Tom During our Disney Cruise to Alaska, we visited the ports of Skagway, Juneau and Ketchikan. In this post, we’ll cover the what we did in those ports as well as some of the amazing scenery along the way. Click on the following links if you’re interested to find out what are some of the facilities aboard the Disney Wonder, food aboard the Disney Wonder as well as the Things to do in Vancouver Canada – the port where we boarded for our Disney Cruise to Alaska!
Disney Cruise Line Alaska Highlight – Endicott Arm
After departure, our first highlight out at sea was Endicott Arm! Along the way, there were many amazing views as well…
Prior to our arrival at our first glacier, we were told that we would be visiting Tracy Arm. However, on the night prior to arrival, the destination was changed to Endicott Arm due to safety of the passage. Awesome that the navigation team of Disney Wonder is always on hand to ensure safety of everyone on board!
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During the day of arrival to Endicott Arm, there was a BBQ organized at the pool deck. While transiting in the corridor towards the “arms”, you’ll be able to enjoy BBQ awesome goodness while enjoying waterfalls, snow-capped mountains and smaller glaciers along the way.
When Endicott Arm got within view of the ship, Kate and I headed to the bow of the ship to take in the sights. As in turns out, it was COLD! With the winds blowing head on, it would be wise to wear a beanie and put on one of those north-face jackets if you’re heading to the bow as well. That was when we took the shot you saw above.
Do note that the ship would be anchored within the channel for about an hour. Approximately 20 minutes after the ship anchored (as close as possible to Endicott Arm), most people had taken their photos and left. Leaving us with plenty of time to catch unblocked views of the glacier. Also, there were wild life spotted to the sides of the glacier. So you might want to bring along your binoculars or one of those fancy huge camera lenses to catch those wild life.
Disney Cruise to Alaska – Skagway
Skagway is probably the smallest port of the 3 ports of the Disney Cruise to Alaska. The cruise took us to the furthest port Skagway first before finally reaching Ketchikan, where you’ll know that your cruise is about to end:(
Skagway Old Town
The building that says “Camp Skagway No. 1” with “1899” above its door, is probably the most photographed building in Skagway. During the gold rush days, members within this fraternity, brought back drift woods and decorated its facade, making it uniquely Skagway. Today, it’s a visitor’s center.
Also, you can head over to the Historic Moore Homestead which houses artifacts of William and Ben Moore’s family. History has it that the Moore family predicted that with the impending gold rush, Skagway would be the gateway to the gold fields. He built up a wharf as well as a saw mill which attracted miners and settlers to the region. That was also how he made his fortunes…
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Yakutania Point Park
Yakutania Point Park is a short walk from the cruise ships. As you head towards the general direction of town, it is on the left, crossing a bridge, past this amazing view…
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Lower Reid Falls
The other amazing place you should visit at Skagway is the Lower Reid Falls. The walk from the cruise ship takes about 40 minutes. If you follow along the main street, continue to past all the build up area of the town and look for the sign towards the Gold Rush Cemetery. Once there, you’ll just have to take a 5 minutes hike, past the cemetery to reach the falls. This time, we not only caught the amazing falls but also a rainbow halo as the sun rose that morning!
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Disney Cruise to Alaska – Juneau
Our next port of call during the Disney Alaska Cruise was Juneau. At this port, we rented a car from Alaska Coach Tours. The awesome thing about renting from this company was that the car was delivered right to our wharf (note that there are several docking sites in Juneau). Plus, our names were prominently held on a sign for easy identification of the company. So that was cool. Once you get your car, you’ll be able to visit these amazing sights…
Mendenhall Glacier
Upon arriving at the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center (see address below), you’ll need to take a hike of about 15 minutes to reach Nugget Falls. There, you’ll be able to take shots of both the falls (close up) as well as the nearest view of Mendenhall Glacier. Remember to cater time for this walk because the return trip takes about 30 minutes (15 minutes each way) and you’ll probably spend about 30 minutes there.
Address: 6000 Glacier Spur Rd, Juneau, AK 99801
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Alaskan Brewing Company Beer Tasting
There’s complimentary beer tasting at the Alaskan Brewing Company! Here, you’ll receive 3 bottle caps (for each person) that can be exchanged for 3 decent 100ml glasses of freshly brewed beer! But if you’re driving, you know the drill.
Address: 5429 Shaune Dr, Juneau, AK 99801
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Macaulay Salmon Hatchery
If you have not been to a hatchery before, Macaulay Salmon Hatchery is a stop you could make while in Juneau. Here, you’ll be able to see how the production of salmon is done in a sustainable manner. During salmon season, you’ll also be able to witness throngs of salmon crossing the ladders to mate. Of course, at the hatchery, it’s done manually to produce the “tadpole-looking” young of the salmon called alevin, in the picture above.
Address: 2697 Channel Dr, Juneau, AK 99801
Fish & Chips at Hangar on the Wharf
Check out the Fish & Chips, made of fresh halibut at Hangar on the Wharf in Juneau. This time, we tried the calamari and if you have kids in your group, the fish and chips on the kids menu are well worth it as well!
Address: 2 Marine Way #106, Juneau, AK 99801
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Disney Cruise to Alaska – Ketchikan
To us, Ketchikan felt only slightly bigger than Skagway. Hence, we went to all these locations just by walking on foot. Fortunately unfortunately, we finally got to experience Alaskan weather (liquid sunshine) at our last port of call – drizzling rain that is heavy enough to irritate you but not heavy enough for you to take out an umbrella…
Creek Street
Creek Street was formerly a red-light district of Ketchikan. These days, it’s a lovely spot to take shots of the creek, grab some souvenir or learn about the history of the women who worked here.
Tatsuda’s Mart
Ketchikan actually had an influx of immigrants due to the abundant fish and timber resources. One of these immigrants was Kichirobei “Jimmie” Tatsuda who worked at the local salmon canning industry, stayed and set up a mart. These days, Tatsuda’s Mart, having celebrated 100 years anniversary, is a full-fledged supermarket, selling well…all the stuff you’d expect from a supermarket!
Totem Heritage Center
Ketchikan has the largest collection of totem poles and contrary to popular belief, it is not a ritualistic monument. In fact, each totem pole tells of a story. If you see a bear and some people on the pole, it is very likely depicting the members of the family staying in that home and they’ve most probably killed a bear or are using the bear as a family logo of sorts. You’ll be able to see a huge collection of totem poles at the Totem Heritage Center.
Failed Attempt to walk to Deer Mountain Trailhead
Although it was said that the Deer Mountain Trailhead offers amazing views over Ketchikan, we were not able to hike our way up due to the steep trails…*huff and puff*
As the sub-heading of this section says, we were too tired to complete the steep walk to Deer Mountain Trailhead. If you’ve been there, tell us more in the comments section below.
We’ll leave you now with the video of our Disney Cruise to Alaska as well as some amazing views on route back to Vancouver Canada…
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If you have been on a Disney Cruise Line Alaska, tell us more in the comments section below!
