Today I am excited to share with you a guest blogger who recently sailed to Alaska on Royal Caribbean! I met Jody and her family on our Fantasy cruise last fall where we kept running into each other over and over. First, it was on our flight to Orlando (I don’t remember seeing them, but my husband does). Then, we officially met standing in line for a bathroom on a tiny island the day that we stopped in Tortola when we were eating lunch at the same restaurant. After that we ran into them several more times, and finally we were seated near each other on the flight home after the cruise and had lots of time to talk during the LONG wait at baggage claim.
Jody is just as big of a DCL fan as me (and has sailed on all 4 ships), but she is also a travel agent with much more knowledge of the other cruise lines than me. So, when I found out that she was cruising on RCCL (for the first time!) to Alaska, I couldn’t wait to hear her thoughts about how it compared to DCL. She was kind enough to write a very detailed report of how the two cruise lines compare (for her particular cruise, of course) on pretty much every subject. Here are Jody’s thoughts:
As veteran Disney cruisers, we decided to “cheat” this time and sail on Royal Caribbean to Alaska. This was an extended family vacation with older cousins and a handful of adults, so the published activity options onboard Royal Caribbean were attractive to our larger group – more so than Disney and characters. As a travel agent, this was also my chance to take notes and, well, compare the two cruise lines.
Our ship, Ovation of the Seas, was an exciting opportunity for us – it is slightly larger than the Disney Fantasy & Dream, boasting large windows and spaces to view Alaska’s amazing vistas. It was launched in February 2016 and sailing its very first season in Alaska from May through September (then heading back to the South Pacific for down-under travels from Auckland to Dusky Sound, September through April).
Before we get to the comparisons, here are some details from our cruise:
We sailed roundtrip from Seattle, which was a wonderful experience! We enjoyed two full days in Seattle visiting Pike Place Market, the iconic Space Needle, Boeing’s Museum of Flight (a real highlight with the visiting Apollo 11 exhibit through 9/2/19), and nibbling on some unforgettable eats… pastries from Peroshky Peroshky (a Russian bakery with a line out the door and sugary scents to die for!), decadent sipping chocolate from JOE, drip coffee from the original Starbucks in Pike Place, seafood and produce fresh from the Market, and more.
Our 7-night cruise itinerary was as follows:
Seattle
Day at Sea
Juneau
Skagway
Endicott Arm/Dawes Glacier (cruising day)
Day at Sea
Victoria, British Columbia
Seattle
I’ve heard time and again that cruising to Alaska is all about the destination – the unique ports and unforgettable scenery – and not so much about the ship. The destinations we visited were some of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen, so I believe this to be true. But, I also think the ship must be taken into account when you’re sailing on it for 7 nights with 3 full days at sea. So, while I will focus on the key differences our family experienced between Disney and Royal Caribbean, I can’t help but share details of our amazing activities in Alaskan and Canadian ports!
The very names of the waterways, port towns and experiences of the Alaska Panhandle (the broad region of islands, mountains and saltwater also known as Southeast Alaska) evoke legend. This is Alaska’s famed Inside Passage, about 500 miles long and 100 miles wide. Branches of the Inside Passage connect waterside communities including Ketchikan, Wrangell, Petersburg, Sitka, Juneau, Gustavus and Skagway. Fascinating fact: these communities are not connected to each other by roads! Skilled captains carefully navigate vessels of all sizes from fishing boats to our massive cruise ships, challenged by complex island groups along the way. Our cruise focused on this area of Alaska, visiting the ports listed above. Some cruises sail one way North to South or South to North along Alaska’s coastline (typically you fly into Anchorage or Seward, and sometimes Vancouver). And, unless you separately book an amazing multi-night land package of Alaska through your travel agent in addition to your cruise (often called CruiseTours or Adventures by Disney), you will only be seeing the southeast coast/tip of Alaska, not the interior of the state. For many families, the cruise is sufficient due to the budget and time invested.
Quick thoughts on our ports:
Juneau
Our 3-hr roundtrip Whale Watch with Dolphin Jet Tours was amazing! The amount of information we learned about whales from this all-girl crew and witnessing whales breach to display their huge tails was unforgettable.
SEE Mendenhall Glacier (and if you can hike to walk on it, do it!)
Plan a helicopter ride over multiple glaciers and walk on them!
Tracy’s Crab Shack is yummy and the line moves fast. Not a fan of crab legs? The crab bisque, mini crab cakes and butter rolls were to die for.
Skagway (my favorite port)
Be sure to walk through downtown Skagway, a 10 min walk from the ship.
Purchase the Skagway Street Car Tour excursion: a captivating, storied tour through town with a colorful guide! This was one of the best 1.5 hrs we spent.
The White Pass Scenic Railway that follows the trail of the historic gold rush through Yukon Valley in the late 1800s (our train ride was 3 hours roundtrip).
Rent a Jeep and drive up the Klondike Highway to Yukon Territory (bring your passports!) to see breathtaking scenery and wildlife.
Have a beer at one of the breweries dotting the marina.
Endicott Arm/Dawes Glacier
(you do not leave the ship this day – just scenic viewing)
Get up EARLY! We were coming upon Dawes Glacier just after 8:00 am.
The water has a distinct blue-green cast, easily captured in photos. This is due to glacial sediment deposits and long hours of daylight during the summer feeding tiny organisms called plankton. These, in turn, support increasingly larger organisms up the food chain (eventually humpback whales) in the nutrient-rich waters. The abundance of phytoplankton is what gives the water its blueish-green cast.
Have a good pair of binoculars and a GOOD camera. You’ll see seals in the water (and resting on icebergs), waterfalls, and even mountain goats!
Victoria, British Columbia
Butchart Gardens – Victoria’s main attraction and for good reason – lush, colorful, unbelievably beautiful!
Beacon Hill Children’s Farm – A fun petting zoo for kids, don’t need more than a ½ hour there but super cute and very close to the port.
Parliament Building – A great photo op!
The Empress Hotel for high tea – We didn’t have a chance to do this but is a popular activity in Victoria.
Fisherman’s Wharf – Popular for tourists and locals with snack shacks and unique floating homes.
Victoria’s Chinatown – A real highlight for us visiting historical Fan Tan Alley and enjoying lunch at Bao (bao buns and ramen!)
Now, the question most people are probably most curious about: How Did Royal Caribbean compare to Disney Cruise Line, in our experience?
As with any review, it’s 100% subjective. It depends on what your priorities are and pretty much how you view the world around you. My notes below are also limited to our experience on the Ovation of the Seas (the only Royal Caribbean ship we’ve sailed to date), along with a Carnival cruise to Central America back in 2003. Having sailed all 4 Disney ships multiple times, I am a HUGE FAN of Disney Cruise Line, and it’s through this lens that I critique. Having not sailed to Alaska on Disney, this isn’t an apples to apples comparison. I’ve been intrigued for some time by Royal Caribbean’s advertising and travel agent marketing & communications, so I was excited to try something new! Remember this is entirely my opinion, everyone tends to have different experiences, and life is all about trying new things!
NOTE: As of September 2019, DCL has removed the onboard credit from the onboard booking benefits mentioned above. Now, the only benefits are a 10% discount on base cruise fare and 10% deposit on cruises of 7+ nights (vs. the standard 20%).
Overall, I can’t say that Disney is “better” than Royal Caribbean, or vice versa. It’s really just DIFFERENT. And isn’t life all about seeing new places and embracing differences?
My family will be booking another Alaskan cruise, and next time we definitely want to visit Sitka and Ketchikan. I would also like to experience Vancouver, British Columbia. Whether we sail Disney, Royal Caribbean again, or even Norwegian Cruise Line, we are excited to be led into territories with unmatched views and exciting experiences.
At the end of the day, Alaska never disappoints.
About Jody
From Jody’s very first Disney cruise years ago, she was smitten. Disembarking the ship to claim luggage in the port, she put on her sunglasses to hide tears! That’s when she knew – Disney created vacation magic like no other – and she simply didn’t want it to end. Jody is a full-service travel consultant specializing in family and luxury travel, including:
Everything Disney: Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland, Adventures by Disney, Disneyland Paris, and Aulani Resort in Hawaii
Universal (Orlando and Hollywood)
Cruise Lines – larger ships and small luxury lines
Sandals and Beaches Resorts
Caribbean vacation packages at all-inclusive and non-all-inclusive resorts
With a B.S. from Syracuse University, Jody is also a graduate of the College of Disney Knowledge, Royal Caribbean University (with a Master of Adventure), Norwegian Cruise Line University, and is a Certified Sandals/Beaches Specialist. She keeps up with ALL destinations and new itinerary strategies, and makes it her mission to stay on top of promotions that will earn you the most for your vacation dollar. Whether you prefer the East or West coast, the crystal waters of the Caribbean, or a cruise on an ocean liner, Jody’s attention to detail and white-glove approach to planning will create a special experience just for your family. With a Mouseketeer of her own, she fully understands the intense amount of detail and time involved in planning a family vacation (particularly for Disney – which truly can be overwhelming). Jody is also a group fitness instructor of Les Mills formats BodyPump and BodyFlow. She lives in Raleigh, NC with her husband (Dana), their well-traveled daughter, (Lily, 8), and their two cats, Grady & Rosie. Jody LOVES talking travel and looks forward to helping you plan your adventure!
Email: Jody@GoMickeyTravel.com
Web: www.JodyatGoMickeyTravel.com
Phone: (919) 673-8340
$50 per person for the whole week for the drinks package is a wonderful deal. I thought it was usually that much per day.
What was the cost difference if you don’t mind me asking? Did you compare prior to booking?
Hi Cristina! I can’t speak for Jody and whether she compared prices or not, but I did a quick comparison between DCL and RCCL prices for Alaska this summer. For the 6/22 sailing on Disney, the prices for a 7 night Alaska cruise from Vancouver, for 2 adults, are $4924 (interior), $6128 (ocean view), and $9180 (verandah). For the 6/21 sailing on RCCL, also a 7 night from Vancouver for 2 adults, the prices are $2550 (interior), $3008 (ocean view), and $5044 (verandah). I hope this helps!