disney cruise to alaska 2024

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Disney Cruise Alaska 2024 & 2025 Guide: ESSENTIAL Tips For Your Cruise

The Alaska Disney Cruise is a once in a lifetime experience. The below cruise review and tips are based on our recent seven day Disney Cruise Line Alaska itinerary that sails from Vancouver to Alaska. This guide will continue to be updated to provide advice for the 2024 and 2025 Disney Cruise Alaska seasons.

Onboard our cruise we had family ranging in age from 20 to 80+. On the last night of our trip I got everyone together and we talked through all the Disney Cruise tips we should pass on. This guide is based on those insights.

With the below tips I hope to prepare you for your future Disney Alaska cruise and give you everything you need to know to plan. We'll cover what month to book your cruise, an overview of the Disney Wonder ship, onboard activities, premium dining, what to pack for your cruise, Alaska Disney Cruise Line excursions, and more.

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In this planning guide:

When to Take a Disney Cruise to Alaska

The Disney Cruise Line Alaskan sailings on the Disney Wonder occur throughout the summer “warm” months. The first 2024 Alaska sailing begins on May 13, 2024 and the last sailing ends on September 23, 2024 (the Disney Cruise Line 2024 dates were announced here ). We don't yet the 2025 Disney Alaska Cruise dates. The sailing stretch throughout the summer months in Alaska.

These are the key factors to consider for picking your Alaskan Disney Cruise dates:

• When are kids in school? The May and September sailings will be less expensive and may even not be fully booked because kids will still be in school. Some of the same school discounting effects can be felt for the very beginning of June and very end of September as well. If you are not confined to summer school schedules, you may want to consider a sailing at the beginning or end of the Alaskan cruising season.
• Weather? The later in the season you plan your cruise the higher the potential for rain during your trip. You can see on this Juneau, Alaska monthly climate averages that the average rainfall by month is double in September what it is in May. Even with that said, during our August trip we only had one real day of rain during our trip when we were in Ketchikan, Alaska. This port is actually one of the rainiest cities in the U.S. and receives nearly 235 days of percipitation per year . A weather note – most think of Alaska as cold. Throughout the summer months the temperatures do not get too low and during our sailing were about 60 degrees. Pretty comfortable when in pants. Some days we saw lots of sun and others we had light rain and wind. More in our packing list section.

You can view the currently available dates for Summer 2024 on the Disney Cruise Line website (Summer 2024 dates just released). After viewing the dates be sure to come back and request a FREE quote from our travel partner for your cruise . For a limited time Mickey Visit readers get up to a $400 onboard credit.

As you'll see in the listings of available sailings, there are a range of length options for your trip…

Best Disney Cruise to Alaska – Which Length to Pick

Disney Cruise Line offers multiple Alaska itineraries that range from five to nine nights. Our recent Disney Cruise to Alaska was a seven night itinerary. The seven night Disney Alaska cruise is offered the most of any of the lengths of sailings.

The seven night cruise includes stops at Dawes Glacier; Juneau, Alaska; Skagway, Alaska; and Ketchikan, Alaska.

Here's some more context on each of the destinations listed for the various lengths of cruise:

• Juneau, Alaska is the state's capital and the largest town that the ship stops in during the Alaskan cruise. The town has some noteworthy food options (see below for excursions) and was the closest that we got to any glacier.
• Skagway, Alaska was the access point for the last gold rush. This old gold rush town is the jumping off point for excursions into the Yukon. Excursion options include a historic railway line with stunning vista views, helicopter tours, and tours of the old town.
• Ketchikan, Alaska is the rainiest place in the world and features an old town built on stilts above a creek, salmon runs, Native American totem polls, and a lumberjack show. This port is the closest to Vancouver in Alaska and all Disney Alaskan Cruises stop here.
• Dawes Glacier, Alaska is not a port but is a location that the boat pulls into for one day of all Alaska sailings. The boat enters the cove near the glacier and then rotates slow so that all sides of the boat get an angle of the glacier. There is an option for an excursion here to go out on a smaller boat that goes closer to the glacier. Though Dawes was scheduled as part of our itinerary, we actually didn't stop here. Scroll down and read what happened in our Disney Cruise to Alaska tips section.
• Sitka, Alaska was not a port that we visited during our seven night Disney Cruise sailing to Alaska but we heard the highlights revolve around the Russian history of the city (this was the capital of the territory when Alaska belonged to Russia) and the outdoor excursions which are similar to the excursions offered in the other ports.

Choosing Your Alaska Stateroom – Do you need a Verandah room for your Alaskan cruise?

While we do outline each of the various stateroom options for all of the Disney Cruise Line ships in our general guide to the Disney Wonder , there is special reason to consider your room option carefully for the Disney Cruise to Alaska.

For many cruises you could take the same approach that we take for hotels near Disneyland – why pay for the room if you are going to be out of the room the entire trip exploring and having fun? You may want to reconsider this for an Alaskan cruise as the itineraries are longer and the outdoor spaces are colder due to the Alaskan weather. With our group's age range for this trip (from 20 years old to 80+ years old), there was almost always someone in the room who wasn't keen to be out exploring. We were very happy to have a Verandah room during our Alaskan Disney Cruise and enjoyed waking up to views and having the option to check out the view without having to get warmer clothes on and go up on deck.

There is plenty to do throughout the ship and plenty of spaces for lounging outside of your room but the Verandah was truly a highlight for our days at sea. Even for the days when we were coming into port, it was delightful to watch our approach from the comfort of our own balcony.

The room shown in the photos here is a Deluxe Verandah room. There is a queen bed and the couch the converts into twin sleeper.

How much does a 2024 Alaskan Disney Cruise Cost?

The prices for the cruise vary dramatically by room type and date of sailing. We asked our travel partner to pull some sample pricing for cruises so that we could include them here for your reference.

For the seven night sailing that leaves May 22, 2023 for two people an interior room costs  $3,574.94 and an exterior deluxe verandah 5C category room with an unobstructed view and regular balcony size costs $8,012.94 .

Compare this to the seven night sailing that leaves on July 17, 2023 in the heart of the summer. For two people an interior room costs  $4,708.94 while an exterior Deluxe Verandah 5C category room with an unobstructed view and regular balcony size $11,148.94 .

The seven-night sailing that leaves on May 13, 2024 for two people in an interior room starts at $3,490 and an exterior verandah room starts at $6,347 . The exact prices are not available yet as booking details are not yet open.

Compare this to the seven night sailing that leaves on July 8, 2024, in the heart of the summer. For two people an interior room costs $4,635 while an exterior Deluxe Verandah 5c category room with an unobstructed view and regular balcony size is $11,495.2. As you can see, the more popular summer months when kids are out of school are more expensive.

Again, as you are considering your Disney Cruise to Alaska, be sure to request a FREE Disney Cruise line vacation quote from our travel partner . When you book with our partner you'll receive up to a $400 onboard credit .

Onboard Disney Cruise Line Programming

There are a variety of onboard Disney Cruise Line offerings to fill your days at sea and evenings. From lavish entertainment (see Disney Cruise Line entertainment section below) to educational programs to fitness offerings, there really are tons of ways to stay busy during the days at sea. Your Disney Cruise Line Personal Navigator app has information on all times for all activities onboard the ship. Make sure everyone in your party has downloaded the app before your departure.

Though we were onboard a unique Alaskan Disney Cruise (our trip was part of the Disney Vacation Club Member Cruise ) we did still experience quite a bit of the normal programming that is offered by the Disney Cruise Line on a standard Alaskan cruise.

One of the highlights on the onboard programming was the educational nature presentations . All of the adults in our group attended all three of the talks given by the naturalist that was onboard. His three presentations were on the fjords and waterways, whales and water ways, and Alaskan bears and salmon. Each of the presentations was educational and added to our excursion experience by providing context on our trip on land. The programming was well put together and could be interesting to all ages. If you have a nature curious preteen and up, I would recommend bringing them along to the presentation. Other topics sometimes presented by the naturalist include information on the Klondike Gold Rush and Vancouver Life.

Some of the other offerings on the Alaska Disney Cruise on the Disney Wonder include:

• The Art of the Theme Tour is a tour of the ship that focuses on the details and history built into the ship. You'll find fun features in the carpet and hear stories on design details. I also always like to take the opportunity to connect with another Cast Member.
• There is trivia with varying themes offered throughout the trip. Some themes include movie quotes trivia, Disney theme park trivia, sports trivia, and PIXAR trivia.
• In the Buena Vista Theater (the smaller of the two theaters onboard the ship) there are a variety of the latest movies from Disney playing . During our 2022 sailing we saw Togo (story about an Alaskan sled dog), Thor: Love and Thunder, and Encanto. The list is always updated with the latest Disney movies that were released but there is usually a film that ties into the Alaskan cruise theme like Togo or Brother Bear that is always offered.
• There is evening live music and entertainment available in the lounges. These offerings vary by cruise but we saw a lounge singer during our sailing. The songs are ones that you'll know and performances have specific themes.
• For an additional charge, you can join an alcohol tasting class or mixology class . These experiences do fill up so you should book them when they open for booking. See dates the varying dates that excursions and activities open to guests below.
• Throughout your stay you'll get to experience super fun folded towels and napkins. Each night when you return to your stateroom you'll find a folded towel animal on the bed waiting for you. There is a class where you can learn how to fold your own napkin and towel animal .
• For the musically excited, a night time karaoke and silent disco are offered.
• Throughout the trip you'll have lots of opportunity to join in playing BINGO . Be sure to check when there is presale of BINGO cards so that you don't end up waiting in the queue when you arrive to play.
• There is a very popular Match Your Mate game show where you and your significant other are challenged to see how well you know each other with trivia questions. This is a fan favorite!
• There are activities for every interest onboard the Disney Cruise to Alaska – you'll also find a cooking class demonstration and animation class .

The dates that guests can book onboard experiences (tastings, spa, nursery, Royal Court Tea), Alaskan excursions, and adult dining at Palo (details below) vary by sailing history with Disney Cruise Line . Once you have paid for your cruise in full, first time Disney Cruise Line guests can book 75 days before sail date, Silver Castaway Club members can book 90 days before sail date, Gold Castaway Club Members can book 105 days before, and Concierge Guests and Platinum Castaway Club Members can book 120 days before your sail date.

Alaska Disney Cruise Character Meet and Greets

Throughout our Disney Cruise there were characters everywhere. The Disney meet and greet limitations for the Disney Cruise Line had been recently lifted and we experienced a completely normal character meet and greet experience onboard our cruise. Many times throughout our trip I would be walking from one activity to the next and bump into a character just wandering. Multiple times I saw Thor wandering the hallways looking for someone to engage with.

All character meeting times are listed in the app. Our favorite character meet and greets were with the Disney fab five in their Alaskan outfits. For anyone excited about rare Disney meet and greets, these photos are super exciting. The best opportunity to take these photos comes on the Dawes Glacier day. On this day the characters will be up on the top deck outdoors so you can get an iconic Alaskan view in the background. I recommend arriving about fifteen minutes before the scheduled photo time to meet Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse up here. We started with Mickey Mouse and then jumped over to the line for Minnie Mouse. There were other times we saw opportunities to wait in line for characters (on the formal night the fab five is out in tuxedos) but were happy just to have these outdoor photos.

Don't be afraid of a short line for a memorable photo with your favorite character.

Fitness Offerings Onboard the Disney Wonder

The fitness center and spa offers a number of scheduled workout classes. During our sailing there were complimentary offerings that included a mile walk around the ship and a morning yoga class . I opted to try one of the premium experiences and purchased the personal training experience . You could opt for a two pack or four pack of classes. There was a discount if you went with the four pack. I decided just do purchase the two pack as I wanted to workout some on my own during the trip as well. The cruise really flies by. I was glad that I only purchased the two day experience.

The gym is at the very front of the Disney Wonder and has a wide array of fitness machines. I typically like to start my workout with a run. I did this everyday except for one when the boat was moving a little too much for the treadmill and I opted for the stationary bicycle instead. The fitness center also has a nice locker room. I actually ended up showering in the locker everyday of our trip after our workout instead of using the shower in our stateroom.

In Skagway I went for a run off the ship. When facing the town from the port I ran to the left and found a foot bridge. Over the bridge there was a dirt trail with work out stations (pull up bars, sit up bench, etc) all along it. This was a great way to get off the ship and get a workout in outside before our excursion for the day. I ran about 3.5 miles here.

Disney Cruise Line Sense Spa and Salon Offerings

The Disney Wonder has a full spa offering onboard with a suite of services. The spa rooms have massive windows with sweeping views from the top of the ship.

Some of the offerings at the spa include a Rainforest aromatherapy room, steam room, and sauna. There are also comfortable locker rooms for changing before and after the treatment. As I mentioned above, I used the locker rooms throughout our cruise after the weight room even when not getting a treatment.

The spa is available for guests 18 and older and reservations can be made online or after 1 pm in person at the spa on the first day of your cruise. An 18% gratuity will be applied to all spa and fitness services.

If you are interested in a manicure or a pedicure, consider booking your time slot for the first day of your trip for stunning views of Vancouver as you sail away. There is also a rainforest room which features a steam room and relaxation area. You can pay for a day pass or pass for your entire trip.

Disney Wonder Cruise Kids Activities

There are kids clubs and activities for kids of all ages. There are five different areas on the ship designed to service kids from toddlers to teens.

There are five different lounge options: the “it’s a Small World” nursery, Disney’s Oceaneer Club, Oceaneer Lab, Edge, and Vibe. You can view all the various kid activities in the Disney Cruise Line app.

All of the kids clubs except the “it's a Small World” nursery are included with the price of the cruise. The nursery is an additional fee and requires reservations.

On embarkation you and your child can tour the kids clubs together to calm any nerves. This is also when you'll register your child for the club. You can also pre-register your child before the cruise here .

Keep in mind that kids are not fed by the kids clubs so even though your child will likely want to stay in the club all day you will have to grab them for meals. This is also something to keep in mind when booking any Palo reservation that may conflict with your child's eating timing.

Disney Wonder Entertainment Available On Alaskan Cruise

During the cruise to Alaska there are a number of Broadway-caliber shows that are performed in the Walt Disney Theatre. The shows vary by sailing length. On nights when one of the Disney shows are not taking place in the theater, there will be some sort of variety show act performed.

The shows on the Disney Wonder are:

• “Frozen, A Musical Spectacular” is a full retelling of the Frozen story with huge musical acts that runs just over an hour. The production value is incredible, the musicians are very impressive, and Olaf was hilarious.
• “The Golden Mickeys” is a musical medley show that features songs from Disney films of past and present. A story is also woven in between the musical acts that a stage manager is suddenly pushed into the spotlight when she has to host the show at the last minute. By the end of the show, the host realizes that anything is possible.
• “Disney Dreams – An Enchanted Classic” is a musical medley show that pulls in classic Disney musical numbers when a young girl who is losing her belief in magic is visited in her dreams by characters from Disney classics and is helped along the way by Peter Pan and Tinker Bell.

Shows are typically performed twice nightly so that they are opposite your dinner seating. If you have a late dinner you'll watch the earlier show and if you have an early dinner seating you'll watch the later show.

There are also two deck shows that occur during the cruise:

• The “Mickey's Sail-A-Wave” party is a send off deck party with all of your favorite Disney characters that occurs right as the ship is pulling out of Vancouver. This show takes place in the mid-afternoon.
• The “Freeze the Night Away” deck party is a Frozen themed deck party with your favorite songs and characters from Frozen. Snow comes down at the end of this show. The night of our deck party is truly was freezing and we were bundled up enjoying the entertainment on deck. This show takes place after both dinner seatings have been completed.

Choosing Your Disney Cruise Line Alaskan Excursions

There are a wide array of excursions for Disney Cruises to Alaska. Guests can opt for the most extravagant helicopter ride to dog sledding or just enjoy a leisurely walk around town. CAUTION – You will likely have sticker shock. Some excursions are hundreds of dollars per person. Remember that you are in Alaska for a once in a lifetime Disney Cruise. Be sure to budget for these excursions as you plan for your trip.

Disney Cruise Line sells excursions directly. For research sake I compared prices between the offering from Disney Cruise Line and booking some experiences on our own. The pricing was often the same or only slightly more when purchasing from Disney when I could find it. For many of the more upscale experiences, there was no clear way to find the offering directly online to comparison shop as the experience was curated specifically for the cruise line. There are always vendors just off the ship selling other excursion offerings but be warned that if you take a third party excursion and do not get back to the ship before the official departure time the ship will leave you behind. This warning and a very real story of passengers being left behind in Juneau, Alaska after their seaplane couldn't fly back from the glacier due to lack of visibility scared us enough not to consider outside excursions.

When you purchase an excursion from Disney you'll check in for the excursion in D-Lounge and then be escorted to the correct transportation by a Cast Member.

Here were our trip reports for each Alaskan port we experienced:

Skagway – The White Pass and Yukon Route Railway was about a three hour train loop up the trail to the Yukon gold rush. The experience was well put together though after about 2 hrs we wished that we were back at the base. You'll follow the same route up and then back down. The train picks up directly at the ship.

We heard others who opted for a long hike, to rent a car and drive up into the Yukon (Skagway is the only port that we visited that is actually connected to the rest of the country by road), and taking an old town shuttle tour around the town itself. I would have loved to go on a long hike but due to others in our group with less mobility we opted to spend time together on the railway experience. This was a great way to see the sights and spend time together.

After our railway tour we still had a chance to walk around the town. We stopped at a Christmas shop and enjoyed chatting with the owners who turned out to spend winter in San Diego, California. We also enjoyed fried dough from the Klondike Doughboy . This is a must stop for your day in Skagway that you'll find on one of the side streets. Finally, we watched a National Parks historical film on the “last gold rush” that lead to the original establishment of Skagway as the gateway for gold seekers to sail to before a treacherous journey over the mountain to the site where gold was discovered. I enjoyed the context that the film provided. The film can be found in the National Parks building at the end of the street closest to the cruise ship slips.

This is a screenshot of the video I captured of the whales coming right up near our boat. The photo doesn't do the experience justice.

Juneau – At Juneau we participated in a whale watching and trip to the Mendenhall glacier . We were picked up by bus from the ship and then taken to a boat for the whale watching tour. We had whales get very close up to the ship and flip their tale. Just like the Pacific Life commercials ! This was an excellent experience getting into nature.

After our long morning on the boat we got back on the bus and headed to the Mendenhall Glacier. All along the ride we had very fun narration from our bus driver who shared a look into what it is like living in Alaska. She was witty and provided a look into the actual life rather than just giving facts and figures. A real highlight! At the Mendenhall Glacier we walked out to the waterfall. They claim this walk is an hour roundtrip but it only took us 45 minutes and that includes at least 10 minutes talking photos at the waterfall. Our bus then dropped us off in the heart of Juneau and we walked through some of the shops and found lunch.

We opted to enjoy the fish tacos at Deckhand Dave's . We debated going to Tracy's Crab Shack but decided we didn't want another large sit down meal for lunch. We were very happy with our pick to enjoy the tacos. After lunch we also found GREAT fudge from the Alaskan Fudge Company . Both great options!

Ketchikan – As I shared above, Ketchikan is one of the rainiest cities in the United States so it was raining during our day here. It rained on and off throughout the day and the sky was gray all day. The ship docks right in town. In the morning we walked through the various shops in town and I took a longer walk up the river beyond Creek Street. The amount of salmon floating peacefully in the river was astounding. There were hundreds just hanging out in the shallows. In the afternoon we enjoyed the Lumberjack Show . This is an activity you could easily purchase tickets directly from the venue if you wanted to.

There isn't much of a savings for the headache of booking through an outside payment system but the option is there. The show was lots of fun. In the format of a US vs Canada competition, professional lumberjacks completed impressive stunts with their saws. The show also pulls in audience participation. We saw kids of the friends also on the trip get pulled in and have a great time participating. This experience is tons of fun for the entire family.

Fun Disneyland Fact – Did you know that in the summers of 1987 and 1988 there was a “State Fair” event that included a Log Rolling and Lumberjack Show? The show was found along the Rivers of America area.

When you get back on the ship there's always a Cast Member with hot chocolate and cookies ready to greet you.

For 2 of the 3 days in port we opted to return to the ship for lunch rather than sitting down at any of the restaurant in town. We enjoyed eating at Triton's restaurant on the ship and appreciated the sit down service. After lunch we easily returned back into town for more exploring and some of our group opted to stay on the ship.

WiFi During Your Disney Cruise Line Alaska Trip

I can't say this more overtly. The WiFi onboard the ship worked well for messaging and looking things but do not rely on it for downloads. Save any digital material that you want to have available. If you need a book downloaded for your Kindle or podcast downloaded for the gym, do everything you can to download these before leaving for your trip.

While there is WiFi onboard the Disney Wonder, it is expensive and runs out quickly. Even when you are on the WiFi there were certain apps that did not work at all.

In our experience iMessages came through over the WiFi even when we didn't have our WiFi package turned on. For messaging between people in your party onboard, there is a messaging option within the Disney Cruise Line app. This worked fine.

In each port I was able to get on my normal Verizon phone plan with no difficulties. I even used it as a hotspot from my computer to send email. Be sure to check on your phone plan for use in Canada for your days coming into Vancouver.

Disney Cruise Line App Review

At first the Disney Cruise Line app was difficult to use. The interface is not intuitive to begin with but once you figure out how to locate activities it works well.

When you first get onboard, go through the activities listed and select the various onboard activities that sound interesting to you. To get the activities, click on the “Explore” section and click the day you want to view. There is also an option to filter by activity type – filtering by movie for instance. This schedule that you create will then cause the app to send you push notifications. The “Add Plans” button in the app doesn't work as expected and just suggests paid activities to you. Make sure to click the “Explore” section for details on everything happening onboard.

Disney Wonder Pools

The pools and water slide are open throughout the cruise to Alaska. We opted to quickly ride the waterslide the first day that we were onboard to check that box as we knew that our departure day from Vancouver would be the warmest day to enjoy the pools on the cruise. I recommend getting on the slide that first day to enjoy it while it is still sunnier outside. There were plenty of people enjoying the waterslide throughout the voyage but we were glad to have ridden it the first day.

Entering the pool area could be jarring at times. I would walk out on to the deck and be greeted with icy winds in the morning but also the upbeat tunes of “La Bamba”.

I actually used the pool almost everyday of the trip. In the early evening before our show I would try and get up to the adult pool area and hot tub. This area was a little more peaceful than the others and it was nice to meet other guests in the hot tub to swap stories on their experience.

How Food Works Onboard Disney Cruise to Alaska

For Dinner:

Onboard the Disney Wonder there are three different restaurants that you will rotate through for dinners during your voyage. Each night you'll go to your assigned restaurant and your same waiter and assistant waiter will be there ready for you. Throughout your trip you'll get to know the wait staff and they'll get to know your preferences. In our group one member took her water without ice and by the second night she was already receiving her water with no ice without asking.

The menus shift each night of the cruise and are somewhat reflective of the theme of the restaurant.

Our waiters encouraged us to order anything on the menu that looked interesting. Each night I started with one of the soups of the day and some other appetizer before my main course. We sometimes also ordered an additional main course if we all wanted to try it.

Some of the food highlights that stuck with us – the Beef Wellington, the Banoffee pie (a chocolate, banana, whipped cream dessert), and the carmel ice cream that we enjoyed one evening (we ordered that ice cream every night afterwards too!). Another lesson. Always ask for the food that you want even if it isn't on the menu. My grandmother wanted a blue cheese wedge salad because the other salads on the menu were not something she was interested in. Amazingly our server had a wedge salad based on her specifications at the table 5 minutes later. My aunt was craving asparagus and they also delivered. Overall we were very impressed with the kitchen's ability to accommodate requests.

These were some of our drawings during the fun Animator's Palate show.

The three main restaurants are: Triton's, Tiana's Place, and Animator's Palate. Be sure not to miss the second night at Animator's Palate as there is a very cute show where everyone in the group draws a character and then that character comes to life on screens around the restaurant.

There are two dinner seatings – an early seating at 5:45 pm and a later seating at 8:15 pm. We had the later dinner seating which meant that we would be eating much later than we were used to at home. This also led us to snack much more going into the evening because we weren't going to eat until so much later. You have the opportunity to switch seating times in the app if you have a preference.

Palo For Upscale Dinner and Brunch:

There is an upscale adults only restaurant onboard called Palo that is an additional charge. We opted to enjoy both brunch and dinner here. The restaurant does book up so be sure to book your Palo experience when it becomes available for your Disney Cruise. Though I have a full review coming soon, I will share that we far preferred the variety that came with brunch at the restaurant.

For Breakfast and Lunch:

Throughout the day there are a variety of food options constantly available. The Cabanas restaurant is open with a buffet for breakfast and lunch. For a sit down breakfast or lunch, the central sit down restaurant, Triton's, is also available. We started the cruise having our breakfast at Cabanas and then shifted over to eating breakfast at Triton's after we realized that our evening waiter was often there and we could have the same great table service as we did at dinner. The quality of breakfast food was also better at Triton's. I had very similar omelette orders at both locations and the Triton's omelette was far superior.

There are also quick service restaurants on the upper deck that serve sandwiches, hamburgers, chicken tenders (super good!), pizza, Asian style bowls, and of course soft serve. There is never a bad time to order soft serve on the cruise! Make sure you get in the habit of grabbing one otherwise the cruise will slip by. It is never too cold for Disney Cruise Line soft serve ice cream!

Additional Charge Food

There are a couple of food locations that are an additional charge. There are concession stands outside the theaters selling popcorn, soda, and candy. There are also a number of lounges with additional cost alcoholic beverages. On the top deck there is also a bar / coffee place that is for adults only. This Cove Bar feels a lot like a comfortable Starbucks.

The regular dinner restaurants also have extra charge alcohol as an option.

On Your First Day Onboard:

When you first board the Disney Wonder in Vancouver each restaurant will be open for you to enjoy lunch. On our first day we had lunch at Tiana's Place and enjoyed the sit down service. We could also have opted for the quick service options or buffet at Cabanas.

In addition to the above there is included 24/7 room service onboard. Let's just say, you really aren't going to go hungry. It is much more important to think about what you aren't going to eat than to worry about what you are.

There is also a water and soda station on the Deck 9 pool deck. We brought reusable water bottles and popped up here to refill them throughout the trip. There are a couple of water bottle fill stations on the upper deck by the pool and in the gym.

Disney Cruise Line Vancouver, Canada Boarding Process

To board the Disney Wonder in Canada we went through a number of different checks including US customs.

For your arrival, you'll want to pack a carry on bag with anything you need throughout your first afternoon. You'll keep this bag with you and your other baggage will be sent to your room.

If anyone in your group has trouble walking long distances you may want to get a wheelchair for the walk through the check in process. There is lots of winding back and forth through the Disney Cruise Line security, customs, passport control, and then boarding the ship.

After you check in, you'll be directed to the ship where your room key will be waiting for you outside your door.

Disney Cruise Line Vancouver to Alaska COVID Testing

For our COVID test we used OnPoint testing . This was a virtual service where a proctor would watch you take your own approved at home COVID test and then sign off on the result.

For only $14.99 per person we were able to easily test from our own home. Three of us tested during the same 10 minute Zoom call. This was much simpler, less expensive, and easier than attempting to test when we got to Vancouver or using the official Disney Cruise Line vendor.

What to See in Vancouver Before Your Disney Cruise

I definitely recommend arriving to Vancouver at least one day before your Disney Cruise. Our flight arrived around 3 pm into Vancouver which gave us some time to enjoy the city before leaving to check in with Disney for our cruise the next morning. You'll also want to arrive the night before so that you aren't anxious about any flight delay that might cause you to miss the departure. The city feels far larger than it's official population (650,000 people) with innovative architecture and stunning views that blend the ocean, mountains, and city to one. In Vancouver, the spirit of adventure only grows as you lean into your anticipation for your Disney Cruise to Alaska – “the final frontier”.

Here were our highlights of Vancouver, Canada before the cruise:

First, we enjoyed Granville Island. This market place of food and artisans is absolutely a tourist trap but is one for good reason. On our clear skies day the market was crowded with locals and tourists enjoying the sun, food and entertainment. The market has the same feeling of active marketplace as Pike's Place Market in Seattle and Redding Terminal Market in Philadelphia but seems to have more food stalls. During the summer months when you'll be here before your Disney Alaska Cruise, expect a very warm afternoon.

At the market we had great fish and chips from Celine's Fish and Chips, pad thai, and a german sausage plate. The fish and chips were the absolute highlight and we returned for another order.

To get to Granville Island you'll want to use Uber or Lyft from Downtown Vancouver (read my guide to Uber and Lyft at Walt Disney World for discount codes if you've never used the rideshare services before). If you are all mobile, be careful not to call your rideshare directly to Granville Island as your car will end up in a massive lineup while trying to drop you off and the price for the ride will be more expensive. Instead, put in “Blue Hat Bistro” for your drop off location. Return here after your time at the market to avoid headache as well.

After Granville Island we walked around in Gastown which is right near the cruise terminal that our ship was leaving from the following day. We enjoyed seeing the cobblestone streets here and then walked out along the seawall near the cruise terminal. We ogled the massive cruise ships thinking about the Disney Wonder that we would board the following day. It was a lot of fun to walk along the sea wall from here. We watched as sea plane after sea plane followed the same landing pattern swooping in from the clear blue sky that was just turning to dusk.

The next morning I went out for a run along the seawall and through Downtown Vancouver. The views along the seawall were stunning. I made a quick stop for a last minute electronics need at an Apple Store and then it was time to get onboard the Disney Wonder for our cruise.

Packing for Disney Alaskan Cruise

You can also see our Disney Cruise Line Packing List for a full perspective on what you need to bring with you.

A couple packing list notes:

• There is a formal night onboard the ship but you do not have to participate if you don't want to. During our sailing about 40% of the passengers we saw were dressed up, but plenty did not.
• There are slippers and a robe in your stateroom for your use throughout the trip.
• For those using a cane, walking sticks were a nice option that my grandmother utilized instead of a cane during this trip.
• We did not plan on doing any laundry during our Alaska cruise but we ended up using the laundry machine after our rainy day in Ketchikan to dry out our clothes. The machines can be operated by tapping your room key and charging the laundry to your room.
• Make sure to bring your binoculars and consider getting a camera extension for your iPhone to increase your zoom strength.
• Each guest 21 years and older may bring a maximum of 2 bottles of unopened champagne or wine or 6 beers on to the ship at the beginning of the voyage and at each port. The beverages must be carried onboard in your carry-on luggage.

General Disney Cruise to Alaska Tips

• The stars in the carpet design in the main hallways all point towards the front of the ship.
• Watch the morning show with the cruise director. We really enjoyed the witty humor from our cruise director, Stephen. We bought in and had a lot of fun watching the show.
• Be ready for anything! During our sailing there was a tugboat strike in Vancouver that was completely outside of Disney's control. The strike led us to leave Vancouver eight hours late which meant that we had to skip Dawes Glacier to make up for lost travel time. This was obviously disappointing (Disney added a state room credit for all guests even though the situation was beyond their control), but we still had a great day weather wise and all the characters were still out with the same celebration.
• There are free charms and a free charm bracelet that are available for guests everyday at a specific time. My aunt and grandmother enjoyed picking up a charm each day. By the end of the trip they had a complete bracelet. The charms are meant to get you in to the store looking at jewelry but they are still a cute keepsake.
• You can tip the Cast Members that work on the cruise at the beginning or end of your sailing. There's a good tip calculator here to think about amounts.
• As with anything Disney, mention if you are celebrating a special occasion while onboard. There are always magic makers looking to help!
• Get outside! The views throughout your cruise are just incredible. Bring enough layers so you are always comfortable stepping out to your own verandah or the general decks so you can take in the majesty of the inside passage.

Take a look at a nice promo video from Disney here that captures many of these views:

We were hosted on this cruise to Alaska by Disney Vacation Club so that we could provide coverage of the Disney Vacation Club Member Cruise and witness some of the highlights from Disney Plus day. All opinions expressed here are our own.

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Here are some of our other guides helpful planning guides

• Disney Wish – Tour of Disney's Newest MEGASHIP
• How Much Does a Disney Cruise Cost? 2024 Pricing Explained
• Guide to Disney Cruises – What You Need to Know
• Top Tips For Your First Time Disney Cruise
• Review of the Disney Vacation Club Member Cruise – Worth It?
• Walt Disney World Hotel Reviews – Best Hotels On Property

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2 comments add your comment

All the tips in the above article are super helpful. Thank you

Glad it was helpful! Thank you for the feedback. Have a great cruise!

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Disney Wonder Alaska Cruise – The Essential Guide 2024

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One sailing that is on many people’s bucket lists is a cruise to Alaska.

And if you want to sail on one of the best cruise lines which offer that itinerary you really should consider a Disney Wonder Alaska Cruise.

Here we look at the Alaskan cruises that are available on the Disney Wonder, get an idea of pricing and find out more about what Disney Cruises have to offer.

Disney Wonder Sailings from Vancouver

First, let’s see what itineraries are available.

All the Disney Wonder Alaska Cruises sail from the port of Vancouver, Canada.

There are a number of different cruises available including 5, 7, 8, and 9-night itineraries.

Most of the Disney Wonder Cruises are for 7 nights.

There are some variations on the Disney Wonder Alaska cruise itinerary but most are 7-night cruises sailing from Vancouver.

4-Night Pacific Coast Cruise From San Diego California to Vancouver Canada

• San Diego, California
• Victoria, Canada
• Vancouver, Canada

Sailing on 5/9/24

7-Night Alaskan Cruise from Vancouver

• Glacier Viewing, Stikine Icecap
• Icy Strait Point

Sailing on 5/13/24, 5/27/24,

6/10/24, 6/24/24,

8/5/24, 8/19/24,

Sailing on 5/20/24,

6/3/24, 6/17/24,

7/1/24, 7/29/24,

8/12/24, 8/26/24,

9/9/24, and 9/16/24

9-Night Alaskan Cruise from Vancouver

Sailing on 7/15/24

Do You Need a Balcony Stateroom on a Disney Alaska Cruise?

The very simple answer to this is that a balcony stateroom is always very nice to have, particularly for an Alaskan cruise.

However, balcony staterooms are almost always more expensive than Inside and Outside staterooms – and never more is this true on any Alaskan cruise that you may choose.

Let’s look at this price difference.

These Disney Alaskan cruise costs are shown as correct if you were booking on November 27, 2022. Prices vary a lot so always check the Disney website for up-to-date pricing.

The prices below are for 2 guests including taxes and port fees.

The rates shown are for the lowest rates in that category.

As you can see the rates for a balcony stateroom are considerably higher than for an Inside or Oceanview stateroom.

For some dates, the cost of a balcony stateroom is more than double that of an Inside stateroom.

So should you book a balcony stateroom on a Disney Alaskan cruise?

Only you can decide whether the cost is within your budget.

Of course, it is nice to be able to sit on the balcony and watch the beautiful scenery go by, but you can do that in the public areas of the ship.

Is it as great an experience?

Probably not, but you are saving $3,000 to $4,000. You need to decide how important that is to you.

How to Find the Best Staterooms on Disney Wonder

When is the Best Time to Book a Disney Alaska Cruise?

There is no easy answer to this – as pricing patterns have changed since sailings restarted.

The usual advice prior to 2022 was that you should always book a Disney Cruise as close to the opening date as possible as the prices were likely to go up considerably over time.

However, this has become a little more complicated when you look at the prices for 2022 and how they have changed.

You can see  Disney Alaska Cruise 2022 Prices  here to see how they changed from the release date to right up to before sailing.

Some cruise prices for Alaska even went down from the opening day.

This is really not what you would expect, and was probably unique for 2022.

What you can see is that if you want to sail Concierge on a Disney Wonder Alaskan Cruise then the best idea would be to book as early as possible.

Concierge is likely to sell out quickly on many dates, and 2022 shows that prices can rise considerably.

What Are The Disney Alaskan Cruise Port Stops Like?

A Disney 7-night Alaska cruise has port stops in Skagway, Juneau, and Ketchikan.

It also has a day exploring Dawes Glacier. Each of these experiences has something different to offer.

Disney Cruise Dawes Glacier

This isn’t a port stop in the conventional sense. However, it is an experience sailing around the Dawes Glacier.

This is an amazing experience and is often the highlight of a Disney Alaskan cruise.

To be able to get up close and see the amazing scenery is an experience not to be missed.

Dawes Glacier is part of the scenic Endicott Arm fjord which is located approximately 45 miles south of Juneau, Alaska.

You get very close to the glaciers. Nothing can prepare you for that amazing sight of the spectacular glaciers.

The Tracy Arm experience will last around 5 hours, so there is plenty of time to enjoy the experience from different viewpoints.

Remember to dress in layers and bring those binoculars with you!

Icy Strait Point, Alaska

The 7-night Disney Alaskan Cruises and the 9-night cruise sails to Icy Strait Point, Alaska.

It is a stunningly beautiful port with spectacular views of the surrounding landscape.

A relatively new addition to Icy Strait Point is the gondola which gives spectacular views of the area. The Skyglider climbs 1,600 feet to Sky Peak.

It is well worth the journey for the view from the top.

Gondola Mountaintop and Transporter Port Adventure costs $50 for adults and $40 for children aged 3 to 9.

There are lots of tours which will give you the opportunity to see the abundant wildlife. There are a number of Whale Watching Tours available.

There is also a Discovering Birds excursion.

Other Port Adventures include Family Scavenger Hunt, Seafood Fest, Back Country Jeep Adventure, and the Spasski River Valley Wildlife and Bear Search.

Disney Cruise Alaska Skagway Port and Excursions

Skagway is probably my favorite port stop in Alaska.

This is another town where you dock very close to the center, so it is easy to just walk off the ship and explore.

Skagway is a small Gold Rush town. It is part of the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park.

This is how you imagine stepping back in time would feel like.

Skagway is a tiny town. It has one main street which isn’t very long. The population is just 1,191 people.

It is well worth the short walk into town though if only to imagine what it must have been like to live in one of the Gold Rush towns.

There are some tourist stores, a couple of bars, and a museum which is worth checking out.

However, you will most likely want to combine your visit to Skagway with some Disney cruise excursions to make the most of your time there.

A highlight for many visitors is the White Pass Scenic Railway.

You really couldn’t dock any closer to the station – it is right next to the ship.

This is a very very popular Port Adventure and it does sell out.

The cost is $149 for adults and $74 for children aged 3 to 9 for the basic journey.

There are other Port Adventures that include the rail journey but add on other elements such as a hike, a bike trail, or a VIP experience.

This vintage train takes you on a spectacular journey on a track that was built in 1898.

This is another one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences which we highly recommend.

One of the most sought-after Disney Cruise Alaska excursions is a dog sledding adventure.

There are plenty of opportunities to book an Alaskan port adventure where you can enjoy this amazing experience.

There are many other options for excursions in Skagway

. One of the least pricey is Skagway’s Original Street Car City Tour which is $52 for adults and $35 for children.

On this excursion, you board an original 1927 sightseeing bus and are taken on a historical journey around the town.

It is a good way to see more of the breathtaking scenery surrounding the town and to get an overview of the history of the area.

Other excursions include Alpine Lake Canoe Adventure, Dog Sledding and Glacier Flightseeing, Evening Wildlife Expedition, Klondike Bicycle Tour, Ocean Raft Nature Adventure, Sunset Horseback Adventure and the Yukon Expedition.

Disney Cruise Alaska Juneau Port and Excursions

Junuea is the only US State Capital that is landlocked.

The only way to get there is by land or sea – there are no roads going in or out of the town.

Disney Wonder docks right in the center of town.

Just step off the ship and you can explore the shops and restaurants.

It is, of course, a town which caters to tourists, so you will find a lot of souvenir shops which start to look the same as each other very quickly.

The Goldbelt Tramway is a very popular attraction in Juneau and it is just a short walk from where the Wonder docks.

The aerial tramway takes guests 1,800 feet into the mountains for a spectacular view of the surrounding scenery.

You can do this on your own, but there is also an excursion available. The lines can be long and if the weather is bad (as it often is) you may not see much of a view.

We would say to wait until you arrive and see what the weather is like before deciding if it is worth standing in line.

There is a huge choice of activities in Juneau – it is difficult to choose just one.

Juneau is well known for the Mendenhall Glacier.

This breathtaking natural feature is the only glacier in Alaska that you can access by road.

There are many Disney Port Adventures that give guests the chance to visit Mendenhall Glacier.

These range from a trip to view the glacier from the ground to plenty of options from a boat or kayak.

The Mendenhall Lake Kayak Adventure gives you an opportunity to explore the glacier up close. It is $229 for adults and $119 for children

Alaska is of course known for its abundant wildlife.

You will likely see whales from your ship, but if you want to increase your odds of seeing one of these beautiful creatures there are plenty of Whale Watching Adventures to choose from.

The Whale Watching and Wildlife Quest is $179 for adults and $109 for children.

Guests will board a catamaran and sail on a whale-watching adventure.

Want to be even more adventurous? The Taku Lacier Adventure by Helicopter is one of those bucket list experiences that you will never forget. It is available for $459 for all ages.

Disney Alaska Cruise Ketchikan Port and Excursions

Another fascinating port on your Disney Cruise is the town of Ketchikan.

Disney Wonder docks right in the town so you can just step off the ship and explore.

As you would expect, the town is full of tourist shops.

It is worth taking a short time to browse around, but you will probably want to book a Port Adventure to explore much more than the town itself.

Ketchikan is most famous for its colorful totem poles which you can see around the town.

The Misty Fjords National Monument by Seaplane is a very popular excursion.

This 75-minute flight will have you flying over spectacular scenery and enjoying a view of the surrounding fjords, waterfalls, and lakes. The cost is $499 for adults and $409 for children aged 2 to 9. Under 2 are free.

Ketchikan is also famous for its lumberjack show, which is a short walk from the cruise ship. You can book the Exclusive Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show at $50 for adults and $28 for children. For an extra charge, you can even try your hand at axe throwing!

There are lots of Disney Alaska Cruise Port Adventures to get you out in the amazing Alaskan scenery. These include an Alaskan Bear Adventure, Zipline Adventures, Hunting for Halibut, Mountain Point Snorkeling Adventure, Rainforest Family Adventure, and a Wilderness Exploration and Crab Fest.

Which Side of the Cruise Ship is Best on an Alaska Cruise?

Visiting Sitka on a Disney Alaska Cruise

The Wonder only has a port stop in Sitka on the 9-night itinerary which only sails once in 2023.

You can easily explore on your own but you will get the most out of your experience if you book a guided tour or Port Adventure.

There are several Disney Port Adventures available to the National Park which is also known as Totem Park. The basic tour is $64 for adults and $44 for children aged 3 to 9.

If you prefer something a little more adventurous then the Alaska Zodiac Adventure and Fin Island Lodge Port Adventures are available for $199 for adults and $139 for children.

Hubbard Glacier

You will only visit Hubbard Glacier on a Disney Alaska Cruise if you are sailing on the 9-night itinerary.

This is subject to actually being able to access the glacier as for part of the cruise season it is too icy to actually pass close to Hubbard Glacier.

It is a spectacularly beautiful place and most guests enjoy the views from the ship.

However, there is one Port Adventure available which is the Hubbard Glacier Explorer costing $299 for adults and $199 for children. This 2-hour tour on a water-jet-powered catamaran  takes you close up to the glacier so that you are likely to see

Want to Know More About the Disney Wonder?

We have spent many months on the Disney Wonder and have written lots of guides about this fabulous ship:

Disney Wonder Staterooms – What Do You Need to Know?

Disney Wonder Restaurant Guide

Disney Wonder Bars

Disney Cruise First-Timer Money Mistakes

Alison Meacham is the founder of EverythingMouse Disney Blog. For over 15 years she has shared her love of Disney Parks, Disney Cruises and Universal Orlando.  In over 30 years of Disney Travel she has spent countless months in Disney Parks and has sailed on over 45 cruises. A British native and now a United States resident she splits her time between California, Florida and the UK. And spends a serious amount of time sailing the seven seas. She helps over 200,000 people per month follow their Disney travel dreams.

Wednesday 30th of November 2022

The photo posted of the Disney Magic in Vancouver - just an fyi that’s not Vancouver! Great article though :)

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Complete Guide: Disney’s Alaska Cruises for 2023, 2024 and Beyond

By Lisa Gilmore Leave a Comment

If sweating and tan lines aren’t your style, that’s totally okay — we’ve got you covered. If that is what your typical vacation looks like, and you just want to switch things up, this post is also for you!

Today, we’re gonna talk about another popular vacation option: an Alaskan cruise! But with Alaska’s extremely cold climate, it can be difficult to pinpoint the best time to visit while also coordinating schedules with the people in your travel party. We’re here to provide you all the information on Disney Cruises to Alaska for 2023 and 2024 so you can find that sweet spot of a sail date for you and your family .

The good news is the hard part is over. You’ve already made a few big and critical decisions. You’ve decided that you want to go on a Disney Cruise and that you want to cruise to Alaska. The rest is just navigating through the details, like do you want to bring the black shoes or the red shoes, and how many evening gowns you might bring. Ok, ok, those probably aren’t the questions you’re scratching your head over.

Let’s take a look at some of the biggies you’re probably creating a pro/con list for right now:

When to Take a Disney Cruise to Alaska

How long of a cruise to select, which stateroom to choose, how much will it cost, choosing your alaskan shore excursions.

Not to worry, we’re gonna help you want through those questions! And even better, we’ll help provide you with some additional information, just so you can be sure to have the best cruise vacation ever!

Onboard Disney Cruise Line Programming

Alaskan cruise character meet & greets, packing for your alaskan cruise.

Because Alaska is way up north and cold (shocker, right? 🤣), the cruisin’ months are limited. So you can only sail up to the great white north (is that what it’s called, well… we’re coining it, you heard it here first… oh wait, it’s actually called The Last Frontier, ok, we’ll go with that. Love you, Alaska!) between April and September.

Phew, one hurdle down. We don’t have to stress about 12 months of options. We only have to consider six months. Easy, breezy.

©Disney Cruise Line Sailing to Alaska

Do you need to prioritize when your kids are in school? The May and September sailings will be less expensive and may not even be fully booked because kids will still be in school. Some of the same school discounting effects can be felt for the very beginning of June and the very end of September as well. If you are not confined to summer school schedules, you may want to consider a sailing at the beginning or end of the Alaskan cruising season.

The weather is beautiful!

The other option to consider is the weather (wait, you mean Alaska isn’t just a snowy, frosty wonderland all year-round?).  The later in the season, you plan your cruise, the higher the potential for rain during your trip. You can see on this Juneau, Alaska, monthly climate average that the average rainfall by month is double in September, which is in May. Ketchikan, Alaska, is actually one of the rainiest cities in the U.S. and receives nearly 235 days of precipitation per year. A weather note – most think of Alaska as cold. Throughout the summer months, the temperatures do not get too low, averaging around 60 degrees. Pretty comfortable when in pants. You’ll experience a mix of sun, rain, and cooler temperatures.

You can typically find 3 cruise lengths to Alaska. Disney Cruise Line offers a 5-night, 7-night, and 9-night cruise. Not a big head-scratcher here. Just like Goldilocks, consider your family, and your needs and find the cruise length that “just right” for you.

For many cruises, you could take the same approach that you might take for choosing a Disney resort – why pay for the room if you will be out of the room the entire trip exploring and having fun? You may want to reconsider this for an Alaskan cruise as the itineraries are longer, and the outdoor spaces are colder due to the Alaskan weather.

Oceanview Verandah

As you might not experience an Alaskan cruise more than once in your lifetime, you might think about splurging to have a Verandah room during your Alaskan Disney Cruise and enjoy waking up to views and having the option to check out the view without having to get warmer clothes on and go up on deck.

The prices for the cruise vary dramatically by room type and date of sailing. 

• For the seven-night sailing that leaves May 22, 2023, for two people, an interior room costs $3,574.94, and an exterior deluxe verandah 5C category room with an unobstructed view and regular balcony size costs $8,012.94.
• Compare this to the seven-night sailing that leaves on July 17, 2023, in the heart of the summer. For two people, an interior room costs $4,708.94, while an exterior Deluxe Verandah 5C category room with an unobstructed view and regular balcony size costs $11,148.94.
• The seven-night sailing that leaves on May 13, 2024, for two people in an interior room starts at $3,490, and an exterior verandah room starts at $6,347.

Again, 2024 follows the same trend as 2023, that the mid-summer period is more expensive with kids out of school and potentially better weather. On the seven-night sailing starting on July 29, an inside room for two people starts at $4,623, and a verandah room starts at $8,851.

There are over of excursions for Disney Cruises to Alaska (over 200!). Guests can opt for the most extravagant helicopter ride to dog sledding or just enjoy a leisurely walk around town. CAUTION – You will likely have sticker shock. Some excursions are hundreds of dollars per person. Remember that this is probably a once-in-a-lifetime Disney Cruise. Be sure to budget for these excursions as you plan for your trip.

Disney Cruise Line sells excursions directly, so you can add them to your Disney Cruise reservation plans and have the simplicity of just paying Disney for everything. There are always vendors just off the ship selling other excursion offerings, but be warned that if you take a third-party excursion and do not get back to the ship before the official departure time, the ship will leave you behind.

Skagway as Seen from the Ship

Excursion options will vary based on your length of cruise and the time of the year.

• Juneau, Alaska , is the state’s capital and the largest town that the ship stops in during the Alaskan cruise. The town has some noteworthy food options.
• Skagway, Alaska , was the access point for the last gold rush. This old gold rush town is the jumping-off point for excursions into the Yukon. Excursion options include a historic railway line with stunning vista views, helicopter tours, and tours of the old town.
• Ketchikan, Alaska , is the rainiest place in the world and features an old town built on stilts above a creek, salmon runs, Native American totem polls, and a lumberjack show. This port is the closest to Vancouver in Alaska, and all Disney Alaskan Cruises stop here.
• Dawes Glacier, Alaska , is not a port but a location the boat pulls into for one day of all Alaska sailings. The boat enters the cove near the glacier and then rotates slowly so that all sides of the boat get an angle of the glacier. There is an option for an excursion here to go out on a smaller boat that goes closer to the glacier. 
• Sitka, Alaska highlights revolve around the Russian history of the city (this was the capital of the territory when Alaska belonged to Russia) and the outdoor excursions, which are similar to the excursions offered in the other ports.

There are a variety of onboard Disney Cruise Line offerings to fill your days at sea and evenings. From lavish entertainment to educational programs to fitness offerings, there are many ways to stay busy during the days at sea. Your Disney Cruise Line Personal Navigator app has information on all times for all activities onboard the ship. Make sure everyone in your party has downloaded the app before your departure.

Walt Disney Theatre on the Wonder

Some of the standard Disney Cruise offerings you can expect are:

• Fitness centers
• Spa and Salon offerings
• Kids Clubs and activities
• Broadway-style live performance
• Cinema theatres
• Trivia and family game activities
• Beverage tasting and workshops
• Onboard WiFi, 
• Rotational Dining
• Specialty Dining

Animator’s Palate

Alaskan cruises offer educational nature presentations focused on the unique Alaskan environment. Check your Personal Navigator app for talks given by the naturalist onboard. These presentations can cover the fjords and waterways, whales and waterways, and Alaskan bears and salmon. Presentations are educational and provide context for your view and experience in this landscape.

All character meeting times are listed in the Personal Navigator app. Be on the lookout for the Disney fab five in their Alaskan outfits. The best opportunity to take these photos comes on the Dawes Glacier day. On this day, the characters will be up on the top deck outdoors so you can get an iconic Alaskan view in the background. Plan to arrive about fifteen minutes before the scheduled photo time to meet Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse up here.

Mickey and Minnie in Alaska

The “Freeze the Night Away” deck party is a Frozen-themed deck party with your favorite songs and characters from Frozen. Snow comes down at the end of this show. The night of our deck party, it can be actually “freezing,” so dress appropriately! This show takes place after both dinner seatings have been completed.

Oh no, now you really DO have to decide if you’re going to pack the red shoes or the black shoes, and figure out your evening gown inventory! But don’t panic! There is a formal night onboard the ship, but you do not have to participate if you don’t want to.

What do you pack for a cruise?

There are laundry machines to minimize the about of bulky clothes you need to pack. And the dryers are particularly handy for drying clothes that got soaked in the rain or snow. The machines can be operated by tapping your room key and charging the laundry to your room. Make sure to bring your binoculars, and consider getting a camera extension for your iPhone to increase your zoom strength. And you’ll still want to bring a bathing suit and sunscreen, in case you plan to enjoy the pool or spa.

Disney Cruise Packing List

Each guest 21 years and older may bring a maximum of 2 bottles of unopened champagne or wine or 6 beers on to the ship at the beginning of the voyage and at each port. There are some things you’re not allowed to bring on a cruise , so make sure you’re following those rules.

Get Your Disney Cruise Must Haves — HERE!

What You Need to Know About Disney Cruise Line

Learn all about disney cruise line and its various ships, explore disney’s mega cruise ship – the wish, a full list of what you can’t bring on a disney cruise, these are the best times to book your disney cruise, the best ways to save space in your tiny cruise cabin, 10 things you need on your next cruise (that you won’t think to pack), what it’s like to live on a cruise ship for 6 months, join the dfb newsletter to get all the latest disney news delivered right to your inbox click here to subscribe.

Is there a Disney Cruise to Alaska in your future? Let us know in the comments below!

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2024 Disney Cruise Schedule – Sail Dates, Ports & More

LAST UPDATE: 3/12/24

Itineraries for 2024 Disney Cruises  are listed below, along with the complete  2024 Disney Cruise Line schedule .

If you’re thinking about taking a Disney Cruise in 2024, you may also want to read our comprehensive Disney Cruise discount guide  and  Disney Cruise planning tips  pages.

• 2024 Itineraries

Get On the Early Booking List

• 2024 Holiday Cruises, Themed Cruise & Other Special Cruises

2024 Adventures by Disney Pre- and Post-Cruise Escape Packages

2024 drydock plans.

Sailings for Winter/Spring 2024 (January through April/May) were announced on December 7, 2022. They went on sale for Platinum Castaway Club members on December 12, 2022, Gold members on December 13, Silver members and DVC members on December 14, and everyone else on December 15.

Pixar Day at Sea and Marvel Day at Sea 2024 cruise dates (January through March) were announced on February 2, 2023.

Sailings for Summer 2024 (June through September) were announced on March 23, 2023. They went on sale for Platinum Castaway Club members on March 27, Gold members on March 28, Silver members and DVC members on March 29, and everyone else on March 30.

Sailings for Winter 2024 (October through December, and a few early 2025 itineraries) were announced on June 13, 2023. They went on sale for Pearl Castaway Club members on June 19,  Platinum Castaway Club members on June 20, Gold members on June 21, Silver members, Adventures Insiders and DVC members on June 22, and everyone else on June 26.

Inaugural sailings for the Disney Treasure (Late December) were announced on September 5, 2023. They went on sale for Pearl Castaway Club members on September 12, 2023, Platinum Castaway Club members on September 13, Gold members on September 14, DVC and Adventures By Disney Insiders on September 18, Silver members on September 19, and everyone else on September 20.

Disney Cruise 2024 Itineraries

Disney treasure, disney wish, disney fantasy, disney dream, disney wonder, disney magic.

Schedule in a nutshell:

• Late December:  — 7-night Eastern and Western Caribbean cruises from Port Canaveral

Complete 2024 Disney Treasure Cruise Schedule

• If you are interested in booking a 2024 cruise on the Disney Treasure , we recommend either Small World Vacations or Undercover Tourist . We have worked with both companies for over 15 years and can recommend them wholeheartedly. It’s really a question of whether you prefer full-service booking or self booking. These staterooms often sell out fast, so if you see one you like, snag it quickly.
• Small World Vacations is a full service agency, offering a personal travel agent you can contact by email or direct phone number. It costs you nothing to use them, PLUS their FREE onboard credit offer applies to these special fares (the total cruise fare for the stateroom must be at least $1000 to get their onboard credit). 
• Undercover Tourist is a self-service booking site similar to Expedia or Priceline, but with years of focus on the Disney travel market. They offer the special rates mentioned above PLUS they add their own discounts. 

The Disney Wish sails 3-night and 4-night Bahamian cruises from Port Canaveral, visiting Nassau and Castaway Cay, for 2024.

Complete 2024 Disney Wish Cruise Schedule

• If you are interested in booking a 2024 cruise on the Disney Wish , we recommend either Small World Vacations or Undercover Tourist . We have worked with both companies for over 15 years and can recommend them wholeheartedly. It’s really a question of whether you prefer full-service booking or self booking. These staterooms often sell out fast, so if you see one you like, snag it quickly.

The Disney Fantasy sails 7-night Western and Eastern Caribbean and 3- to 6-night Bahamian cruises from Port Canaveral in 2024, with a few double-dips and triple-dips to Lighthouse Point and Castaway Cay.

Complete 2024 Disney Fantasy Cruise Schedule

• If you are interested in booking a 2024 cruise on the Disney Fantasy , we recommend either Small World Vacations or Undercover Tourist . We have worked with both companies for over 15 years and can recommend them wholeheartedly. It’s really a question of whether you prefer full-service booking or self booking. These staterooms often sell out fast, so if you see one you like, snag it quickly.
• January – early May: Fort Lauderdale — 3- to 5-night Bahamian and Western Caribbean cruises, then across the Atlantic to Barcelona
• Late May – Late July: Barcelona & Civitavecchia — 5- to 11-night Mediterranean cruises, then reposition to Southampton
• Late July – Early October: Southampton — 3- to 12-night Northern Europe, Norwegian and Iceland cruises, then a possible drydock and a reposition across the Atlantic to Fort Lauderdale
• Late October – December: Fort Lauderdale — 3- to 5-night Bahamian and Western Caribbean cruises with several double-dips

Complete 2024 Disney Dream Cruise Schedule

• If you are interested in booking a 2024 cruise on the Disney Dream , we recommend either Small World Vacations or Undercover Tourist . We have worked with both companies for over 15 years and can recommend them wholeheartedly. It’s really a question of whether you prefer full-service booking or self booking. These staterooms often sell out fast, so if you see one you like, snag it quickly.
• January – mid-March: Sydney, Melbourne — 2- to 6-night Australian cruises, then reposition to San Diego via Honolulu & Vancouver
• Mid-March – early May: San Diego — 3- to 7-night Mexican cruises, then up the coast to Vancouver
• Mid-May – October: Vancouver — 5- to 9-night Alaskan cruises, then across the Pacific to Sydney, Australia via Hawaii.
• Late October – December: Australia — 2- to 6-night Australian and New Zealand cruises from various ports, many with no stops (cruises to nowhere)

Complete 2024 Disney Wonder Cruise Schedule

• If you are interested in booking a 2024 cruise on the Disney Wonder , we recommend either Small World Vacations or Undercover Tourist . We have worked with both companies for over 15 years and can recommend them wholeheartedly. It’s really a question of whether you prefer full-service booking or self booking. These staterooms often sell out fast, so if you see one you like, snag it quickly.
• January: Galveston — 4- to 6-night Western Caribbean cruises
• February: New Orleans — 4- to 7-night Western Caribbean cruises
• March – mid-April: Galveston  — 4- to 7-night Western Caribbean cruises, then reposition to San Juan, Puerto Rico
• Late April: San Juan — 7-night unique Southern Caribbean cruises 
• May – October: Fort Lauderdale — 3- to 5-night Bahamian and Western Caribbean cruises, including some visiting Disney’s new private beach: Lighthouse Point
• November – December: Galveston — Reposition to Galveston via San Juan, with a 7-night Southern Caribbean cruise in the middle, then 3- to 6-night Western Caribbean cruises

Complete 2024 Disney Magic Cruise Schedule

• If you are interested in booking a 2024 cruise on the Disney Magic , we recommend either Small World Vacations or Undercover Tourist . We have worked with both companies for over 15 years and can recommend them wholeheartedly. It’s really a question of whether you prefer full-service booking or self booking. These staterooms often sell out fast, so if you see one you like, snag it quickly.

Interested in booking a cruise for a date or itinerary that hasn’t been announced yet? You can submit a booking request for a Disney cruise, even before Disney Cruise Line releases the schedule. Save yourself some stress and fill out the Small World Vacations Wait List form in advance and they’ll book your preferred cruise the first day you are eligible, at no cost to you! Plus, you can get up to $1000 in FREE onboard credit  courtesy of Small World Vacations! (All staterooms and cruises are subject to availability at the time of booking.)

Disney Cruise Line announces their cruise dates and itineraries for only a few months at a time: January through April, then May through September and finally, September through December. Once the new itineraries come out, booking begins just a day or two later, first to Castaway Club members (people who’ve been on a previous Disney cruise) and then to the general public.

The people who book earliest almost always get the lowest possible price . Sometimes there will be last-minute deals via the restricted guarantee fares or Florida Resident fares , but only a small percentage of cruises ever have those fares, and those fares aren’t always cheaper than opening day fares. In addition, early bookers get first dibs on staterooms, making it the best way to land one of the hardest-to-get staterooms like the Secret Porthole and Secret Verandah rooms. Lots of people know about these advantages, so on the days the new itineraries become available for booking, both the phone lines and website get slammed.

There’s an easy way to avoid the scramble to book on the first day the bookings open:  submit a request to Small World Vacations now. You just need basic information like where you want to go (Caribbean, Alaska, Norway, Europe, etc.), the date range you want, the kind of stateroom you want (inside, outside, verandah) and the names and ages of the people going. Let them know if you are a Castaway Club Member by including your Member Number and Level (Platinum, Gold or Silver). You can add other preferences or priorities as needed – early dining, lower deck, upper deck, not over a nightclub – whatever is important to you.  Their agents will review your request, contact you to confirm they understand your priorities, and then you can relax and let your personal agent book your cruise when the time comes. Your agent will provide their email and direct phone number, so you can discuss your options and preferences.

On the day the itineraries become available for your Castaway Club level, your agent will be up bright and early while you sleep in (or go about your usual day). If Disney releases a cruise that fits your criteria, your agent will typically go ahead and put a hold in place, thus reserving your stateroom(s), then email you with your cruise details and deposit information. You’ll be able to have your choice of room type and location and will lock in the opening day price. If later on you decide to change rooms on the same sailing, Disney will give you the opening day price on the new room , even if the price has gone up in the intervening days or months. 

Even if you aren’t 100% sure whether you’re going to be able to go, there’s no real risk in getting a cruise booked early . Disney Cruise Line deposits for any stateroom types other than Concierge are fully refundable up to the Payment In Full date, which is 120-75 days before sailing, depending on the specific cruise and time of year. You have lots of time to figure out whether that cruise will work for you. If it doesn’t, you can get the deposit back or just transfer it to a different sailing date that works better.

The agents who handle cruise bookings for Small World Vacations have collectively sailed on more than 400 Disney cruises, and know a truly astonishing amount about all four ships, the various Disney ports of call, shore excursions and all the common itineraries (and many uncommon ones). Many of them are Platinum members of Disney’s Castaway Club, meaning that they have personally been on 10 or more Disney cruises! They’re happy to share their firsthand experience with the kids’ clubs, dining, character meets, entertainment, transportation, etc. In our experience, the travel agents at Small World Vacations are great at finding the best fares. They know all the tricks that will save you money, and they know the Disney Cruise Line inside and out. We’re confident that once you work with a really great travel agent, you’ll never want to book a cruise any other way. Read more about why we recommend using Small World Vacations to book your cruise!

• If you are interested in booking a cruise that hasn’t been announced yet , fill out the Small World Vacations Wait List form and get on their Early Booking List!
• Small World Vacations offers onboard credit of $50-$1000 per booking, good toward most onboard activities and extras such as spa treatments, shore excursions or even your bar tab. Small World Vacations also gives you full service, including a personal travel agent you can contact by email or direct phone number. Best of all, it costs you nothing to use them! (Onboard credit courtesy of Small World Vacations.)

2024 Holiday Cruises, Themed Cruises & Other Special Cruises

Holiday cruises, themed cruises.

• Double Dip Cruises

Repositioning Cruises

Unique cruises, adventures by disney cruise packages, disney vacation club cruises, independence day, halloween on the high seas, thanksgiving, very merrytime cruises (christmas), new year’s eve.

On sailings that include July 4th, there is usually a special celebration with characters dressed in red, white and blue outfits. There has not been a special fireworks show in the past, but sometimes on sailings in the Caribbean or Bahamas they move pirate night to July 4th so they will have fireworks on Independence Day. (There is no pirate night or fireworks on sailings outside the Caribbean and Bahamas.)

During this period there will be special Halloween events onboard, including Halloween-themed parties, storytellings, movies and elaborate décor, including The Pumpkin Tree, which magically transforms throughout the cruise. You will also find characters dressed in Halloween costumes, as well as a costume party for families and, just for adults, a costume contest and a Villainous Takeover on the dance floor in the nighttime entertainment district.

In the past there has not been any special menu for Halloween night itself, over and above what they do on all the Halloween themed cruises during the whole period, but there will be some special Halloween-themed treats.

Halloween on the High Seas takes place on the following sail dates:

• Disney Dream : (Not yet announced)
• Disney Fantasy : September 14 – October 26
• Disney Magic : September 9 – October 31
• Disney Wish: September 13 – October 28
• Disney Wonder :  (Not yet announced)

In the past there has been a special menu on Thanksgiving Day, and pictures with Pilgrim Mickey and Minnie. The Christmas decorations will be fully up by Thanksgiving, and there will be a full set of holiday activities and events.

The following sailings include Thanksgiving Day (November 28, 2024).

• Disney Dream : 5-Night Bahamian on November 27
• Disney Fantasy : 7-Night Eastern Caribbean on November 23
• Disney Magic : 6-Night Western Caribbean on November 25
• Disney Wish: 4-Night Bahamian on November 25
• Disney Wonder : 5-Night Australian on November 24 ( note: since New Zealand & Australia don’t celebrate Thanksgiving, we don’t know if there will be a Thanksgiving Menu. )

Typically, Christmas decorations will be up from early November through the final New Year’s sailing, and there will be special holiday events during that whole period, including meet and greets with Santa Claus and with Disney characters in special Christmas outfits. Some of the more elaborate Christmas decorations, including a huge, real gingerbread house or other gingerbread decoration, will not be up until later in November.

Castaway Cay, Disney’s private island, will be transformed with “snow” flurries, a Christmas tree and more. Be on the lookout for Mr. and Mrs. Snowman, dressed in their island attire. Plus, the island’s tram is decorated to resemble a reindeer, complete with antlers and a tail.

Very Merrytime Christmas-themed cruises will be offered on sailings departing between the following dates:

• Disney Dream: November 14 – December 21
• Disney Fantasy: November 10 – December 22
• Disney Magic: November 21 – December 23
• Disney Wish: November 4 – December 23
• Disney Wonder:   (Not yet announced)

There are unique special events and a special menu on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

The following sailings include Christmas Eve and Christmas Day (December 24-25, 2024).

• Disney Dream : 5-Night Western Caribbean on December 21
• Disney Fantasy : 4-Night Bahamian on December 22
• Disney Magic : 6-Night Western Caribbean on December 23
• Disney Treasure : 7-Night Eastern Caribbean on December 21
• Disney Wish:  4-Night Bahamian on December 23
• Disney Wonder : 4-Night Australian on December 24

There is a special party with countdown and balloon drop on New Year’s Eve.

The following sailings include New Year’s Eve (December 31, 2024).

• Disney Dream : 5-Night Bahamian on December 30
• Disney Fantasy : 7-Night Eastern Caribbean on December 29
• Disney Magic : 4-Night Western Caribbean on December 29
• Disney Treasure : 7-Night Western Caribbean on December 28
• Disney Wish:  4-Night Bahamian on December 30
• Disney Wonder : 6-Night Australian on December 28
• If you are interested in booking a holiday Disney cruise , we recommend either Small World Vacations or Undercover Tourist . We have worked with both companies for over 15 years and can recommend them wholeheartedly. It’s really a question of whether you prefer full-service booking or self booking. These staterooms often sell out fast, so if you see one you like, snag it quickly.

Pixar Day at Sea

Marvel day at sea, star wars day at sea.

Pixar Day at Sea includes a Pixar film festival; photo opportunities with Pixar characters; a character breakfast with Woody, Jesse and Bullseye; a theatrical performance based on Coco ; a Pixar-themed dinner; a dance party with Pixar characters; and a nighttime spectacular featuring the Incredibles.

Pixar Day at Sea will take place on select Disney Fantasy 7-night Eastern and Western Caribbean cruises from Port Canaveral in early 2024. The Eastern Caribbean cruises are January 6, 20; February 3, 17 and March 2. The Western Caribbean cruises are January 13, 27; February 10 and 24.  

Marvel Day at Sea is a special all-day celebration of the Marvel Universe. Special features include multiple Marvel character meet-and-greets, Marvel-themed activities for families, Marvel movie screenings, a costume party, special merchandise and food, and an exclusive Marvel deck party. There is also an adults-only dance party with Star-Lord and Gamora.

Marvel Day at Sea will take place on select Disney Dream 5-night Western Caribbean cruises from Fort Lauderdale on January 7, 12, 21, 26; February 4, 9, 18, 23; March 3 and 8. 

Star Wars Day at Sea cruises generally feature a full day of Star Wars celebrations, including a deck party, meet-and-greets with favorite characters, Star Wars -themed youth activities, at-sea screenings of Star Wars films, unique food and beverage offerings, and special merchandise. The night before Star Wars Day at Sea, Darth Vader and Stormtroopers march into the ship’s atrium for an Imperial takeover.

Guests are encouraged to bring their costumes and participate in the costume celebration held in the ship’s atrium. Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique offers special makeovers on Star Wars Day at Sea. Kids ages 3-12 can transform into Rey, Kylo Ren, Leia and Poe. Adults and teens, can get a Rey makeover that includes a stylish dress, makeup and hair style or choose from one of four Star Wars-themed T-shirt options. All come with a personalized name tag, lanyard with medallion and magnet set.

No Star Wars Day at Sea dates have been announced for 2024. Star Wars Day at Sea appears to have been replaced with Pixar Day at Sea, but DCL has not made an official announcement one way or the other. 

• If you are interested in booking a themed Disney cruise , we recommend either Small World Vacations or Undercover Tourist . We have worked with both companies for over 15 years and can recommend them wholeheartedly. It’s really a question of whether you prefer full-service booking or self booking. These staterooms often sell out fast, so if you see one you like, snag it quickly.

Double Dip Cruises

A “Double Dip” sailing is one that visits Castaway Cay or Lighthouse Point twice on the same cruise, or goes to both of them on the same cruise. Many people (including us) feel the day at one of Disney’s private beaches is the highlight of a Bahamian or Caribbean cruise, and this gives you a double dose! Both days follow the typical Castaway Cay & Lighthouse Point schedule: off the ship at 8:30 am (depending on sea conditions), and all aboard at 4:45 pm. The same excursions and activities will be available both days, though if you want to do the same activity or book a cabana for both days, you’ll need to book each day separately. If you are going to Castaway Cay twice, you can run the Castaway Cay 5K twice!

In the rare event that the ship visits Castaway Cay or Lighthouse Point two days in a row, the ship will not stay docked overnight. It will leave the island at the usual time on the first day and come back the next morning.

Double Dip cruises scheduled so far for 2024:

• Disney Dream : March 17
• Disney Magic : July 1, July 15, July 29, August 12
• Disney Fantasy : Jun 8 (technically a triple-dip!), July 20, July 25

Repositioning is when a cruise starts in one port and finishes in another. These cruises can be a good deal, as they usually are cheaper per night than conventional round-trip cruises. They also tend to go to more unusual locations. The longest repositioning cruises are the Panama Canal and Transatlantic cruises, which are almost always the cheapest cruises (per night) of the whole year.

Unique cruises have an itinerary that is different from other cruise itineraries that particular ship is sailing around that time. They either visit an unusual location or locations or visit a unique combination of common locations. Repositioning cruises are all unique as well.

• If you are interested in booking a specialty Disney cruise , we recommend either Small World Vacations or Undercover Tourist . We have worked with both companies for over 15 years and can recommend them wholeheartedly. It’s really a question of whether you prefer full-service booking or self booking. These staterooms often sell out fast, so if you see one you like, snag it quickly.

2024 Adventures by Disney Cruise Packages have not yet been announced.

The Adventures by Disney Cruise Packages include 2 Adventures by Disney guides available onboard and in port; special VIP privileges; private onboard receptions; unique onshore activities; early debarkation at each port; all meals, snacks and water while in port; a photo CD with all ship photographer pictures, all Adventures by Disney guide photos and an Adventures by Disney slideshow.

• If you are interested in booking an Adventures by Disney Cruise Package , we recommend filling out a quote form with Small World Vacations . They give you full service, including a personal travel agent you can contact by email or direct phone number and we recommend them wholeheartedly ! Best of all, it costs you nothing to use them, PLUS they give you FREE onboard credit for any Disney Cruise Line booking of over $1000 total fare, good toward most onboard activities and extras such as spa treatments, shore excursions or even your bar tab.

DVC member cruises are only open to Disney Vacation Club members who have purchased at least some of their vacation points directly from Disney (rather than from another member via resale). Members can use their vacation points to book the cruise or can pay cash rates. Typically DVC cruises are significantly more expensive than similar cruises for the general public, but guests will be given a wide variety of DVC special gifts and will get to experience some exclusive member events including talks by special guests including artists, imagineers and/or actors from classic Disney movies.

Whether the DVC member cruise is worth booking is a personal judgment call. The extra events are difficult or impossible to experience any other way. The various DVC gifts are usually a mix of the usual kinds of tote bags, pens, and so forth you can get by attending a DVC meeting or buying a new DVC contract, plus at least a few special and unique items. Some people love the DVC member cruises and try to go on each one. Others go once and feel it’s not worth the extra money.

Disney Cruise Line has announced two Disney Vacation Club (DVC) member cruises for 2024:

• May 18: 7-night Mediterranean cruise from Barcelona on Disney Dream
• June 14: 5-night “triple dip” Bahamian cruise with two visits to Lighthouse Point and one visit to Castaway Cay on Disney Magic

Adventure by Disney Pre- and Post-Cruise Escape Packages take place before and after select Disney Cruise Line sailings. These 2- to 3-night Escapes include 2 Adventure by Disney guides; hotel accommodations; multiple, daily excursions; special VIP privileges; all transportation during the trip and a photo CD with all the Adventure by Disney guide photos.

• If you are interested in booking an Adventures by Disney Pre- or Post-Cruise Escape Package , we recommend filling out a quote form with Small World Vacations . They give you full service, including a personal travel agent you can contact by email or direct phone number and we recommend them wholeheartedly ! Best of all, it costs you nothing to use them, PLUS you could save up to $1,000!  Read more about the Small World Vacations savings offer here .

No drydock plans have been officially announced for 2024 yet.

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Discover the Magic of Disney Cruises in 2024

Embark on an unforgettable journey with Disney Cruises in 2024, where magical experiences and spectacular destinations await you and your family. This year, Disney Cruise Line is set to offer a wide range of voyages, from the breathtaking beauty of Alaska to the sun-soaked beaches of Hawaii , each crafted to create lifelong memories. Whether you’re looking to explore the rich cultures of the Mediterranean or seeking fun-filled adventures at sea, Disney Cruises in 2024 has something special for everyone. Dive into a world of enchantment and excitement, and discover why a Disney cruise is more than just a vacation – it’s a dream come true for travelers of all ages.

Learn More about Disney Cruises

Destinations and Themes: Explore the World with Disney Cruises

In 2024, Disney Cruises invites you to discover a world of wonder with a variety of breathtaking destinations. From the rugged wilderness of Alaska to the historical treasures of the Mediterranean, each cruise offers a unique adventure. For those seeking a tropical escape, the crystal-clear waters of Hawaii and the Caribbean promise unforgettable moments. Additionally, Disney Cruises introduces special themed voyages, such as the Marvel Day at Sea, where you can meet your favorite superheroes in an extraordinary setting. Each destination and theme is carefully curated to provide an immersive and magical experience for guests of all ages.

Discover All Destinations

Learn More at Cruise Critic

Choosing the Right Time for Your Disney Cruise

Selecting the perfect time for your Disney cruise in 2024 is crucial for an ideal experience. Each month offers unique opportunities and experiences. Winter months are magical, perfect for cooler destinations like Alaska, while spring and summer are great for sunny locales such as the Mediterranean or the Caribbean. Off-peak seasons, like fall, offer fewer crowds and attractive pricing. Weather, special events, and personal preferences are key considerations in your planning process.

Discover Seasonal Cruise Options

Travel Tips from Travel + Leisure

The Disney Cruise Experience: Unforgettable Memories Await

Experience the magic on board with Disney Cruises in 2024. Each ship is a floating wonderland, offering activities and entertainment for all ages. From thrilling water slides to Broadway-caliber shows, there’s something for everyone. Indulge in diverse dining options, ranging from casual eateries to gourmet restaurants. The staterooms are designed for comfort and convenience, ensuring a peaceful retreat after a day of adventure. The impeccable service and attention to detail make every moment on board a Disney cruise a cherished memory.

Why Cruise with Disney

Read More on Condé Nast Traveler

Planning and Booking Your Disney Cruise

Planning your Disney cruise in 2024 is an exciting journey in itself. To help you make the most of your vacation, here are some tips on how to plan your Disney cruise:

• Choose Your Destination: Decide on the destination that excites you the most, whether it’s the pristine wilderness of Alaska or the sunny Caribbean.
• Select the Right Time: Consider the time of year that suits your preferences and the climate of your chosen destination.
• Budget Wisely: Set a budget for your cruise and explore the various pricing options, from stateroom categories to onboard experiences.
• Book Early: Booking well in advance often comes with advantages like lower rates and more availability.
• Review Itineraries: Thoroughly review the cruise itineraries to ensure they align with your interests and desired activities.
• Pack Smartly: Pack essentials like comfortable clothing, swimwear, and any specific items you may need for excursions.
• Explore Onboard Activities: Familiarize yourself with the onboard activities, entertainment, and dining options to make the most of your time at sea.
• Prepare Travel Documents: Ensure you have all necessary travel documents, including passports and visas if required.

By following these tips, you can plan and book your Disney cruise with confidence, ensuring a magical experience for you and your loved ones.

Explore Cruise Packages

Expert Reviews on Cruise Critic

Frequently Asked Questions About Disney Cruises in 2024

As you plan your Disney cruise for 2024, you may have some questions. Here are answers to frequently asked questions to help you prepare for your magical adventure:

• Q1: How do I choose the best Disney cruise destination for my family? A: Consider your family’s interests, climate preferences, and the type of adventure you seek. Explore Alaska Cruises for stunning natural beauty, or opt for the Caribbean for sun and sand.
• Q2: What are the benefits of booking a Disney cruise early? A: Early bookings often come with lower rates, more stateroom options, and the chance to secure popular activities.
• Q3: Can I customize my dining options on board? A: Yes, Disney Cruise Line offers a variety of dining options, from casual to fine dining. You can make reservations in advance and request special dietary accommodations.
• Q4: Are there activities for adults on board? A: Absolutely! Disney cruises offer adult-exclusive areas, entertainment, and nightlife options, ensuring adults have a great time too.
• Q5: What travel documents do I need for a Disney cruise? A: You’ll typically need a valid passport, and for some itineraries, a visa. Be sure to check specific requirements for your chosen destination.
• Q6: How can I stay informed about cruise updates and changes? A: Disney Cruise Line’s official website and communication channels provide the latest updates and information on your cruise.

Planning your Disney cruise is an exciting journey, and these FAQs will help ensure you’re well-prepared for an unforgettable adventure.

The Twenty Something writing team is a collective of skilled journalists and trend-watchers committed to offering an engaging and informative lens on the years from 2000 to the present. With a passion for iconic cars and a finger on the pulse of current 2023 happenings, our writers craft compelling articles designed for a community that values both nostalgia and currency. Utilizing a user-friendly calendar to highlight must-read pieces, we're here to help you stay informed and connected to the past and the present.

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Disney Cruise Line, Alaskan Cruise from Vancouver, 26 August, 2024

Cruising from: Vancouver, British Columbia ;

Departure Date: 26 August, 2024 ;

Cruise Line: Disney Cruise Line ;

Cruise Ship: Disney Wonder ;

Duration: 7 days ;

Ports of Call: Vancouver, Stikine Icecap, Skagway, Juneau, Ketchikan, Vancouver ;

7-day Alaska cruise on board Disney Wonder.

Day 0 vancouver, british columbia.

Vancouver is located in British Columbia, and is considered one of the most beautiful and livable cities in the world, with a thriving cultural scene, stunning natural surroundings, and a diverse and welcoming population....

Day 1 At Sea, At Sea

Wonderful day at Sea....

Day 2 Stikine Icecap, British Columbia

The Stikine Icecap is a stunning natural wonder located in Southeast Alaska, and is a cruise destination that offers visitors the chance to witness the awe-inspiring power of nature. This massive icefield covers over 1,500 square miles and is one of the largest in North America, making it...

Day 3 Skagway, Alaska

Skagway, located in the Upper Lynn Canal is a place in Alaska where the past lives on. The Port of Skagway is the northernmost ice-free, deep-water port in North America, and serves as a year-round transportation hub between Alaska, the Yukon Territory, Northern British Columbia, the Northwest...

Day 4 Juneau, Alaska

Juneau is a popular cruise port for Alaska cruises, located on the Inside Passage of Alaska. It is the capital city of Alaska and the third largest city in the state. ...

Day 5 Ketchikan, Alaska

An Alaskan cruise from Ketchikan is an unforgettable adventure that will take you through some of the most stunning natural landscapes in the world....

Day 6 At Sea, At Sea

Day 7 vancouver, british columbia.

Experience wildlife, wilderness, and native culture on this Alaska cruise with Disney Cruise Line. Visit Vancouver, Stikine Icecap, Skagway, Juneau, Ketchikan, Vancouver. Disney Wonder leaving Vancouver, British Columbia, for 7 days from 26 August, 2024.

Alaska cruise from Vancouver August 2024

Please note that port orders, dates, and itinerary details, including content, are subject to change. Verify specific details for your chosen sailing date on the Disney Cruise Line website.

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Best Disney Cruise Alaska Excursions

The 49th state is home to stunning natural beauty. A Disney Cruise Port Adventure is one of the best ways to experience it firsthand.  Cruising with Disney to Alaska  offers great views from the ship, but there’s nothing like getting out and having your own adventure. It’s, therefore, both a blessing and a curse that there are so many excursion options — nearly 200 at last count. To help you decide, here are our picks for the best Disney Cruise Excursions in Alaska.

Jump directly to the best Alaska excursions in:

• Icy Strait Point
• Other Ports

Or read on to learn more about Alaska Excursions and  how to get them for free .

What are Disney Cruise Excursions?

An excursion — also known as a “Port Adventure” on Disney cruise ships — is an organized off-ship activity. You’re always free to leave a cruise ship to explore a port on your own. A Port Adventure is an optional  paid  experience that gives you greater access and additional benefits.

On a Disney Cruise to Alaska, your excursion options are especially exotic. Imagine taking a helicopter to a glacier, a rainforest family adventure, whale watching tour, or attending “summer camp” for sled dogs. They’re all possible when you visit Alaska with Disney Cruise Line.

Get Free Help Planning Your Disney Cruise and Excursions. Vacationeers are standing by!

How Much are Disney Shore Excursions in Alaska?

Prices for Alaska port excursions vary widely. On the low end, it costs about $47 to attend a  lumberjack demonstration in Ketchikan . On the high end, you can spend nearly $5,200 to  take a private sea plane to Misty Fjords National Monument.

We checked the prices of all excursions Disney Cruise Line offered in Alaska at the time we wrote this article, and here’s what we found:

• $1 – $49: 1 option
• $50 – $99: 35 options
• $100 – $199: 57 options
• $200 – $399: 67 options
• $400 and up: 26 options

Are Disney Cruise Line Alaska Excursions Worth It?

No one disputes that airfare to Vancouver and the  cost of the Disney Cruise  itself are already significant expenses. So it’s understandable that some folks hesitate to add multiple high-cost shore excursions to their trip. But for Alaska, excursions really are the key to an amazing experience that you and your family will remember for the rest of your lives.

Alaska excursions are generally pricier than  excursions in the Bahamas or Caribbean , where you can find several onshore activities for less than $25. In Alaska, you can certainly find great options for less than $100  per person  — but most of the unforgettable “bucket list” type experiences are more likely to cost about $250 – $350 per person. A $450 – $550 price tag is not out of the question for excursions that involve aircraft such as helicopters and seaplanes.

We wholeheartedly recommend splurging on at least one high-dollar excursion during your Alaska Cruise.  Our experience is that you will not regret the additional expense; you’ll remember the amazing things you saw and did for much longer than you’ll remember how much they cost.

To put it another way: you’ve already spent a lot to get yourself to Alaska — do you really want to squander that investment by staying in your  room onboard the ship  or just visiting a few gift shops within walking distance of the dock?

How to Get Free Disney Cruise Alaska Excursions

Here’s a little-known way to  cut the cost of your shore excursions  in Alaska — many travel agencies will give you a free  onboard credit  that can be used to pay for your Port Adventures.

Here’s how it works:

• You connect with an  Authorized Disney Vacation Planner  for  free help booking your cruise . There’s  no fee to use their services .
• Your agent books your cruise and helps you with all your onboard planning. Plus, you can contact them anytime for help  without having to wait on hold .
• You’ll receive a credit on your shipboard account, which can be used toward onboard purchases such as souvenirs,  alcohol ,  gratuities , or  shore excursions . The amount you receive varies depending on the cost of your cruise.

Our official travel agency partner,  The Vacationeer , offers onboard credits of  up to $1,000 . Plus, booking with  The Vacationeer  means you’ll have a  single, dedicated agent from start to finish . So you won’t have to dial into some giant call center, fuss through dozens of phone menus, and explain your situation to different people.

So why not take advantage of the  personalized service  and  free spending money  you get by booking your Disney Alaska Cruise through  The Vacationeer ?  It won’t cost a penny more than booking it yourself!

When Do You Pay for Alaskan Cruise Excursions?

Disney Alaska Cruise Port Adventures charges are applied to your shipboard account, so you won’t have to pay until you settle your account at the end of your cruise.

That means they’re a great way to use your travel agency onboard credit.

Now, on to our list.

We’ve picked some of the best Alaska cruise excursions at each port, but there are  plenty more to choose from  on the Disney Cruise Line website.

We’ve also noted the  ⭐ BEST OF THE BEST ⭐ — the most unique and splurge-worthy experiences.

Prices shown are per person unless indicated otherwise, and note that not every cruise visits every port shown here.

Icy Strait Point — Best Port Adventures

Image © Disney

Icy Strait Point  is a premier destination on Disney Alaskan Cruises. Situated alongside Hoonah, Alaska (the state’s largest Native Tlingit village), this purpose-built cruise port hosts a limited number of ships each day. It is believed by many to be the best spot in Alaska to see whales. Whales are so abundant here that most tour operators in the area offer a money-back guarantee if you fail to see one on your expedition! In our opinion, the stunning natural scenery and abundant animal sightings in Icy Strait Point are impressive enough to be  the  deciding factor when choosing between an Alaskan Cruise itinerary that visits here and one which doesn’t.

Mountain Top Forest Tram (IS36)

Ascend more than 1,500 feet to the top of Hoonah Mountain in a modern gondola offering 360⁰ views. Once you’ve reached the summit, take a six-mile open-air tram journey through an old-growth forest filled with spruce trees and wildflowers. Be on the lookout for wildlife during your journey!

Activity Level: Mild

Requirements: Open to all ages

Duration: 1.5 to 2.0 hours

Cost: $99 for ages 10+ $89 for ages 3-9 $0 for ages 0-2

In Alaska’s Wildest Kitchen (IS13)

A true foodie adventure! Learn about local fishing, preservation, and food preparation from an experienced chef during a fun, hands-on experience. You’ll learn how to fillet like a pro, then have an opportunity to personally grill the day’s catch. Afterward, enjoy free time to explore Hoonah, along with unlimited Gondola rides, admission to a Tribal Dance Show, and discounts at waterfront restaurants and select shops.

Activity Level: Moderate

Requirements: Ages 8+

Cost: $99 for ages 10+ $89 for ages 8-9

Discovering Birds of Hoonah (IS17)

This combination of driving and walking expeditions affords multiple opportunities to see the winged residents of Alaska in their native habitats. This experience teems with creatures great and small, from bald eagles to hummingbirds. Among the fowl you might encounter are chickadees, creepers, ducks, flycatchers, gulls, jays, kinglets, sapsuckers, sparrows, swallows, swifts, thrushes, warblers, woodpeckers, wrens. Once you’ve “landed” at the end of your adventure, you’ll enjoy an “all-access” pass for Hoonah that includes gondola rides and other experiences before returning to the ship.

Requirements: Ages 8+ Guests must be ambulatory.

Duration: 3.5 to 4.0 hours

Cost: $189 for ages 10+ $179 for ages 8-9

Whale and Marine Mammals Cruise (IS01) ⭐ Best of the Best ⭐

Board a spacious catamaran and sail to Point Adolphus, a premier whale-watching spot and a natural wonder in and of itself. You’re guaranteed to see at least one whale, meaning you’ll get a full refund of the cost if you don’t. Odds are you’ll see many more — and are likely to see both humpbacks and killer whales, possibly even right beside the boat. During this excursion, you’re also apt to spot sea lions, harbor seals, and even bald eagles.

Duration: 2.5 to 3.0 hours

Cost: $209 for ages 10+ $139 for ages 3-9 $139 for ages 0-2

Whale Watching and Bear Search Combo (IS10)

This Port Adventure combines the best of two different wildlife spotting expeditions, seeking out whales and bears. First, start out with a catamaran trip to Adolphus for a whale viewing experience in an area so hospitable to whales that you’ll get a refund for this part of the excursion if you don’t see one. Then, head out for a walking trip of the rainforests of Chichagof Island, home to the most bears per square mile on the planet.

Requirements: Ages 8+ Not recommended for those who have difficulty walking.

Duration: 5.5 to 6.0 hours

Cost: $329 for ages 10+ $239 for ages 8-9

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Juneau — Top Shore Excursions

Juneau is Alaska’s state capital — the only state capital which can’t be accessed by roadway (ship and planes only)! For cruisers, it’s home to one of the widest varieties of shore excursions in Alaska. Of course, you’ll find plenty of whale-watching opportunities here (though Icy Strait Point may be a better bet if your  Disney Cruise itinerary  travels there, too). But Juneau shines when it comes to unique excursions such as glaciers accessible by simply hopping on a bus, dog sledding adventures, and a wide array of air-based touring via helicopter and sea plane.

Mendenhall Glacier Explorer (JU11)

Take a 25-minute motorcoach ride through downtown Juneau, passing the State Capitol building and other historical points of interest before making your way to Mendenhall Glacier. The recreation area includes wilderness trails and a waterfront view of the glacier. Plus, view Nugget Creek Falls and possibly spot Sockeye salmon if the time of year is just right.

Duration: 3.0 to 3.5 hours

Cost: $64 for ages 10+ $29 for ages 3-9 $0 for ages 0-2

Glacier View Sea Kayaking (JU14)

Head to North Douglas Island to board a 2-person kayak (with a friend or a friendly fellow cruiser) for an unforgettable seaborne sightseeing adventure. See wildlife up close and (weather permitting) view Mendenhall Glacier. If you’re lucky, you might also spot bald eagles, herons, shorebirds, porpoises, and even humpback whales. Before returning to your Disney cruise ship, you’ll also visit the Mendenhall Wetlands (a protected wildlife habitat) and enjoy Alaska-inspired snacks.

Activity Level: Active, Athletic

Requirements: Ages 10+. Wheelchairs are not permitted. Guests must weigh between 40 and 260 pounds. Not recommended for expectant mothers in their third trimester.

Cost: $169 for ages 10+

Dog Sledding Summer Camp (JU04)

Note: This is an older video and pricing has since changed. See below for current pricing.

Visit Sheep Creek Summer Dog Camp to meet a group of professional mushers and teams of Alaskan huskies, all in the shadow of massive mountains. You’ll visit a simulated Iditarod race checkpoint to experience what racers go through, plus you’ll learn how to care for sled dogs. A highlight is cuddling with impossibly fluffy Husky puppies, helping with their initial social training. Then, climb aboard a wheeled sled for a snow-free 1.5-mile mush through Sheep Creek Valley.

Duration: 2.0 to 2.5 hours

Cost: $199 for ages 10+ $189 for ages 3-9 $0 for ages 0-2

5-Glacier Seaplane Exploration (JU49)

Fly high above the Tongass National Forest in an authentic bush seaplane for a narrated tour of five different glaciers in the Juneau Icefield. You’ll soar like a bird past scenic waterfalls and lush rainforests. The highlight is zooming past the Norris, Hole-In-The-Wall, East / West Twin Glaciers, and Mighty Taku glaciers. You might also spot moose, bears, and eagles before your smooth water landing.

Requirements: Open to all ages. Collapsible standard-size wheelchairs are welcome, but electric wheelchairs/scooters are not permitted. The tour operator may cancel with a refund in the event of inclement weather. Children under age 2 must lap-sit. Parties may be separated due to load-balancing requirements. Guests must not weigh more than 300 pounds to participate.

Duration: 1.0 to 1.5 hours

Cost: $319 for ages 10+ $279 for ages 2-9 $0 for ages 0-1

Helicopter Glacier Walk About (JU38)

Gear up with cold-weather gear, mountaineering boots, crampons, and trekking poles, then board a turbine helicopter for a 20-minute flight to the Juneau Icefield. En route, enjoy a unique vantage point that shows off the ocean, rainforest, and icefield at the same time.

Your chopper lands on an actual glacier, where you receive a safety briefing and set out on a one-hour guided walk on the surface of the ice. Despite the daunting description, it’s not a strenuous trek, and you don’t need any prior experience to enjoy it.

Then, re-board your helicopter for a quick flight back.

Activity Level: Active, Moderate

Requirements: Ages 8+. Wheelchairs are not permitted. Must be able to enter/exit the helicopter with minimal assistance. Parties may be separated due to load-balancing requirements. Guests weighing 250+ pounds (including all clothing and personal items) must pay a $199 “half seat” surcharge. The tour operator may cancel with a refund in the event of inclement weather.

Cost: $549 for ages 10+ $549 for ages 8-9 Additional surcharges may apply

Dog Sled Adventure by Helicopter (JU30) ⭐ Best of the Best ⭐

Take a 15-minute flight over the Juneau Icefields, marveling at a landscape seemingly at odds with itself — lush forests and Alpine lakes abut jagged mountains and astonishing glaciers. Finally, your helicopter lands on the Norris Glacier, where you’ll meet your dog sled team. Learn from seasoned veterans of the legendary Alaskan Iditarod Sled Dog Race as they teach you the commands needed to zip across a pristine glacier with a team of huskies. Reluctantly say goodbye to your new furry friends and fly back to the heliport before returning to the ship.

Requirements: Ages 2+. Parties may be separated due to load-balancing requirements. Wheelchairs and strollers are not permitted. Not recommended for Guests with limited mobility. Guests weighing 240+ pounds (including clothing and gear) must pay a $199 “half-seat” surcharge. Tour operators may cancel with a refund in the event of inclement weather or poor ice conditions. No purses or carry-on items.

Cost: $899 for ages 10+ $799 for ages 2-9 Additional surcharges may apply

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Ketchikan — Best Alaska Excursions

Known as the Salmon Capital of the World, thanks to the five varieties that call the nearby waters home, Ketchikan offers a unique Alaskan experience. Seafood is king here, but there’s much more to explore. Throughout town, find massive totem poles celebrating the area’s indigenous people.

Exclusive Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show (KE41)

The world’s top timber athletes send sawdust flying in this family-friendly competition show. Log rolling, chopping, speed chainsawing, rapid climbing, and more are all part of the Alaska family fun here — and that’s OK! The hour-long performance prepares astounding physical feats with good clean comedy to make an experience great for all ages.

Cost: $54 for ages 10+ $29 for ages 3-9 $0 for ages 0-2

Wilderness Exploration and Crab Feast (KE31)

Your adventure starts with a 30-minute sightseeing motorcoach ride past canneries, waterfalls, and an old sawmill. Upon arrival at the George Inlet Lodge, board your boat for a 90-minute journey featuring the Mahoney Glacial Cirque (an abandoned gold mine site, snow-covered mountains, and 2,000-foot waterfalls). You’re also apt to spot bears, eagles, salmon, whales, sea lions, and seals in the area.

Your boat then crosses the fjord to reach the crab estuary, where you’ll have a chance to help pull in the crab pots. Inspect your new crabby friends briefly and learn a bit about them before returning them to the water. Finally, reset the pots and return to the lodge to enjoy a tempting Dungeness crab feast (featuring crabs you haven’t yet met).

Duration: 4.0 to 4.5 hours

Cost: $199 for ages 10+ $134 for ages 3-9 $79 for ages 0-2

Rain Forest Island Adventure (KE09) ⭐ Best of the Best ⭐

Take a 30-minute scenic motorcoach ride to Knudson Cove, where you’ll board a Sea Hawk rigid-inflatable boat for a half-hour wildlife and sightseeing ride. Next, you’ll make your way to Orca Beach and a remote island rainforest. Your knowledgeable guide leads you through forest trails and a few built-in steps as you learn about native plant species and their importance to the early native people of this area.

Following your hike, snack on smoked salmon by the campfire before hopping back onboard the boat for a high-speed cruise along the Clover Passage; along the way, you’re likely to spot bald eagles, harbor seals, sea lions, and bald eagles — and you might even glimpse a porpoise or perhaps a whale or two.

Requirements: Ages 5+. Guests must weigh no less than 40 pounds to participate. Wheelchairs are not permitted. Not recommended for expectant mothers in their third trimester.

Cost: $219 for ages 10+ $119 for ages 5-9

Misty Fjords and Wilderness Explorer (KE19)

Take a short walk from your Disney ship to a nearby catamaran and begin heading to your destination. Narration provided by your crew points out items of interest as you travel at speed past the rugged coastline along the Revillagigedo Channel.

Upon entering the Behm Canal, you’ve arrived at Misty Fjords (spotting an immense volcanic spire rising from the sea while en route). Next, explore Rudyerd Bay, and learn the natural history of the fjords while sailing beneath 3,000-foot vertical cliffs. The return cruise to Ketchikan includes wildlife sightings, along with onboard commentary from a Tlingit storyteller and occasional presentations from participating artists and authors.

Be forewarned that some of the presentations could feel like they trend just a bit too close to a sales pitch. Also, note that the Misty Fjords are just that: misty. Areas of heavy fog and rain are likely to obscure portions of the views during this excursion.

Requirements: Open to all ages, but recommended for ages 10+. Collapsible, standard-sized wheelchairs are welcome; no electric wheelchairs or scooters. Strollers are welcome but may need to be folded for portions of the excursion (lightweight strollers are recommended).

Duration: 5.0 to 5.5 hours

Cost: $239 for ages 10+ $149 for ages 3-9 $149 for ages 0-2

Disney Exclusive: Bering Sea Crab Fishermen’s Tour and Dinner with Crew (KE29)

Those who are fans of the Discovery Channel show  Deadliest Catch  might be surprised to know that the  Aleutian Ballad  is now a charter vessel that hosts cruise passengers. So you’ll hop onboard and settle into unique stadium-style seating for a look into what it takes to bring home this popular catch (fortunately, in a much safer environment).

Watch the skilled Bering Sea crab fishermen bait and drop long-line fishing gear in search of prized seafood. You might spot bald eagles, whales, sea lions, and seals along the way. Later, the main event is set to begin — hauling in 700-pound king crab pots just like those seen on the show. Everything caught is placed in an on-deck aquarium for closer inspection (and even hands-on selfies if you’d like). You’ll also learn about barrel pot fishing which often yields octopus and eels. Finally, see Dungeness crab, prawn, and shrimp fishing before returning to port.

That’s where the Disney-exclusive perks kick in. First, visit the wheelhouse to meet the Captain — learn about the ship’s navigation system and snap a photo while sitting in the Captain’s chair. Next, try on a survival suit and learn about seafaring safety firsthand from those who have faced the harsh and unforgiving Bering Sea. Finally, end the day with a delicious King Crab picnic on deck as the crew continues sharing their story.

Requirements: Ages 5+

Cost: $389 for ages 10+ $249 for ages 5-9

Hunting for Halibut (KE36)

If fishing in Alaska is on your bucket list, this is a great way to do it. Small groups of 5 or 6 passengers set out with an expert guide on board a custom-built 24-foot cruiser. Your destination is the well-protected Ketchikan fishing grounds for an all-day expedition. As any fisher knows, what you catch is just as much up to the fish as it is up to you, but you could find rockfish, cod, flounder, shark, skate, or halibut on the hook. If you’d like to keep what you catch, you can opt to pay a bit extra for custom processing and shipping of your halibut.

Requirements: Ages 8+ (ages 12+ recommended). Any fish caught which are not in season must be released. Not recommended for expectant mothers or guests with neck, back, or heart conditions. Collapsible, standard-sized wheelchairs are welcome; no electric wheelchairs or scooters. Must be able to board and disembark without assistance.

Duration: 4.5 to 5.0 hours

Cost: $504 for ages 10+ $419 for ages 8-9 Additional cash-in-hand surcharge of $25 per person (ages 16+) for fishing license.

Let a Free Travel Agent Pay For Your Excursions!

Skagway — Top Port Adventures

Step back in time to the Gold Rush days during your visit to this “Gateway to the Klondike.” This unique port is great for exploration, with a Wild West-like historic town center and train tracks that lead almost directly to your Disney Cruise ship. Here you can catch a saloon show or hop on the White Pass scenic railway for a journey deep into Yukon territory.

Skagway’s Original Street Car City Tour (SW19)

Board a yellow 1927 sightseeing bus for a tour led by a costumed tour guide inspired by famed storyteller Martin Itjen. You’ll explore the waterfront and travel through the National Park Historic District, travel to the scenic waterfront, and experience a lively retelling of a historic gunfight at the Gold Rush cemetery.

Requirements: Open to all ages. Guests must be able to board and disembark without assistance. These vintage vehicles cannot accommodate wheelchairs, scooters, or large strollers. Space is limited; only small backpacks and bags can be accommodated.

Cost: $55 for ages 10+ $39 for ages 3-9 $0 for ages 0-2

Klondike Campfire Breakfast (SW63)

Start your day in Skagway with a hearty breakfast of steak, eggs, and blueberry sourdough pancakes, whipped up outdoors by the Liarsville Gold Rush Trail Camp camp chef. This camp near a waterfall at the foot of the White Pass is named for those who came to Alaska during the Klondike Gold Rush and sent plenty of tall tales back home.

While you eat, you’ll be entertained by the music and poetry of Robert Service, the “Bard of the Yukon.” Then, it’s time to go prospecting yourself; learn how to pan for gold. Thanks to a bit of Klondike magic, you’re guaranteed to find gold in every pan!

Requirements: Open to all ages. Collapsible, standard-sized wheelchairs are welcome; no electric wheelchairs or scooters. Guests must be able to board and disembark the motorcoach without assistance and walk approximately 100 yards on uneven rocky terrain. Strollers are permitted but may need to be folded for portions of the experience.

Cost: $89 for ages 10+ $49 for ages 3-9 $0 for ages 0-2

Liarsville Gold Rush Trail Camp & Salmon Bake Featuring Exclusive Disney Character Experience (SW36)

Discover Liarsville Gold Rush Trail Camp and Salmon Bake on this “only from Disney” excursion. Then, start at the Liarsville Hippodrome for a fun-filled puppet show highlighting tales of the Gold Rush era.

Next, you’ll learn how to pan for gold — but first, you’ll take part in a fun scavenger hunt around the camp to gather your equipment. Favorite Disney Characters join in as you search for gold, with everyone  guaranteed  to find gold in their pan.

Roast marshmallows around the campfire, snap selfies with Disney Pals and enjoy an all-you-can-eat outdoor feast in the forest (featuring freshly-grilled Alaskan-caught salmon).

Cost: $139 for ages 10+ $79 for ages 3-9 $0 for ages 0-2

White Pass Scenic Railway — Adult Exclusive (SW66) or Children Welcome (SW09)

There are  several different excursions  that feature this breathtaking historic railway, but this one is probably the most straightforward. You’ll board a vintage rail car that has pulled up right in front of your Disney Cruise ship and embark on a fully narrated trip aboard the historic White Pass & Yukon Route.

Carved through some of the North’s most rugged terrain in 1898, this engineering wonder climbs nearly 3,000 feet over 20 miles of steep grades and cliff-hanging turns. Passengers on this round-trip loop remain onboard the train from start to finish without disembarkation.

Requirements: Standard version SW09 is open to all ages. Adult-Exclusive departure SW66 is open to ages 18+. Collapsible, standard-sized wheelchairs are welcome; electric wheelchairs or scooters may not be able to be accommodated. Must be able to board and disembark (including a few steps) without assistance.

Duration: 2.5 to 3.5 hours

Cost: $152 for ages 10+ $76 for ages 3-9 $0 for ages 0-2

Yukon Expedition (SW31) ⭐ Best of the Best ⭐

A true gem of Skagway is the Yukon Expedition, which features round-trip exploration via motorcoach and train.

Start out onboard a deluxe motorcoach headed up the South Klondike Highway to the top of the White Pass (elevation 3,292 feet). The 75-minute drive passes scenic waterfalls and glaciers before crossing the international border into Canada (so bring your passport!). There, you’ll head into the Yukon territory, seeing not only the chain of lakes that form the headwaters of the Yukon River but also the world’s smallest desert.

Then, make a stop at Caribou Crossing (Carcross). Here, you’ll feast on a barbeque chicken lunch (with homemade donuts for dessert) and explore the Yukon’s most complete museum exhibit of local wildlife. You can also visit the Dog Musher’s Village and say hello to a few furry friends there.

After heading to Fraser, British Columbia, you’ll board the White Pass and Yukon Route Railroad for an unforgettable train ride down this historic narrow gauge railroad, descending nearly 3,000 feet over 20 miles. Your train ride features amazing views and narration that blends historical facts with tall tales of the Yukon. At the end of your journey, you’ll be dropped off within walking distance of your ship.

Requirements: Open to all ages. Passports are required for all Guests, as the tour crosses between the United States and Canada. A visa may be required for citizens of some countries; see your consulate for details. For children traveling without their parent or legal guardian, special authorization forms for the responsible adult are required. Collapsible standard-sized wheelchairs are welcome; electric wheelchairs and scooters are not permitted. Must be able to embark and disembark without assistance and be able to walk on gravel terrain. Strollers are welcome but may need to be collapsed for part of the experience. Lightweight strollers are recommended.

Duration: 8.0 to 8.5 hours

Cost: $259 for ages 10+ $139 for ages 3-9 $0 for ages 0-2

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Other Alaska Ports — Best Excursions

Looking for another excursion to round out your trip? Here are a few more suggestions for other Alaskan Cruise ports.

Glacier Explorer — Stikine Icecap (DG01) or Hubbard Glacier (HUB01) ⭐ Best of the Best ⭐

Possibly one of the most unique experiences on a Disney Alaska Cruise is the Glacier Explorer excursion. While everyone can see the glacier from the Disney Cruise ship (without purchasing an excursion), this tour offers an intimate, up-close view.

Your adventure starts when you board a deluxe expedition vessel  directly from your Disney Cruise Ship  — no pulling into port first! You’ll then set sail on your once-in-a-lifetime adventure. Travel through dramatic fjords and past foreboding rocky shorelines as you weave through a maze of beautiful icebergs. Keep an eye out for wildlife sightings along the way!

The highlight of the excursion is the significant amount of time spent alongside the glaciers — as close as anyone can safely get while onboard a boat. Your vessel drifts along slowly, providing plenty of chances for photos, video, and good old-fashioned gawking. Dramatic displays of calving can occur at any time, with huge chunks of ice cleaving from the glacier with an earsplitting  CRACK ! These chunks land in the water below with a huge splash, becoming yet another iceberg to pass on your way back to the ship.

Requirements: Open to all ages. Guests must be ambulatory. Standard wheelchairs, electric wheelchairs, and scooters are not permitted. Walkers and strollers may not be used on the ship gangway. Tour operators may shorten or cancel the experience at any time — including during the excursion — due to inclement weather, sea conditions, or ice conditions. Passports are required for Stikine Icecap (DG01).

Duration: DG01 Stikine Icecap… 2.5 to 3.0 hours

HUB01 Hubbard Glacier… 2.0 to 2.5 hours

Cost: DG01 Stikine Icecap… $299 for ages 10+ $199 for ages 3-9 $199 for ages 0-2

HUB01 Hubbard Glacier… $349 for ages 10+ $229 for ages 3-9 $229 for ages 0-2

Sitka: Alaska Bears & Silver Bay Homestead Experience (SI20)

Visit Fortress of the Bear, a home for orphaned bears, where rescued cubs are nursed back to health and provided a long life full of enrichment. The onsite interpretive staff shares interesting information and the inspiring story of the couple who founded this important mission.

Next, board a boat to explore a glacier-carved fjord dotted with historic sites and lessons about the important role that natural resources play in Southeast Alaska’s economy. Head onshore at Silver Bay, where a private Alaskan homestead awaits. Here, wilderness guides pass on to you the knowledge that Southeast Alaskans have used to survive and thrive for thousands of years. Enjoy spectacular views of the bay from the beach or snuggle up at the campfire for s’mores and hot cocoa.

Climb back aboard your watercraft for a wildlife expedition in search of sea lions and brown bears. You’ll wind up at Sawmill Creek for a driving tour that ends downtown at the Sitka visitors center. You’ll have a bit of time to explore before hopping on the regularly-running free shuttles back to the cruise ship terminal.

Activity Level: Athletic

Requirements: Open to all ages. Must be ambulatory, able to walk at a steady pace up to 100 yards at a time, and capable of navigating uneven terrain, gravel, steps, and inclines. Wheelchairs, electric wheelchairs, and scooters are not permitted.

Cost: $269 for ages 10+ $229 for ages 3-9 $0 for ages 0-2

Sitka: Sea Otter and Wildlife Quest (SI03)

Board a deluxe, waterjet-powered vessel to explore the wildlife of Sitka Sound. An onboard naturalist explains this remarkable ecosystem as you watch for sea otters, whales, sea lions, porpoises, harbor seals, brown bears, black-tailed deer, and marine birds. Along the way, you’ll learn about the remarkable recovery of the area’s sea otters, which had been brought almost to the brink of extinction in the early 1800s. You can choose the level of adventure — either stay toasty warm in the cabin (enclosed seating and large windows) or head topside to the open-air observation deck. This expedition  guarantees  you will observe sea otters, a whale, or a bear during the excursion. If  none  of these animals appear during the experience, you’ll receive a $100 (USD) cash refund as you disembark.

Requirements: Open to all ages. Collapsible, standard-sized wheelchairs are welcome; electric wheelchairs and scooters are not permitted. Guests must be able to embark and disembark without assistance.

Cost: $169 for ages 10+ $129 for ages 3-9 $129 for ages 0-2

Vancouver, Canada: Northwest Exploration & Capilano Suspension Bridge (VC01)

The excursions don’t have to end just because your cruise has. Instead, extend your Disney cruise line vacation ever so slightly by spending a few hours on a guided tour through parts of Vancouver after you disembark your Disney Cruise ship for the final time.

You’ll board air-conditioned transportation and ride approximately 75 minutes through one of North America’s largest Chinatown districts, a gorgeous park system, and downtown Vancouver. Explore the old-world charm of Gastown, including the famed Steam Clock.

Pass through Stanley Park (with a quick 15-minute photo stop) and continue to the Capilano Suspension Bridge and Park for a treetop adventure. This pedestrian bridge crosses a deep gorge of the Capilano River — and yes, it sways as you walk across! Once you finish the 450-foot trek, cross a series of platforms that wind their way along the primordial forest of British Columbia.

Re-board your transportation for a ride that ends at Vancouver International Airport (YVR) for your flight home.

Requirements: Open to all ages. Must be booked at the Port Adventures desk onboard the ship — cannot be booked online in advance. Departing flights from YVR airport should be booked no earlier than 3:00 PM. Collapsible, standard-sized wheelchairs are welcome; electric wheelchairs or scooters are not permitted. No wheelchairs of any type are permitted on the suspension bridge. Must be able to board and disembark without assistance. Strollers are welcome but may need to be folded for portions of the experience.

Cost: $99 for ages 10+ $59 for ages 3-9 $0 for ages 0-2

Get Answers To All Your Cruise Questions

Do I Have to Book Alaska Excursions through Disney?

It’s not a requirement to book your Disney Alaskan cruise excursions directly through Disney Cruise Lines, as many similar offerings can be booked directly through private tour operators. But there  are  benefits to booking through Disney that you won’t get when booking privately.

First — and most importantly — Disney will wait, if necessary, to allow official excursions to return to the ship should they run late (or pay for you to catch up to the ship at the next port-of-call). This courtesy is not extended to unofficial tours, which risks leaving you stranded! Your Disney excursions will also be automatically adjusted if the ship’s port schedule changes.

Payment terms are typically much more flexible for Disney excursions, whereas privately-booked excursions may require payment in full up-front and might be nonrefundable.

Finally, Disney works with tour providers to put just a bit more magic into Disney excursions. For example, many private rainforest tours include snacks around a campfire at the end — but only Disney Guests get to make s’mores.

Disney Alaska Cruise Port Adventure FAQs

Can you book alaska disney cruise excursions once you’re onboard.

Yes, excursions can be booked at the Port Adventures desk onboard the ship — but it is subject to availability.

Do Disney Alaska Cruise Tour Offerings Sell Out?

It’s common for the most popular excursions to sell out well in advance of the cruise. Book as early as possible to avoid disappointment. There are no wait lists.

When Can You Book Disney Shore Excursions?

If it’s your  first time cruising with Disney , you can book your Port Adventures 75 days prior to your sail date. Your cruise must be paid in full — no outstanding balance.

Repeat passengers get an early booking advantage based on the  number of times they’ve cruised  with Disney.

Are Disney Cruise Excursions in Alaska Wheelchair Accessible?

Given the outdoor nature of many of the activities, accessibility may be limited. However, as of March 2023, Disney listed 24 of its 191 Alaska Excursions as fully wheelchair accessible. An additional 61 excursions can accommodate wheelchairs for at least part of the experience, with a transfer required during the expedition. For more information, see Disney Cruise Line’s list of  accessible excursions in Alaska .

Get Free Help from a Disney Cruise Expert

There’s a lot to consider when booking a Disney Cruise to Alaska — excursions, staterooms, ground transportation, dining, and onboard activities.

It’s easy to miss something important, so why not get  completely free help  from the Disney Cruise experts at  The Vacationeer ?

They’re an  Earmarked Diamond  level  Authorized Disney Vacation Planner , meaning they book thousands of Disney Vacations each year for families just like yours.

And, because you have  one dedicated agent from start to finish , you won’t get stuck on hold for hours in a giant call center.

The Vacationeer  also provides a  free onboard credit of up to $1,000  to use toward excursions, gratuities, and virtually anything else you pay for onboard the ship.

So what’re you waiting for? Your cruise  won’t cost a penny more  than if you booked it yourself. It  might  even cost less!

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15 Alaska cruise mistakes you never want to make

For many, an Alaska cruise is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. You don't want to screw it up because you might not get the chance for a do-over. Unfortunately, it's easier than you think to make Alaska cruise mistakes that can ruin a trip or prevent you from experiencing Alaska to the fullest.

While cruises to the Last Frontier are not polar-cruise-level adventures, they require more careful planning than for a Mexico or Caribbean sailing. You need to get all the details right, from booking the cruise and packing your bags to what to do and see during your cruise.

For cruise news, reviews and tips, sign up for TPG's cruise newsletter .

Here's a list of things you should never do on an Alaska cruise. Avoid these Alaska cruise mistakes, and you'll be on your way to a smooth sailing.

Alaska cruise planning mistakes to avoid

No matter how many times you've cruised before, you might be shocked at how much planning you need to do for an Alaska sailing. Get these things wrong, and you might miss out on your big Alaska cruise experience.

Assume all Alaska cruises are the same

This is an easy mistake to make on your first Alaska cruise. However, matching your ship and itinerary to your expectations and travel style is crucial for a successful trip.

Are you looking for a full day of glacier time? Try a midseason sailing that visits Glacier Bay National Park . Early and late-season cruises might be unable to access the glaciers on their itineraries due to ice floes.

Want to see whales? A round-trip Alaska cruise in June is ideal. Do you want to fish for salmon? You'll want to book at the peak of the salmon fishing season, from mid-June to mid-August. Ketchikan is the salmon capital of the world, and while most cruises stop there, a few don't, so make sure it's on the itinerary if you wish to fish.

Are you taking kids on your Alaska cruise? Big ships often have more for kids to do on board, which might be more important than where the ship goes. Expedition-style cruises may have less for youngsters but appeal to independent teens. These voyages offer a more intimate and close-up Alaska experience, with outings on kayaks and Zodiac boats that launch directly from the ship.

Wait to book excursions

You don't have to worry about booking tours in advance in some cruise destinations. Alaska cruises are not like that.

Alaska shore excursions fill up fast. It's worse in midsummer, but even on shoulder season sailings, you may not find space on the excursions you hoped to do if you wait until you're on the ship to book. The only solution is to sign up for tours as early as possible.

Does this mean you shouldn't take advantage of last-minute Alaska cruise deals if you find them? Of course not. Snap those babies up — just come prepared with a list of second and third choices of excursions, just in case.

Related: Tips for booking the best cruise shore excursion for your money

Overlook independent excursions

You don't have to stick with ship-sponsored shore excursions in every port in Alaska. On my last Alaska cruise, we booked kayaking independently for our stop in Ketchikan. It was one of the best experiences of the entire cruise. The company picked us up and dropped us off at the cruise ship. We were guaranteed an on-time return to the ship and paid far less than for the ship's kayaking excursions.

If you want to check out independent tours , you can find several Alaska excursion aggregators online or deal directly with independent businesses. Make sure you inquire about tour timing and leave a buffer so you won't miss your ship even if there's traffic or a delay.

Book same-day flights on embarkation day or early flights home

You don't want to find yourself stuck in an airport because of a flight delay when you should be boarding your cruise. To avoid this problem, book your flights to arrive the day before your cruise departs rather than the same day.

If you think it can't happen to you, listen to my most recent flight horror story. I was on not one but two flights on the same day, where minor mechanical problems caused deplaning and two-hour delays. I should have landed at my destination at 11:30 a.m. but didn't arrive until after 5 p.m. Had that been embarkation day, my ship would have sailed without me.

Similarly, it's always best to book departing flights home for the afternoon in case the ship is delayed returning to port or is not cleared by authorities on time. If you're flying in or out of Anchorage, know that all transportation options include several hours of travel from the ports of Seward and Whittier; you might consider overnighting in Anchorage either pre- or post-cruise to play it safe.

Skip the travel insurance

Airline issues aside, Alaska can be a wee bit hazardous. You will encounter slippery slopes and rocky roads — and that's just walking through Alaska port towns. You might be participating in more daring activities than normal, such as flying in helicopters, hiking across glaciers, kayaking icy waters or zip lining through forests. It's easy for something to go wrong.

On my last Alaska cruise, I heard about two passenger emergencies. A kid broke an arm on the ship and needed surgery, so a family of five disembarked in Ketchikan — not exactly a cheap end to their vacation, I'm guessing. Later in the sailing, a sick passenger was airlifted directly off the ship by the Canadian Coast Guard before we made it to Victoria.

If you live in the U.S., your health insurance is most likely valid in Alaska. You'll be covered for medical expenses but not the other expenses associated with any injury that interrupts your cruise. Travel insurance is the way to go unless you want to pay for flight changes and medical evacuation out of pocket.

Related: The best cruise travel insurance plans

Alaska cruise packing mistakes to avoid

Packing for an Alaska cruise can be tricky. The region's unpredictable weather means it can be rainy and 50 degrees one day, then sunny and 85 degrees the next. Mix in boat rides and glacier watching from the ship at 6 a.m., and you have a complicated packing job ahead of you. Don't make these Alaska cruise packing mistakes.

Forget your rain gear

Rule No. 1 on Alaska cruises: Pack rain gear. It might not rain one drop on your cruise, but chances are good that the weather will be wet at some point on your trip. When it does, you'll want the right gear to stay dry and not be drippy and miserable.

Waterproof shoes or boots are a must. For extra protection, spray them with a water-repellant sealer before you pack. You can stow lightweight raincoats or ponchos and pull-on rain pants in your backpack during excursions when you don't need them.

Skimp on layers

Layers are the only way to dress on an Alaska cruise. Start with thin, base-layer undergarments that won't bulk up your clothes and are comfortable even if the day turns out warmer than expected. The final layers of outerwear should be lightweight because you may need to stuff them in your backpack for half the day as the temperature rises.

I especially like puffy vests and jackets for Alaska. You can shed the jacket as temperatures allow, then lose the vest if it gets even warmer. Top everything with caps, knit hats, earmuffs and gloves. Those things might be excessive for a stroll through town but important in the wind on a whale watching boat.

Related: Cruise packing list: The ultimate guide to what to pack for a cruise

Overpack on eveningwear

The dress code on most Alaska cruises is more relaxed than in other cruise destinations. Days are long and outdoorsy, leaving people less enthusiastic about rushing back to the ship to put on fancy clothes and dress shoes.

Trade out your hiking shoes for comfy flats or dress sneakers. Jazz up casual, neutral-colored slacks (even jeans) or skirts with jackets or scarves. You can leave the formalwear and high heels at home.

Cheap out on insect repellant

Mosquitoes in Alaska aren't always a nuisance, but they can be horrendous. Pack insect repellant and full-coverage clothing as though you were planning to visit a rainforest ... because you are.

If you don't plan on checking a bag, pick up bug spray in your departure city or first port of call.

Leave the binoculars and cameras at home

One question I get asked often is whether you can see whales and other wildlife from the ship. The answer is a resounding yes. Unfortunately, much of what you will see is from a distance.

You can solve that problem with a pair of lightweight binoculars. They're also useful for getting a close-up view of glaciers or spotting eagles in port. Consider bringing a pair for everyone in your group because you don't want to fight over one pair when a pod of whales comes into view.

As for cameras, I recommend that everyone in your travel group has a water-resistant camera or a waterproof smartphone case or pouch. I lean toward cameras rather than phones for two reasons. One, most cameras dropped into the depths of an Alaskan bay pose a less traumatic loss than most smartphones. My second reason is in the next section.

Related: Can you use your cellphone on a cruise?

Mistakes to avoid during your Alaska cruise

Once you're on board your ship, it's time to put all the stress of planning and packing behind you. You've made it, and you don't want to let anything get in the way of enjoying your cruise.

Stare at your phone too much

An Alaska cruise is the ideal time to hit pause on your digital life. Sure, you want to capture the amazing scenery, but you know what? Few of the pictures you take will accurately portray the scale of the beauty of Alaska.

The photos you'll enjoy most when you look back next year are the ones of your travel partners enjoying the trip. Take those, then spend your time soaking up the enchantment of this place. The news, the email correspondence and your Instagram followers can take a back seat until you're back home.

Assume the seas will be smooth

Don't be surprised if you feel seasick in Alaska's waters, even if no other cruise has made you feel that way. Cruising through the Inside Passage is generally calm, but the open waters of the Pacific Ocean can be choppy. Even the bays can churn up quickly during summer storms.

Ships also do a lot of maneuvering, including turning complete circles designed to give everyone on board access to the amazing views. Unfortunately, those tight turns can contribute to nausea for some people.

Prepare by packing motion sickness relief bands you place on pressure points on your wrists, prescription scopolamine transdermal patches, ginger candies, over-the-counter seasickness medications and herbal motion sickness patches. I've used these for years, with only one failure on a rather small ship.

You can also treat the woozies with seasickness tablets, which are often available free at the medical center or guest services, green apples from the buffet and ginger ale from your ship's friendly bartenders. Related: How to avoid seasickness on your next cruise

Spend all your time indoors

You packed all those clothing layers — now's the time to use them. The coldest part of your Alaska cruise will likely be while the ship cruises through can't-miss scenery. Don't wimp out in an observation lounge. Bundle up and head outside to fully take in the view. Your balcony may give you an edge over the folks in interior rooms, but you won't get a 360-degree vista unless you're out on the top deck.

The best souvenir advice I've received is to buy a cozy throw or blanket at your first port stop. It won't cost a fortune and will serve a purpose for the rest of the cruise. Picture yourself cozy and warm in your fuzzy Alaska souvenir blanket, sipping hot chocolate while watching glaciers calving. Once home, you'll remember your epic vacation every time you snuggle up on the couch.

Sleep through your vacation

This is not a cruise you want to sleep through — and even if that's your plan, you may have difficulty accomplishing it. Long hours of daylight, excursions and glacier viewings that start early and even your own fear of missing out can have you out of bed early and staying up later than you might on any other cruise.

Sleep apps and eye masks may help with the daylight situation. I also find that Alaska cruises are ideal for ordering room service meals. It definitely saves time before morning excursions and can provide a bit of downtime in your cabin for lunch or dinner on occasion.

Fail to try something new

Your Alaska cruise offers many opportunities to try things you might never have the chance to do again. You could walk on glaciers, snorkel in a dry suit in the frigid Alaska waters or play with sled dog puppies. Or, how about riding in a sled pulled by sled dogs? We already mentioned salmon fishing, which is surprisingly fun, even if you'd never go fishing at home.

The array of things to try in Alaska can be as tame or as adventurous as you want — it's the joy of discovery that's key. I once kayaked in Ketchikan with a woman on her first solo cruise in Alaska. She'd never kayaked before. When our marine biologist guide pulled a sea cucumber from the crystal-clear waters to show us, she squealed with delight when he offered to let her hold it. That's the kind of joy you cruise to Alaska to experience.

Bottom line

You can avoid the most common Alaska cruise mistakes with a little extra planning.

The goal is to have the Alaska cruise experience you and your travel companions long for. Achieve that by choosing an itinerary that gets you to the things you want to see and do, shopping early for excursions (especially the ones you have your heart set on) and packing gear and clothes that will keep you comfy during your Alaska adventure.

Everything else is about stepping outside, breathing in the shockingly clean air and enjoying the cruise.

Planning an Alaska cruise? Start with these stories:

• Everything you need to know about booking a trip to Alaska with points and miles
• The 9 best Alaska cruises for every type of traveler in 2024
• 6 best Alaska cruises for families
• 20 must-have cruise items — including a roll of duct tape

Travel | Alaska is ready for another record-breaking…

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Travel | klay thompson went ice cold vs. kings, but warriors say they ‘need’ him back, travel | alaska is ready for another record-breaking cruise season.

Alaska is home to more than 30,000 grizzlies, but the state’s cruise industry is experiencing anything but a bear market as momentum of last year’s record-breaking season is expected to continue in 2024.

The most-visited Alaskan port, Juneau set a new mark a year ago with 1.65 million passengers descending on the capital city during cruise season, which generally runs from April to late October. That figure from the Juneau Chamber of Commerce is a Denali-sized jump of 30 percent compared to pre-pandemic 2019.

Coinciding with Alaska’s 65th anniversary of statehood, the upcoming cruise season appears to be just as robust, with 19 cruise lines sending 43 ships to the Last Frontier. Kicking things off for the second straight year is the 4,008-passenger Norwegian Bliss, which docked in rustic Skagway last week. With four mainstream-category ships homeported in either Seattle or Vancouver, Norwegian Cruise Line  has nearly 100 more after that.

Two competing companies have staked out even larger claims in this modern-day, maritime Alaskan gold rush. Holland America Line is sending seven premium-class ships for 141 total cruises. And at the top of the totem pole is Princess Cruises , which is celebrating its 55th year in these waters with seven premium ships sharing 158 departures.

Not counting grand voyages with itineraries so rich they make a visit to Alaska seem more like a pit stop, this cruise season will see more than 800 trips of mostly seven to 10 days starting or ending on this side of the Pacific. Where they’re all going is a destination rich in unparalleled wilderness, wildlife and native culture. In other words, bucket list stuff.

“Alaska is one of those places that draws you in and sets the hook right away,” said Kristi Switzer, destination marketing manager for Travel Juneau. “Visitors come for the otherworldly experience of being in the presence of glaciers and fjords, seeing whales and bears and finding the balance of Alaska Native cultural heritage with the rustic sophistication found in the capital city.”

Although Switzer recommends visits lasting several days instead of several hours, the city’s destination evangelist hopes that a partial day in Juneau and each major Alaskan cruise port will have 1.5 million passengers wanting more.

“This magical corner of the world has so much to offer beyond being a checkmark on people’s bucket lists,” she said.

Alaska is a checkmark for about three-quarters of all passengers headed there, according to the Alaska Tourism Industry Association, and the same can be said for two ships this season.

Starting with a six-day sail out of Vancouver on May 11, the namesake of Celebrity Cruises ’ popular Edge class will make its Alaskan debut with weeklong roundtrips from Seattle through Sept. 13. The 2,918-passenger vessel features a unique “outside-in” architecture that provides more floor-to-ceiling glass on the exterior and expanded outdoor spaces to soak up the Alaskan coastlines.

Edge will be joined by a pair of fleet mates for the season, albeit Summit’s seven-day roundtrips are turnarounds out of Anchorage or Vancouver, and Solstice’s weeklong jaunts are solely based in the British Columbian seaport. Celebrity, a premier-category cruise line has 57 departures to Alaska scheduled this year.

The other new recruit is Silver Nova, the youngest Silversea Cruises  ship in the luxury fleet to ever service Alaska. Capped at 728 guests, Silver Nova was launched last year and has the goods to do justice to a dreamlike place that captures the imagination of wilderness lovers and history buffs.

“Silver Nova is the ideal ship for Alaska cruising,” said company spokesman Brad Ball. “Her innovative design, which incorporates an unprecedented 4,000 square meters of glass, immerses guests into the incredible scenery of Alaska from virtually all venues and suites, with far-reaching views at every turn.”

The ship’s reimagined pool deck, which overlooks the water on her starboard side, and all-new outdoor venues — the Dusk Bar and the Marquee — allows unique openness to view spectacular Alaskan glaciers and wildlife. Those who want to experience an older and smaller Evolution-class Silversea vessel can book the Silver Muse, which also will sail mostly seven- to 14-day trips between Anchorage and Vancouver.

Because nearly every Alaskan cruise includes the staples — Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan, Inside Passage and Denali with a land add-on — some cruise lines like to shake things up with unique itineraries.

Holland America has a roundtrip that makes it easy to visit the 49th and 50th states without a long flight. A new “Glaciers & Volcanos: Alaska to Hawaii” cruise, part of the premium line’s Legendary Voyages collection of journeys from 25 to 59 days, departs on Aug. 31 from Seattle or Sept. 1 from Vancouver aboard the 1,916-passenger Westerdam. The nearly four-weeklong itinerary includes seldomly visited Kodiak and Dutch Harbor before heading down to the tropics to make four calls to three Hawaiian islands.

Seabourn  strives to offer a more tasteful Alaskan cruise and not only because it’s an ultra-luxury cruise line. “Caviar on the Ice” is a savory and swanky soiree on every Alaskan voyage, and when the 450-passenger Odyssey is in Sitka, a town originally built by Russian traders in the early 1800s, Seabourn guests can enjoy a culinary adventure that includes a scenic drive to a taproom for a sampling of local brews and a few eateries to try Siberian-rooted pelmeni dumplings and a hot dog made with caribou that the locals call “reindeer dawgs.” Sorry, vegetarians and friends of Santa, but Blitzen on a bun is da bomb.

Disney Cruise Line  is sending its 2,700-passenger Disney Wonder out of Vancouver for 15 week-long roundtrips, one five-day spin leaving on July 24 and an extended nine-day voyage on July 15.

Other cruise lines showing passengers a whale of a time in Alaska include Crystal, Cunard, Hurtigruten, Lindblad/National Geographic, Oceania, Ponant, Regent Seven Seas and Viking.

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United blames $200m earnings hit on fallout from boeing’s midair door blowout.

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United Airlines suffered $200 million in losses during the first quarter — which it blamed on Boeing’s grounding of its 737 MAX 9 planes in the wake of its disastrous midair fuselage blowout.

Chicago-based United — which had to cancel hundreds of flights as a result of the three-week grounding — said it would have reported a quarterly profit without the disruption, The Guardian earlier reported .

Still, United said it “continues to expect full-year 2024 adjusted diluted earnings per share of $9 to $11” — in line with the $9.14 per share FactSet analysts are expecting of the airline’s annual earnings.

The airline has also “made several adjustments to its long-term fleet strategy,” including swapping its Boeing MAX 10 aircraft orfers to Boeing MAX 9s from 2025 through 2027, it said on Tuesday.

United has also ensured that it has “the right to convert more Boeing MAX 10 into MAX 8 or MAX 9 as needed.”

Representatives for United did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.

Boeing’s 737 MAX jets are most widely used by United, Southwest Airlines and Alaska Airlines, which was operating the Boeing plane that experienced a door blowout at 16,000 feet on Jan. 5.

In the wake of the incident — which has since escalated into a full-blown safety and reputational crisis for Boeing — the Federal Aviation Administration delayed certification of the MAX 10 models, the largest in its family of 737 MAX aircraft, and barred the plane maker from expanding production of its best-selling 737 MAX narrowbody jets.

After news of the delays in February, United’s chief financial officer Mike Leskinen said the carrier was “deeply disappointed” with Boeing over the hold up in the delivery of its new MAX 10 aircraft — specifically as it threw a wrench into the airline’s growth projections.

The CFO added that the delays have raised questions about the carrier’s ability to expand its domestic capacity by almost 30% by 2026 under its “United Next” plan.

United was counting on an upgraded fleet that would include 277 MAX 10 jets.

In addition, it had already slashed its 2024 forecast for MAX 8 delivery from Boeing from 43 to 37, and said it expects to receive 15 fewer MAX 9s this year.

United is so reliant on Boeing that it revealed plans to pause pilot hiring in May and June  until aircraft deliveries from Boeing resume, though that timeline remains unclear.

The airline took it a step further earlier this month, when it was even asking its pilots to take voluntary unpaid leave in May because of delays in Boeing deliveries, according to a memo sent to pilots.

The voluntary pilot leave programs could possibly extend into summer and fall.

It wasn’t immediately clear what incentives, if any, United was giving pilots to take a month-long leave from work.

United isn’t the only airline to suffer from Boeing’s delivery delays: Alaska Airlines said in a regulatory filing  that it lost “approximately $160 million” in its first quarter in pretax profit, “primarily comprising lost revenues, costs due to irregular operations and costs to restore our fleet to operating service.”

The filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission added that the $160 million cash was “equivalent” to what the airline lost from the “terrifying” incident on Jan.5.

Boeing, however, has since agreed to give Alaska Airlines roughly $160 million as an “initial payment” for “financial damages” resulting from the flight that experienced a midair door blowout.

Boeing is also “expected” to provide “additional compensation” in the future, per the documents, though it wasn’t immediately when or how much more the airplane manufacturer would be handing over — or when.

Southwest Airlines, which exclusively flies Boeing 737 planes, will also hire 50% fewer pilots and 60% fewer flights attendants than it originally planned to in 2024, CNN earlier reported .

The drastic reduction is a response to Boeing’s plans to cut deliveries to Southwest by roughly 40% and trim capacity from earlier plans, offering about 1 percentage point fewer seats than it had planned.

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 Port Adventures Alaska

Exciting shore excursions specially selected by Disney Cruise Line

•  Glacier Viewing (Stikine Icecap), Alaska
•  Hubbard Glacier, Alaska
•  Icy Strait Point, Alaska
•  Juneau, Alaska
•  Ketchikan, Alaska
•  Sitka, Alaska
•  Skagway, Alaska
•  Tracy Arm, Alaska
•  Vancouver, Canada
•  Victoria (British Columbia), Canada
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 experience type,  activity level,  accessibility,  price range, alpine zipline adventure (ju42).

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• Juneau, Alaska

5-Glacier Seaplane Exploration (JU49)

• $369.00* (ages 10 and up), $329.00* (ages 2 to 9)

Adventure Kart Expedition (KE15)

• $369.00* (ages 10 and up), $249.00* (ages 8 to 9)
• Ketchikan, Alaska

Adventure Park and Ropes Course (IS28)

• $74.00* (ages 10 and up), $54.00* (ages 5 to 9)
• Icy Strait Point, Alaska

Adventure Park and Zip Lines (SW01)

• $189.00* (ages 10 and up), $144.00* (ages 8 to 9)
• Skagway, Alaska

Aerial Zip and Rappel Adventure (KE14)

• $299.00* (ages 10 and up)

Afternoon Tea at Butchart Gardens (VT15)

• Sightseeing
• $299.00* (ages 10 and up), $199.00* (ages 8 to 9)
• Victoria (British Columbia), Canada

Alaska Bears & Silver Bay Homestead Experience (SI20)

• Nature, Sightseeing
• $274.00* (ages 10 and up), $234.00* (ages 3 to 9), $0.00* (ages 0 to 2)
• Sitka, Alaska

Alaska Bigfoot Adventures (KE70)

• $169.00* (ages 10 and up), $139.00* (ages 6 to 9)

Alaska Coastal Expedition (KE30)

• Active, Nature, Beach and Water Adventures
• $199.00* (ages 10 and up), $189.00* (ages 7 to 9)

Alaska Family Fun and Exclusive Lumberjack Show (KE62)

• $189.00* (ages 10 and up), $99.00* (ages 3 to 9), $0.00* (ages 0 to 2)

Alaska Hummer Adventure (KE21)

• Nature, Sightseeing, Private Adventures
• $799.00* (All Ages)

Alaska Nature and Wildlife Expedition (SW38)

• $269.00* (ages 10 and up), $194.00* (ages 5 to 9)

Alaska Raptor Center and Nature Walk (SI01)

• Sightseeing, Cultural
• $104.00* (ages 10 and up), $84.00* (ages 3 to 9), $0.00* (ages 0 to 2)

Alaska Salmon Bake, Glacier and Hatchery (JU07)

• $144.00* (ages 10 and up), $99.00* (ages 3 to 9), $0.00* (ages 0 to 2)

Alaska Whales & Rainforest Trails (JU34)

• $259.00* (ages 10 and up), $159.00* (ages 5 to 9)

Alaska Whales & Science Adventure (JU33)

• $259.00* (ages 10 and up), $159.00* (ages 3 to 9), $159.00* (ages 0 to 2)

Alaska Zodiac Adventure and Fin Island Lodge (SI16)

• Nature, Beach and Water Adventures
• $249.00* (ages 10 and up), $179.00* (ages 8 to 9)

Alaska's Whales & Glaciers Photo Safari (JU57)

• $269.00* (ages 10 and up), $169.00* (ages 5 to 9)

Alaskan Bear Encounter by Land and Sea (KE17)

• $459.00* (ages 10 and up), $349.00* (ages 5 to 9)

Alaskan Fish Camp & Wilderness Dining (KE35)

• $499.00* (ages 10 and up), $399.00* (ages 5 to 9)

Alaskan Lodge Adventures and Seafeast (KE64)

• Nature, Signature Collection
• $199.00* (ages 10 and up), $139.00* (ages 3 to 9), $139.00* (ages 0 to 2)

Alpine Lake Canoe Adventure (SW61)

• $199.00* (ages 10 and up)

Alpine Wilderness Trail Adventure By Segway (JU80)

• $229.00* (ages 14 to 65)

Alpine Zipline and Mendenhall Glacier (JU24)

• $369.00* (ages 10 and up)

Annette Island Cultural Celebration with Exclusive Family Activity (KE51)

• Nature, Signature Collection, Cultural
• $259.00* (ages 10 and up), $169.00* (ages 3 to 9), $169.00* (ages 0 to 2)

Artist Walk – Hot Italian Glass Experience (SI11)

• $89.00* (ages 12 and up)

ATV Expedition (IS03)

• Active, Nature, Sightseeing
• $269.00* (ages 10 and up), $239.00* (ages 6 to 9)

Authentic Alaska Fishing (KE36)

• $559.00* (ages 10 and up), $469.00* (ages 8 to 9)

Back Country Jeep Adventure (IS18)

• $209.00* (ages 10 and up), $179.00* (ages 3 to 9), $0.00* (ages 0 to 2)
• * All prices subject to change without notice.