Book A Room Midship If You Get Seasick
In general, the lower the room and the closer to the middle of the ship, the less movement youll feel. Although cruise ships dont bounce around much, they do sway, especially when out on the Pacific. Also, if youre sensitive to noise, check the ships floor plan and aim for a room that wont be directly above or below an ’80s cover band.
Longer Sailings From The West Coast
Finally, youll find some San Francisco round-trip itineraries usually 10 nights long as well as longer sailings between San Francisco and Vancouver. These cruises are best suited to travelers who love days at sea. Youll have four sea days plus a day of scenic cruising at a spot like Tracy Arm , Endicott Arm, Hubbard Glacier or Glacier Bay National Park. The waters before you enter the Inside Passage can be calm, rough or anything in between, depending on when you go and luck of the draw.
Ports on these longer sailings may include Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan, Icy Strait Point and Victoria, British Columbia.
Alaska Cruise Packing List Extras
Hat Or Beanie
You lose the majority of your body heat through your head, so you will want to put a hat like this chunky beanie haton your Alaska cruise packing list.
When you are on a glacier calving or marine mammal sighting boat excursion when you are in port, you will be glad you thought to bring a hat to keep your head warm. Its much colder when you are on the water!
This unisex chunky slouch beanie is fashionable. It is lined to keep you warm!
If the weather is scheduled to be warmer, when you are packing for your Alaskan cruise, you can include this unisex breathable mesh quick-dry baseball sun cap.
Just about everyone in your family can wear this baseball cap, it comes in oodles of colors and is very affordable.
This wide-brimmed;waterproof unisex hat would be great to protect you from the suns harmful rays. It is waterproof, packable, and comes in several colors. Not only that it is pretty cheap!
Ear Mitts
If your waterproof jacket has a comfortable hood, you might want to put ear mitts on your Alaska cruise packing list, instead of a hat. These earmuffs are affordable and come in a very wide variety of colors. Space is a premium when packing and these can substitute for a beanie.
These unisex foldable earmuffs are another option. They are affordable, adjustable and come in a variety of colors.
Thermal Headband
Even another additional item to consider to wear is a thermal headband.
Gloves
Hand And Toe Warmers
Sunglasses
Sunscreen
Motion Sickness Options
Umbrella
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Book Your Cruise With An Authorized Disney Vacation Planner
At first, I thought it was weird to use a travel agent to help book my Disney Cruise but this is one of the best things you can do to prepare for your Disney Cruise!
I use Small World Vacations because they can give you a great onboard credit that you can use for tips or cocktails. Well, you can use the onboard credit for anything.
Best For Teens And Adventure
If youve got active kids who have an interest in nature and the environment, an expedition voyage could be exactly what will keep them engaged and off their devices. Anyone else looking to really explore Alaska should also consider an expedition cruise where youll hop aboard skiffs for up-close looks at glaciers, go hiking in Tongass National Forest and kayak the calm waters of the Inside Passage. Look to UnCruise Adventures, Alaskan Dream Cruises, Hurtigruten, Lindblad Expeditions , Ponant or Silverseas expedition ships .
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Whats The Best Time To See Whales On An Alaska Cruise
Gray whales, humpback whales, orca, beluga whales Alaska has them all. Here are some quick tips to help you increase the odds of seeing whales during your cruise.
- Humpback whales: June and July are the best months for seeing these giants of the deep. Over 500 humpback whales spend summer within the Inside Passage, so select a cruise that passes through this route and visits the Barren Islands.
- Beluga whales: You can spot belugas in Turnagain Arm from mid-July through August, just south of Anchorage. September is also a good month for belugas, as long as your cruise passes Nome.
- Gray Whales: April and May are ideal for gray whales, as they feed around Kodiak, Sitka, Ketchikan, and Seward.
- Orca : The ideal time for orca spotting is between early May and early June when you can find these colorful behemoths feeding in Resurrection Bay and along cruise routes going between Seattle and Alaska.
Best Time For Alaska Cruises
The Alaska cruise season typically runs from late April to early October, with high season normally falling between June through August. However, the best time to go is rather subjective.
May and September offer cheaper cruise fares and fewer crowds; however, due to more unpredictable weather, shore excursions have a greater chance of being canceled than they do in high season — especially boat and helicopter tours. May is one of the driest sailing season months in the Inside Passage region, but you may still find snow on the ground — great for scenic photos, less ideal for hiking.
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A Few Itinerary Highlights
South Shetland Islands
These glaciated volcanic islands at the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula are the first land passengers will see after crossing the Drake Passage. From a distance, the islands look like misshapen lumps of chocolate streaked with bright-white syrup. The first icebergs each one an exquisite sculpture totally different from the next also appear here.
A dozen nations maintain scientific or military bases here, and the occasional cluster of buildings can be spotted from deck.
Your first close-up view of the Shetlands comes when your ship enters the flooded caldera of this bleak volcanic cone that blew away two research stations in the late 1960s and most recently sputtered to life in 1991.
In the early 19th century, a short-lived fur-seal industry brought 100 and more ships at a time to the harbor considered one of Antarcticas safest anchorages. By the early 20th century, Deception Island had become one of the hemispheres prime rendering grounds for whales. Whalers towed so many carcasses to be processed here that the 8-mile-wide bay often was clogged with them, its waters stained crimson with blood. Several of the tanks that once held whale oil still stand, rusty sentinels of a vanished era.
Lemaire Channel
Waterboat Point, Paradise Bay
Half Moon Bay
Cape Horn
What To Pack For An Alaskan Cruise And The Best Ports To See
Alaskas picturesque landscape and natural beauty have made the state a popular destination in recent yearsespecially for cruising. From its stunning peaks to its unique wildlife life, it certainly is a sight to behold. To see all that Alaska has to offer, many are choosing to explore the northern reaches of the U.S. by sea.
Whether youre a seasoned traveler or planning your first cruise, weve compiled a list of must-have items you should pack for your Alaskan Cruise.;
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Purchase A Mini Travel Charger Surge Protector
This Mini Travel Charger Surge Protector is another great gadget that goes with me every time I travel. I keep it stored in my travel backpack, along with a couple of these reusable rubber twist ties. I like to use a tie to hold my backpack more securely on my carry-on roller bag, and keep an extra for just in case situations.
Our cabin had one plugin at the desk. Thats it.
Imagine coming back from a day of excursions and exploring a port city, with all your electronics needing to be charged. With two to four people in a cabin, that can be quite a feat these days. We were so thankful to have this travel charger with three outlets and two USB ports.
Ushuaia: Gateway To Antarctica
You get the feeling, upon being greeted at the pier by a guy prancing around in a head-to-toe penguin costume, that others many others have preceded you.
Penguins are everywhere in Ushuaia , where kitsch meets history at latitude 54 degrees, 48 minutes south. Stuffed penguins, stone penguins, wooden penguins, plastic penguins, snow-dome penguins, human-size penguinsany kind of penguin souvenir you could imagine can be found on a shelf in this community of 60,000 that also bills itself as the southernmost city on Earth.
A thriving cross-country ski center in winter, Ushuaia during the Southern Hemisphere summer is a tourist town catering to cruise-ship passengers, yachties, outdoor enthusiasts and overland adventurers who have made it to the southern terminus of the 11,066-mile Pan American Highway. The town sits on the north side of the Beagle Channel connecting Atlantic and Pacific, and its main pier is a hub of maritime activity. Small cruise ships, scientific research vessels and converted icebreakers headed to Antarctica dock here to provision and load.
Situated about the same distance from the equator as Ketchikan, Alaska, Ushuaia is the capital of Tierra del Fuego, an archipelago shared with neighboring Chile and part of the broader Patagonia region. Craggy, glacier-clad peaks form a dramatic backdrop, and the border of Argentinas Tierra del Fuego National Park is just 10 miles from town.
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Try To Book A Secret Room For A Better Bang For Your Buck
Yes Disney has secret rooms on their cruise ships! We booked room 7120 on both the Magic and the Wonder and saved a couple of hundred dollars with this discount!
Our room was considered a secret Verandah room which means that we had a slight obstruction on our balcony but it didnt matter because we saved so much money!
For your Alaskan cruise, on the Disney Wonder, try to book one of these rooms:
Secret Porthole Staterooms are sold as Category 10 Inside Staterooms but have some obstruction in the porthole.The cabins to request are 6006, 6506, 5020, 5520, 5022, 5024, 5522, and 5524.
Secret Verandah Staterooms are sold as Category 6 room but is really a category 7a roomThe cabins to request are 6134, 6634, 7120, and 7620.
Select Excursions On Your Princess Alaska Cruise
Now on to the fun partstart looking at excursions, and select those you think youll like best. Excursions range in price and duration, so peruse the list in each port of call on the cruise: Skagway, Juneau, and Ketchikan.
Select excursions youre interested in and View Details which shows excursion times, prices, and the number of tickets remaining. Some excursions have an allocation of 20 tickets, and they will start selling out. So we recommend making a decision as soon as you can. Make a Wishlist first, then come back if youre undecided.
It is possible to take multiple excursions on one day, just allow 60 minutes between the end of one and the beginning of the next. All excursions begin and end at the port, where the ship is docked.
If youre taking a Princess Alaska Cruisetour prior to the ship cruise, optional land excursions are available, in addition to the package youve selected through Pam Cheek. Be sure and look at the Booking Confirmation Email and the Booking Itinerary to see what is already included in the package plan you signed up for.
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Buy Disney Gift Cards On Sale
Yall Im just going to straight-up say it Disney Cruises are expensive. They are costly, but so worth it for your family and yalls memories.
You can read about how much a Disney Cruise Costs by reading up on all of the benefits of Cruising with Disney.
Most people take over a year to plan and book their Disney Cruise, especially if it is to Alaska. I spent three years to save and plan our trip of a lifetime.
During that time, I saved about 13% off of my cruise through buying discounted gift cards thought different money-saving tactics.
Reserve Onboard Activities And Restaurants Early
Sometimes you can reserve activities and the specialty restaurants on the ship online ahead of time. If you can, do this. If not, look to reserve the moment you get on the ship. Times for the best restaurants and the hottest attractions fill up quickly because they are so popular. Unless you like doing things really early in the day or late at night, reserve as soon as you can.
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Where Will You Go
Although seeing wildlife from whales to bears to moose is a highlight and a main draw, Alaska cruises dont always take the same route and may stop in different ports. Typically, most start in Seattle or Vancouver and then travel through the Inside Passage to Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan, with Icy Strait, Haines, and Petersburg other possible itinerary stops. The ship then goes back to the mainland United States.
However, another option is a Gulf cruise, which travels farther north to Seward or Whittier, both of which are near Anchorage. This itinerary also stops in the Inside Passage. Such Alaska cruises, however, do not go back to the mainland United States, and travelers should be ready with a flight to get back home.
Contact Banks & Get Local Currency
Let your bank know youll be traveling to a different state or country before your cruise to avoid debit or credit card freezes. Many banks have an online system where you can input your travel dates, or you can call the customer service line for each card/account youll access while youre on vacation.
Another item you should check off your pre-cruise to-do list is to get local currency for each of the countries you visit . That way, you wont have to spend time in port looking for ATMs or money exchange services.
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Getting To Alaska For Your Dream Alaska Cruise
There are many kinds of Alaskan cruises. Many sized cruise ships set sail from all over the Pacific Northwest with a variety of itineraries.
Likely, you will fly into either Seattle, Washington, or Vancouver, British Columbia. These are the most popular origination destinations. Departing from Seattle will not require a passport.
However, if you wish to plan an add-on segment in conjunction with your Alaskan cruise, then you most likely may need a passport to show the Canadian officials.
Be sure to check with your cruise line to verify if a passport is required.
And check how long it will take to obtain one if you do not already have a current passport.
Some cruises leave out of Anchorage as well, and if you fly directly into Anchorage, you will not need a passport.
If you are looking for Alaska accommodations here are 12 best Airbnbs in Alaska that everyone will love.
This Alaska packing list contains the basics of what you should bring to Alaska for your cruise.
You may need to modify it depending on the length of time you will be in Alaska, and the time of year you will be visiting Alaska. Have a great trip!!!
If you have already cruised Alaska, what is your fave packing tip!!?
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Cocktail And Wine Accessories
I didnt bring a wine glass, because you can order them from room service for real! You can call room service, and they deliver the wine glasses wrapped up in saran wrap!
We did bring our Rabbit wine opener and stopper which came in handy to quickly open bottles when we got back in our room!
You can also get these super awesome Wine Condoms that take up zero room in your suitcase but will keep your wine super fresh.
Looking for a Disney Cruise packing list? . New Products added weekly!
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Picking Your Activities And Excursions
Perhaps the hardest part of the cruise is deciding which activities to take and making sure that you get the ones that you want. In your cabin you will find a detailed document with all the excursions available and there are a lot!
My suggestion is to go through the activity packet and star the ones you think appeal to you, and there are usually a few slightly different variations of each trip. For example, there will be whale watching, whale watching with lunch, and also whale watching with both a glacier trek and lunch, so its hard to know what to select. Read these carefully and choose the one that sounds best, keeping in mind the price and time of each excursion.
Once you have your general picks, head down to the activities desk and have a chat with one of the representatives. They usually have their favourites and will help you decide between the myriad of options available.
In Alaska, I suggest that you do the following activities on the port days:
What To Expect At The Pieron Embarkation Day
Socially Responsible Check-In
Our enhanced, staggered embarkation process will streamline check-in by allowing guests to reserve arrival time at the pier during Online Check-In. Security will allow guests to enter the port at reservation time noted on your eDocs.
COVID-19 Antigen Testing Prior to Boarding
All guests will be required to take a COVID-19 antigen test, administered and paid for by the cruise line, and receive a negative result. Guests will also undergo a health screening including an enhanced health questionnaire and touchless temperature check.
Required Travel Documentation to Bring to the Pier
Along with your eDocs, you’ll need to bring proof of COVID-19 vaccination, your passport and/or required travel documentation to board the ship.
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