After two years of cancelled plans and missed milestone celebrations, my family was ready for an extra special vacation. Alaska checked all the boxes. This is a destination rich in history, culture and beauty. We purchased the kids a few books to read about Alaska and in the summer of 2022 we traveled Alaska on a Disney Cruise. This cruise exceeded expectations. There are so many reasons to love cruising Alaska with Disney, I'm going to share just a few.
Disney Cruise Line sets sail along the coast of Alaska May through September on the Disney Wonder. Sailings depart from Vancouver (British Columbia), Canada and run 5-9 nights depending on the itinerary.
1-Timing
With cruises sailing through the summer months this cruise is ideal for families that are working around school and sports schedules or would like to escaspe the summer heat and enjoy some cooler weather. If you are sailing mid-summer expect warm weather leaving Vancouver, it's generally a great day for the pool deck. Most Alaskan ports will offer daytime highs in the 50s to low 70s. Some excursions may be a little cooler. Glacier Day will be cold. Glacier Day is a nice time to put on a winter coat, gloves and hat and enjoy some hot cocoa or an Irish coffee and an amazing view.
2-Nature and Wildlife Expert Aboard
Prior to your journey through the fjord on Glacier Day, the Nature and Wildlife Expert aboard will share information on the journey, the glacier and wildlife you may see. Our Nature and Wildlife Expert was very knowledgeable and happy to answer questions.
3-Glacier Day!
On Glacier Day we traveled through Tracy Arm. Most of the day we sat out on our verandah and took in the breathtaking views. Our onboard Nature and Wildlife Expert occasionally made announcements for things we should look out for over the loud speaker. On the pool deck there were a lot of photo opportunities with characters. Crew members brought a large piece of glacier ice on to the ship so you could touch it and take pictures with it.
4-Frozen Deck Party
One night of the cruise Disney hosts a Frozen night. This night features a Frozen themed dinner and deck party. The deck party includes sing alongs and SNOW!
5-The Disney Wonder
The Disney Wonder is Disney's second ship, joining the Disney Magic in 1999. This ship is the same size and layout as the Disney Magic. These two ships are Disney's smallest ships. I love the experience of being on a smaller ship especially for port adventure days. Fewer guests make getting off the ship and back on the ship much easier, and port adventures tend to be less crowded.
6-Port Adventures
There are so many great options for port adventures that appeal to a variety of interests, ages and activity levels. You can explore nature in a variety of ways, including, zip-lining, Jeep and canoe adventures, hiking and rafting, boat tours, duck tours (this is a bus that first travels on land then travels in the water), helicopter tours, biking, and more. If culture and history interests you, there are many adventures available. You can check out the popular lumberjack show in Ketchikan, pan for gold, enjoy a salmon bake, or ride the White Pass Railway, just to name a few.
7-Small Towns and Seaplanes
The Alaskan ports we visited are very small towns. We learned on the Skagway streetcar tour that about only 800 people live in Skagway year round! Our tour guide shared so much information about life in this small secluded town. We found our guide very knowledgable and nice and as were all the people we met in these small towns. There are also very few roads in Alaska so most travel is done by plane. We saw many seaplanes. This was really fun, especially for my kids.
8-The Food
We enjoyed the food we had at ports, but it was also really nice to have sit down meals aboard the Disney Wonder. My 8-year-old loves salmon and was excited to see it on the menu every night. For dessert, we were served baked Alaska, among many other tasty treats!
9-The Midnight Sun
You'll head north enough during the summer months to experience almost 24 hours of daylight. During our August cruise the sunset briefly around 11:30 pm on our second night.
10- Scenery at Sea
This cruise travels close to the coastline so we were able to enjoy beautiful views of the Alaskan landscapes as we traveled.
Would you like to learn more about an Alaskan cruise or any cruise with Disney? I'm Irene, a travel agent with Mouseketrips, an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner and I would love to work with you! My planning services are free and I price monitor saving you time and money! Request a no obligation quote here or email me Irene@mouseketrips.com with any cruising questions!
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