Must do’s on DCL Alaskan Cruise

[jourknee2master]

Looking at doing a five night Alaskan cruise for my mothers 60th birthday, adults only. Looking for all must do’s or do nots.

Any advice is appreciated!

#DCL #Alaska

 

[tvguy]

Whale watching. Eat your weight in salmon. Watch all the eagles.

 

[jldcherry]

Helicopter to glacier with dog sledding in Skagway was AMAZING. It was the highlight of our trip.
Dawes Glacier Explorer was outstanding. Getting so close to the glacier and watching it calve was incredible.
Spend time watching the scenery in the evening after shows and dinner. The inside passage scenery in the evening was breathtaking.
We loved everything about our Alaskan cruise and would do it all again. Our biggest goal was to get away from people and be in nature, and that was very easy to do in all the ports.

 

[Cheburashka]

Lunch at Tracy's Crab Shack at Juneau is a must-do. The line will be out the door but it moves at a very reasonable pace.

We thought our cruise was perfect, and here's what we did:

Vancouver morning of cruise: Fly Over Canada (right next to the cruise port)

Skagway: Glassblowing at Jewell Gardens, followed by a tour of the Gold Rush cemetery and short walk up to Lower Reid's Falls. This was all on our own, walking through town.

Juneau: Took a local bus (paid on the spot, no reservation) to Mendenhall Glacier, walked around there on our own and returned when we felt like it. Lunch at Tracy's Crab Shack, followed by the Mount Roberts Tramway, which is right by the crab shack (and both of those are also by the bus loading/returning areas for trips to Mendenhall Glacier.

Ketchikan: Island Wings seaplane tour of the Misty Fjords. Very experienced & safe pilot who is the only pilot for her plane. Plane is vintage so expect it to be loud. She provides headphones.

Vancouver afternoon of debarkation: DCL post-cruise bus tour that went to Stanley Park, drove through Chinatown, then gave us about two hours to explore Capilano Suspension Bridge park on our own. Dropped us off at the airport. This was the only excursion we booked via DCL, and we booked it onboard. Afterwards, on our own we took a cab to and from VanDusen Botanical Gardens, which is a huge and varied set of gardens and includes a very nice hedge maze.

 

[happycamper47]

Train out of Skagway, Mendenhal Glacier and Whale Watching out of Juneau and the Helicopter in Ketchikan.

 

[dcassetta]

Looking at doing a five night Alaskan cruise for my mothers 60th birthday, adults only. Looking for all must do’s or do nots.

Any advice is appreciated!

#DCL #Alaska

Is there any way you can manage a 7-night cruise? Disney usually offers only one 5-night cruise per season so your choice of date will be extremely limited. You will visit Dawes glacier and Ketchikan only, so will miss the other ports.

 

[Geomom]

Is there any way you can manage a 7-night cruise? Disney usually offers only one 5-night cruise per season so your choice of date will be extremely limited. You will visit Dawes glacier and Ketchikan only, so will miss the other ports.

I agree. If you're currently looking at verandah rooms, check out the ocean view rooms on deck 2, I'd rather have 2 more port days than a verandah and Oceanview rooms can be thousands of dollars cheaper than verandah rooms on the Wonder/Magic. We've stayed in 2116 on the Wonder and 2108 on the Magic and loved those locations near the aft elevators. The rooms have 1 very large porthole. I would avoid deck 1 as those rooms have 2 small portholes.

 

[Cheburashka]

I agree. If you're currently looking at verandah rooms, check out the ocean view rooms on deck 2, I'd rather have 2 more port days than a verandah and Oceanview rooms can be thousands of dollars cheaper than verandah rooms on the Wonder/Magic. We've stayed in 2116 on the Wonder and 2108 on the Magic and loved those locations near the aft elevators. The rooms have 1 very large porthole. I would avoid deck 1 as those rooms have 2 small portholes.

A longer inside cruise would be better than a shorter verandah cruise. Deck 1 is fine btw.

 

[Chrislovesdisney]

I loved the smaller boat excursion to the glacier. It was amazing getting a different perspective from the level of the water, and we saw tons of wildlife.
Otherwise, it’s really just about taking in the nature and scenery, the crispness and freshness of the air.

 

[cruiserx]

Try to get on a private tour in Ketchikan to go bear viewing. We went with Carlin Air quite a few years ago on a DCL cruise to the Anan Creek Bear Observatory (in June I believe), and it was amazing to see black and grizzly bears up close from a viewing platform catching and eating salmon. I believe Island Wings also does this tour. There are limited permits, and the tours book up well in advance. However, we got on a waitlist, and while we were making our way over to Ketchikan, found out a couple of days before that they could accommodate us! Apparently, the tour operators know each other and will swap permits based on who needs what dates.

It is expensive (on par with helicopter and other plane experiences), but it is an amazing and unforgettable experience. It is our recommendation for the must do excursion in Alaska.

 

[auntlynne]

Must do: Get outdoors and watch as you sail by the beauty that is Alaska. Since it’s Disney, enjoy the characters in their AK costumes on deck on glacier cruising day.

Take some warm clothes (I’m guessing that 5-night is in early season).

Save money to go back for her 65th birthday (or 61st). Not necessarily on DCL. So many good options for an AK cruise.

 

[Calantha]

Take some warm clothes

+1. I froze to death in mid-June because of the wind...although the week after they had a heat wave.