Wonder in Alaska - questions

[cyclenut]

This is the third cruise for my wife and I. We've sailed both Carnival and RC before. This is our first DCL trip and as we are all big Disney fans we are really looking forward to the Disney experience.

 

I've been off the CC board for some time now, but have been checking back now that we're going back to a ship.

 

We've been researching shore excursions and since we are not Castaway members I'm a little concerned there won't be room on some of these excursions by the time we are allowed to book them.

 

We're also paying close attention to the weather. We live in Southern California so we don't have much cold weather clothing so we're going to have to go do some shopping.

 

Three things I have questions on right now.

 

1) We had to book three rooms to accomodate our group. The reservations are linked. Does Disney take this into consideration when assigning tables for dinner? There will be 7 in our party and we're hoping we'll all get to sit together.

 

2) Does Disney pay close attention to the age limits for the clubs? Most of our party will be 18 and over but one of them will be 16 at the time of the cruise and one will have turned 18 just days before. Does this matter? Can the 18 year old hang with the 16 year old or visa versa?

 

3) We booked our airfare with our cruise. We're led to believe that Disney takes care of all the transportation to and from the ship. Do those passengers get any preferences for boarding?

 

CC experienced cruisers have provided us with some excellent advice in the past and we're really looking forward to this trip. It's both our first DCL trip AND our first Alaska cruise.

[travelfr33k]

Hi! I've been on 4 disney cruises and I hope I can answer your questions.

 

1. Yes, if you've linked your reservations together, you should be able to sit together. One of our trips, we sailed with another family - 8 all together. We had a table of 8 waiting for us each night and we sat together every evening. You should not have a problem, but can double check with you first get on board with guest services.

 

2. The 16 year old can join The Vibe, a club just for 14-17 year olds. I don't believe the 18 year old can join Th Vibe. There are "adults only" shows etc. and I don't think the 16 year old can attend.... but again, double check when you arrive at the port and get on board.

 

3. Yes, you can pay Disney for transfers to and from the airport. By taking their transfer does not give you preference on when to board. I know in Orlando, they had a check in counter for the cruise down where the buses were. I am not sure if Vancouver or Seattle will have that. Call Disney to find out. If so, check in there. When you check in, they will give you a card with a boarding number. The earlier you check in, the earlier you'll be assigned a boarding number (they allow groups to board in shifts with 1 being the first, then 2,3,...). If you can't check in at the airporit, then when you arrive at the port you will pass through security and photo ID check. Then you will stand in the longer line (for non Castaway members) to check in. It is through this process you'll receive your boarding group number. Again, the earlier you arrive, you'll get the earlier group number.

 

I hope this makes sense.

 

In regards to shore excursions, there are other avenues outside of the Disney ones you can explore and register now. We sat with another family that used another shore excursion site to book all their excursions and they had a lot of fun. I believe it is www.shoretrips.com

 

Good luck with your shore excursions. If you find out any info on things I couldn't provide above, please share here. I agree, CC is a wonderful resource and it helped me plan our cruise to Alaska we took a couple weeks ago. All recommendations were spot on and we had a blast!

 

Respond back with any more questions as you plan! Have fun!!

[jelbnl]

This is the third cruise for my wife and I. We've sailed both Carnival and RC before. This is our first DCL trip and as we are all big Disney fans we are really looking forward to the Disney experience.

 

I've been off the CC board for some time now, but have been checking back now that we're going back to a ship.

 

We've been researching shore excursions and since we are not Castaway members I'm a little concerned there won't be room on some of these excursions by the time we are allowed to book them.We're on the 8/23 cruise and most excursions are still available, so you should be o.k.

 

We're also paying close attention to the weather. We live in Southern California so we don't have much cold weather clothing so we're going to have to go do some shopping.

 

Three things I have questions on right now.

 

1) We had to book three rooms to accomodate our group. The reservations are linked. Does Disney take this into consideration when assigning tables for dinner? There will be 7 in our party and we're hoping we'll all get to sit together.You will all be at the same table. We've linked our reservations before and are always with our traveling companions at dinner.

 

2) Does Disney pay close attention to the age limits for the clubs? Most of our party will be 18 and over but one of them will be 16 at the time of the cruise and one will have turned 18 just days before. Does this matter? Can the 18 year old hang with the 16 year old or visa versa?The 16 YO will not be allowed into any of the adult areas, but the 18 YO will be allowed in the teen areas, but WILL NOT then be allowed into the adult areas.

 

3) We booked our airfare with our cruise. We're led to believe that Disney takes care of all the transportation to and from the ship. Do those passengers get any preferences for boarding?I;m reading this as DCL booked your air for you, if that is the case transfers to/from the airport are included. You'll receive no priority boarding, as only concierge guests and platinum Castaway Club members get priority boarding.

 

CC experienced cruisers have provided us with some excellent advice in the past and we're really looking forward to this trip. It's both our first DCL trip AND our first Alaska cruise.

answers above in red, I hope the help!

[cyclenut]

Thanks so much for the insight.

 

I'm not very familiar with how these "clubs" operate. I've read through the tips thread and most seem to talk about the younger kids.

 

Lori responded that my 18 year old could join "club vibe" but then wouldn't be allowed into the 18 and over areas. I think I got that right.

 

That doesn't make sense to me, which is probably because I don't really understand what these clubs are or how they work. Is it just an area on the ship or is it more than that? Are there events that are exclusive to "club vibe" registered guests? It sounds like if you are registered as a club vibe member then your boarding card assumes you must be under 18 and you can't do some things ... but I'm not sure what.

[cyclenut]

Hi! I've been on 4 disney cruises and I hope I can answer your questions.

 

1. Yes, if you've linked your reservations together, you should be able to sit together. One of our trips, we sailed with another family - 8 all together. We had a table of 8 waiting for us each night and we sat together every evening. You should not have a problem, but can double check with you first get on board with guest services.

That is what we were hoping. Thanks!

2. The 16 year old can join The Vibe, a club just for 14-17 year olds. I don't believe the 18 year old can join Th Vibe. There are "adults only" shows etc. and I don't think the 16 year old can attend.... but again, double check when you arrive at the port and get on board.

We will, but I posted another question about the clubs in this thread. Maybe you can help me sort out my understanding.

3. Yes, you can pay Disney for transfers to and from the airport. By taking their transfer does not give you preference on when to board. I know in Orlando, they had a check in counter for the cruise down where the buses were. I am not sure if Vancouver or Seattle will have that. Call Disney to find out. If so, check in there. When you check in, they will give you a card with a boarding number. The earlier you check in, the earlier you'll be assigned a boarding number (they allow groups to board in shifts with 1 being the first, then 2,3,...). If you can't check in at the airporit, then when you arrive at the port you will pass through security and photo ID check. Then you will stand in the longer line (for non Castaway members) to check in. It is through this process you'll receive your boarding group number. Again, the earlier you arrive, you'll get the earlier group number.

We booked and paid for our airfare as part of our cruise package through Disney so the transfers are included. I've read on the tips thread that when you check your bags at the airport they are taken directly to your room. Then, on the return, they are picked up from your room and are waiting for you at baggage claim when you arrive at your final destination. This sounds like a realy cool bonus. That is also why I was asking about the check-in lines to board the ship, but you also pointed out that I can check in for my flight aboard the ship. That sounds like a pretty cool feature.

I hope this makes sense.

 

In regards to shore excursions, there are other avenues outside of the Disney ones you can explore and register now. We sat with another family that used another shore excursion site to book all their excursions and they had a lot of fun. I believe it is www.shoretrips.com

 

Good luck with your shore excursions. If you find out any info on things I couldn't provide above, please share here. I agree, CC is a wonderful resource and it helped me plan our cruise to Alaska we took a couple weeks ago. All recommendations were spot on and we had a blast!

We've spent several hours pouring over the excursions shown on the Disney site. Not everyone wants to do the same things so we're trying to mix it up a little and make sure that nobody has to do one alone. I had not thought about "shoretrips". Are the Disney listed excursions any different? I know I saw a couple that were "exclusive" but if I were to do a jeep tour, for example, is that going to be a different experience for Disney cruisers than for, say ... RCCL? I wouldn't think so, but I'm just not sure.

Respond back with any more questions as you plan! Have fun!!

THANKS! I will definately post back about our experiences.

 

I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with the "Experience Yukon by Bike" trip. As you can see from my login I love cycling. I'm a little out of shape now but 38 miles is what I do almost every weekend, so this doesn't seem to be too difficult for me, but what about for someone who is not a regular cyclist?

[travelfr33k]

but you also pointed out that I can check in for my flight aboard the ship. That sounds like a pretty cool feature.

 

I didn't point this out, but thanks! We never did this before and am not sure you can check in for your flight onboard. What I was trying to say is you might can check in for the cruise at the airport before boarding Disney transportation (as Orlando does). But since this is new to vancouver and then seattle, they might not have something like this set up. You'll need to call to find out.

 

Are the Disney listed excursions any different?

 

They pretty much offer what shoretrips would, but might cost you more $$. Read the descriptions on both and see. We didn't pay the $$ for their excursions. We planned our own excursions, not paying more than $60 total on each port (for our family of 4).

 

I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with the "Experience Yukon by Bike" trip. As you can see from my login I love cycling. I'm a little out of shape now but 38 miles is what I do almost every weekend, so this doesn't seem to be too difficult for me, but what about for someone who is not a regular cyclist?

 

Sorry I can't help you here. Maybe someone else can offer any option. Read below for your concerns about the 16 & 18 year old.

 

Ok, here is how it works on the Disney cruises. The 16 year old could participate in The Vibe - an exclusive area in which 14-17 year olds hang out. There are planned activities throughout the day, some of which the teens themselves plan. Only 14-17 year olds are allowed there - no parents, which is cool to them. Go on the Disney site to see photos and descriptions. Ok, now with the 18 year old (or any "child" close to the age they could be a part of a younger club). They get to choose. If they choose the Vibe, they cannot attend the adults only events. Like my 11 year old could choose not to be in The Edge and go with Oceaneer Lab, but if he did, he couldn't decided to go back to the Edge. They do this to keep track of where he would be. For younger age groups, they put wrist bands and have parent contact devices (wave phones) in place. For the Edge and Vibe, there are no such tracking as members can go and come as they please. So the 18 year old would have to choose which they would be - the day you board there will be open houses so they can get a feel and decide.

 

Let me know if you have any more questions. Doing all the homework will make for a smoother vacation. Some that didn't do this were confused and a bit miffed at times, as they didn't understand the process.

[travelfr33k]

cyclenut - sorry! It was my first response to multiple quotes above! I didn't do it correctly. Read inside the blue box for some of my responses. Sorry! I'm learning! :o

[cyclenut]

cyclenut - sorry! It was my first response to multiple quotes above! I didn't do it correctly. Read inside the blue box for some of my responses. Sorry! I'm learning! :o

 

Nothing to appologize for, I appreciate the information in whatever form you can share it! THANKS!

 

When I say we are Disney fans, that might be an understatment. We are Disneyland Annual Passholders and one of my kids also worked as a college intern at Disneyworld in the Hollywood Pictures backlot for several weeks (she just got home) and before that worked at Build-a-Bear in downtown Disney.

 

Anyone who has ANY questions about Disney in socal just send me a note!

[travelfr33k]

When I say we are Disney fans, that might be an understatment.

 

 

We are too! But on the other side of the coast. Not fortuneate enough to live close enough to be annual passholders. We've been to WDW 8 times and 4 cruises and I am not feeling the itch to go back (just 3 weeks home from our cruise). And, I'm too old to take advantage of the college programs, but can live vicariously through my children! ;) We plan to drive out west in the next year or two and will need advice on Mickey's original turf when we hit LA. Thanks for you offer!

 

Have fun on your cruise and do post when you return. When are you sailing?

 

And, let us know if you learn new things or if they've changed anything. I was on the inaugural cruise to Alaska and I am sure they are on a steep learning curve and may change things along the way. My DH was selected one among 10 people on board to participate in a focus group to let DCL executives know what was working and was is not. He met three times for 2 hours over our cruise (and had a blast - he even learned of some new things coming our way - can't tell, signed a non-disclosure statement, but it is said to be cutting edge). I am sure things will change as they are expanding. Can't wait!

[sheri117]

Like my 11 year old could choose not to be in The Edge and go with Oceaneer Lab, but if he did, he couldn't decided to go back to the Edge. They do this to keep track of where he would be. For younger age groups, they put wrist bands and have parent contact devices (wave phones) in place. For the Edge and Vibe, there are no such tracking as members can go and come as they please. So the 18 year old would have to choose which they would be - the day you board there will be open houses so they can get a feel and decide.

 

I don't know anything about the older kids, but we are just off the Wonder in Alaska, and my 11 year old was able to participate in the Edge, and got to the Lab as a "visitor" (they gave him a green wrist band) whenever he wanted. His younger brother was in there, so he did spend some time there. He was able to go back and forth freely. So, our experience was different than stated above.

[travelfr33k]

I don't know anything about the older kids, but we are just off the Wonder in Alaska, and my 11 year old was able to participate in the Edge, and got to the Lab as a "visitor" (they gave him a green wrist band) whenever he wanted. His younger brother was in there, so he did spend some time there. He was able to go back and forth freely. So, our experience was different than stated above.

 

 

Great! They told us our 11 year old had to pick, but he didn't want to go to the Lab so we didn't pursue it further. Thanks for letting us know they are relaxing some!

[HiMagicFan]

For excursions outside of DCL you might want to check out the Alaska ports section here...there are some great alternatives to DCL (and sometimes cheaper).

[cyclenut]

We are too! But on the other side of the coast. Not fortuneate enough to live close enough to be annual passholders. We've been to WDW 8 times and 4 cruises and I am not feeling the itch to go back (just 3 weeks home from our cruise). And, I'm too old to take advantage of the college programs, but can live vicariously through my children! ;) We plan to drive out west in the next year or two and will need advice on Mickey's original turf when we hit LA. Thanks for you offer!

I'll share a couple of tips now, just for fun.

1) Tom Sawyer island has been taken over by Pirates. When you are ready for a rest but your kids aren't, sail on over to the island and walk through what used to be Injun Joe's cave. Just on the other side are some restrooms and a few picnic tables, sitting right alongside the Rivers of America. Almost never a crowd there. Take a seat, have a snack and if your kids are old enough you can let them do a little exploring on their own while you rest.

2) Save yourself some hassle and buy the picnic lunch boxes for the World of Color show in Disney's California Adventure. They are priced reasonably and you get a fastpass to a good section for the show. You'll still need to line up early as there is no reserved seating (standing room only) but you won't have to rush over to get a fastpass either.

Have fun on your cruise and do post when you return. When are you sailing?

We set sail August 9. I will definately post when we return.

And, let us know if you learn new things or if they've changed anything. I was on the inaugural cruise to Alaska and I am sure they are on a steep learning curve and may change things along the way. My DH was selected one among 10 people on board to participate in a focus group to let DCL executives know what was working and was is not. He met three times for 2 hours over our cruise (and had a blast - he even learned of some new things coming our way - can't tell, signed a non-disclosure statement, but it is said to be cutting edge). I am sure things will change as they are expanding. Can't wait!

Will do. We are VERY excited.

[travelfr33k]

Anyone else coming from an Alaskan cruise? Let us know your thoughts!

[cyclenut]

We're all booked (I created a thread about my booking experience so I won't go into that here).

 

I'm trying to figure out how the onboard ship cards work. My wife and I plan to pay for everything and then settle up with the older "kids" later if they purchased any "extras".

 

Our reservations are linked. Does each cabin get their own "bill"? I booked the shore excursions through a single cabin and selected members from our linked reservation from there, so I believe those will all go to that room.

 

Also, I've seen a few comments about needing to find a good viewing spot for when the ship travels through some areas, in particular the Tracey Arms day. I don't fully understand this as I've never been on an Alaska cruise. The ships I've been on all seem to have ample space near the railing on several different decks. Is this really an issue? Is there a "better time" to be on deck to see the "most exciting" sites?

[travelfr33k]

We're all booked (I created a thread about my booking experience so I won't go into that here).

 

I'm trying to figure out how the onboard ship cards work. My wife and I plan to pay for everything and then settle up with the older "kids" later if they purchased any "extras".

 

Our reservations are linked. Does each cabin get their own "bill"? I booked the shore excursions through a single cabin and selected members from our linked reservation from there, so I believe those will all go to that room.

 

Double check when you arrive, but I believe there is one bill per cabin. At the end of the cruise, they will place your bill with charges to your credit card under your cabin room door. We brought cash aboard so as not to overwhelm our credit cards (I am a Bingo addict!). I found out once your charges reach a certain amount (I believe it ws $400, but maybe I am remembering wrong), they will automatically charge your credit card. So we went and put cash down at guest services to apply to our room. I hope this helps! Do check with guest services upon arrival as policies change all the time.

 

 

 

Also, I've seen a few comments about needing to find a good viewing spot for when the ship travels through some areas, in particular the Tracey Arms day. I don't fully understand this as I've never been on an Alaska cruise. The ships I've been on all seem to have ample space near the railing on several different decks. Is this really an issue? Is there a "better time" to be on deck to see the "most exciting" sites?

 

We were on the inaugural cruise and can tell you first hand, anywhere out on the upper deck at Tracy Arm will be beautiful. Of course, the very front of the ship was packed like sardines, so we stayed in the middle of the ship and walked from one side to the other as the ship moved so slowly to navigate around all the ice/ice burgs. Even being on the back of the ship (where they will be serving grilled fish/salmon on the back deck for lunch - don't miss it as we almost did on this day) offered beautiful shots. I would listen to the captain and when he tells the time they will begin to enter Tracy Arm, grab your cameras, coat, gloves etc and head out on deck. It took about an hour or so to get to the twin glaciers (sawyer glaciers) where the boat will turn around (you don't see it up close, but they say it calves at least once an hour, so you might get lucky) and head back out of Tracy Arm. If you stay on one side of the boat or on your veranda (if you have one - we had an ocean view room with big circular window and sat watching the scenery from there - amazing), you will see all there is to see going in and then back out.

 

I am sorry to read that you had booking issues. I hope that is all resolved and you are looking forward to planning your trip! Let me know if you have any other questions!

[cyclenut]

Double check when you arrive, but I believe there is one bill per cabin. At the end of the cruise, they will place your bill with charges to your credit card under your cabin room door. We brought cash aboard so as not to overwhelm our credit cards (I am a Bingo addict!). I found out once your charges reach a certain amount (I believe it ws $400, but maybe I am remembering wrong), they will automatically charge your credit card. So we went and put cash down at guest services to apply to our room. I hope this helps! Do check with guest services upon arrival as policies change all the time.

Good tip. We'll check on arrival. I haven't quite figured out all of the nuances of linked reservations. I would have preferred it if they had just allowed us to have a single booking with three cabins, but that just isn't how it works.

 

We were on the inaugural cruise and can tell you first hand, anywhere out on the upper deck at Tracy Arm will be beautiful. Of course, the very front of the ship was packed like sardines, so we stayed in the middle of the ship and walked from one side to the other as the ship moved so slowly to navigate around all the ice/ice burgs. Even being on the back of the ship (where they will be serving grilled fish/salmon on the back deck for lunch - don't miss it as we almost did on this day) offered beautiful shots. I would listen to the captain and when he tells the time they will begin to enter Tracy Arm, grab your cameras, coat, gloves etc and head out on deck. It took about an hour or so to get to the twin glaciers (sawyer glaciers) where the boat will turn around (you don't see it up close, but they say it calves at least once an hour, so you might get lucky) and head back out of Tracy Arm. If you stay on one side of the boat or on your veranda (if you have one - we had an ocean view room with big circular window and sat watching the scenery from there - amazing), you will see all there is to see going in and then back out.

Excellent! Thank you!

That is exactly what I was hoping. We have a room with a Verandah so we'll probably do a little of both. Some time on the deck and some time on the Verandah. Our other two rooms are inside state rooms so we were thinking about inviting the rest of our family to our room, but I'm pretty sure the Verandah is too small for 7. I would personally prefer to be topside.

I am sorry to read that you had booking issues. I hope that is all resolved and you are looking forward to planning your trip! Let me know if you have any other questions!

We persevered. Booking shore excursions was a snap, except for the fact that Castaway members get first crack at things and booked up the Palo brunch before we had a chance.

 

Is there any additional information available on shore excursions? Any way to know who is operating a particular excursion and maybe contact the operator directly, even though we booked through Disney? There is really only one where I have some questions. It is the Yukon bike tour. Nobody seems to have done that one so answers are pretty scarce.

[travelfr33k]

Is there any additional information available on shore excursions? Any way to know who is operating a particular excursion and maybe contact the operator directly, even though we booked through Disney? There is really only one where I have some questions. It is the Yukon bike tour. Nobody seems to have done that one so answers are pretty scarce.

 

I am not sure, but you can contact Disney and they should be able to tell you more about who is running the excursion and any other details you need.

 

Have fun!

[cyclenut]

I am not sure, but you can contact Disney and they should be able to tell you more about who is running the excursion and any other details you need.

 

Have fun!

 

UPDATE ... and advice for others if they happen to read.

 

I found the name of the place that runs the excursion and sent them a note. I received a very wonderful response! The president of this small operator wrote me back himself, answered all my questions and even offered to mount my Garmin bike computer on a bike for my ride so I can come home with a GPS map of my bike trek. The rest of my family think I'm a little nuts to be taking on a 35 mile bike ride when we're on a cruise, but for me, this is going to be like a mini-vacation within the vacation. I'm really looking forward to it.

 

The operator is Sockeye Bicycle Company. If you look at the pictures posted on the excursion description you can see part of the company logo. You can also google the port name and the excursion name and generally find the operator that way.

[cyclenut]

UPDATE:

We received our airline information. Never received an e-mail. Just happened to check cruise details and the flight information was all there. Not sure how long it had been there since I don't check that screen every day.

 

VERY excited. About all we have left to do now is book our transportation to/from the airport.

 

I remember hearing a story once about that. A family packed up all their gear for their cruise the night before. Early that morning they woke up and as everyone started bringing out the luggage, they realized there wasn't enough room for all the luggage and all the people. No time to do much of anything about it. The piled the kids in on top of the luggage and headed down the freeway for what was a very long drive.

 

What a way to start a vacation.