Disney Alaska cruise: 10 things to know before sailing north

Table Of Content

• Our Alaska Disney Cruise Itinerary
• Palo adults-only restaurant
• Disney Wonder nighttime shows and movies

Another incredible dinner experience was on our third night at Animator’s Palate. If you opt out of excursions, make a plan of what you’d like to do. For example, tour the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park Visitor Center in Skagway to learn about the area’s Gold Rush history. Most wildlife excursions don’t guarantee sightings, but reputable companies work hard to ensure the best chances to see wildlife.

Our Alaska Disney Cruise Itinerary

One of the least pricey is Skagway’s Original Street Car City Tour which is $52 for adults and $35 for children. This is another one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences which we highly recommend. There are lots of tours which will give you the opportunity to see the abundant wildlife.

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Palo adults-only restaurant

We mostly explored Ketchikan on our own, visiting Creek Street, museums, and Salmon Ladder. However, we did opt for one super touristy excursion in Ketchikan, The Exclusive Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show. The White Pass Railway runs along the same tracks used during the Gold Rush with incredible views of the Alaskan wilderness.

Disney Wonder nighttime shows and movies

Although you can find other options if you look carefully, I missed the variety of Disney Wish with its taco bar and BBQ. I adored our Alaska sailing out of Vancouver, bringing us to glaciers as well as cities such as Ketchikan, Skagway and Juneau. In many ways, it is Magic's twin; it's the same size (984 feet long) and has the same number of staterooms (875). However, Disney Wonder features certain shows and restaurants unique to the ship and has a litany of unusual sailings that are unparalleled in Disney's line-up. Alaska port towns are generally small and touristy with lots of shops.

Alaska Disney Cruise Character Meet and Greets

We booked the Yukon Suspension Bridge, City and White Pass Railway excursion. This port adventure began with a bus ride back into Canada where we explored a small Yukon suspension bridge. From here we took the bus back to Fraser and climbed aboard the White Pass Railway. The Helicopter Tour in Skagway in particular we booked through the same company Disney uses. This meant we walked to the helicopter on the nearby helipad, like everyone else.

Klondike Gold Rush National Historic Park Visitor Center

Disney cruises to Alaska leave from Vancouver, as opposed to Seattle, where some other lines embark passengers for their Alaska sailings. Most of the elements of our Disney Cruise to Alaska were exceptional, but the much-anticipated "Frozen night" with deck show wasn't one of those things. It was fine; the littlest kids enjoyed it, and if it's convenient for you to pop up and see, then do it. But don't plan your evening around it or stress if you are tired and need to miss it, especially if you don't have young kids. You're packing for glaciers, chilly outdoor adventures and potential rain but also for a cruise, swimming and a dress-up night or two.

Scheduled Ports of Call

Your Disney Cruise Line Personal Navigator app has information on all times for all activities onboard the ship. Make sure everyone in your party has downloaded the app before your departure. You may want to reconsider this for an Alaskan cruise as the itineraries are longer and the outdoor spaces are colder due to the Alaskan weather. With our group's age range for this trip (from 20 years old to 80+ years old), there was almost always someone in the room who wasn't keen to be out exploring.

Disney Cruise Online Check-In

This evening deck party happens between the first and second dinner seatings and includes the entertainment team, Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, and Olaf. Plan on sing-along songs, dances, and a reason to grab more hot cocoa from the drink station on Deck 9. A classic saloon, the Red Onion Saloon in Skagway is a major stop for many tourists.

Disney Alaska cruise: 10 things to know before sailing north - The Points Guy

Disney Alaska cruise: 10 things to know before sailing north.

Posted: Mon, 10 Jul 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Much like trips to Disney Aulani in Hawaii, if you don’t live on the West Coast, half the battle is getting there. As such we went back and forth on the pros and cons of Flying into Vancouver for a Disney Cruise, or Taking the Train to Vancouver for a Disney Cruise. So, we booked airline tickets from our home airport to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport ( SEA), which kept us in-country and out of long customs lines.

Sailing with Disney isn't complete without meeting some of your favorite pals on the ship. Forward of Goofy's Pool is the Quiet Cove Pool and two whirlpools, all for the exclusive use of adults only. On Disney Wonder, the bars are mainly in the adult area on Deck 3 forward. Though the spaces might be used for general activities during the day, the area transforms each evening into a space just for the over-18 crowd. Brunch at Palo is a set price of $50 for all you care to eat from the menu, served on plates instead of via a buffet.

Guests board a helicopter and are taken to the mountaintops to meet musher dogs, learn about the sleds and take their turn at mushing on their own. A favorite among just about everyone, meeting the dogs, and learning how to mush are experiences you may only get the chance to do in Alaska. This excursion lasts 2 hours 30 min and is the unforgettable experience you’re sure to be writing home about. Day one on a Disney Cruise often means the opportunity to explore the ship and get to know the Kid’s Club spaces. Times and details can be found in the Disney Cruise Line App, often referred to as the Disney Navigator, once you’re onboard. Alaska is special, cruising is special, and a Disney cruise to Alaska is incredibly special.

All of the adults in our group attended all three of the talks given by the naturalist that was onboard. His three presentations were on the fjords and waterways, whales and water ways, and Alaskan bears and salmon. Each of the presentations was educational and added to our excursion experience by providing context on our trip on land. The programming was well put together and could be interesting to all ages. If you have a nature curious preteen and up, I would recommend bringing them along to the presentation. Other topics sometimes presented by the naturalist include information on the Klondike Gold Rush and Vancouver Life.

As Disney Wish joined the fleet in 2022 — and with Disney Treasure to follow in 2024 — Disney Cruise Line got to shake up where it sails. Disney Wonder won the port-of-call lottery, so to speak, when it landed some interesting new sailings. Like all of Disney's ships, Disney Wonder has a classic oceanliner vibe and coloring.

Disney Wonder review: What to expect on the Disney Cruise Line ship with the coolest itineraries

Table Of Content

• Alaska Wildlife Cruise Viewing
• Alaskan Glacier Viewing Day Disney Cruise At Sea Day 3
• Travel Troubleshooter: I accidentally paid twice for my hotel. Can I get a refund?
• Booking Our Disney Alaska Cruise Excursions

As soon as you board the ship you can access the Disney Cruise Line App. Simply TURN ON Airplane Mode and Connect to the Disney Cruise Line Wi-Fi. Once onboard and in the app you can see onboard activities, the time for the sail away party, the drinks of the day, and make any last-minute purchases for excursions or classes onboard. Activities are posted for each day and show the day, time, and location of each. Plus, you can heart the activities you like so you can keep track of your favorite things and when they’re happening. No matter where you head, you will not be getting off the ship to set foot on a glacier on the glacier viewing day; it's a view-from-a-ship experience.

Alaska Wildlife Cruise Viewing

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This is also when you'll register your child for the club. You can also pre-register your child before the cruise here. All of the kids clubs except the “it's a Small World” nursery are included with the price of the cruise.

Alaskan Glacier Viewing Day Disney Cruise At Sea Day 3

Sometimes availability is added closer to the sail date or as other guests cancel. Each port has a range of potential excursions from simple sightseeing to ziplining, helicopter rides, and other active options. Excursion descriptions on Disney’s website have an overview of what to expect, mobility or age restrictions, and prices.

Travel Troubleshooter: I accidentally paid twice for my hotel. Can I get a refund?

After breakfast at Cabanas, we took advantage of open house hours at Edge and Vibe, the kids’ clubs for older kids. Zoe had fun playing some of the arcade games, and I played some Mario Kart. By this point, you’ve probably done just about everything on the ship that you wanted to do. It might be a good day to save something like a meal at Palo for so you have that to look forward to. There’s plenty of shopping to be done, both “touristy/cruise” shopping and things like a fun toy store and a used bookstore.

Offering a public restroom, indoor seating, and an open library, this restaurant also had some cute souvenirs. This portion of the trip lasted maybe an hour and took up the most time of all three activities overall. Arriving in Vancouver for your Disney Cruise to Alaska means that you’ll be headed to Canada Place; home to the Vancouver Sails and the Cruise Port Terminal.

How Much Do You Need in Tips on a Disney Alaska Cruise for Excursions?

The quality of breakfast food was also better at Triton's. I had very similar omelette orders at both locations and the Triton's omelette was far superior. There isn't much of a savings for the headache of booking through an outside payment system but the option is there. In the format of a US vs Canada competition, professional lumberjacks completed impressive stunts with their saws. We saw kids of the friends also on the trip get pulled in and have a great time participating.

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Night Alaskan Cruise from Vancouver

Overall we only had about 20 minutes for this last leg of our tour. Definitely, not enough time to check out the mill, all the totems, story plaques, or the general store. We saw several guests grab beverages, and snacks so a little food counter was also available and it would have been nice to spend more time here. Serving Russian Pierogi, Pel Menis is a local favorite and located in Merchant’s Wharf as well, just along the Marine Way edge of the building.

Booking Our Disney Alaska Cruise Excursions

Since we’ve been lamenting the pause of Tea at the Garden View Tea Room at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort, we thought this one of the best ways to get our fix. The food was fantastic, and they do accommodate vegetarian and vegan needs as well. Check out the current menu and theme for Tea at the Fairmont Vancouver. This souvenir shop has almost everything you could ever want in the way of Alaskan souvenirs.

We opted to head straight to Sky Peak and then work our way down to Hoonah Cannery. There’s also a 10 minute walking path between Ocean Landing and Wilderness Landing. There’s also a store and a few small food / beverage options, though none were open when we were around.

All along the ride we had very fun narration from our bus driver who shared a look into what it is like living in Alaska. She was witty and provided a look into the actual life rather than just giving facts and figures. They claim this walk is an hour roundtrip but it only took us 45 minutes and that includes at least 10 minutes talking photos at the waterfall. Our bus then dropped us off in the heart of Juneau and we walked through some of the shops and found lunch. Juneau – At Juneau we participated in a whale watching and trip to the Mendenhall glacier.

Serving up handmade pot pies, pies, quiche, tarts, and croissants. Mind you the line for this restaurant will be long, but it’s worth it. If you’re a fan of flaky pastry in all forms, then be sure to stop by. Much like Pirate Night on a Disney Cruise, on an Alaska Cruise, you get to Freeze the Night Away with friends from Frozen.

We could have done separate excursions, but that’s just not really how we travel. Spa treatments, adult dining (Palo on the Disney Wonder), and nursery services are also things you’ll be planning to book at this time. You’ll also want to pay attention the the cancellation deadlines for any activities you were hoping for but didn’t get. You might see cancellations at any time, but particularly as that deadline nears, you’re more likely to see people change plans.

This means you won’t be leaving your little ones alone in the clubs at this time. Instead, it’s a chance for you to all get acquainted with the clubs. If you don’t have kids, you’re also welcome in the kids clubs during Open House. It provided for a few photo opportunities and “wow” moments. Plus Zoe was still napping at the time, so it was nice to be able to sit out there during nap time.

We asked our travel partner to pull some sample pricing for cruises so that we could include them here for your reference. Disney Cruise Line offers multiple Alaska itineraries that range from five to nine nights. Our recent Disney Cruise to Alaska was a seven night itinerary. The seven night Disney Alaska cruise is offered the most of any of the lengths of sailings. Personal Navigators, and other details from the Silver Anniversary at Sea 7-Night Alaskan Cruise from Vancouver. The Disney Wonder set sail from Vancouver, Canada on July 17, 2023.