? Why no inside passage on Alaska cruises?

[goslingl]

We are doing the Alaska cruise next August and looking forward to it. Al the negative comments are speculation at best. Who knows Disney may blow us away with the amount of detail and wonderful things to do.

 

[NancyIL]

We are doing the Alaska cruise next August and looking forward to it. Al the negative comments are speculation at best. Who knows Disney may blow us away with the amount of detail and wonderful things to do.

I'm sure DCL will do a great job, but no amount of pixie dust will improve the itinerary.

 

[jiminyC_fan]

Nancy is right. DCL does a great job of sailing. We figure we will only go there once so we need to do it right the first time. That's why we chose a different line even knowing it won't be perfect like DCL.

 

[EastYorkDisneyFan]

I don't relay get why everyone makes a big deal about the inside passage vs the pacific route. Yes you get to see the land as you pass by but didn't someone post here about boats having to go through it a certain times because of the tides. Also to say that a cruise line is not visiting Alaska properly because they don't do one way cruises well others do, don't forget you are comparing two very different cruise lines. Princess is geared more to those that want to spend more on there cruise and get more bang for their buck where as Disney is a Family cruise line and like to go on a cruise that will take them back to the port they got on at (certain exceptions are the Panama Canal and TA Repos). Keep in mind there biggest selling cruise are the 3 and 4 night cruise and not 7 or higher.

 

[woody73]

We are booked for a cruisetour on HAL next month. . .

I like it because we get to see both land and sea. I like it for the price. (you wouldn't believe it if I told you). I do know that we are compromising for the ship quality. We are not going to Alaska for the ship but for "seeing" Alaska. As long as I can eat and sleep then that's all I need.

Are you serious? "Compromising for the ship quality"!?! Which HAL ship will you be on?

I've sailed 90 days on HAL, including two Alaska cruises, and always felt those ships were better equipped for an Alaska cruise than the Wonder or Magic.

For example, there was a retractable roof over the pool area. So people could use the pools during the day. At night they would hold events, such as a poolside midnight dessert buffet with entertainment (dancing, line dancing, and conga line). They would close the roof if it got cold or started to rain.

Also, at the front of the ship above the bridge was a huge lounge with 270 degree windows. That was one of the most popular places for viewing the inside passage, Tracy Arm and Glacier Bay. The panoramic view from the comfort of a warm lounge was priceless. It's also where the U.S Park Rangers set up tables of exhibits for the kids.

Woody

 

[NancyIL]

Also to say that a cruise line is not visiting Alaska properly because they don't do one way cruises well others do, don't forget you are comparing two very different cruise lines. Princess is geared more to those that want to spend more on there cruise and get more bang for their buck where as Disney is a Family cruise line and like to go on a cruise that will take them back to the port they got on at (certain exceptions are the Panama Canal and TA Repos). Keep in mind there biggest selling cruise are the 3 and 4 night cruise and not 7 or higher.

There are more roundtrip Alaska cruises on other cruise lines than there are one-way cruises. HAL and Princess offer both, but they are also the most popular cruise lines for people wanting to do a "cruisetour" (land trip guided by the cruise line). (You're right about getting more bang for your buck on Princess! ) I've done two one-way cruises followed by 9-day land trips with a rental car (my preference over a bus tour), as well as a roundtrip cruise from Seattle that had a similar itinerary to DCL's. For those with the vacation time, I highly recommend a one-way cruise plus a land trip, or even a land-only trip.

For those who never considered going to Alaska until DCL decided to go there - I hope you will love Alaska so much that you will want to return.

 

[NancyIL]

Are you serious? "Compromising for the ship quality"!?! Which HAL ship will you be on?

I've sailed 90 days on HAL, including two Alaska cruises, and always felt those ships were better equipped for an Alaska cruise than the Wonder or Magic.

For example, there was a retractable roof over the pool area. So people could use the pools during the day. At night they would hold events, such as a poolside midnight dessert buffet with entertainment (dancing, line dancing, and conga line). They would close the roof if it got cold or started to rain.

Also, at the front of the ship above the bridge was a huge lounge with 270 degree windows. That was one of the most popular places for viewing the inside passage, Tracy Arm and Glacier Bay. The panoramic view from the comfort of a warm lounge was priceless. It's also where the U.S Park Rangers set up tables of exhibits for the kids.

I agree that HAL's ships are wonderful for sailing to Alaska. The Statendam and Ryndam are doing one-ways this year. My last HAL cruise was on sister ship Veendam, and it has a number of GREAT outdoor viewing areas at the front of the ship.

 

[jiminyC_fan]

Are you serious? "Compromising for the ship quality"!?! Which HAL ship will you be on?

I've sailed 90 days on HAL, including two Alaska cruises, and always felt those ships were better equipped for an Alaska cruise than the Wonder or Magic.

For example, there was a retractable roof over the pool area. So people could use the pools during the day. At night they would hold events, such as a poolside midnight dessert buffet with entertainment (dancing, line dancing, and conga line). They would close the roof if it got cold or started to rain.

Also, at the front of the ship above the bridge was a huge lounge with 270 degree windows. That was one of the most popular places for viewing the inside passage, Tracy Arm and Glacier Bay. The panoramic view from the comfort of a warm lounge was priceless. It's also where the U.S Park Rangers set up tables of exhibits for the kids.

Woody

Woody, we ar sailing on the Statendam. I am big on reading reviews and there are some things they need to address even though it just got out of dry dock in March with another one scheduled soon. One very important one is the odor in the aft of the ship. The main office is even aware that the smell existed but thought it was fixed in dry dock. A review states other. We are gty and pray that we don't get one of those staterooms. Some elevators don't work. None of the fountains are in operation. Those things I can overlook but the smell scares me. I am certainly not addressing the viewing possibilities and pools since I know that all that is geared towards Alaska. That is why we are taking HAL over DCL.....land tour,the inside passage, and more viewing areas.

 

[Prose]

In looking at the map on the Disney Cruise website,it shows the route all the way up to Ketchikan, but does not show how the ship sails back from Ketchikan to Vancouver. Could it be possible that they are hoping to go the Inner Passage on that portion? Any info out there? I wonder why the map animation just stops at Ketchikan.

 

[NancyIL]

Woody, we ar sailing on the Statendam. I am big on reading reviews and there are some things they need to address even though it just got out of dry dock in March with another one scheduled soon. One very important one is the odor in the aft of the ship. The main office is even aware that the smell existed but thought it was fixed in dry dock. A review states other. We are gty and pray that we don't get one of those staterooms. Some elevators don't work. None of the fountains are in operation. Those things I can overlook but the smell scares me. I am certainly not addressing the viewing possibilities and pools since I know that all that is geared towards Alaska. That is why we are taking HAL over DCL.....land tour,the inside passage, and more viewing areas.

I was about to point you to a "live from the Statendam" thread on Cruise Critic, but I see you've already seen it! I hope you'll feel better about your cruise after reading it.

 

[jiminyC_fan]

I was about to point you to a "live from the Statendam" thread on Cruise Critic, but I see you've already seen it! I hope you'll feel better about your cruise after reading it.

Thanks!! I am definitely enjoying it! I think we will be fine.

 

[oldpatterns]

bummer! we are going to be on the Alaskan cruise on the 4th of July. I'm sure they do something to celebrate the 4th none the less. This will be our 2nd Disney cruise and we can't wait!

 

[cmash95]

disney will sail part of the trip through the inside passage because that is how you get to the ports. For those of you booked, enjoy the wildlife and the views because they are absolutly breathtaking. I sailed on princess 5 years ago and I still marvel at the beauty of the state.

 

[jodeja]

We were so excited when we learned that DCL was going to Alaska. However, after researching it, we decided to book Princess for the reasons above. We really wanted the inside passage and the opportunity to do land excursions. I think we would regret it if we didn't spend a couple of days at Denali - since I think we'll only go to Alaska once.

We are huge DCL fans and we really didn't want to go on another cruise line, but for us, the itenerary didn't meet our needs.

Good luck with your decision. I'm anxious to read trip reports after the first Alaska cruises.

I believe you've made the correct decision. We LOVE doing Alaska with Princess. Our plan is to do it every 5 years (next trip is 2013). We added Disney's version of Alaska in 2011 as a fill in trip because we love DCL and love Alaska. But we are fully aware that we won't be able to do many of the things we usually do with Princess. Still, we know we'll enjoy the trip. It just wouldn't be the trip we'd take if we thought it would be our one and only trip to Alaska.

For those that have sailed on Princess and on DCL, are they comparable in activities for kids? My boys are 9 and 11, so I was going to choose the Disney Alaska cruise mainly for the kid-friendliness (and Disney magic, of course ).
Actually, we were planning on going on HAL until Disney announced that they were going to Alaska and then we got our heart set on Disney. If it were just a group of adults, we'd probably stick with HAL because of the price difference. But with the kiddos along, I'd like to find a fun option that has the breathtaking Alaska views plus lots of fun for families on the ship.
Thoughts?

p.s. this will be my kids' first cruise and my second cruise, my 1st and only cruise was when I was a teen 20+ years ago - so we're pretty much complete newbies to cruising.

 

[Inkmahm]

There were very few children on our Princess cruisetours. The first one was early enough in the season that kids were generally still in school. The second one we were on was at the end of August when many kids were already back in school. We don't have kids so I have no direct experience with kid activities on Princess.

 

[kandt]

The new map has the Wonder sailing the inside passage!

 

[Skallywag]

The new map has the Wonder sailing the inside passage!

If I remember correctly the original map showed Disney sailing the inside passage but when I queried it with them that had changed.

We decided it was not good value after all and have now re-booked with Regent Seven seas Navigator which seemed expensive at first but no gratuities to pay and some of the shore excursions are free and all drinks on board also. This leaves from San Francisco and returns to Vancouver which we are really looking forward to. The cost is about the same as Disney but without all the extras to pay.

 

[moomy-san]

This new map draws it out while you watch. I would definitely assume from watching it that it IS inside passage the whole way. So... who's going to be the first one to call and verify?

 

[ibouncetoo]

The new map has the Wonder sailing the inside passage!

New map where?

.

 

[kandt]

New map where?

.

http://disneycruise.disney.go.com/cruises-destinations/alaska-pacific-coast/itineraries/7-night-alaskan-cruise/

I checked the website a few weeks ago and couldn't pull up a map. I just checked this morning and saw it.