What do you think of new Disney Alaska itinerary?

[akeogh]

Budget Queen, I am hoping you see this! I would love your two cents - as well as others' thoughts. I need help putting into perspective the planned Disney itinerary for 2011, because after reading so many boards, I'm getting concerned, and maybe needlessly so.

 

Disney Wonder will go 7 day RT Vancouver, with stops in Skagway, Ketchican, Juneau and Tracy Arm. It looks like the ship will travel to the west of Vancouver Island on the way up, which I've read is less scenic, is that so?

 

And will we even see that spectacular glacier scenery going to Tracy Arm? (How come Disney didn't get Glacier Bay!!) Here's what the Disney promotion says about Tracy Arm: "The next day, cruise amazing Tracy Arm, a long narrow fjord that boasts two glaciers—the twin Sawyer Glaciers. Many visitors to Alaska considered the Sawyer Glaciers to be the most dramatic glaciers in the 49th state!" Are the Sawyer Glaciers dramatic? I am looking for dramatic!

 

Everyone says to pick based on itinerary and not ship, and many posts say there are better itineraries out there for Alaska (ie. go one way, or at least go to Glacier Bay!), but having 3 kids under the age of 10 makes me think "Disney" would be best on-board programming. I know I won't be disappointed with the Disney Wonder as a ship...but will I be disappointed with Alaska and let down if we go with this itinerary? Going westward around Vancouver Island PLUS only going to Tracy Arm....will it just be miles and miles of sea and low-lying scenery? I really, really want to show the kids DRAMATIC ALASKA with majestic mountains, glaciers, and great awe-inspiring scenery....on an itinerary where it really looks like our picture of Alaska in our mind's eye, and not something more like Maine....but I also want us all to be on a youthful ship.

 

We would like to go to Alaska in summer 2011 and have currently booked the August 9th sailing on the Wonder (we can cancel).

 

What do you think? Should I be worried about the Disney itinerary? Or just relax and go with it? We won't get back there for at least 10 years. Which other ship would you consider youthful for Alaska?

[Yukon]

"Many visitors to Alaska considered the Sawyer Glaciers to be the most dramatic glaciers in the 49th state!"

 

LOL - that's just silly!

[Luckysll]

I took a look at the itinerary map and would question their route diagram when they show the ship cutting through Vancouver Island to travel up the west coast! That is physically impossible! :D If the shlip leaves from Vancouver, it would take longer to loop around the southern end of Vancouver Island than it would to just travel between Vancouver Island and the mainland.

 

Plus, it shows the ship travelling west of the Queen Charlotte Islands (the triangular islands north of Vancouver Island). Most ships travel between the Queen Charlottes and the mainland.

 

I've been on cruises to both Glacier Bay and Tracy Arm. On the one cruise I did to Tracy Arm, we were fortunate enough to get in very close to the glacier. Tracy Arm is narrower than Glacier Bay, and the views are very impressive, but Glacier Bay gives a much better "wow" factor.

[karatemom2]

I guess my best advice would be to really consider what you want out of your vacation to Alaska. For us, the destination is the most important consideration. Alaska is a port intensive vacation and much of the enjoyment is based around seeing the ports, doing the excursions and of course the scenic cruising and glacier viewing. That isn't to say the ship is not important, but for me it might not be the deciding factor. We get plenty of opportunities for our Disney fix living within two hours of Disneyland, so perhaps the Disney aspect is just less important to me than it is to others.

 

And of course price is also a big consideration. In order to really see Alaska, it is necessary to go on excursions that take you outside of the ports and these tend to be expensive, especially for a family. I would much rather save on my ship fare and invest the money in some really memorable excursions that allow me to really see the beauty of Alaska that exists outside of the towns.

 

Having traveled on most of the mass market lines, with the exception of HAL which we are trying next year, I would say they all do a pretty good job with the kids. Yes, maybe they aren't Disney, but to me that is not necessarily a bad thing. We love Princess and actually think the kids program is superior to Disney. Really for my kids, when we go to Alaska, it is really all about Alaska and the amazing sites we have seen there.

 

Since you already have a booking with DCL, I would just advise taking the time to do some comparison shopping with other lines and compare other itineraries. Read the member reviews on Cruise Critic and do lots of searches with key words here in the Alaska forum. Then you can really make an informed decision that is best for your family.

[Chenega]

As much as I love things Disney, their Alaska itinerary is lacking compared to other lines.

The Sawyer Glaciers are beautiful WHEN you can get to them and they can't compare to either Glacier Bay or Hubbard.

 

I think the biggest omission is the trip to the west of Vancouver Island vs. going through the Inside Passage of British Columbia. That remains on of the most beautiful parts of the trip and a prime area for viewing marine wildlife.

 

I think Disney is relying on their name alone to market the cruises but other companies have them easily beat when it comes to the itinerary.

[Budget Queen]

I don't think you can go completely by the maps??? BUT, if it does sail outside Vancouver Island, it is definately open ocean, and by far, less scenic than a "regular" round trip Vancouver Sailing. As for Glacier Bay, don't expect Disney to ever get in, it is highly restrictive with permits. IF the decline in passenger numbers continues, maybe??

 

Tracy Arm is definately NOT about glaciers. Its about very tight scenic sailing through a 30 mile long fjord, with the twin Sawyer's at the end. Probably only about 25% of the cruise ships sailing make the full transit- on average. The last couple years, there have been last minute reroutings of some ships, canceling Tracy Arm and going Endicott Arm, which is not nearly as good, in my opinion. But the shorter distance does allow glacier access, even though, I have seen many more "superior" glaciers. So, time will tell what Disney can deliver. I have been on the Wonder, and if you are worried about your kids experience, then perhaps, Alaska isn't for them anyway. You could save yourself a lot of money by going to the Caribbean. Then doing Alaska, when they are more receptive?? So much of Alaska is outside the ship, they may surprise you with interest in "Alaska" activities?? You may want to find this out, ask them.

[vbmom87]

 

Disney Wonder will go 7 day RT Vancouver, with stops in Skagway, Ketchican, Juneau and Tracy Arm. It looks like the ship will travel to the west of Vancouver Island on the way up, which I've read is less scenic, is that so?

 

And will we even see that spectacular glacier scenery going to Tracy Arm? (How come Disney didn't get Glacier Bay!!) Here's what the Disney promotion says about Tracy Arm: "The next day, cruise amazing Tracy Arm, a long narrow fjord that boasts two glaciers—the twin Sawyer Glaciers. Many visitors to Alaska considered the Sawyer Glaciers to be the most dramatic glaciers in the 49th state!" Are the Sawyer Glaciers dramatic? I am looking for dramatic!

 

Everyone says to pick based on itinerary and not ship, and many posts say there are better itineraries out there for Alaska (ie. go one way, or at least go to Glacier Bay!), but having 3 kids under the age of 10 makes me think "Disney" would be best on-board programming. I know I won't be disappointed with the Disney Wonder as a ship...but will I be disappointed with Alaska and let down if we go with this itinerary? Going westward around Vancouver Island PLUS only going to Tracy Arm....will it just be miles and miles of sea and low-lying scenery? I really, really want to show the kids DRAMATIC ALASKA with majestic mountains, glaciers, and great awe-inspiring scenery....on an itinerary where it really looks like our picture of Alaska in our mind's eye, and not something more like Maine....but I also want us all to be on a youthful ship.

 

We would like to go to Alaska in summer 2011 and have currently booked the August 9th sailing on the Wonder (we can cancel).

 

What do you think? Should I be worried about the Disney itinerary? Or just relax and go with it? We won't get back there for at least 10 years. Which other ship would you consider youthful for Alaska?

 

Trust me, there is no "spectacular glacier scenery" in Tracy Arm. Tracy Arm is a beautiful, beautiful fjord. I found it to be a surreal experience. WE did it on a small boat excursion out of Juneau. It was actually our favorite excursion while in Alaska. We liked it much more than the Northwestern Fjord tour out of Seward and the Wonder Lake shuttle into Denali. However, if you are looking for magnificent glacier viewing, the Disney itinerary IS NOT IT!!!! Even on a small boat (48 people) we only got to one of the two Sawyer Glaciers. The other we saw from a distance. If glaciers are indeed your priority, you should look at another itinerary. Not sure what everyone will offer in 2011, but for 2010 HAL has a great itinerary round trip out of Vancouver. It goes to Glacier Bay and Tracy Arm. Princess is offering a one way Southbound out of Whittier to Vancouver that goes to both Glacier Bay and Hubbard Glacier. These would be two ideal itineraries for someone looking to see great glaciers. You will have to make that decision. I would never recommend the itinerary you chose for someone who has glacier viewing as a priority. JMHO

[karatemom2]

I agree regarding Tracy Arm Fjord. It is beautiful, but it is not optimal for glacier viewing. When we cruised through on a large ship, we only got close enough for a distant view of one of the Sawyer Glaciers. It wasn't until we took the small boat tour this last summer that we actually got up close to the glacier. Much of it is very scenic with towering cliffs and waterfalls and blue ice, but particularly from a cruise ship it is not the best for glacier viewing. Glacier Bay and College Fjord provide much better opportunities for seeing glaciers.

[Putterdude]

It looks like the ship will travel to the west of Vancouver Island on the way up, which I've read is less scenic, is that so?

 

 

I really wouldn't worry about the ship not sailing in the Inside Passage out of Vancouver. This has shades of the thread we had going all this summer on the subject of the Mercury being shown in the promotional material as not sailing both directions in the Inside Passage and in the end she did sail both legs in the Inside Passage. It is all but unfathomable to think that a ship would sail southwest out of Vancouver thru the Strait of Jaun de Fuca around the bottom tip of Vancouver Island to sail on the outside of Vancover Island to Alaska...as a matter of fact if you look at Disney's map you will see that it doesn't even show how the ship gets back from Ketchikan to Vancouver. Here is a link to the thread I have mentioned and on the last page is a comment from an officer of the Mercury concerning the inside pasage routing. link

[tetleytea]

Not even the promotional material says it sails west of Vancouver Island, it's that it sails to the west of everything else (including Queen Charlotte) on the return trip.

[NancyIL]

I sailed a similar itinerary last May out of Seattle on the Golden Princess, but it was my 3rd Alaska cruise and it was dirt cheap! We didn't get as far as the Sawyer glaciers due to ice, but I knew ahead of time that we could be iced out.

 

Disney is neither cheap, nor does it have a great itinerary for first-time Alaska visitors. On the other hand, people who haven't been to Alaska before won't have anything to compare it to, so you won't realize what you're missing. There are a lot of people who will see Alaska on Disney who otherwise wouldn't go with young kids.

 

You have lots of time to learn more about Alaska before Aug. 2011. By the time other cruise lines release their Alaska itineraries for 2011 next spring, you'll be able to make an informed decision about your 2011 Alaska cruise.

[negc]

I don't have the experience sailing in Alaska to make a very informed decision about the value or lack thereof, of Disney's Alaska itinerary and I think you have to realize that all cruiseline brochures try to picture their routes in the best possible light. However, as far as your kids are concerned, I think that the other lines offer excellent programs for their junior cruisers, albeit without the Disney characters, so, given the significant extra cost of the Disney cruise, I think I would seriously examine the offerings from Princess, Royal Caribbean, NCL and even Carnival. My grandkids love visiting Disney World almost every year, but I hear more excitement from them when we mention the possibility of taking them on another cruise (they were on Freedom of the Seas in 2006) than another trip to visit Mickey and his friends.:)

[psyfi]

I love Disney, we own DVC and go to WDW all the time. We also love to cruise. That said, and this is only my opinion, but we would never do another Disney cruise. Way too much money, food was just OK (again in our opinion) and there was nowhere on the ship for 2 adults to relax. There were children everywhere (adult only pool, beach, bars, etc) whose parents seemed to think it was ok for the kids to run wild as they couldn't go anywhere. Long lines to see the characters too. The one thing they did really well was their stage productions. IF their itinerary was superior, then fine, but it isn't, so I would go with another line. As mentioned above Princess southbounds hit both Glacier Bay and Hubbard in 2010, so if you want to see glaciers, check out those itineraries.

[fleckle]

Conde Nast Traveler ranks the Disney Wonder #1 in the Top Large Ships category.

If interested, the ratings can be found at

Top Large Ships-Conde Nast

 

http://www.concierge.com/tools/travelawards/cruisepoll/top_large_ships

 

Only you can decide the importance of the ship vs. the itinerary for your particular circumstances. We all have different priorities and preferences.

[Budget Queen]

Conde Nast Traveler ranks the Disney Wonder #1 in the Top Large Ships category.

If interested, the ratings can be found at

Top Large Ships-Conde Nast

 

http://www.concierge.com/tools/travelawards/cruisepoll/top_large_ships

 

Only you can decide the importance of the ship vs. the itinerary for your particular circumstances. We all have different priorities and preferences.

 

Only my opinion, but I really question these "ranks". I'm a long time subscriber of Conde Nast, and some of their "stuff" is just way beyond what I have experienced. :) I've been on the Wonder, along with 61 other cruise sailings, (some repeating ships). In no way did the Wonder stand out for me.