question for past DCL Alaskan cruisers

[thinkoflaura]

Hi there!
We are considering an Alaska cruise this summer. We may bring both my parents who don't have great mobility. Wondering if the ports themselves are pretty scenic or if you really have to leave the port area to appreciate the beauty in each stop? On the Norwegian Fjords cruise, the ports themselves were easily accessible and very lovely.

Thanks!

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

Skagway the town is close by at the end of a long pier that's nice to walk around but limited, so you can do it but you miss a lot. The white pass railway for example us close and well worth it.

Juneau you dock outside town so there us a shuttle to town, the town is nice compact but limited. You may wish to arrange to go on a sightseeing trip that departs the parking lot where the ship docks.

Ketichan, you dock right in the town, there us a lot to see like the bridge up from the dock where we saw salmon running, up. There are loads of shops. The misty fjords is great but reached by seaplane.

 

[xlxo]

Hi there!
We are considering an Alaska cruise this summer. We may bring both my parents who don't have great mobility. Wondering if the ports themselves are pretty scenic or if you really have to leave the port area to appreciate the beauty in each stop? On the Norwegian Fjords cruise, the ports themselves were easily accessible and very lovely.

THIS summer? There's not many days left. How mobile are they?

• Is there a wheelchair?
• Is it easy for them to walk up and down stairs to a bus?
• will ship ramps be an issue during extreme tide changes?

 

[dsnydaddy]

Some of the best scenery (IMO) is seen from Deck 4 (or your veranda) as you sail along. Unlike Caribbean Cruises, you are cruising very close to land and you simply have to watch it pass by. The Tracy Arm is incredible. I did completely enjoy our flight around Juneau and the glacier fields there. If they can board a small plane, definitely do that!

 

[dotfurio]

The whole cruise is so scenic and beautiful, I think it'd be fine to just wander around in port. However, as long as you're there, there's so much to see and do on the excursions and I think quite a few would be very doable with mobility issues. I'm trying to convince my mom to go on an Alaskan cruise next summer and she has difficulty walking.

 

[thinkoflaura]

thanks all!
Yes, whoops, I meant NEXT summer. we did Norway this summer and the ports were stunning, and many excursions we booked on our own kicked off just a short walk from the boat. My mom has a lightweight mobility scooter which worked out great in Norway. Dad doesn't have a scooter like that, so either we'd have to push him in a manual wheelchair or he'll only be able to walk short distances.

the descriptions you all gave make it sound like the journey is very similar to Norway, so I think they will love the rides in/out.

Curious - if we were to have a car waiting at the port to take us on a scenic drive, which port would you recommend doing that in??

 

[Mrs Green]

Many people have written trip reports about renting cars in Juneau to go to mendenhall glacier and Tracy's crab shack as well as Skagway to drive to the Yukon and emerald lake. I haven't checked it out yet but several people have recommended Murraysguide. Good luck with your planning!

 

[thumpie's mom]

My daughter is in a wheelchair and we loved doing Alaska because we could actually do some of the excursions. In Skagway we did the White Pass & Yukon train which was amazing (and wheelchair accessible), Juneau they had a bus with a lift to take us into the town (let DCL know before the cruise if you need this) and we did the tram up to Mt Robert, Ketchikan we did the lumbar jack show. All the ports were fairly easy to get around in with a manual chair. We were very lucky in that we had great weather for all the ports so we did not have to worry about her getting wet. We were able to walk around with little problem. The beautiful landscape can easily be viewed from the ship as well. Have a great time!