Help me plan 2011 & 2012 (Hawaii & Alaska)

[DVCinderella]

I am so excited about the new DVC Hawaii resort. DH and I honeymooned their in 1998, and have always wanted to go back.

I heard about the DCL Alaska cruises in summer 2011, and would love to do that too. I'm not up to speed on the open dates of Hawaii, and the two new DCL ships, and I was hoping you could help me with a "planning timeline".

I thought I had read that once the new ships are in service, the Magic or Wonder might be repositioned to the west coast, and might do trips to Hawaii. That sparked a dream vacation for me -- a few days at GCV, followed by a cruise to Hawaii, and stay at the new resort.

Obviously Hawaii & Alaska are not feasible in the same year (financially, point-wise, work-wise, etc). Should I be thinking 2011 & 2012?

I'd prefer Hawaii first, but if Alaska is a one-time deal, it would make it more of a priority.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

 

[Kris10luvsDisney]

If you head over to the Disney Cruise forum you will find all kinds of information about the Alaska cruises, booking dates etc...

 

[SuzanneSLO]

. . . That sparked a dream vacation for me -- a few days at GCV, followed by a cruise to Hawaii, and stay at the new resort.

My DH asked about Hawaii cruises when we were at the D23 model of the Ko Olina resort. We were told that becuas eall the disney ships have foreign flags, they could not do cruises around the Hawaiian Islands. I believe even trips from the West Coast would be problematic unless they inlcude a stop in Mexico and historically the distance across the Pacific makes those cruises money losers for the companies which operate them. So you will probably have to choose between a crusie and a stay at Ko Olina. -- Suzanne

 

[Anal Annie]

DCL opened booking on Monday the 21st for Gold & Platinum Castaway Cay members and will be open to Silver CC members and the general public on Monday the 28th. If you want to cruise to Alaska you should call ASAP on Monday to book the best prices.

In this thread are posts from people who have been booking since it opened. The first post on the first page gives a consolidated list of the prices that people have been getting on the Panama Canal Repo, the Mexican Riviera, the Med & Alaska. It's kind of a code but it's explained on pg. 1. People are listing what category cabin and for how many adults & kids & their ages. Many posts only list adults, especially for the earlier cruises that start in May, before school is out. Then they give what price and if it includes any insurance or transfers.
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2289437&goto=newpost

From what I've heard about the new DVC at Ko'Olina they're still saying that it should open in "late 2011". Nothing any more specific than that. I don't believe you'll be able to combine AK & HI thru Disney in 2011. MAYBE they're saving a trick for 2012. The first new ship is the Dream and it is to be ready in 2011. An announcement is planned for like 4:00 or 4:15 on Oct. 29 in NY with more information about it.

But you should definitely hang out on the cruiseline forums for more info. on cruising.