The Disney Alaskan Cruise Bible

[scgustafson]

The only thing I'd point out here is the message 'holder':
The fish for port and seahorse for starboard only works for Dream class ships. The Magic and Wonder only have fish.
I just don't want someone getting confused and think there's only port side rooms lol.

I stand corrected. And the sad part is that I prefer the classic ships to the newer ones, having spent over 38-days on 4 cruises on the classics, compared to 23-days on 4 cruises on the newer ones.

 

[adSimba]

Good to know, I will get to removing that detail tomorrow, as it is only the Wonder this guide talks about

 

[bbel]

I stand corrected. And the sad part is that I prefer the classic ships to the newer ones, having spent over 38-days on 4 cruises on the classics, compared to 23-days on 4 cruises on the newer ones.

The rest of the info was great.
I just had visions of people never finding starboard haha.
Or thinking they're port side and they're not lol

 

[RedSox68]

We took the Amtrak train from Seattle round-trip to Vancouver. We saved significantly on airfare even with the Amtrak fees. And what a gorgeous train ride -- and so relaxing. I would definitely recommend it if you can fit it into your plans.

We stayed at Pan Pacific - what a great hotel, great views and so convenient to the port. Baggage porter came to our room that morning, picked up all our luggage, asked what ship and we didn't see our luggage again until we were onboard.

I can back the recommendation for Scoozis for breakfast -- we still talk about the breakfast bowls! Also note that there is a great mall and food court underground that you can enter from Pan Pacific and outside escalators. They have good options for quick meals/snacks/breakfast - especially embarkation day, where we got McDonald's breakfast and coffee before heading to the port.

 

[cmph]

Thanks for letting me know! My group is only 6 people, but a big reason we want to do it is that it is such a pretty way to travel, honestly I'd be excited just to take this train, and for the 6 of us (2 kids) it will only cost 160, compared to the excursions it's practically free, but almost as cool. And it does something useful!!

Seriously, it's super awesome and helpful that you're posting this! I've been taking mental notes and bookmarking links for random bits (like Vancouver ideas, etc), but have little gathered into any central location. It's wonderful to have all that hotel info in one place, for example, b/c it's so much easier to digest pros/cons for each when it's all right there, not separate threads, or 5 posts apart!

DH and I are dead set on the train now. Just have to feel out the rest of the family to see if they want to join us. I'm turning our 7 day cruise into a 2 week adventure with the train plus time in Vancouver, not sure how the other working folks will feel about that much time of work!

 

[adSimba]

Seriously, it's super awesome and helpful that you're posting this! I've been taking mental notes and bookmarking links for random bits (like Vancouver ideas, etc), but have little gathered into any central location. It's wonderful to have all that hotel info in one place, for example, b/c it's so much easier to digest pros/cons for each when it's all right there, not separate threads, or 5 posts apart!

DH and I are dead set on the train now. Just have to feel out the rest of the family to see if they want to join us. I'm turning our 7 day cruise into a 2 week adventure with the train plus time in Vancouver, not sure how the other working folks will feel about that much time of work!

My trip will also be two weeks! We are going to do a day and a half in Seattle, and 5 in Vancouver (one before the cruise and 4 after) my hope is that having fun stuff to do after the cruise we won't be so sad to have it end. (it works for us for Christmas, we always do something super fun for boxing day and when it's over we are all fine with Christmas being over too, otherwise decorations stay up for weeks because we aren't ready to let go.)

 

[adSimba]

EMBARKATION DAY

“Even though you may board around Noon, you still will not be able to go to your rooms until after 1:30 p.m., so be sure and bring a tote bag with pool gear or other items that you'll want handy before your luggage arrives.”

On the day you set sail, try to get to the port early. You get on the ship earlier, which means you can have a nice lunch that you wouldn't get if you arrive closer to sailing time. Plus it gives you a little time to get to know the ship before you unpack; maybe even use the pool, if you're so inclined. Only drawback: you'll need to carry a small bag around.

Prior to departure, you will be given tags for your luggage. Be sure to tag your bags with your room number. Make sure all bags are securely fastened.

WHAT TO BRING TO EMBARKATION

• Luggage
  
• Carry-on bag
  

Take a carry on bag and wear your bathing suit (weather permitting), so you can go swimming after your welcome lunch if you get there early. Don't forget the sunscreen!

• Cruise and personal Documents
  
  • Check-in signature form and Recent Travel History and health Questionnaire.]
    
  • Passport
    
  • (Blue) Spiral bound DCL booklet
    
  • Online Check-in form
    

HOW TO GET TO THE CRUISE TERMINAL – CANADA PLACE:


The Cruise terminal is on the parking level at Canada Place.

Take the street level ramp where you can walk down and merge with those coming off the elevators from the hotel/convention center. You can also drive in and self-park or pick-up/drop-off via taxi or shuttle at designated points that are further in the garage.

THIS IS AN EXCELLENT DISNEY DISCUSSION FORUM THREAD – To know what to Expect: http://www.disboards.com/threads/embarkation-time-for-alaska.3509801/

NOTE: Procedures for embarkation can change for multi-ship days (especially when it's more than two)

ARRIVAL / CHECK-IN AT CANADA PLACE

• Port Arrival Time (PAT) is to let Disney know when you'll arrive at the terminal (can be as earlier at 11:00). You pick this when your booking window opens (April 13). Early arrival/PAT gets an early boarding pass number.
  
• If you know you’ll be waiting awhile with children, consider bringing a snack. There is a vending machine, but no other options are available.
  
• Do not arrive at Canada Place early. The terminal is small with only one entrance/exit. If you arrive early you will not be allowed to start any of the check-in process.
  
• The check-in process begins around 11 am and will take about one hour. Boarding starts around 11:30.
  

STEP BY STEP GUIDE TO EMBARKATION DAY


Step 1. Luggage drop-off, which takes about 2-5 minutes. You should get your luggage delivered to your room by 5:00. Cabins will be available at 1:30.

Step 2. Next you get in a long line to go through security & carry on bag check; this took us about 40 minutes. Note- at this point – PEOPLE departing on the same day on ALL CRUISE LINES will go through this SAME AREA.

Step 3. US Customs & Immigration - the line moves quickly and took about 15 minutes. UPDATED NOTE: They now have those (awful) automatic passport control kiosks – and this can create a long wait.

**at this point you will go to the DISNEY CRUISE AREA**

Step 4: Cruise line check-in - You can check-in but they will give you a boarding number and you will have to wait in a large waiting room until your boarding number is called. The numbers are assigned based on your pre-registration paperwork that has your check-in time

Step 5: (If Interested) check for available upgrades - go to supervisor's desk to see if there are any rooms available for upgrading to. There may be a sign on the check in desk stating "No upgrades available" that would preclude a trip to the supervisor's desk.

Step 6: (If applicable) Kids registration check-in at kid's club table while waiting to board the ship; it saves you time on the ship.

• If you are planning to use the Oceaneer Lab or Club, you will find a ID Bracelet station located on the far right corner. Here, you will register your children for the kids programs and your children will get MagicBand -type bracelets. This can also be done aboard the ship, but some find it nice to go ahead and get it out of the way.
  

**In order to make this as effortless and quick as possible, have all of the forms in your cruise packet filled out beforehand + US customs paperwork. Every member of your party needs to complete this.

EMBARKATION DAY WIFI SPECIAL

Each passenger can get free 50MB Internet Data Package Offer on their first day on board. Don't sign up for it though until you no longer have cell phone reception, then sign up and use the 50MB to send any last emails, post your embarkation photos, etc. 50MB goes fast.

(What Happens after that?)

7. While waiting for boarding # to be called, get a picture taken with a character,

8. board ship (using hand sanitizer on the way on), also voluntary to have pics taken of your group before you board

9. have lunch in Triton's (menu) or Cabana's (buffet)

10. Ship Tour (mid-afternoon; 30 minutes)- There is a FREE guided tour of the ship on the first day of the cruise, details of this are on the Navigator, read it as soon as you get onboard or into your cabin.

11. 3:30-4PM: Muster Drill

12. 4:30PM? Sail Away Party

13. All Luggage at rooms by 5:30PM

ONCE ON BOARD

• As you arrive on board, they will direct you to one of two restaurants.
  
• The one on the 3rd deck (Tritons dining room) will have waiters that will bring your drinks to the table. More relaxed and less hectic.
  
• The other restaurant is on the pool deck you will need to get your own drinks but can take your food out by the pools. Recommended to head up to the buffet and enjoy first lunch onboard, preferably at a table out on deck to watch the action at the port.
  
• You can also have lunch at the fast-food type outlets on the pool deck

• Prioritize getting:
  
  • Meet-and-greet tickets (princess or Frozen);
    
  • Palo dining reservations; change dining time; or change dining rotation;
    
  • Borrow DCL stroller;
    
  • Sign-up for kids club
    
  • Sign up for tastings
    
  • Change excursions
    
• ** Must check Navigator to see where to go for these (could be: Guest services, Port Adventures; a Dining room, etc...)
  

• People will line up to change reservations before it opens. Sometimes crew will start the process before opening time. If you cannot get the dining times you want, ask to be put on a waiting list. They will contact you via wave phone (the portable phones in your cabin) if they can accommodate your request.
  

“Want to try the pool or spa services when it's quieter.... go on the first day before the people show up.”

“Getting on board early will allow you time to wander the ship and get familiar with its layout. You will be able to tour the kids’ clubs, something that you can’t do once the cruise gets underway and the clubs have “opened for business.” This is a great time to get photos of your kids in the club.”

**Set-up the Disney App Chat feature:

• Each cruiser registers THEIR OWN information on their own smart phone (I emphasize this because the directions do not make this clear).
  
• You will then be assigned a "chat #".
  
• Inform others of your personal chat#.
  
• Then type in each other's chat # immediately & send a "test" message.
  
• Their name will then appear on your chat list & you will no longer need their personal chat # to send a text.
  

“You can send group texts but when we used it, my son who was registered in my cabin could not be part of the group (for some unknown reason) so we had to text him separately.”

• There is a ship wifi/app expert to help you on deck 4 if needed.
  
• (cell phone tip: keep your cell on "airplane mode" the entire length of the cruise so your cell company does not charge you for incoming texts or calls. You can still hook up to wifi either on the ship or in port while staying on "airplane mode".)
  

“It’s a good idea to bring a Navigator with you wherever you go, and especially if you leave the ship in any port, as each Navigator has the all-aboard time and the local number of the ship’s agent, who is your contact if you have an emergency or are running late and might miss the ship (or have missed the ship). If you lose your Navigator (or leave it in your room), you can always get another one from Guest Services, or in various convenient areas around the ship.”

RESERVATIONS AT PALO

They book up fast, if you can't get a reservation beforehand some spaces are not released until the day of the cruise, hurry to the the area for Palo reservations/dining changes when you first board. (there is a $30 up charge per person)

Book brunch on your sea day if available and try for the first one of the day. It is an adult only meal but it is the best meal you will have during your vacation. Keep in mind that there is a service charge for this meal.

 

[adSimba]

VOYAGE NAVIGATOR

Every evening, a "Voyage Navigator" brochure is left at your stateroom. This brochure is one of a Disney cruiser's most valuable possessions, because it is a detailed daily calendar of events for the following day, broken down into relevant categories, with highlights, weather reports, fun facts, character appearances, facility hours, and more.

“YOU CAN'T DO IT ALL!!! Don't try! Take a highlighter, sit down with your family at night and go over the next day’s events. Decide what you want to do and highlight it. Take a highlighter for each member of the family. Extra navigators are at guest services.”

At check-in you will also receive a Navigator (Newsletter). The Navigator or the app on your phone - will list where to pick up tickets for the Princess meet and greets, wine tastings and other events. If you don't see what you want stop by Guest Services and they can help you out. Many of these things need to be booked the first day, so don't wait.

 

[adSimba]

KEY TO THE WORLD CARD

When you register at the ship (before you get on) everyone will get a “Key to the World” (KTTW) card, which is your room key and has details that show you what your dining table and rotation are. The card has your credit card information stored on it (but you can set limits or remove authorization for any roommates).

There are no ATMs on board. All of your on-board transactions are done with KTTW, but should you need cash when you make stops on port days, then you’ll need to have it on you beforehand or find an ATM when you get off the boat. Foreign transaction fees can really rack up, so it's best to bring money with you before you board the boat; most ports take USD.

 

[lodge]

The info in this thread is helping me to decide to take the Alaskan cruise- thank you for compiling the information.

 

[ALK$Disney]

WOW!! Thank you so much for doing this. This will help so much with the planning for our upcoming Alaska cruise.

The advice to fly into Seattle is golden. We are flying in from LAX, and it is significantly cheaper to fly to Seattle and take the train to Vancouver.

 

[adSimba]

There are definite benefits to flying straight in to Vancouver, but I think this will be the one time I make the trip to Seattle. and since I an saving money with southwest I'll take it gladly.

 

[woody64]

Thanks for all the great info!

 

[woody64]

Thanks for all the great info!

 

[adSimba]

CABIN/STATEROOM

“The first picture you take should be the room number on your door.” For some reason it is not on the KTTW card”

“I took a picture of our room number on our door and set that as the picture on the lock screen so if I lost it again on the ship everyone would know what room it belonged to.”

DOOR DECORATIONS

• Magnets ONLY for the doors, no tape, poster stick, zip, nada

“I Suggest bringing extra magnets to secure important documents to the back of the door. It was so convenient to just look at the back of our door for the schedule for the week”

Decorate your stateroom door. Door decor makes finding your cabin.

“Tour the hallways to check out everyone's door decorations. Take a pad of sticky notes to leave messages for doors you really like.”

Your Stateroom

This is a porthole room, most rooms on the ship look more or less like this, with perhaps a door instead of a porthole for veranda access.

What your staterooms do offer:

”Beach towels are plentiful and available on the pool deck.”

“Extra Blankets available on ship if you get cold.”

Disney provides:

• bars of soap
• shampoo
• conditioner and lotion

in the bathroom

There is also a blow-dryer

“Don't bother bringing your own blow dryer, The room offers one with the correct voltage so you don't blow a fuse.”

If you ask your stateroom attendant, you can also easily get:

• Sunburn cream
• Motion Sickness meds
• Treatment for intestinal issues

CABIN OUTLETS:

This used to be an issue on the wonder, fortunately, at dry dock Disney went crazy with new outlets in the cabins, 5 standard outlets and 4 USB ports.

In-Room SAFES:

The staterooms have safes like you’d find in a hotel room. They are activated by your Key-to-the-World card. There is no fee to use these so feel free to lock up any valuables, (or tablets you are keeping from the kids)

“The room safe is now a drawer safe. Hopefully it's easier to see in and people won't forget/lose things.”

WAVE PHONES: (Why cant these be called "Shell Phones" =( )

Disney provides cell-phone-style “Wave Phones” in every stateroom that you can carry with you on the ship to stay in touch with the other members of your party. You get two phones per regular stateroom, but only one charger.

“The wave phones are like cell phones but only work on the ship and at CC. There are two in every stateroom and you can rent extras at Guest Services if you want. But there is a $250 fee if you lose one. With the Navigator app now allowing texting over the ship's wifi, the value of the wave phones is less, but if you have kids in the kids clubs, they will use the wave phones to contact you, usually through a text.”

General Room Tips:

Purchases made at the shops on board can be delivered to your stateroom.

“Do not over stuff the drawers, things may get lost behind them, also, check before you go.”

“We asked our stateroom host to remove the little table in front of the couch. It gave us so much more space! Also you can ask them to take the chair/footstool tucked into the knee-hole of the desk to store stuff.”

• Leave notes for your room attendant; along with a little sweet or candy
• Room has about 20 hangers.

“Most clothes were hung up in the closet, but I had to put multiple items on each hanger. Most of my kids’ clothes had to be stacked up in a cabinet. As soon as we got our luggage I unpacked everything. I then put most of the suitcases in the closet. I only put a few under the bed. I should have put more of them under the bed, then I’d have had more closet floor-space.”

• There is very little room to store stuff in the bathroom.

“I kept all our toiletries in our small hanging shaving kit, or on the small shelf above the sink, or the other small shelf under the sink. But it got very crowded in there. I’d buy a bigger hanging shaving kit before we cruised again.”

• Shoe holder with clear pockets (magnetic or hanger – NOT over the door, you will be asked to remove it, or it may simply be confiscated).

“This was the single best organizing tool ever! We had every pocket full with things like sunglasses, cell phones, cameras, toothbrushes, medications, hair clips and piggy holders, sunblock and room keys.”

• Pop-up, hanging laundry basket. (Hung in closet). Perfect for keeping dirty clothes out of the way.
• DCL stateroom bathrooms have tubs! They are small, but plenty big enough to give kids a bath in.
• The bathtubs have clotheslines. That ended up being invaluable, since we constantly had wet bathing suits that we had to hang somewhere. It is the spring-loaded, retractable kind like in a hotel room.

 

[adSimba]

DINING

Bon Appetit article about Disney Cruise Dining in Alaska http://www.bonappetit.com/restaurants-travel/article/disney-cruise-alaska

An amazing Photo Journal of Options across the fleet:

http://www.easywdw.com/easy/cruising/disney-cruise-food-breakfast-lunch-and-palo-brunch/

Breakfast/Lunch options:

• Sit-down/table service breakfast and lunch are served at Triton's
  • Triton breakfast menu - http://www.magicalkingdoms.com/cruise/dining/menutribreak.html

CABANAS (THE BUFFET)

With an almost endless array of classic American breakfast fare, Cabanas is the perfect start to the new day. Feast on made-to-order omelets, scrambled eggs, sausages, hash browns, Mickey-shaped waffles, muffins, fruit, cereal and more. Hot beverages like cappuccino, espresso and café latte only make the morning brighter.

Featuring a bountiful variety of contemporary favorites, lunch at Cabanas includes salads, soups, burgers, sandwiches, steak, chicken, seafood and pizza. For a sweet ending, treat your taste buds to a selection of delectable desserts like sundaes, cookies, cakes and fruit.

On Alaska cruises, there are some snacks on the front of the ship on the pool deck on Tracy Arm day, including hot soup in small bread bowls, cookies and hot cocoa.

“In Cabanas they have hard scooped ice cream daily. It is in the dessert station and a CM will serve it to you.”

“Large Zip-lock bags for saving food from the buffet for show snacks etc… If you have the food already you may not need to tip for it from RS”

Dinner

Dining Attire

• Main Dining: Dining attire is cruise casual in all 3 main dining restaurants, meaning no swimwear or tank tops. Guests often like to dress up more when dining in Triton's, but this is optional.
• 7-Night cruises will also have a "Formal" night. Many men will wear suits and women will wear a formal dress.

Times:

• Disney has two seating times for dinner at the MDR’s, these need to be chosen from when booking a room.
  
  
• Main seating, at 5:45 pm tends to be much more popular than Second seating, at 8:15 pm.
  
  
• This is probably because people do not want to keep their children from eating until very late in the evening (for them).

Here is a time zone chart to help plan what might be best for your family:

Dine and Play

For parents who have the second seating for dinner (only), Disney provides a unique service, Dine and Play.

With “Dine and Play,” parents can check their children into evening youth activity programming without leaving the dining room. Offered in all of the main dining rooms and open to children ages 3 to 12, “Dine and Play” allows the dining room serving team to facilitate the children’s meals first, while serving the adults at a more leisurely pace.

Upon arrival for second seating dinner, parents simply inform their server that their children would like to participate in “Dine and Play.” Children receive their meals in an expedited fashion and youth activities counselors arrive approximately 45 minutes into dinner to escort children to their respective youth activities groups for an evening of fun and entertainment.

Rotational Dining:

Disney has a unique approach to Cruise Dining. The rotational dining system allows guests to enjoy each of the 3 themed restaurants (MDR’s) on board each Disney cruise ship: 1) Animator's Palate, 2) Tiana’s, and 3) Triton's.

When you get your KTTW Card, you'll notice a series of letters. This is your dining assignment.

Whenever you choose to eat at the main dining option for dinner you will have the same staff, and be assigned to the same table, this means that ideally, it should be very easy to find your place and get comfortable with the people around you

“I tried to minimize my expectations after reading other trip reports that raved about their servers while others weren’t happy with the servers or didn’t bond with them. Within a couple days we were following our servers to where they were for breakfast or lunch and looked forward to seeing them at dinner each night. Not only did they learn all our likes and dislikes, but ours did magic for the kids each night, we talked about our lives, their lives, what we did in port each day, how they spent their time off, etc. It felt like going home for dinner each night and I really enjoyed that.”

 

[Dug720]

CABIN/STATEROOM

“The first picture you take should be the room number on your door.” For some reason it is not on the KTTW card”

“I took a picture of our room number on our door and set that as the picture on the lock screen so if I lost it again on the ship everyone would know what room it belonged to.”

DOOR DECORATIONS

• Magnets ONLY for the doors, no tape, poster stick, zip, nada

“I Suggest bringing extra magnets to secure important documents to the back of the door. It was so convenient to just look at the back of our door for the schedule for the week”

Decorate your stateroom door. Door decor makes finding your cabin.

“Tour the hallways to check out everyone's door decorations. Take a pad of sticky notes to leave messages for doors you really like.”

Your Stateroom

This is a porthole room, most rooms on the ship look more or less like this, with perhaps a door instead of a porthole for veranda access.

Disney provides:

• bars of soap
• shampoo
• conditioner and lotion

in the bathroom

* The stateroom number is not on the KTTW card for security reasons. Just like hotels do not put your room number on your room key card.

* Decorating the door is not a necessity. Sure it's fun, but plenty of people don't. If you choose to, do be aware that people have more than once reported having their magnets moved or stolen. So I would not count on using those for finding the cabin. I have never seen what the big deal is about finding it. 10 cruises and I've never lost the cabin.

* I would make the provided toiletries match the picture. What you're showing is what concierge used to get (now they get nasty elegies stuff unless they request from their stateroom host).

 

[adSimba]

* The stateroom number is not on the KTTW card for security reasons. Just like hotels do not put your room number on your room key card.

* Decorating the door is not a necessity. Sure it's fun, but plenty of people don't. If you choose to, do be aware that people have more than once reported having their magnets moved or stolen. So I would not count on using those for finding the cabin. I have never seen what the big deal is about finding it. 10 cruises and I've never lost the cabin.

* I would make the provided toiletries match the picture. What you're showing is what concierge used to get (now they get nasty elegies stuff unless they request from their stateroom host).

Do you have a photo of the current toiletries? that would really help

 

[Dug720]

Do you have a photo of the current toiletries? that would really help

I don't do concierge, so no. The others...I thought were on the website.

 

[xlxo]

Love this Bible....

On Alaska cruises, there are some snacks on the front of the ship on the pool deck on Tracy Arm day, including hot soup in small bread bowls, cookies and hot cocoa. They also do a special barbeque lunch that day on the deck behind the buffet,

Can someone confirm this? In another thread, it was mentioned the Tracy Arm BBQ was shutdown with the Cabanas reimagination.