

Sorry they're all food related, I was a CM haha!

I agree! I went to Sugar Mommas on my cruise 4 years ago and the cupcakes were fantastic! I will also add while i was there a young man walked in and talked about how he smoked the salmon they were selling in their deli. I bought it and brought it home. It was the best salmon I ever had.

I'm headed back again this August. I can't wait to get back.

 

[bbel]

I agree! I went to Sugar Mommas on my cruise 4 years ago and the cupcakes were fantastic! I will also add while i was there a young man walked in and talked about how he smoked the salmon they were selling in their deli. I bought it and brought it home. It was the best salmon I ever had.

I'm headed back again this August. I can't wait to get back.

They have 2 'stores' now due to popularity.
There was many times I had less than an hour to get out of work, get changed, get off the ship, get to sugar mamas, eat it, then do it all in reverse and back to work.
It was worth it every time haha

 

[Dug720]

KetchiCandies is awesomesauce chocolates and things!! (In Ketchikan obviously!)