My final post about our vacation to Alaska!
It was a trip-of-a-lifetime thanks to Disney Cruise Line.
We made wonderful memories.
If you are considering a cruise, here are some tips I picked up along the way. Â I hope you have a spectacular journey.
1. Go! Don’t wait until the perfect time, book your cruise today.
2. Choose a Disney Cruise. I wrote a whole post about things to consider when choosing a cruise line, but the bottom line is you can trust Disney for safety, quality, and the best customer service.
3. Â Pick up a Passporter guide to Disney Cruises. Â I got the “e-book” version and my mom had the paper one. Â We found so much helpful information, not only about Disney cruises and ships but also the ports and excursions. Â My Mom had hers bookmarked again, and again. Here are just a few of the many, many chapter headings: First-Time Cruisers; Â Can I Afford It?; What’s Included in a Disney Cruise?; Getting to Vancouver; Packing for Your Cruise; Budget Worksheet; Selecting Your Stateroom; Dressing for Dinner; Playing and Relaxing Onboard; Shore Excursions; Cruising with Kids; Seasickness and Staying Healthy; and Tipping and Feedback. Â I’ve used Passporters for Walt Disney World in the past and highly recommend them.
4. Bring your Disney pins. There is pin trading on cruises and special pins only sold on Disney Cruise Lines.  Also a lanyard wallet is very convenient.  You can easily carry your “Key to the World” card, identification, and a bit of cash with you.
5. There are tons of characters on a Disney cruise and you can bring an item to be autographed. In addition to an autograph book, pick up a t-shirt or pillowcase. My daughter brought a t-shirt for herself and also brought a t-shirt for her best friend. Put up to two items in a ziploc bag with sharpie pens; drop it off at guest services at the beginning of your cruise. It will be returned to you on the last day of the cruise with all the autographs you request. Â Be sure to watch for characters in places other than the scheduled ones. Â They will surprise you in unexpected places!
6. Decorate your door! Â The cabin doors are metal and guests often bring magnets, magnetic decorations, and white boards to decorate their doors. No tape or other adhesive. Â We saw some fun ones! Â It also makes it feel like home and easy to find your cabin.
7. Bring a carry-on with swim gear.  Disney takes such good care of your luggage, making it easy to board the ship. We left ours in our hotel room and next time we saw it was on ship. But, it does take some time to get all that luggage loaded and you may not get until 5:00. Pack your swim gear and anything else you may think you need in your carry-on, it’s the perfect time (less crowded) to try the pool.  Even though the air may be chilly, the pools are heated and there are also whirlpools.
8. Family photo time! Â There are professional photographers everywhere. On the optional formal dress night, make sure to get a family photo.
9. Turn off calls and texts on your phone. Put your phone on airplane mode or remove SIM card so you can’t accidentally incur international or additional fees.
10. Bring a highlighter to mark favorites on the Navigator newsletter that you will receive every night with cruise activities for the next day. Â The Navigator has separate sections with activities listed by age, place, time, and interests. Â It’s very easy to read and filled with helpful information. Â We found ours on our bed every evening (with some chocolates!) and usually read it over to plan the next day before we went to sleep.
11. If you have a little girl, pack princess dresses! Â This was my daughter’s first tip. Â Also she reminded me, ask about the tea party – it’s a very special event.
12. Pack and then take out half of your clothes. There are washers and dryers easily accessible on board. They were only $1 to use!  While on the subject of packing…  I am totally in love with American Tourister Spinners.  My first experience with them was two years ago, when I received a gift of the carry-on for Disney Social Media Moms Celebration.  American Tourister is the Official Luggage of the Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resorts.  I am amazed, truly amazed at how easy it is to move their “Spinners”.  My daughter can easily pull or push my heaviest bag.  You barely touch them and they move.  Whether leaning over or upright, they will move in every direction.  And the price is very affordable.  If you haven’t upgraded to Spinners, it will be money well spent.  Another packing tip, use packing cubes.  I’d heard about them for years and saw the thousands of enthusiastic reviews, but until I tried them I couldn’t imagine what the fuss was about.  It makes packing and unpacking a breeze!  You can find things in an instant (I used a Sharpie to label mine, but you can also see through the mesh) in your suitcase or when you arrive.  To unpack, I just through them in drawers.  If you are staying overnight, before or after your cruise, it’s even more handy because you will be repacking.
13. Be prepared. Â You might want to have your credit card handy. There is a discount offer for booking another cruise while you’re sailing on this one.
14. Bring warm clothes. Even if the temperature doesn’t seem that cold, you may be outside for longer than your used to on some days. Also, Alaska is very rainy, and the damp cold feels chillier! Â A great site for travel (and home) jackets and coats is ScotteVest. Â They sent me a Lola jacket for review and I loved it so much, I’ve bought two hoodies too! Â Once you’ve had pockets galore, it’s hard to go back to an ordinary jacket.
15. Don’t forget sunscreen. Even though it’s cold, the sun is still strong. I got quite a bit of sun on our cruise.
16. Â Plan on taking a lot of pictures. Â Have storage available or a way to download.
17. Â Consider purchasing travel insurance, especially if you are traveling with family members that may become ill, or there is a potential for an emergency that will keep you from taking your cruise. A cruise is a major expenditure and you may want to be protected in case you have to postpone your trip.
18.  Reserve a cabin with a balcony, if you can swing the extra cost.  It adds to the enjoyment to be able to look out on the amazing scenery any time of the day or night without leaving your room.  I’ve already mentioned a few times how wonderful it was to sit in the cozy Disney Wonder bathrobe, drinking coffee from room service and watching the scenery.
19. Tell a Disney Crew Member if there is something you would like done differently. Â They truly want you to have a magical experience and will go above and beyond to make things right. Â For example, the first seating of dinner wasn’t available when we booked our cruise, but we asked to be put on a waiting list in case there was an opening, and there was! Â Of course they can’t perform miracles, but anything short of that – you will experience the best of customer service.
20. Â Have fun and make memories!
To learn more:
More posts about our Disney Cruise:
How We Chose Our Alaska Cruise – Things To Consider When Deciding On A Cruise Line and Cruise Ship
Things To Do in Vancouver Before Your Alaska Cruise
Sailing On The Disney Wonder – Day One: Sail Away! #DisneyCruise @DisneyCruise
Sailing On The Disney Wonder – The Staterooms #DisneyCruiseÂ
Sailing On The Disney Wonder – Things To Do On The Ship #DisneyCruise
Sailing on the Disney Wonder – The Food, Glorious Food! #DisneyCruise
Sailing on the Disney Wonder – Land Excursion, Skagway #DisneyCruise
Thanks for the Passporter Guide tip. I hadn’t heard of them. Bookmarking! :)
You have given a lot of excellent suggestions for a Disney cruise. Thanks.
These are some really good and helpful tips. I hope we can go do a disney cruise soon.
My sister got to visit Alaska in her senior year of high school. I was so jealous. Her pictures made it look like an amazing place to visit. She said that the pictures didn’t do the state justice. I have yet to visit Alaska or go on a cruise….but some day!
Awh Thank youu :D
It looks like you had a blast, good for you.
Great tips – thank you soooo much for sharing – if anyone going w/ Disney doesn’t have a super time, it’s their own fault! Disney does it right!! ☺
Great tips! I like reading these information, very helpful.
These are wonderful tips you have shared. I sure would love to go on a cruise someday.
I love the princess dress picture and not something I would have thought to pack lol
What a wonderful cruise! I wish I’d be able to visit it too.
Awesome and interesting tips.I like to go on Cruise!
I’ve been wanting to go to Alaska, but it never occurred to me to take a Disney cruise. Double the fun!
Sounds like so much fun! My grandsons would be so excited to get all of the character’s autographs and to meet each one!
Looks like fun, never been on a cruise.
Glad you had a wonderful time, looks like so much fun!
I love all your tips for a cruise trip these can be used when traveling as well.
How fun! Love the pics. I would love to go on a DIsney Cruise. Thanks for the very helpful tips.
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Wow! I wouldn’t have thought of half of these tips! Thanks!!
i just love what they do with the towels…all the animals are so cool
Great tips! I would love to go to Alaska.
Looks fun! I would love to go on a cruise.
Those are some great tips, I need a lanyard wallet, I hate lugging around a purse and then digging for it for the hotel key. Also love all the posts about the Disney cruise, we really got to know what it is like.
This looks like so much fun. I have heard wonderful things about Alaska. I hope to make it there someday!
I have always wanted to see alaska and used to dream of going on a cruise up there. Recently though there has been so much bad press about cruise lines that I hadn’t thought of it.
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Thanks for the tips! I’d love to go on this cruise.
My tip: If at all possible, insist on trying one “Sailor’s” dish while on board: Lobscouse, Plum Duff, and whaler’s doughnuts (recipes are on the internet, so insist that the Cruise line makes at least one of these special foods during your voyage.
What a fun family trip idea. Looks great.
This cruise sounds like sooo much fun….for the kids AND the adults! :) Thanks for all the information!
These are great suggestions and I love all the links to the different sites. This is definitely something to check out.
Thanks for the tips, looks like a lot of fun!
Love the idea of decorating your door and self-service laundry on board is a real bonus!
I like how you used packing cubes!
I would so want to do a Disney Cruise with my daughter’s and their children. I think everyone would have a blast.
i heard alaska is beautiful. can’t imagine there on a Disney cruise!
A lot of great tips and some I would not even have thought of, like packing a princess dress for the girls, putting my phone on airplane mode or bringing DIsney pins for trading
I never knew that Disney offered cruises to Alaska. It looks like it was an amazing experience.
Thanks for sharing all of the great tips! We had an autograph book along for character meet & greets. Also look into online groups for those who might be on your cruise and interested in exchanging FE gifts.
BEARS OH MY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Aw looks like so much fun for kids…I would love to take my nephews to something like this :-)
Kewl on the autographed Tee’s! ☺
Aww, I haven’t done a DCL cruise since 2000 – really want to go back someday! We used to get offers of awesome last minute rates for cast members, but I just never had the extra $. Would love to do the Alaska one some day! And I totally agree with the Passporter recommendation – the pockets always came in handy for me for organizing everything!
LOVE Disney. Not so sure about a cruise.
So many wonderful tips, I will have to really keep these in mind the next the family schedules a trip.
Wow! What an amazing trip!!
I’ve thought about taking a Disney cruise before, but never to Alaska. It looks like a ton of fun!
Excellent reminder on the sunscreen – a lot of folks don’t think of that on a non-tropical cruise ☺
I enjoyed Alaska cruise a few years ago and can’t wait to go again!
Suggest checking with cell phone carrier before any trip/travel departure; destination(s) may be already included in the plan or available at a nominal fee or perhaps not – in either case, good idea to know beforehand especially in case an emergency should occur. e.g. my carrier includes San Juan, PR as “local” for me, on some Caribbean cruises I can touch base (or not) as I choose with home without incurring an additional charge. ☺
This looks amazing and what beautiful scenery! You’re so lucky to have had that experience. Looks like something the entire family can enjoy.
It sounds like you had a great cruise! I love Minnie’s winter outfit! So cute.
really nice trip….:)
Wow I have always wanted to go to Disney, even if i am a little old :)
These are great tips, especially about the weather in Alaska. Many people don’t realize that between the rain and areas with permafrost, that even in the summer it often feels very cool.
I want to take a cruise to Alaska but it seems like my savings for it keeps dwindling! Thank you for the tips.
♥ Deco-the-Doors, sooooo much fun! ☺
Love the tip: pack princess dresses! Memories for a lifetime. Love the autographed shirt, too.
Thank you for the tips and information! I cannot wait to go to Alaska some day :)
Lots of great tips for taking a cruise. Thanks for all the info. I don’t know if we will ever go on a cruise, but if we do, we will have to keep these tips in mind.
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Thank you.
Can’t wait to take a cruise with my family!
This looks like an amazing trip!
What a fun cruise! My daughter would love this!
My brother and his wife took a cruise to Alaska and took some amazing pictures!
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This just looks like a dream come true! I truly hope when my littles are a bit older we can take them!
My friends just went on this cruise and after reading this and hearing about their experience,I have to book a trip for my family! It would be a total blast!
It looks like you had such a fun time! I didn’t think a Disney cruise would interest me, but now that I have a grandchild, and she already ADORES Mickey Mouse, I can see a cruise sometime in the future!
I’ve heard that Alaska is one of the best cruises ever! I didn’t know Disney did cruises there–this one sounds awesome!
My kids would love a Disney cruise and I would love to see Alaska…thanks for the tips.
If I decided to take a cruise with my family I’d seriously consider one with Disney.
Trip looked fun!
We have wanted to go on a Disney Cruise for a very long time!
That looks like so much fun. Love the photo with Minnie!
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My husband and I are hoping to take our kids on a Disney cruise in the next few years. It looks like Alaska may be the place to go too! :)
i would love to go on a disney cruise. my fiance and i are going on a cruise next summer, thanks for the tips.
I’ve never taken a cruise, but that looks like a really fun one!
thanks for the tips. I would most definitely choose Disney over any other company.
Great tips looks so fun!
I would love to take my nieces on one of these trips. They would have so much fun.
Thank you for the tips, I have never been on a cruise but am thinking about one to the islands.
These are all great tips. And it looks and sounds like you all had a fabulous trip.
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Having a lanyard to keep my stuff in was very handy. I had plenty of warm clothes.
I like the tip of decorating your door.
It looks like a fantastic holiday! You are so lucky :)
Those are some great tips. It sounds like a wonderful vacation.
Thanks again for all the marvelous tips, they’re very helpful for anyone planning a Disney Alaska cruise, happy you seemed to have enjoyed yours to the max! ☺
thanks for sharing I never heard of the passport guide tips :)
It looks like you all had a wonderful time! Thanks for the tips!
I have heard so much about Alaskan Cruises,and this post most definitely makes me want to go, now!
We have never been on a Cruise but would love to go. Thanks for sharing your tips!
I love the idea of bringing a t-shirt for the characters to autograph.