Our 7-day Alaskan Cruise on the Disney Wonder was INCREDIBLE!!
We LOVE to cruise and this 7-day Alaskan cruise on the Disney Wonder was incredible! Can’t wait until our next cruise which isn’t even planned yet. My husband has motion sickness, claustrophobia, fear of heights & crowds, yet, even he had a blast! You can read more about us on our About page.
Here are some posts for topics that could help anyone about to plan or go on a Cruise to Alaska. Please, if you have any questions, please email me! This was our second cruise to Alaska and I know how overwhelming the entire process can be! Let me know if I can ease any of your angst.
We had the same weather on both trips in June: Not very rainy, chilly at night and in the 60-80’s most days!
The week FLIES BY!! The more planning I did, the better the week went.
Here’s my list of posts for An Alaskan Cruise:
- Which Cruise Line to Choose, Disney or Holland America?
- Alaskan Cruise Packing List
- Is the Verandah Worth It?
- Getting To the Ship: Pre Cruise Itinerary
- Daily Fun On The Disney Wonder
- Skagway Excursions: Glacier Safari
- Skagway Excursions: Sled Dog Adventure
- Juneau Excursions: Whale Watching
The Best Cruise EVER!!
This was the favorite of the cruises our family has done so far. Why??
So Many Things To Do As a Kid on a Disney Cruise!!
The best thing for pre-teens and teens is the FREEDOM, or at least, “perceived freedom” on any cruise line. Disney makes a great and effective effort to keep your kids safe and secure. I felt VERY comfortable the entire cruise as my kids wandered around.
My kids, niece and nephew loved loved loved the freedom to run around ALONE, to which ever activity they wanted.
Some of the areas DON’T ALLOW PARENTS!! And this was very exciting for my kids as they felt very grown up, and like they had some real privacy.
This may feel scary to some parents, but it is a great way to “practice” letting the kids have control of their schedules and spaces and friends. There is staff in each area, so they are never really “alone”.
My kids were required to come to family dinner and all the excursions. Besides that, they could wander around the ship. Even with this freedom, we did many things together, like the movies, the shows and some of the Arts & Craft hours.
Each area for the kids:
- It’s A Small World Nursery (6 month-3 years)
- Oceaneer Club/Oceaneer Lab (kids 3-12)
- Edge (11-14)
- Vibe (14-17)
My kids are 13 & 16, so we only experienced The Edge & Vibe. Because my son wasn’t old enough for The Vibe, we made a request for my son to be allowed access to “The Vibe” so he and his sister could stay together, and they allowed my son to join his sister if and when he wanted to.
It was only for the first few times that they stayed together, and after that, they made their own friends and only checked in with each other after that.
Enough Family Time, But Not TOO Much
A cruise, and especially a Disney Cruise is the perfect place to have families together with different age ranges since there is so much to do for each age group.
Truly, it is very difficult to be bored on a Disney Cruise.
Even if you don’t like any of the shows, movies, bingo, arts & crafts that are going on, there is ALWAYS the scenery to watch!
Other cruises, like to the Bahamas and Europe, don’t have the amount of animals and incredible scenery as an Alaskan Cruise. Just stay on your Veranda (if you are so lucky!) or go to one of the many areas to sit or stand to watch the passing views. Breath taking. It never gets old.
Plus, there are movies streaming in your room and you can order room service.
We had family dinner planned together, but besides excursions & an occasional movie or Wild Life Lecture (my very favorite of the entire trip!), we didn’t see our family much.
It was the perfect amount of time to really enjoy our family but not get tired of them.
Foods & Desserts Are Fabulous!
Cruises are famous for great food, and it’s so true! You need to be prepared for some yummy food options. We really enjoyed each meal and especially enjoyed the dessert variety.
My son was having a growth spurt, and he would order at least 2 entrees per dinner!! At least one of the entrees would be a steak! He would practically lick his plates clean.
I am a huge dessert lover, so I enjoyed ordering 2 desserts at each dinner and was sure to save enough room for them. All desserts were scrumptious. It was a fun part of our night.
Though the specialty coffee and teas cost extra in the Cove Cafe, they are well made and in my opinion, are worth a bit of alone adult time.
We are non-drinkers, so I can’t give any advice on the drinking onboard…
Great Excursions!
This does make a trip extra special, especially in Alaska!
Because it was the celebration of my father’s 80’s birthday, we decided to do as many excursions as we could fit in.
Do some research here!! There are OODLES to choose from at each port. They range in price, in activity level required, in being private, semi-private or with a group. You also need to decide whether you want your excursions set up by the Disney Cruise Line, or from an Alaskan vendor.
I did LOTS of research, and I had the experience of having gone before a few years ago to guide me.
Out of the excursions we did this time, here are MY Personal Favorites IN ORDER of what I liked the most:
Great Views & Lots of Wildlife
What sets an Alaskan Cruise apart from other cruises, in my opinion, is the scenery and plentiful wildlife.
If you keep your eyes peeled and watch the water and the shore lines, you are very likely to see all kinds of great animals.
On this cruise, from our Verandah, we saw:
- Humpback Whales
- Dolphin pods chasing fish
- Eagles diving after one another
- Otters
- Sea Lions
- Seals
- Orcas
- Many sea birds
If you are lucky, you can also see bears, deer, elk and moose. It feels so satisfying to catch a glimpse of any of these animals!
Take more pictures than you think you’ll need!
Have so much fun!! I’m jealous! 🙂
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