Question for those of you who've been on Disney Cruises

[Farmboy90]

For those of you who have gone on Disney Cruises before, can you think of activities that wouldn't be very fun to do on the Alaskan cruise?

I have never been on a Disney Cruise, but obviously there are swimming pools and lots of deck activities (movies, shows, parties, etc). I can't imagine any of these would be very fun on the Alaskan cruise since the temps will be so cool (even in the summer!). For example, sitting out in the pool area watching a movie at night wouldn't be very fun if it was 50 degrees outside.

All that said, I would love to go on this Cruise since I have always wanted to go on an Alaskan cruise as well as the Disney Cruise. In 2011, when this cruise departs, the kids will be 5 and 7.

Should we go on the Mexican Riviera cruise instead of the Alaskan cruise?

I am just thinking a lot of things won't be very fun since the weather will be too cool.

Thanks for any tips and advice!

 

[Inkmahm]

If swmiming is very important to you, Alaska isn't someplace you want to go. I've been on two Alaskan cruisetours so far and I've not even worn shorts on either trip, only long pants and jeans. Very few people use the pools.

 

[Farmboy90]

If swmiming is very important to you, Alaska isn't someplace you want to go. I've been on two Alaskan cruisetours so far and I've not even worn shorts on either trip, only long pants and jeans. Very few people use the pools.

Thanks for the reply, this is what I figured. But how much of the Cruise "experience" would be impacted by the cold weather? ie - Do you spend most of the time inside doing other activities anyway? Or is being outside on the decks a decent portion of the trip? Would having a 5 and 7 year old change that ratio of inside vs outside?

 

[kimberh]

When in Alaska, get off of the ship while in Port and tour. There is so much to see and do. I have been to Alaska twice. This State is so large that you won't even begin to touch it. By all means book a Whale Watch. They are awesome!!! If you are able to salmon fish, then I highly recommend this! We did all we could possibly do. We had our whole family on the second cruise, which included a 5 and 9 yr old at the time. They still talk about it. Now, they are 7 and 11. We did not take the kids fishing, but we did everything else. We took the Train ride through the some of the Klondike Gold Rush area. It's all just too much to list.

We did not use the pools, way too cold, no shorts here. Don't even pack them. We went in July both trips. Take coats, sweaters, gloves, long johns if you plan on glacier walking. Some of the towns are smaller that others, very nice to tour. We are planning another trip. Had two new additions born in a year, need to let them grow some.

Disney has a wonderful movie theatre inside, then when the movie is really popular or a sea day, they moved us to the Show Theatre. It all just depended. We still did not see all the movies that we wanted, just too much to do. We went this past Aug.

Have a great time!!!

 

[Inkmahm]

Thanks for the reply, this is what I figured. But how much of the Cruise "experience" would be impacted by the cold weather? ie - Do you spend most of the time inside doing other activities anyway? Or is being outside on the decks a decent portion of the trip? Would having a 5 and 7 year old change that ratio of inside vs outside?

I don't have kids so I can't help you there. But I can tell you based on my trips to Alaska that most activites are OUTSIDE. Here's what we did on the last cruise:

Skagway: 9 hour train/bus tour (It was COLD in the Yukon)
Juneau: Whale watching and dog sledding on a glacier
Ketchikan: Float plane to a remote island to watch bears catch salmon

All of these were outdoor activities. The dog sledding got canceled due to weather so we went to see the Mendenhall glacier in town instead. Still, an outside activity.

On the ship, you'll want to spend time watching the scenery. For me, that is bundled up and out on our balcony. That's a bit warmer than goint to a top deck to bundle up with a blanket.

Seriously, if you don't like the cold and plan to try to stay inside the whole time you're in Alaska, don't bother going. It can be beautiful weather but it also can be cold and very very rainy. You do the activities anyway.

 

[Golden Rose]

I did Alaska some years ago (long before our son entered the equation,) and there was a 7 or 8 year old child in our party. She was the only child under 10 on that particular cruise (this was Holland America some years ago), and she managed to have a great time (including swimming in weather I wouldn't have dreamt of.) I will say, I was encouraged by some friends to do a trip with them last year. Because we have a four year old, and money was very tight (because we just bought into DVC, among other reasons) we did not go. Many of our friends have done Alaska cruises over the years, and none of them have taken children.

Alaska is an absolutely stunning, fabulous destination. However, and this is a big however, I would not do it with young children. Several of the more interesting excursions are not available to kids, for safety reasons. I think it really depends on the kids, though. Wildlife and wilderness fans will have a great time, but keep in mind that a lot of what you are doing is staring at gorgeous scenery.

It is one of the most expensive destinations out there in terms of shore excursions... and one of the hardest to do on your own, if you want a good experience. Wandering around the town you dock in is not really what most people will most enjoy on one of these trips, although there are some nice hikes one can do self-guided in a few spots. If you want the most unique adventures for Alaska, you'd probably want to go to a glacier, or go dog-sledding, or go whale-watching looking for orcas. A fair number of the really cool excursions are in the $200-$300 per person category, so the costs add up FAST with a family of 4.

Often the weather is so cold, even in the middle of the summer, that it is rough even sitting out on a balcony bundled in blankets trying to enjoy the view one paid big bucks for. I would do an indoor pool, like Royal Caribbean's solariums, on an Alaska cruise, and I have have certainly seen people venture into the outdoor pools when they got lucky on warm weather days... but I wouldn't count on lots of pool time.

Now I will say, there will be a lot to do on the ship to entertain the kids. The kids will almost certainly find wonderful, fun things to do an enjoy themselves. But they may or may not enjoy the actual destination...

 

[rotary2808]

We actually spend most of our time indoors while on the ship. Not big swimmers or lounging by the pool people. There's plenty of things going on during the day that even if your not up by the pool I don't think you'll be missing anything. I also imagine they'll be planning a lot of extra activities for the very reason that you're concerned about. I say if you want to cruise Alaska then go for. I think there will be plenty onboard to keep you busy.

 

[LIFERBABE]

I trust DCL to do it right. We went on the Panama Crossing and it was extremely educational for our children. We had an expert onboard that sailed with us, multiple presentations/Q&A regarding the history of the Canal and on crossing day, they brought a narrator onboard.

Normally I would not take kids to Alaska, but with DCL I would. I want them to see it with their own eyes and the fact that Dh and I get to be there when they do, is even better. We have plenty of time to cruise Alaska when the kids are grown and experience it on a different level, but I am excited that we can share this experience as a family.

Sad, but I dont like the cold either and will probably get off the ship long enough for a family photo with an iceberg and get back on!

My boys love DCL and it will be neat to have a change of scenery

 

[dizneyfan23]

For those of you who have gone on Disney Cruises before, can you think of activities that wouldn't be very fun to do on the Alaskan cruise?

I have never been on a Disney Cruise, but obviously there are swimming pools and lots of deck activities (movies, shows, parties, etc). I can't imagine any of these would be very fun on the Alaskan cruise since the temps will be so cool (even in the summer!). For example, sitting out in the pool area watching a movie at night wouldn't be very fun if it was 50 degrees outside.

All that said, I would love to go on this Cruise since I have always wanted to go on an Alaskan cruise as well as the Disney Cruise. In 2011, when this cruise departs, the kids will be 5 and 7.

Should we go on the Mexican Riviera cruise instead of the Alaskan cruise?

I am just thinking a lot of things won't be very fun since the weather will be too cool.

Thanks for any tips and advice!

Personally, I think snorkeling is one of the activities that wouldn't be very fun to do on the Alaskan cruise?

 

[bobbiwoz]

Just a word about watching movies outside by the pool. We just returned from a Baltic cruise with Princess. Yes the nights were chilly, but Princess provided tartan plaid wool blankets and comfy chairs and we watched 3 movies "Under the Stars." Servers came around offering milk and cookies, or pizza. If Princess made the experience so enjoyable for us, I'm sure Disney could as well!

We took RCCL to Alaska and it was in the 90's temperature-wise in Skagway. This was the year of the terrible heat wave across the midwest, in which many elderly died of heat in Chicago. We had gorgeous weather on the cruise, shorts were a must for most stops, excepting Wrangel, where it was chilly and raining. Ketchican, Sitka were wonderful, clear, perfect.

Our Alaskan cruise began around the 4th of July.

Bobbi