Disney Cruises are something that I thought would NEVER happen for our family. And now, as I write this, I will be going on my 10th Disney Cruise this summer… and have been on every single one except the new ship – the Adventure out of Singapore!
One of the itineraries that truthfully didn’t have a lot of appeal to me was the Alaska Cruise. I think it’s because I’m a hot weather girl at heart. I just thought “that’s not for me.” Well – I’m here to publically say – I was VERY wrong. Cruising to Alaska not only exceeded my expectations, but totally has my heart.
There is NOTHING like the experience of sailing roundtrip from Vancouver. The whale watching, the breathtaking views, and the exclusive offerings of this itinerary is hands down one of the best vacations of our LIVES. Additionally, we were able to take the in-laws. These are folks that have done the Disneyland thing and it wasn’t something that was top of their list at ALL – but we just had the BEST time.
If you are looking for a multi-generational vacation, or a vacation that is once in a life time, look no further than a Disney Alaska Cruise!
The basics
Firstly, Alaska season is only May to September. We went in September because it was the best price – as we are a family of 5 – and I’m here to say that sometimes price REALLY matters.
So the first question is, when should you go? Let’s break it down.
May and June –
Pro – Best glacier viewing. Still very snowy. First of the season, so the locals are VERY excited to have you. Can be lower crowds.
Cons – Can be hard to get these months off with sports and school winding down if you have kids!
July and August –
Pro – Great for teachers and others that can only get away in the summer. Great weather.
Cons – More expensive and can be busier/more crowded.
September –
Pro – We saw BOTH Killer whales AND Humpbacks. EVERYTHING at the ports were on sale for end of season. Warm weather. Lower crowds – less kids on the sailings. More likely to see the Northern Lights.
Cons – Glacier viewing wasn’t the best, and things were more thawed than the other months.
What ship is best?
Now. Brand new this year we have not one, but TWO of the Disney Ships! They are sister ships, so the same in size and bones, but different with the spaces. Hopefully this will help you decide which ship is best for you!
MAGIC –
BRAND NEW to Vancouver – so that is a big draw if you’ve sailed the Wonder before! Additionally, there is a thrill waterslide called Aqua Dunk! This has a drop bottom and if it’s too cold/windy will be shut – but if you have older thrill seekers, it’s a great option and is almost always opened when docked (so great 1st day activity!)
We sailed on the Magic for 10 glorious nights – our blog post is still coming – but it did NOT disappoint!
Broadway Shows – Tangled: The Musical, Twice Charmed: An Original Twist on the Cinderella Story, and Disney Dreams – An Enchanted Classic.
On every Disney ship is Rotational Dining – You will eat at each main dining room at least once (twice each for a 7 night sailing plus ONE special dining night – for FROZEN). You won’t know your assigned rotation ’til you get on the ship – but don’t worry, they will organize everything for you!
Additionally, every ship has THREE Broadway shows .They ONLY show ONE night of your cruise – but alternate with your dining time. Just know that if you miss the show one night, it will not show again.
Dining – Rapunzel’s Royal Table, Lumiere’s, and Animator’s Palate
WONDER –
For our impressions of this ship, here is our full blog post.
Broadway Shows – Frozen, A Musical Spectacular, Disney Dreams – An Enchanted Classic, and The Golden Mickeys.
Dining – Tiana’s, Tritons and Animator’s Palate.
If you don’t care about the theme of the dining and theatre, go with the dates and price you like best! If you DO care – then make that your ship!
What stateroom should I get?
Verandah is going to be automatically what people will tell you for Alaska. And it’s absolutely AMAZING to have the views from morning til night that are private and quiet. If you can make that happen – I would agree with that. Starboard side is going to be your best bet for very best views!
However, we did do two connecting inside deluxe staterooms – and we didn’t regret it even for 1 second. The deluxe insides have split bathrooms – which are a sink and toilet, then a sink and tub and shower combo.
The plus was the rooms themselves were very quiet and wonderfully dark – and spacious! AND it forced us up to deck 5 or the upper decks – which is where ALL the action happens. We were able to still find quiet spaces -but then were also often delighted with SURPRISE characters like Koda (from Brother Bear)
Now that we’ve decided WHEN and WHAT ship – let’s look at a few things that make Alaska itineraries unique!
GLACIER DAY
While a lot of other Disney itineraries have Pirate night (with fireworks) – because of the laws in and around Alaska (think protecting wildlife – and not wanting to disrupt and set off glaciers) they can’t do Pirate night and fireworks.
However! Alaska itineraries are the ONLY sailings with a glacier day – and a very wonderful FROZEN night.
What you can look forward to:
– freshly made cookies and hot chocolate up on the top deck with AMAZING viewing.
– rare characters (like Koda) and all your fave Disney characters dressed up in their exclusive Alaska looks
– when they are able, they will pull a glacier up out of the water and have it on the deck to see!
– An exclusive Frozen menu one of the nights at one of the restaurants (ALL of the restaurants have this, so everyone gets it regardless of where you are eating)
– A frozen deck party. This is being re-vamped this year – so we don’t know exactly what it will look like yet – but will be able to update this soon!
This day you will want to be outside as much as possible! Bundle up and expect INCREDIBLE views from the ship.
OTHER THINGS to consider
PORTS OF CALL and what excursions to book
Stopping in Alaska and having a whole day to explore and then had back
Typically there are 3 ports of call: Skagway, Kitchekan and Juneau (or Icy Straight).
Whenever possible, I recommend booking excursions through Disney directly. If ANYTHING goes array, they will take care of you! (this is NOT a commissionable product for me – I’m telling you this because I feel this is the best practice).
Skagway – This port is very walkable. You get out of the ship (make time to get a photo with the photographers, if desired!) It’s a lovely very safe strip.
We went shopping, and peeked into the Red Onion Saloon – which is a popular spot to grab a beer.
>We enjoyed the shop with popcorn and different saltwater taffy that we brought home which was a fun souvenir! We grabbed a coffee at Glacial Coffee – which was EXCELLENT. One thing to note is they don’t want you to bring ANY outside food or drink into Glacial Coffee (which is totally understandable as it’s very small). We saw a lot of verbal abuse towards the workers – please just respect the rules!
Additionally make sure to get the fry bread at Klondike Doughboy right next door!
There is a playground and lots of walking paths here, too.
Excursions – The most popular excursion at this Port is going to be the Railway – there is an adult only as well as some with add ons, but this is the classic experience! The White Pass Scenic Railway lets you take in the full sites!
We wanted to do this, but one person in our party wasn’t able to get off the ship, so we opted for the Gold Fever and Alaskan Sled Dogs.
We ended up LOVING it! We loved having the morning off the ship in town – then back on the ship for the included lunch – then back out to our excursion.
We learned about the Gold rush, then panned for gold (and got to keep what we found!) and then learned about dog sledding – and the highlight was watching the puppies run and being able to give them cuddles!
When picking ANY excursion, be sure to see the limitations for ages and other things. This one was perfect for us!
Juneau or Icy Straight –
Depending on your itinerary, you will either go to Juneau or Icy Straight. They are fairly close to each other.
Juneau – there is a shuttle bus to take you to the shopping and dining. We took this twice – as this is the only Port we didn’t pay for an excursion. Now. If you want an Alaska Starbucks mug (which we DID) – there is Starbucks in Juneau. Dan and I took an Uber to get the mug and get back on the ship. Don’t be afraid to use google maps when in Port here or Icy Straight to see what is rated high for things and prioritize that.
Excursions – We really regret that we didn’t go to Mendenhall Glacier. Now. I told you to book excursions with Disney. However we would’ve felt ok about doing an Uber/Lyft up there as well.
There are quite a few variations of the Glacier – but this is the classic one to book.
Icy Straight – There is a LOT of outdoorsy type things to do here! The most common/popular is the Gondola!
Ketitchan– This is another very walkable town! We saw a Salmon donut in Juneau and didn’t do it so we walked QUITE a ways to get it here!
Excursions – Ketichan is known for the Lumberjack Show- and honestly, it’s really great. There is the EXCLUSIVE Lumberjack ($5 more) and the regular Lumberjack. The exclusive is where Goofy is meant to come out – but we did pay for this and he didn’t show – and that is very common because of the rain. This is walkable from the Port and has a great souvenier shop too!
Days at Sea
These days are really great to take in a first run movie, get in line for a character or two, and get some R and R!
One of my all-time things to watch is the Jack Jack Baby Race. It’s literally always so cute and fun. Get there early for a good viewspot!
Spa treatments are great to book on these days, as well as Palo, if you can get a reservation. However if you have not sailed before or sailed a few times before, it’s likely to be booked up. Keep checking the app to see if it pops up. If something is important to you that you can’t get in advance, once onboard there is a dining location to meet and be put on a waitlist as well.
Make sure to stop at Cove Cafe (18+ only) for a coffee drink – and get your favourite character on it as well! (Protip – while the specialty drinks here cost extra, the treats are included! Additionally, every 6th coffee you purchase is FREE, so get the punch card!)
There will be as MUCH as you want to do or as LITTLE on these days. Sleep in OR wake up early. Go to Trivia, drawing and cooking classes. Make sure to check the app and “favourite” things that look good to you so that you get a push notification about those activities! 15 min before it will let you know – and you can decide if it’s still something you want to do or not.
Getting ready for your Alaska Cruise
We decided to do a Movie night – with Brother Bear of course! We themed the meal a little bit, and watched the movie. Then, we also surprised our in-laws with matching buffalo plaid. We wore this on embark day all together and it was honestly SO fun! We still all wear it all the time, and it was a really great way to build excitement for the trip!
A few extra tid bits
– Cruises that are 7 nights or longer have a FORMAL night. This is optional to dress up (some come VERY fancy – others a little dressed up). But a fun piece is that there are complimentary drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) that they pass around!
– Ponchos are offered for FREE on wet days, and they also had hot chocolate for when we got back on the ship from the Ports!
– Dress in layers and pack layers. A rain coat, mittens, gloves, tshirts, and sweatshirts. It can be ALL the things.
– There are blankets available to use on the deck for free!
– For a covered view, head to deck 5.
– Be outside as MUCH as you can!
– The GYM has panoramic views and we went up there OFTEN because of this. We sat on an exercise bike or just up against the window.
– Consider adding the Rainforest room for the entire week to your package. This allows you to visit the room in the spa (Adults only!) that have heated stone recliners, different showers and steamrooms. We loved warming up here! While there are no hot tubs in the rainforest room, we enjoyed using the bathrobes and popping over to the adult only hot tub right outside as well!
You can add this when onboard activities open after final payment.
Have you been to Alaska? Do you have any more questions from us? We’d love to hear from you! To get yourself booked, simply fill out the form here!