Time in ports question for experienced cruisers

[Immebsmom]

We are currently booked on a Disney cruise to Alaska. I was doing a price comparison to Princess, I noticed that the time in ports for an identical cruise was very different. Normally I would think more time is better, but is that true in Alaska? Here is the difference-

 

Disney. Princess

Skagway. 12.25 hrs 11 hrs

Juneau. 4 hrs 8 hrs

Tracey Arm. All day. 4 hrs

Ketchkan. 5.25 hrs. 9.5 hrs

Victoria. 3 hrs. 5 hrs

 

Is the time Disney is in port long enough to do what we would want ( probably private tours) or will bit leave us stuck doing the ships tours due to time constraints. Thanks for any assistance!!

[ggto4]

We are currently booked on a Disney cruise to Alaska. I was doing a price comparison to Princess, I noticed that the time in ports for an identical cruise was very different. Normally I would think more time is better, but is that true in Alaska? Here is the difference-

 

Disney. Princess

Skagway. 12.25 hrs 11 hrs

Juneau. 4 hrs 8 hrs

Tracey Arm. All day. 4 hrs

Ketchkan. 5.25 hrs. 9.5 hrs

Victoria. 3 hrs. 5 hrs

 

Is the time Disney is in port long enough to do what we would want ( probably private tours) or will bit leave us stuck doing the ships tours due to time constraints. Thanks for any assistance!!

 

I think you will find with most of us who have cruised Alaska before, we want as much time in port as we can get and we book our trip based on this. It is the difference in being able to do a really terrific ship or independent tour plus, see each town vs having to rush around and only get half the experience. Skagway is fine either way....but Juneau time is cut in half and Ketchikan as well, on the Disney ship. There is soooo much to be seen in these two beautiful towns, and so many terrific independent and ship tours that you would be rushed. I would vote Princess. gg

[frugaltravel]

I agree. More time in port the better. Tracy Arm is interesting. What does "all day" mean? Certainly not 24 hours lol. The key question for Tracy Arm is whether Disney has a small boat excursion there (I am pretty sure that Princess does not).

[Putterdude]

I am a little surprised by the little time that Disney spends in ports, my guess is that they want you to enjoy the whole Disney experience that they are selling as opposed to you seeing Alaska.

[rbnk]

Just got back from a cruisetour with Princess in July and I would not be happy with the time in Juneau and Ketchikan. Juneau is a great whale watching port and I don't think you have enough time to go out on a whale watching tour with only four hours. I would always want more time in Port on this cruise.

[Giantfan13]

On any cruise, the time you are in ports is critical, especially so for certain cruises, like Alaska, Hawaii etc.

 

We did Alaska last year on the Pearl, and were very unhappy about some of the times she was in port. We had already been to Alaska, and these ports, so it wasn't a deal breaker, but had it been our first time there, I would have went in a different direction, as far as crusie ships are concerned.

Alaska ports offer something special, a chance to get out with, as they say, 'The Last Frontier'. That is hardly possible with 4 hours in a port. I never heard such a thing. You barely have time to run off and buy a souvenir.

If Disney is you one true option, then go with it. Some Alaska is better than no Alaska, but I would seriously rethink this particular cruise.

 

Cheers

 

Len

[PennyAgain]

Disney is really a late comer to Alaska cruising and as such does not have priority in docking locations and times. I can't see where any other cruise lines were give up docking and time in port to Disney.

 

Princess and HAL as the real old timers in Alaska cruising certainly do have the best docking locations and times. Especially in Juneau and Ketchikan where there is so much demand for dock time.

 

Most customers have no idea how this all works and assume all the cruise ships run the same schedules.

 

Cruise lines like Crystal which come and go from Alaska cruising are in the same situation as Disney.

[Budget Queen]

We are currently booked on a Disney cruise to Alaska. I was doing a price comparison to Princess, I noticed that the time in ports for an identical cruise was very different. Normally I would think more time is better, but is that true in Alaska? Here is the difference-

 

Disney. Princess

Skagway. 12.25 hrs 11 hrs

Juneau. 4 hrs 8 hrs

Tracey Arm. All day. 4 hrs

Ketchkan. 5.25 hrs. 9.5 hrs

Victoria. 3 hrs. 5 hrs

 

Is the time Disney is in port long enough to do what we would want ( probably private tours) or will bit leave us stuck doing the ships tours due to time constraints. Thanks for any assistance!!

 

Your Tracy Arm reference is not correct. You likely to enter Tracy Arm, late afternoon, so will have a similar time there compared to other Tracy Arm transits.

 

What tours are you looking for?? Your decisions, will determine if you have enough time. Overall, on the Alaska cruise itinerary scales, this is near the bottom.

[nwwinelady]

Tracy Arm is not a port, necessarily. You are cruising up and then down the fijord. But, Disney may have some excursions. With Juneau,You would want want more port time- FOR A WHALE WATCHING EXCURSION!

Ok, so I am partial to Princess... just consider what you would really like to do.

So, why did you choose Disney? \Grandkids?

Sometimes, the ship is the destination and not the region.

We liked Juneau for the excursions and the town... we were happy to spend so much time there. ;)

[wolfie11]

We are currently booked on a Disney cruise to Alaska. I was doing a price comparison to Princess, I noticed that the time in ports for an identical cruise was very different. Normally I would think more time is better, but is that true in Alaska? Here is the difference-

 

Disney. Princess

Skagway. 12.25 hrs 11 hrs

Juneau. 4 hrs 8 hrs

Tracey Arm. All day. 4 hrs

Ketchkan. 5.25 hrs. 9.5 hrs

Victoria. 3 hrs. 5 hrs

 

Is the time Disney is in port long enough to do what we would want ( probably private tours) or will bit leave us stuck doing the ships tours due to time constraints. Thanks for any assistance!!

 

Day Port Ashore Onboard 1 Seattle, Washington — 4:00 p.m. 2 At Sea — — 3 Tracy Arm, Alaska Cruising Cruising 4 Skagway, Alaska 7:15 a.m. 7:30 p.m. 5 Juneau, Alaska 7:45 a.m. 12:30 p.m. 6 Ketchikan, Alaska 7:15 a.m. 12:30 p.m. 7 Victoria, Canada 7:30 p.m. 10:30 p.m. 8 Seattle, Washington 09:00 a.m. —

 

Juneau is my favorite port with lots of things to do. I would definitely want more time there.

 

This ship also has a weird itinerary. Tracy Arm is only a few miles from Juneau but Disney sails into Tracy Arm on Day 2, which means late afternoon, not all day. Then they go to Skagway, which is about 150 miles north of Tracy Arm, so that is your all day port. Then back to Juneau for only a half day, since Ketchikan is a couple of hundred miles south of Juneau. Then you have to leave Ketchikan early to get to Victoria the next evening.

 

This is just about the crappiest itinerary for Alaska I have ever seen. If you are just going because it's Disney and prefer capering with the Seven Dwarves to whale watches and wildlife tours, go for it. Otherwise check out Princess or Holland America (the Oosterdam has a good itinerary although they skip Skagway for Glacier Bay and Sitka and also only have a half day in Ketchikan).