Disney for Alaska?

[brentm77]

We love DCL and have sailed with them 8 times. We did the Alaska sailing with DCL years ago when my daughter was much younger and more recently (pre-covid) did a Princess cruise from Vancouver and one from San Francisco to Alaska. I'm not gonna lie. When I saw the Disney ship docked next to ours, I did wish I was on it. We have always loved the service and extra little touches on the Disney cruises.

However, I really wanted to do the sailing from SF because I had heard so many great things about Glacier Bay. This is just one family's opinion, but Glacier Bay was not what we expected. We were so far from the shoreline that we didn't see much wildlife. The icebergs were pretty far too. The other two cruises went into Fjords (I think Tracy Arms) and because it was so narrow we saw more wildlife and the scenery/icebergs were just more dramatic. The SF trip was longer and we found it more relaxing with the extra sea days. The naturalists on the Princess cruise ships were also top notch! I will say that the excursions really made the trip! The first time we went, we did all the more common ones. Because we had done the standard checklist of excursions, it let us explore some other excursions that we had not heard of before and they were awesome! The two highlights were the floatplane to Taku Lodge and the Chilkat River jet boat. On the jet boat we saw an abundance of wildlife - even a spirit bear! If the shipboard service and experience are important to you, I would go with DCL, but if going with Princess means you have more money so spend on the pricier excursions then I would go with Princess.

Wow. That was helpful new data point. To be honest, when reviewing YouTube videos, both my wife and I have the impression that the Fjords were more beautiful scenery wise, but we keep reading how Glacier Bay is almost spiritual and not to be missed. This will at least let me put DCL back on the table and do some more research before making a final decision. Thank you for the detailed response.

 

[brentm77]

We did a transatlantic with Cunard (a while back) in the summer. Outside of holidays, their guests skew old with very few families. The itineraries have fewer ports and more sea days. The summer and the holiday sailings bring out a different vibe - younger adults and multi-gen families. And more mainstream itineraries.

The reason for them to be in Alaska in the first place is that a lot of their guests want to continue to sail with them. Like DCL in Europe. You will see more Brits and Europeans on board Cunard in Alaska than on other cruise lines.

If sailing without kids, a 10-nighter roundtrip with Glacier Bay in Alaska will be a very relaxed vacation. Just make sure to adjust your expectations in a way that you are not entirely reliant on the ship to make your vacation. Think of it as an upscale hotel coming alongside you from port to port in one of the most scenic parts of the world.

That is very helpful. I think we could very much set our expectations to an upscale hotel, and that is actually more of what we are looking for for this particular cruise than anything. We want comfort and relaxation while we get to see new destinations. It may come down to how long my wife wants to be in the coldish climate in late summer now, and whether it will work with with work (taking two weeks in Europe was difficult due to the nature of my profession, and 10 days, plus travel, is pushing it again). And we live in Utah, and my wife already dislikes the winters here. So she is sailing to Alaska as an act of love. I hoping being there changes her opinion.

But I am comfortable that Cunard is a viable option now. I think it is coming down to Cunard or DCL at this point. The detailed comment from @G'sMaman about Glacier Bay has me second guessing how important it is to me.

 

[cmph]

I sailed on Princess in Alaska as a teenager and DCL in Alaska as a parent of a teenager (and tween). I am not sure I get some of the previous posters' statements about the age group being bored, b/c all teens involved (myself included) thought each was an amazing cruise. Ziplining and kayaking and other common Alaskan excursions skew toward more adventurous types, for one thing.

Anyway - regarding the on-board entertainment aspect, it definitely depends on your family. If you liked your DCL transatlantic, then you know the types of activities to expect (and whether your family will like them). That's why we went with DCL for the second. Everyone wanted to go to / go back to Alaska, and we knew we all liked the on-ship activities (Disney/Star Wars/Marvel movies, crafts, family-friendly shows).

 

[RAD]

DW and I did DCL for Alaska in 2017 and loved it. We were planning to do it again this year but the prices were making me take a second look. I contacted Tracey at Dreams about alternative and she recommended Celebrity cruises. I checked them out and for just about the same price as a 4A cabin on the Wonder I could get a 13night sea/land cruise with a veranda cabin so guess which cruise line we’re taking. Just to make sure we’d like Celebrity we did a 7 night eastern on them last January and loved them.

 

[racingfandj]

We've been on 16 DCL and 1 RCCL somewhere in the early stages of those. My girls insisted we never go on another non-Disney again and they are 9 years apart. So, at 24 and almost 15, we are making our 4th trip to AK. The oldest was on the 1st for her HS graduation and now this is a covid postponed college graduation celebration for her. We've been nearly everywhere, on all 4 ships (looking forward to the Wish!). Alaska is amazing, and you never go wrong with Disney.

 

[auntlynne]

Our first AK cruise was on Disney. Since then, it’s 3 cruises on Princess and 1 on NCL Encore (Sep 2021).

Princess wins for price. NCL Encore for actual ship - it was purpose-built for AK (as was its sister, Bliss). DCL wins for evening shows - and for being DCL (if you love them, you get it.)

I usually pick the cruise that includes Glacier Bay, but I can skip it for other factors. Last cruise it was to go to Icy Strait Point for its ZipRider - so much fun! But a 90-second activity to determine a week’s vacation? (We actually did both stops and skipped Skagway). Next time only if other factors lead that way. Sitka is my next determining factor - or daytime in Victoria. But I digress.

I would pick a Northbound one-way cruise that visits College Fjord over any other cruise if I wanted the best glacier viewing experience. In a small area, you see about 16 glaciers - I think it’s 8 at one time in a certain spot (this is from memory - numbers may vary).

Unlike a Caribbean cruise where ports are about relaxing on the beach or snorkeling, it’s easy for AK to be three ports with high-priced excursions. Those prices are about the same with any cruise line. Flightseeing on a float plane or helicopter, train, whale watching cruises, seafood experiences combined with any of the above, zip lines… lots to do. And if you don’t think you might get back to AK, it’s easy to fill up your port time with as many as you can. Oh yeah, dog sled + meet the puppies!

Haven’t done an ABD, but did take the 12-hour train from Anchorage to Fairbanks - beautiful ride through the interior. If you can consider that, DCL pricing may not scare you.

I‘d ask the 16 yo if going to Vibe is important to her when deciding to jump ship from DCL. There’s a lot happening on this cruise, port wise, so having a familiar cruise line can be nice. It’s not as tiring or long port days as a Med cruise or lots of Sea days like on a TA.

A day or two in Vancouver is a nice start to a Disney cruise, too.

We looked at Celebrity as our next cruise line, but along came COVID, and our cruising needs changed. I’d still want to know what the youngest wants.

And AK is great for everyone who can enjoy the beauty of water, trees, mountains, glaciers and wildlife. And family on vacation.

My nieces were 15.5, 18, and 20 on the first AK cruise - no one did teen clubs, just fun with family. The then-18 yo went on her honeymoon - to AK on the Wonder - when she was 25

Have a great cruise.

 

[Balbar]

Our first AK cruise was on Disney. Since then, it’s 3 cruises on Princess and 1 on NCL Encore (Sep 2021).

Princess wins for price. NCL Encore for actual ship - it was purpose-built for AK (as was its sister, Bliss). DCL wins for evening shows - and for being DCL (if you love them, you get it.)

I usually pick the cruise that includes Glacier Bay, but I can skip it for other factors. Last cruise it was to go to Icy Strait Point for its ZipRider - so much fun! But a 90-second activity to determine a week’s vacation? (We actually did both stops and skipped Skagway). Next time only if other factors lead that way. Sitka is my next determining factor - or daytime in Victoria. But I digress.

I would pick a Northbound one-way cruise that visits College Fjord over any other cruise if I wanted the best glacier viewing experience. In a small area, you see about 16 glaciers - I think it’s 8 at one time in a certain spot (this is from memory - numbers may vary).

Unlike a Caribbean cruise where ports are about relaxing on the beach or snorkeling, it’s easy for AK to be three ports with high-priced excursions. Those prices are about the same with any cruise line. Flightseeing on a float plane or helicopter, train, whale watching cruises, seafood experiences combined with any of the above, zip lines… lots to do. And if you don’t think you might get back to AK, it’s easy to fill up your port time with as many as you can. Oh yeah, dog sled + meet the puppies!

Haven’t done an ABD, but did take the 12-hour train from Anchorage to Fairbanks - beautiful ride through the interior. If you can consider that, DCL pricing may not scare you.

I‘d ask the 16 yo if going to Vibe is important to her when deciding to jump ship from DCL. There’s a lot happening on this cruise, port wise, so having a familiar cruise line can be nice. It’s not as tiring or long port days as a Med cruise or lots of Sea days like on a TA.

A day or two in Vancouver is a nice start to a Disney cruise, too.

We looked at Celebrity as our next cruise line, but along came COVID, and our cruising needs changed. I’d still want to know what the youngest wants.

And AK is great for everyone who can enjoy the beauty of water, trees, mountains, glaciers and wildlife. And family on vacation.

My nieces were 15.5, 18, and 20 on the first AK cruise - no one did teen clubs, just fun with family. The then-18 yo went on her honeymoon - to AK on the Wonder - when she was 25

Have a great cruise.

Thank you! This is great info, especially since you have done different lines to Alaska!

 

[ofcabbagesandkings]

We did DCL to Alaska in 2019, with kids who were 3 and 7. If they had been teenage boys instead of little boys, I would have chosen a Nat Geo cruise or Uncruise, and I'm still thinking of doing that in the future. For kids our age, DCL was perfect, though.