Disney Wonder Alaska

[RuthieT]

Tell me about this cruise. The weather in Mid June. Thinking about a cruise 2018. How long did you go? Which stateroom? Etc...

 

[bksaffle]

We absolutely LOVED our Alaska cruise (we were on a 9 day cruise that also stopped at Sitka). We were very fortunate that we booked a Deck 2 porthole stateroom, but when we got to the port we upgraded to a Deck 8 Veranda (forward/starboard or front/right)....stateroom # 8508. We loved this stateroom because it is actually right under an extended pop out section on Deck 9, so our veranda was covered, so when it rained....we never got wet. We spent so much time on our veranda. Our kids were 10 yrs old at the time, so we were able to enjoy the scenery when they were asleep....because it really doesn't get dark until after midnight. And then when I woke up in the morning while everyone was still sleeping, I could then go out on the veranda (in my PJ's and of course a blanket or two) and take everything in....without having to wake people up getting different clothes on.

You cannot compare an Alaska cruise to a Caribbean Cruise, because in Caribbean you are on open waters and you don't get to see much. The Alaskan cruise is 24 hours of beautiful scenery, also please note that there is NOT a pirate party/fireworks on the Alaska cruise due to the wildlife preservation agreement....also, DCL will not sound the horn very often because it scares the wildlife.

We wore layers (long sleeve T-shirt>Sweatshirt>jacket) and then we could take layers off when it warmed up. My daughter would wear a headband that extended down to cover up her ears, and a scarf, and gloves....but she is a cold kid. The ship has blankets all throughout the open decks inside the towel boxes.

We spent all day going through Tracy Arm on Deck 4....not very crowded at all. If you go to the starboard side, you will see the crew grab a pretty big piece ice out of the bay and haul it up on deck....it was fun, plus you are covered if it rains.

Weather in Alaska is very temperamental, we were told it rained a lot....but in my opinion it didn't rain that much....I guess I expected it so much, that I wasn't let down when it did rain.

Alaska by far has been our favorite cruise so far (our kids agree)...but we love nature/hiking/wildlife....we are from the desert so we just soaked it all up....my kids were like "do we have to leave". Take binoculars with you, we saw whales, sea lions, eagles, throughout the whole trip....it was amazing when a humpback whale breached and jumped right outside our balcony (ok, so it was like 100 feet away....but WOW, it was great).

Excursions - Zip Lined in Skagway (Grizzly bear falls)....absolutely amazing and a ton of fun, my daughter would even go upside down, totally safe for all ages. Mendenhall Glacier/Nugget Falls Hike - Juneau, we booked this excursion on our own, we took the free shuttle to the town, and there were booths that sold tickets for bus trips to the visitor center, and then we hiked to the glacier/falls. We also ate at Tracy's crab shack...yummy. In Ketchikan we booked on our own the Bering Sea Crab Adventure - Awesome, they interact with the kids and allow them to hold all kids of sea creatures, and they explained their entire working/crabbing process. Sitka - we hiked the Tonga National Forest - we booked this through DCL, beautiful scenery and a ton of wildlife. Vancouver - we went to the Capliano Suspension Bridge Park (after the cruise)...that was cool, something else you can do on your own. We did the HopOnHopOff tour before the cruise.

Do research on the internet, don't be afraid to book excursions outside of DCL, it will save you money, and we had plenty of time to get to the ship before departure time.

sorry for the long rant....if you decide to go, you will not regret it. The Alaska cruise is what put us on to Book the Norway cruise this year, we hope it will be the same type of experience....as far as the scenery and beauty.

 

[saxmangeoff]

Yeah, what bksaffle said....

A lot of how you'll view the weather depends on where you're from. Expect anything from 50s and rainy to 80 and sunny. We went in early July 2014, and had mostly overcast days with moderately heavy rain the morning we were in Juneau, and misty rain in Ketchikan.

Southeast Alaska is gorgeous, and we're going back in 2017.

 

[cruisehopeful]

We went in mid June 4 years ago and stayed in an ocean view on deck 2. The cruise was excellent. It was 7 days round trip Seattle and our port times were very short.

We are boarding again soon for another 7 days from Vancouver with much longer port times. I wish it was a 9 day with Sitka, but I am very happy to have what I have. I booked the same type of room and was planning on asking for a port upgrade, but it looks like my sail date is sold out. We are fine with the window, as we spend most of the time in the public areas anyway where all the action is. I'm actually tempted to plunk down a deposit on one of the cruises that has Icy Straight point next year, but don't want to have too much of a good thing. I really should wait til 2018.

 

[disneyfaninaz]

Yes, love, love, love Alaska. So much so that we are going back again next summer (fingers crossed).

I was on the same sailing as bksaffle. There is a link to my trip report in my signature. We really enjoyed a couple of days sightseeing in Vancouver too.

bksaffle - You will love Norway. It is a beautiful country. The only thing we missed was seeing whales from the deck.

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

Tell me about this cruise. The weather in Mid June. Thinking about a cruise 2018. How long did you go? Which stateroom? Etc...

Verandah is essential.

Views - every day from 6 am to 11 pm, all wonderful, you will miss part of this inside.

If you have a verandah you have choice, - you not not need to save your place and keep hold of it all day. In a verandah , you can sit down and use it and have room service there. You can also go out and about, view the other side, come back, go for a meal or comfort break without loosing your spot.

All decks get crowded it's a long day each day, so much to see.

Many miss the beauty of early morning, flowing fog clinging mountains, or wonderful late night sun sets. But sitting in the quiet of the verandah, maybe when kids what a movie did it for me.

http://alaskawaltwhales.blogspot.co.uk/?m=1

 

[NancyIL]

I LOVE Alaska cruises - even without a balcony cabin!

 

[l4dk]

We absolutely LOVED our Alaska cruise (we were on a 9 day cruise that also stopped at Sitka). We were very fortunate that we booked a Deck 2 porthole stateroom, but when we got to the port we upgraded to a Deck 8 Veranda (forward/starboard or front/right)....stateroom # 8508. We loved this stateroom because it is actually right under an extended pop out section on Deck 9, so our veranda was covered, so when it rained....we never got wet. We spent so much time on our veranda. Our kids were 10 yrs old at the time, so we were able to enjoy the scenery when they were asleep....because it really doesn't get dark until after midnight. And then when I woke up in the morning while everyone was still sleeping, I could then go out on the veranda (in my PJ's and of course a blanket or two) and take everything in....without having to wake people up getting different clothes on.

You cannot compare an Alaska cruise to a Caribbean Cruise, because in Caribbean you are on open waters and you don't get to see much. The Alaskan cruise is 24 hours of beautiful scenery, also please note that there is NOT a pirate party/fireworks on the Alaska cruise due to the wildlife preservation agreement....also, DCL will not sound the horn very often because it scares the wildlife.

We wore layers (long sleeve T-shirt>Sweatshirt>jacket) and then we could take layers off when it warmed up. My daughter would wear a headband that extended down to cover up her ears, and a scarf, and gloves....but she is a cold kid. The ship has blankets all throughout the open decks inside the towel boxes.

We spent all day going through Tracy Arm on Deck 4....not very crowded at all. If you go to the starboard side, you will see the crew grab a pretty big piece ice out of the bay and haul it up on deck....it was fun, plus you are covered if it rains.

Weather in Alaska is very temperamental, we were told it rained a lot....but in my opinion it didn't rain that much....I guess I expected it so much, that I wasn't let down when it did rain.

Alaska by far has been our favorite cruise so far (our kids agree)...but we love nature/hiking/wildlife....we are from the desert so we just soaked it all up....my kids were like "do we have to leave". Take binoculars with you, we saw whales, sea lions, eagles, throughout the whole trip....it was amazing when a humpback whale breached and jumped right outside our balcony (ok, so it was like 100 feet away....but WOW, it was great).

Excursions - Zip Lined in Skagway (Grizzly bear falls)....absolutely amazing and a ton of fun, my daughter would even go upside down, totally safe for all ages. Mendenhall Glacier/Nugget Falls Hike - Juneau, we booked this excursion on our own, we took the free shuttle to the town, and there were booths that sold tickets for bus trips to the visitor center, and then we hiked to the glacier/falls. We also ate at Tracy's crab shack...yummy. In Ketchikan we booked on our own the Bering Sea Crab Adventure - Awesome, they interact with the kids and allow them to hold all kids of sea creatures, and they explained their entire working/crabbing process. Sitka - we hiked the Tonga National Forest - we booked this through DCL, beautiful scenery and a ton of wildlife. Vancouver - we went to the Capliano Suspension Bridge Park (after the cruise)...that was cool, something else you can do on your own. We did the HopOnHopOff tour before the cruise.

Do research on the internet, don't be afraid to book excursions outside of DCL, it will save you money, and we had plenty of time to get to the ship before departure time.

sorry for the long rant....if you decide to go, you will not regret it. The Alaska cruise is what put us on to Book the Norway cruise this year, we hope it will be the same type of experience....as far as the scenery and beauty.

Bksaffle, Thanks for the mini report. We are also booked for Alaska in just 33days....Cant wait! We have an ocean view on deck 2 and will love to upgrade to veranda at port since they are not longer available now. Were the verandas for your sailing sold out as well and you were later able to upgrade at port? How early do you recommend that we go to see if it is possible to upgrade? Any tips? Thank again

 

[TJA]

Curious - is there a preferred side of the boat to have your cabin with verandah? I know the boat turns around....so either side is fine?

 

[xlxo]

I recommend the port side for Alaskan cruises....

• great view of Ketchikan when docked
• more privacy when in Vancouver..... Vancouver loads from the starboard side on the Wonder.... There's is an elevated walkway 20 feet from the starboard balconies.... I recommend keeping your curtains closed as the public takes pictures of the Wonder.

 

[bksaffle]

We made sure that we were at the port as early as we could. I believe we were like the first dozen or so that checked in....and after the initial check-in, we went over to the supervisors desk in order to do our upgrade....we were the last ones that got a balcony. We were glad that we got one, but regardless of what your stateroom is....it is a GREAT trip.

 

[JCfan]

Thank you for all the terrific info!

 

[TJA]

I recommend the port side for Alaskan cruises....

• great view of Ketchikan when docked
• more privacy when in Vancouver..... Vancouver loads from the starboard side on the Wonder.... There's is an elevated walkway 20 feet from the starboard balconies.... I recommend keeping your curtains closed as the public takes pictures of the Wonder.

This is great info, but I'm so new to cruising that I don't know which side is the port side. Right now there are options of rooms 80xx or on the other side 85xx.
EDIT: Got it, thanks! For other new cruisers wondering, 80xx is port side.

We are looking at the deluxe family verandah most likely.

Searching extensively trying to figure out differences between 4A and 4B. I think it's just location (4A is midship, 4B is forward and aft). Also trying to figure out if all 4A's and B's have the same bed configuration.

I'm assuming once I book the cruise on Disney site, it's pretty simple to modify to change the cabin number?

 

[xlxo]

This is great info, but I'm so new to cruising that I don't know which side is the port side.

Port side is the "left" side of the ship. It's kinda confusing on the Wonder as the atrium layout makes it easier to load on the starboard side for their grand announcements.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_and_starboard

Do you know what the "head" of a ship is? And I don't mean the mouse or the captain.

 

[Jess_S]

We did this trip in September 2014 (last Alaska cruise of the year). We had an oceanview stateroom with one of the large portholes. I was worried we would miss the veranda, but the oceanview room was perfect for our purposes. We could sit on the couch in the cabin and still enjoy the scenery going by. We were always able to find places to sit or stand up on deck when we wanted to be outside. As someone noted above, there's almost always something interesting to look at during this trip -- even on days that aren't listed as "scenic sailing."

There are many who will tell you to do another line for Alaska, but I personally really enjoyed Disney. The customer service and attention to detail we experienced were top notch. Little touches like handing out ponchos as people left the ship on our one drizzly day were especially appreciated. Also, there were plenty of activities for my then 23 month-old son to enjoy. The open house in the kids club in particular doesn't seem to be something that other lines have.

 

[TJA]

So I gather the left (port) side has the cabins numbered 80xx and the right (starboard) side has 85xx. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Great info, everyone!

 

[DLgeeks]

We made sure that we were at the port as early as we could. I believe we were like the first dozen or so that checked in....and after the initial check-in, we went over to the supervisors desk in order to do our upgrade....we were the last ones that got a balcony. We were glad that we got one, but regardless of what your stateroom is....it is a GREAT trip.

What time did you get to the port? We'll be staying at the Pan before our 6/13 cruise this year and I am trying to figure out how early to head down. The earliest PAT was 11 this year so I was thinking we would go down around 10 to start on the security/customs process. Would love to snag a balcony upgrade if we can swing it, though we'll be perfectly happy with our 9A if not.

How much did your upgrade run you if I can ask?

 

[IBelieveInTheMagic]

So I gather the left (port) side has the cabins numbered 80xx and the right (starboard) side has 85xx. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Great info, everyone!

You are correct

Heather

 

[Yhaira Grigsby]

If sailing in early June, what kind of clothes do you all pack for your children?

 

[bksaffle]

What time did you get to the port? We'll be staying at the Pan before our 6/13 cruise this year and I am trying to figure out how early to head down. The earliest PAT was 11 this year so I was thinking we would go down around 10 to start on the security/customs process. Would love to snag a balcony upgrade if we can swing it, though we'll be perfectly happy with our 9A if not.

How much did your upgrade run you if I can ask?

I think we headed towards the port at 9:30...getting there at 10:00ish. We stayed away from the port because our cruise did not leave out of the Port by the Pan. They do not turn you away, you basically stand in line and wait for security to open up and then you start heading towards the check-in lines. We did customs/passport checking as they called your boarding number. I believe we paid close to $1200 for the four of us. But it is all dependent on what your existing reservation is. I do remember that it was MUCH cheaper upgrading at the port than it was if we originally booked the veranda or upgraded prior to the cruise.