What Alaska excursions thru disney would you recommend?

[matt&jakesmom]

We are looking to do an Alaska cruise next August/September. My husband is only comfortable doing excursions that he can book thru disney and not an outside source. What ones would you recommend or maybe don't recommend. Thanks for any input.

 

[tahoe9813]

Honestly, none. We did an Alaskan cruise about a year ago, and the excursions in the ports there are SO easy to book on your own at a cheaper rate. If you're a Costco member, you can book through their program (even if your cruise isn't booked through Costco) for more savings. Disney does a great job at organizing the excursions (we've used them on other cruises), but the way the ports are laid out in Alaska, it's just way too easy to save your money by going your own route.

 

[ofcabbagesandkings]

The Glacier Explorer on Endicott Arm Day. You can only do it through Disney and it was my favorite excursion of the cruise. Everything else, it's better to book independently unless you really want the character interaction/entertainment in Skagway or Ketchikan.

 

[matt&jakesmom]

The Glacier Explorer on Endicott Arm Day. You can only do it through Disney and it was my favorite excursion of the cruise. Everything else, it's better to book independently unless you really want the character interaction/entertainment in Skagway or Ketchikan.

Thank you. I was just reading up on this one.

 

[Giraffe Lounge]

VIP Luxury Car on the White Pass Scenic Railroad in Skagway. Lots of info available online for this one. So glad we did it!

 

[TikiThunderPirates]

The glacier Explorer for sure. Loved it. I also can see a case for anything that includes an airplane/ helicopter. If the weather changes and you get stuck out on a glacier (yes it can and does happen) do you want to miss your ship leaving without the security of Disney being behind it? You can book flying adventures on your own, and most of the time probably it all works out. I can see a reason to do it through Disney. We did and loved all of them.

 

[Sarahraegraham]

Yukon Expedition. You are driven up in a bus and then come back down on a train.

For Juneau, I would do the Mendenhall Glacier but I would do it outside of Disney. I know your husband is trepidatious, but for this *particular* excursion it’s 100% safe. You walk from the ship to the pickup point of your bus, and the bus goes straight to the glacier. They run all day continuously back and forth and back and forth every 30 minutes. There is literally no way to be not on time. And that way you can spend as much time there as you want. We did this same excursion first thru Disney and felt rushed and didn’t enjoy it as much as we should have. 2nd time we did the Blue Bus and it was so so so soooooo much nicer. We just meandered and got back when we wanted. Something to think about

 

[jrabbit]

We did 5 Glacier Flight and Taku Lodge in Juneau. The flight was spectacular and the meal was awesome. As a bonus, there was a grandma, mom and three kids in a tree on the property ... oh did I mention that they were Black Bears!! Employees were around the tree making sure that they stayed up there and didn't come down to bother us. I don't believe that that they were residents of the lodge - so no guarantees. In another port we went on an excursion to see bears ... we didn't so this was a BONUS!! We also saw eagles flying around. We heard a next of eagle chicks get real excited when the moma eagle was flying to the nest (HUGE) with some fresh salmon.

 

[anjuan]

For Ketchikan we did the Bearing Sea Crab Fisherman’s tour because it was only offered through DCL. We both really enjoyed it. The boat had been on the show The Deadlist Catch and the fishermen had some really good stories. We were able to hold crabs and shrimp they pulled in and were able to see a ton of bald eagles.

For the other stops we used private excursions. They really were easy to book, etc and a lot cheaper.

 

[SamFaniam]

For Ketchikan we did the Bearing Sea Crab Fisherman’s tour because it was only offered through DCL. We both really enjoyed it. The boat had been on the show The Deadlist Catch and the fishermen had some really good stories. We were able to hold crabs and shrimp they pulled in and were able to see a ton of bald eagles.

For the other stops we used private excursions. They really were easy to book, etc and a lot cheaper.

You can book this independently, but Disney does offer a special addition where you have a crab dinner on the boat.

 

[anjuan]

You can book this independently, but Disney does offer a special addition where you have a crab dinner on the boat.

Actually, no, at least for the day we were in port they were not offering it independently. I checked prior to booking.

 

[SamFaniam]

http://alaskacrabtour.com/

 

[kickash]

Glacier Explorer for sure! Worth it for these type of pics alone lol!

 

[mmcxiiad]

Just to clarify, Disney does not actually operate any port excursion. All they do is resell them at a fair to massive markup. They also may impose more stringent requirements on the exclusion. For example the tour operator will say age as young as 6 but DCL may choose to make that 10.

Booking through the tour operator directly or even an outside reseller not only saves you money, but you are doing the exact same thing. They will make sure you get back in plenty of time to not miss the ship.

Last year we did the white pass train with 14 people. We booked it directly with the train company. The cost difference was about $100 through train or $270 though Disney (per person) plus they gave us an additional 5% off for the size group. .

 

[eengmd]

We have been to Alaska via DCL twice. We really wanted to do a helicopter to a glacier then dog sled. If you do this, be prepared for delays and cancellations due to weather and fog. We booked the first one for Skagway and intentionally kept Juneau empty (it really is easy to get tours via outside vendors). We booked through Disney (30$ more at the time). We told the port adventure person while on board we wanted to either do this in Skagway or Juneau. Skagway was super foggy and the tour was canceled after we just rode the helicopter but never got to the glacier. We then went back to the ship and the guide immediately re-booked JU01 Helicopter to Mendenhall Glacier with dog sledding. To this day, this was universally our most memorable moment on DCL. Had we fulfilled our desire to do the tour in Skagway, we would have done an outside vendor in Juneau tour.

 

[Mich123]

I would book any excursion that looks like it has the opportunity to cause you to miss the boat through DCL. I looked at the timing of all of the excursions, researched through these boards and TripAdvisor, and then decided whether to book through DCL or on my own. We ended up with DCL's Glacier Explorer, a privately booked dog sled adventure in Skagway (that was great, well run, and had little risk of missing the boat), and Mendenhall Glacier and whale watching (in one excursion) through DCL. We did not book an excursion in Ketchikan, but could have picked up excursions at port. At this point, we were happy to wander around and have more time on the ship. The kids (19 and 22) were tired!

The other consideration is the refund policy on the non-DCL excursions you book if the itinerary changes or the weather doesn't allow the excursion.

It's a great trip, and a fun one to plan!

 

[fredandkell]

As others have said Alaska is one of the easiest and safest to do on your own. The ship parks RIGHT in town at every port and you can walk to most everything.

 

[DietCokeMommy]

VIP Luxury Car on the White Pass Scenic Railroad in Skagway. Lots of info available online for this one. So glad we did it!

How did you book this? I don't see it listed on Disney's site and the train's site says cruise passengers need to book with their cruise line.

 

[Starwind]

How did you book this? I don't see it listed on Disney's site and the train's site says cruise passengers need to book with their cruise line.

That one is here:

VIP Carriage Tour on the White Pass Scenic Railway (SW59)
https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/port-adventures/skagway-alaska-white-pass-vip-carriage-tour/

 

[Starwind]

Mendenhall Glacier and whale watching (in one excursion) through DCL.

A question for you about this excursion.

At the Mendenhall Glacier area, do you recall what areas you walked around/explored while there ?

In particular, which trails ? We really want to walk the Nugget Falls Trail to Nugget Falls and view the glacier from there and are wondering if that tour does that or if it walks one of the other trails ? The description on both the DCL website and the tour operator's site doesn't specify.

Thanks very much !

SW