More Alaska cruise questions - May or June? Stateroom locations?

[shosh1530]

Hi all!

We are getting very close to booking our cruise for Alaska this summer. I was all ready to go on booking the May 29 cruise, but then my husband remembered that my son's baseball season in the spring most likely won't finish up until the first week in June.

So now I'm pricing out the June 12 sailing. The price isn't that much more because flights are cheaper for that week. Are there any advantages or disadvantages other than price in doing the cruise 2 weeks later?

We are also trying to decide between inside and oceanview staterooms. I'm a light sleeper so hoping for a quiet room. We like the idea of having a window, but there aren't that many left that fit our needs (wanting an upper berth room). For either sailing I'm looking at:

- Deluxe family inside room on deck 1 (both midship/forward available) - reviews indicate these are quiet rooms
- Oceanview room forward on deck 2 (looking at 2512-2516)
- Inside or Oceanview room aft on deck 2 - this is what the travel agent has quoted us for, but reviews indicate these rooms can be very noisy.

Any thoughts on midship deck 1 vs. forward deck 2? This is our first cruise, so I'm not sure if sea sickness might be an issue (I've gotten sea sick on small boats before).

 

[auntlynne]

Advantages for later date:
- Ice floes are less likely to cause re-routing of journey / missed glacier viewing
- Excursions should be in full swing

There may be more cruisers due to more children, but some schools will still not be out yet.

Hotels in Vancouver May be more expensive. Book early and then watch rates. Maybe you could catch a Black Friday deal this weekend (or Cyber Monday).

Cabins
2512-2516 have a pub above them. Possibility of noise.
If the reviews for Deck 1 report quiet, I’d consider following the recommendation. I do wonder what is in that gray area, but it might be crew quarters. I stayed in an ocean view on Deck 1 and found the area peaceful.

I think the lower decks will help with seasickness. The forward / aft location will be mitigated being that low.

Our first AK cruise was an inside. The cost savings more than made up for the lack of window or balcony - and was eaten by the cost of excursions.

 

[Cheburashka]

Disney Cruise Line Stateroom Reviews

I checked out reviews for 2512, 2514 and 2516 and they mostly say the rooms are quiet. I would select this, given your choices. I would not pick aft, as vibration will be more of an issue and more noisy, too. You definitely want to go with the deck 2 oceanview when cruising Alaska, rather than an inside or a deck 1 oceanview with their small & high windows. The big deck 2 stateroom window will provide a nice view.

 

[Alice777]

I don't know much about room location but I've been on Wonder twice, first time I had porthole (Oceanview) 2021 and 2nd time (October 2022), I got inside room. There was just 2 of us and room itself wasn't problem but I hated the bathroom. Oceanview room had 2 separate bathroom - one for toilet and washbin and the other bathroom for shower/bath and washbin. Inside cabin only has one bathroom with toilet, shower/bath, and washbin. I'm 5'4", around 140 lbs and I felt very closed in. I promise myself, if I go again, I would never get inside room.

 

[o&smom]

Vote for oceanview. We don not spend much time in our room, but Alaska is definitely worth having a view.

 

[shosh1530]

Thanks for the input everyone! We are leaning toward the later sailing as it is only $100-250 more depending on our cabin choice. Also leaning toward the Oceanview on deck 2, I just need to figure out how to increase our budget a bit. I don't want to skimp on any excursions (and boy they sure add up!).

 

[DisneyConvert]

Ketchikan and Skagway have a dynamic tourist business; there are many things to do and see (and tours, w. guides) regardless of whether one uses Disney Port Adventures or not. May require some research, but worthwhile imo.

Juneau is a short bus into town and then very walkable. Same here; one can visit and tour and see with/out paying a premium for a DCL excursion. Son did the "teen excursion" with his friends at Edge/Vibe so that was worth 1$$'s.

I would do June -- more daytime., and a tad warmer. We went in August and while not too cold, days were getting shorter. Vancouver was fun too - wish we did our touring there BEFORE the cruise, not after (but we never learn).

 

[shosh1530]

Excited to say that we took the plunge and put the deposit down for our Alaska cruise today! We opted for the later sailing (June 12) and the oceanview room. We also got our plan tickets over the holiday weekend for a good price.

On to planning excursions and everything else!

Ketchikan and Skagway have a dynamic tourist business; there are many things to do and see (and tours, w. guides) regardless of whether one uses Disney Port Adventures or not. May require some research, but worthwhile imo.

Juneau is a short bus into town and then very walkable. Same here; one can visit and tour and see with/out paying a premium for a DCL excursion. Son did the "teen excursion" with his friends at Edge/Vibe so that was worth 1$$'s.

I would do June -- more daytime., and a tad warmer. We went in August and while not too cold, days were getting shorter. Vancouver was fun too - wish we did our touring there BEFORE the cruise, not after (but we never learn).

Would love to hear more about the teen excursion. What did it involve and what age ranges could do it? Did you book in advance or on the ship?

I'm already making a big list of possible excursions, including those outside of Disney. I'm also hoping to find some things we can just do on our own via walking, taxi, public transit, etc. Open to suggestions!

 

[auntlynne]

Congratulations! Hope you enjoy the cruise as much as I have over the years.

 

[auntlynne]

Not a lot of public transportation. When the berth is a little further out, you may get a free shuttle (Juneau). Juneau does have a public bus that will get you near Mendenhall Glacier (leaving you with a one-mike walk). I think people have used a public bus in Ketchikan to get to a totem center.

 

[auntlynne]

Non-DCL:

Ketchikan - Island Wings float plane trip.

Ketchikan - Zodiac boat tour starting from the same area near Island Wings.

Ketchikan - very walkable. Most people will walk to Creek Street, home to brothels in Gold Mining days. This is set over a creek and now contains stores.

Skagway - rented a car and drove into Canada, all the way to White Horse. Saw the Emerald Lake, Carcross Dessert, Suspension Bridge. Others report a dog sled experience on this route.

Skagway - is smaller than Ketchikan and very walkable. Jumping off location for the those in the Klondike Goldrush - so National Park presence here.

Juneau - whale watching is at least 20 minutes away (I’m guessing farther) and seems to be a major activity (we have done it a few times). Both DCL and independent providers.

 

[DisneyConvert]

Excited to say that we took the plunge and put the deposit down for our Alaska cruise today! We opted for the later sailing (June 12) and the oceanview room. We also got our plan tickets over the holiday weekend for a good price.

Would love to hear more about the teen excursion. What did it involve and what age ranges could do it? Did you book in advance or on the ship?

Sounds like you and family are in great shape - you all will have a terrific time.

On all our non-Caribbean cruises of 7+ days, our Vibe/Edge son came to us, and asked, "A lot of the kids and Youth Activity Counselors are doing _____ on _____day; can I go?". How could we refu$e? On the Baltic cruise, they did a 1/2 day at the Tivoli Gardens amusement park. In Alaska, it was a 1/2 day ropes course / ZipLine thing (all profe$$ionally guided) on Douglas Island near Juneau. Not sure these were in the Port Excursion schedule, but when they know, you'll know . . . you know?

Our son is now 21 and finishing college and thinking about some kind of teaching career where he can enrich kids, so I get happy/sad thinking about those days.

 

[lklgoodman]

If you decide to book excursions through DCL, you will want to book them as soon as your booking time opens. They sell out quickly. As a first time cruiser, make sure you have several chosen for each port in case your first choice isn't available. We sailed on deck 2 and loved it. We don't spend a lot of time in our cabin on cruises, but loved to open the curtains to see the beautiful views.

 

[4everluvDisney]

We are looking at booking a cruise to Alaska for 2023. Has anyone sailed on the Wonder lately. Curious if the “hidden verandah“ on deck 7 aft is still available for guests to use. Looking to book an inside cabin on deck 7 if it is. Thanks for any info available about the Alaskan cruises.

 

[llkoolj40]

Some Excursions and experiences we have done. We enjoyed all of them.

Ketchikan

1. Float plane tour with Island Wings
2. Aleutian Ballard Deadliest Catch Tour.
3. Rainforest Wildlife Sanctuary, Eagles and Totems
4. Lumberjack show

Juneau

1. We always go whale watching with Harv and Marv. Love every minute of it.

Skagway

1. White Pass Summit Rail & Bus Excursion - Chilkoot Charters and Tours
2. Scenic River Float - Skagway Float Tours. They have a train and river float as well.

 

[shosh1530]

Thanks for the great suggestions everyone! So many great options it is going to be hard to choose. I've made notes of all your ideas to add to my research.

 

[CamillaF]

Ketchikan- walked around town. Saw the fish ladder, walked up to the native museum. We had a great day. Cost - free

Skagway- did the Alaskan safari. Speed boat, canoe, hike. It was beautiful. Cost- medium price

Juneau - rented a car and drove out to the big glacier, monastery, and drove to the end of the glacier highway. - $100 for all 4 of us. This was by far my favorite day. We ended up the only people at a beach at the end of the road. We skipped rocks as a family. It was nice being so far away from people when we were surrounded on the cruise.

No matter what you do it will be an adventure

Have fun.