Alaska

[icemann0220]

Tell me the truth, what, if anything, makes it worth $8-$10k?

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Tell me the truth, what, if anything, makes it worth $8-$10k?

Well...... you can do Alaska cheaper than that. Other cruiselines have better fares. And, often, better itineraries. But they don't have the Disney touch.

Your call.

 

[Shanti]

Tell me the truth, what, if anything, makes it worth $8-$10k?

Not worth that in my book.

 

[Racer X]

Everything has a price and a buyer. You could use your question on anything. Don't go if you don't want to.

 

[xlxo]

Do you love your kids? How much is that pixie dust high worth it to you? DCL offers the best service for children.... but yes there's significant savings with other cruise lines. If not DCL.... look at HAL and Princess Glacier Bay itineraries. If you want to see glaciers.... Glacier Bay offers the best Alaskan experience.

Some money saving DCL tips....

• if the balconies are pricy.... look at the Deck 2 oceanviews. That porthole is so big.... it feels like a climate controlled balcony. Do NOT get the Deck 1 twins... it's not the same experience.
• look for pre/post-cruise hotels a few blocks away from the cruise terminal for savings.
• try to cruise before August when the weather is dryer.
• June offers good savings with lower hotel/cruise rates and dry weather compared to July

Currently... Alaska is super popular...

• low terrorism threat
• no zika, no malaria, no dengue, no West Nile
• Alaska welcomes the US dollar
• Alaska offers ATT coverage
• Alaska speaks English

 

[Trip planner]

Do you love your kids? How much is that pixie dust high worth it to you? DCL offers the best service for children.... but yes there's significant savings with other cruise lines. If not DCL.... look at HAL and Princess Glacier Bay itineraries. If you want to see glaciers.... Glacier Bay offers the best Alaskan experience.

Some money saving DCL tips....

• if the balconies are pricy.... look at the Deck 2 oceanviews. That porthole is so big.... it feels like a climate controlled balcony. Do NOT get the Deck 1 twins... it's not the same experience.
• look for pre/post-cruise hotels a few blocks away from the cruise terminal for savings.
• try to cruise before August when the weather is dryer.
• June offers good savings with lower hotel/cruise rates and dry weather compared to July

Currently... Alaska is super popular...

• low terrorism threat
• no zika, no malaria, no dengue, no West Nile
• Alaska welcomes the US dollar
• Alaska offers ATT coverage
• Alaska speaks English

Which hotels are a few blocks away? Our departure day is apparently a three ship day so may need to be a few blocks away. I am also glade to hear Alaska has ATT coverage. DH gets about a billion work emails a day and not only is it hard for him to truly disconnect because of important matters, he also dreads his inbox when he has stepped away from his phone.

 

[Shanti]

Which hotels are a few blocks away? Our departure day is apparently a three ship day so may need to be a few blocks away. I am also glade to hear Alaska has ATT coverage. DH gets about a billion work emails a day and not only is it hard for him to truly disconnect because of important matters, he also dreads his inbox when he has stepped away from his phone.

Where do you find the cruise ship schedules?

 

[bcwife76]

Where do you find the cruise ship schedules?

Try this: http://crew-center.com/vancouver-canada-cruise-ship-schedule-2018

 

[xlxo]

Which hotels are a few blocks away? Our departure day is apparently a three ship day so may need to be a few blocks away. I am also glade to hear Alaska has ATT coverage. DH gets about a billion work emails a day and not only is it hard for him to truly disconnect because of important matters, he also dreads his inbox when he has stepped away from his phone.

ATT coverage when you are docked. The main cruise ship hotels are Pan Pacific, Fairmont Waterfront, and Fairmont Pacific Rim. They are premium priced for the convenience.

The other hotels in downtown will be lower priced depending on your preferred dates. The next closest hotels (5 blocks away) include:

• Days Inn => Check online reviews for potential issues
• Auberge
• Delta
• Mariott Pinnacle
• Pinnacle Harbourfront

Further out

• Blue Horizon => very popular choice for value travelers. Great location to restaurants.
• YWCA
• Hampton Inn => fav for Hilton point collectors
• L'Hermitage
• Hyatt
• Wall Centre

For those arriving the night before without any time for sightseeing. And those with rental vehicles trying to avoid parking fees.

• Vancouver Raddison Airport.

I really like the place for price and convenient 20 minute subway access to downtown and the cruise terminal. Some may feel awkward with the number of adjacent Asian restaurants... but it's like visiting Asia for the night.

 

[Trip planner]

Where do you find the cruise ship schedules?

I saw (somewhere on these boards) someone mention June 18 was a three cruise ship day. I just looked at the link and June 17 is a 4 ship day and June 18 is only a two ship day. We are arriving 6/16, I imagine the hotels near the ships will be busy.

 

[jaiminee krikit]

I went back and forth on this for months. We wanted to do an Alaska cruise but DCL was so much more expensive than everyone else. We could get a huge suite on any other line for what we could get a verandah room for on DCL. We went with Princess. Overall, they were comparable. The Emerald Princess is a gorgeous ship. The cast on both were fabulous. The food was similar. Princess did have some fun characters on port days. We took a photo with a giant lobster and maybe an eagle - can’t totally remember. Sure, no Mickey, but it was still kinda cute.
Disney is Disney. The staterooms with the split bathrooms are the best. The decor is, well, Disney. The area that Disney cannot be beat is entertainment. We did one of the shows on Princess. Their wildly popular show. And it was horrible. I looked at DH several times and we couldn’t believe how bad it was. The entire script made no sense, the songs were just jumbled together, and the performers were horrible. We went to the piano bar one night, expecting a Yehaa Bob type show. Nope. It was boring and when the pianist would talk, he would only talk to the people around him and we couldn’t understand a word he said. There was a cute little Dixieland band that played only one night, and we really enjoyed them. We were disappointed they never performed again.
For me personally, an Alaskan cruise is about experiencing Alaska. It is an amazing cruise that I can’t wait to do again. But it won’t be on DCL.

 

[Spork24]

My family is considering an Alaskan cruise, we really want to go on a cruise to Alaska with my parents and my brothers family. We were discouraged by the price, but will likely proceed because from why we can tell no other cruise line has better amenities/activities for our children. The traveling party will include 6 adults and 6 kids ages 3-8.

We talked about waiting several years, to let the kids get older (would probably enjoy the scenery more), but life has no guarantees and we want to go while we are all able.

From what we can tell, Disney is the only cruise that checks both boxes. (Good time for kids, relaxing breathtaking Alaskan cruise for adults)

 

[Spork24]

I went back and forth on this for months. We wanted to do an Alaska cruise but DCL was so much more expensive than everyone else. We could get a huge suite on any other line for what we could get a verandah room for on DCL. We went with Princess. Overall, they were comparable. The Emerald Princess is a gorgeous ship. The cast on both were fabulous. The food was similar. Princess did have some fun characters on port days. We took a photo with a giant lobster and maybe an eagle - can’t totally remember. Sure, no Mickey, but it was still kinda cute.
Disney is Disney. The staterooms with the split bathrooms are the best. The decor is, well, Disney. The area that Disney cannot be beat is entertainment. We did one of the shows on Princess. Their wildly popular show. And it was horrible. I looked at DH several times and we couldn’t believe how bad it was. The entire script made no sense, the songs were just jumbled together, and the performers were horrible. We went to the piano bar one night, expecting a Yehaa Bob type show. Nope. It was boring and when the pianist would talk, he would only talk to the people around him and we couldn’t understand a word he said. There was a cute little Dixieland band that played only one night, and we really enjoyed them. We were disappointed they never performed again.
For me personally, an Alaskan cruise is about experiencing Alaska. It is an amazing cruise that I can’t wait to do again. But it won’t be on DCL.

Did you travel with children? If so what ages?

 

[Shanti]

My family is considering an Alaskan cruise, we really want to go on a cruise to Alaska with my parents and my brothers family. We were discouraged by the price, but will likely proceed because from why we can tell no other cruise line has better amenities/activities for our children. The traveling party will include 6 adults and 6 kids ages 3-8.

We talked about waiting several years, to let the kids get older (would probably enjoy the scenery more), but life has no guarantees and we want to go while we are all able.

From what we can tell, Disney is the only cruise that checks both boxes. (Good time for kids, relaxing breathtaking Alaskan cruise for adults)

I agree that DCL is the optimal cruise line for kids, even in Alaska. I seriously considered switching to Princess to get Glacier Bay and a lower price, but just couldn't do it. My son wanted Disney more than he wanted to see a larger number of glaciers, and when reviewing the HAL & Princess ships and staterooms online, I just wasn't feeling the excitement that I feel when booking a Disney cruise. I'm glad we're sticking with DCL for our Alaska trip, but whether that's the right choice for you is all about personal priorities & price.

 

[pangyal]

My family is considering an Alaskan cruise, we really want to go on a cruise to Alaska with my parents and my brothers family. We were discouraged by the price, but will likely proceed because from why we can tell no other cruise line has better amenities/activities for our children. The traveling party will include 6 adults and 6 kids ages 3-8.

We talked about waiting several years, to let the kids get older (would probably enjoy the scenery more), but life has no guarantees and we want to go while we are all able.

From what we can tell, Disney is the only cruise that checks both boxes. (Good time for kids, relaxing breathtaking Alaskan cruise for adults)

I’m responding with the caveat that we haven’t actually sailed yet, but we decided to go for the Princess- Glacier Bay Cruise (after recommendations on here!) and my 8 year old is super excited about the kids club on the Island Princess. They apparently team up with Discovery Kids and do all kinds of cool wilderness-themed programming in the kids clubs for the Alaskan routes. It was a no brainer for us to go with Princess after reading reviews here and elsewhere, and getting a huge suite with wraparound balcony for half of a verandah room on DCL.

That being said, we are by no means cruise experts, and you like what you like. If you feel you and your kids would miss the Disney Touch if you went with anyone else, then that is value added that only DCL can provide.

 

[jaiminee krikit]

Did you travel with children? If so what ages?

Just one, DD14. She said the Alaskan cruise was her favorite vacation EVER!

 

[havaneselover]

DCL Alaska prices are high and I toyed with booking elsewhere (my mom is joining us and she would prefer Celebrity) but ultimately booked DCL because we love DCL. I kept costs down by booking onboard and transferring to Costco and paying with gift cards (just doing these made Disney’s prices much more competitive as our $10,000 fare was costing < $7,000). Also keeping costs down by paying for excursions with swagbucks earnings and using credit card points to pay for two nights in Vancouver and plane tickets. Two years ago I would never have thought we’d be heading to Alaska this summer but we are!