Alaska Excursions: DCL vs Direct Booking

WhyclefJean

Earning My Ears
Joined
Jan 12, 2018
I will be traveling on an Alaskan Disney Cruise with my 10 year old daughter and 7 year old son this summer to celebrate my mother's 60th birthday. My other siblings and their families will also be going with children ranging from age 4-12. There will be 12 of us total. This is the first time everyone in our party has been on a Disney Cruise, so we cannot reserve the Disney operated excursions until the last group. We have already booked a private Whale Watching Tour with Harv and Marv's in Juneau. Our party of 12 is not planning to all do the same excursions in each city, but we would like to take advantage of any private tours that are a good fit for a group of our size.

Are there any specific Disney Cruise Line excursions that you would recommend not missing?

Are there any specific excursions you booked independently that you would recommend taking?
 
Our extended family (age range 80 to 15 mos) did the Skagway Railroad excursion together. There were enough of us we had our own car, so it was fun to be together without over-exercising grandma or the stroller crowd. I think we booked it through the cruise line but friends have also booked it independently.
 
In Ketchikan, we really enjoyed the Deadliest Catch crab tour. It was a great couple of hours on the water and we still had time to explore the town. Check on booking this independently, as it may save over doing it with Disney.

http://www.alaskacrabtour.com/
 
We booked all of our tours independently and were very happy with that choice. In Ketchikan, DCL used to offer the lumberjack show and crab feast, but not anymore. You can email the company directly to do that now. Touristy but DD loved it.
 


We haven't been there yet, but I have already booked 3 excursions independently for our Wonder cruise this June. One is a river float with Skagway Float Tours, one is a glassblowing experience at Jewell Gardens in Skagway, and the other is a Misty Fjords flightseeing excursion with Island Wings in Ketchikan. Haven't booked an excursion for Juneau yet. We might independently go to Mendenhall Glacier. It is nice to not always have to be part of a tour group.

When possible, I prefer booking independently of DCL. The one time I did a DCL excursion (in the Caribbean) I hated it. The tours I booked are less expensive than comparable experiences would be via DCL, and very likely will be more efficient and have less people. I also don't have to wait for concierge, then platinum, then gold to get first pickings...
 
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Skagway--we booked Chilkoot Charters bus/rail combo to the Yukon with dog cart ride added on. It was the highlight of our entire trip. We did the bus up in the morning, and the White Pass railway train down. Lots of photo stops on the bus route. 15 minutes in the town of Caribou Crossing, and a good amount of time at the Caribou Crossing Trading Post for the included lunch, our dog cart ride, holding puppies, petting other animals, shopping. We just didn't have enough time to go to the Wildlife museum. DD16 wanted to do something with dogs (without getting on a helicopter!) We all loved the 15 min. dogcart ride! 1 way on the train was enough for us as well. Beautiful scenery for the whole journey (both bus and train.) Our guide, Mike, was fantastic! He timed our stops so that we weren't at the same place as the big buses. (Our van held 24 passengers.)
https://chilkootcharters.com/package/yukon-rail-bus-w-dogcart-experience/
 
Lots of good suggestions here. I haven't done Alaska, but have done several cruises, some with DCL, with our family group of 8, ages 12-73. After our first DCL cruise, where we did 2 DCL excursions and 2 DIY, we vowed we'd never do a cruise sponsored excursion again. For a cheaper price, we can get better excursions (longer, more tailored to our multi-generational group.) With your 12 people, you should be able to find private tours. Contact vendors via TripAdvisor. I pick the one that seems the best at communication and willingness to work with our group dynamics.
 


Last summer we used Skagway Private Tours for a trip into the Yukon and up to Emerald Lake. We really didn't like the idea of being stuck on a train all day, and this worked out very well for us. Sherry gave us an amazing day. She is probably one of the best guides we've ever had on an excursion, as she is just so fun to hang out with.

In Ketchikan we used Island Wings for a float plane trip to Anan Creek for bear watching. This was amazing! We saw so many bears and eagles. Bear watching tours are very seasonal, though. It depends on when - and where - the salmon are running (usually mid to late July and into August). But I would still recommend Island Wings for any excursion. Great organization, and we loved flying with Michelle. On a previous trip we had taken a Disney bear watching excursion (Neets Bay) and while it was great and we did see several bears, it didn't compare to Anan creek. Anan does require about a 30 minute or so hike through the woods, so if anyone in your party has some mobility issues that might be something to consider, but it really isn't a difficult hike.

In Juneau we did a fishing and whale watching tour with Rum Runners and it was also just a wonderful day. We saw so many whales and the guys caught lots of salmon which we had processed and shipped home. Yum! I know you already have your Juneau tour booked (and I don't think Rum Runner's boats are large enough for your party anyway), but thought I'd mention it for anyone else reading this.

Have fun in Alaska!
 
We booked all our excursions through Disney for ease on our Alaskan Cruise. We were first time Disney Cruisers and had no issue getting every single Port Adventure we wanted, and when we signed into book the only one not available was the Deadliest Catch tour. One thing with Disney is they may have an age minimum for their tours that the operating tour company may not. And the tour company may have child prices up to say age 12, and Disney Adult starts at 10. One thing you can only book through Disney is the boat tour on your Tracy Arm Fjords day. I cannot recommend that enough. We got off the Wonder onto a tendered ship, got to enjoy the Fjords crowd free, got right up close to the glacier, saw wildlife unclose and got some awesome pictures of the Wonder. We also loved out helicopter ride out to stand on a glacier in Skagway and our Flight tour out to Taku Glacier Lodge for lunch in Juneau.
 
We booked all our excursions privately, too. We were on the same tour in Skagway as @Geomom and had a phenomenal time. Here's my post about that trip from my trip report: https://www.disboards.com/threads/w...extra-fun-in-vancouver.3537617/#post-56316268

In Ketchikan we went sea kayaking, which was a lot of fun. We booked independently with Southeast Sea Kayaks because DD was too young for DCL (their minimum age was 10 for that excursion). Here's my post about our day there. https://www.disboards.com/threads/w...fun-in-vancouver.3537617/page-2#post-56347098
 
We are looking at booking two excursions from DCL, but wanted to get feedback from past experiences...

1. Regarding the Tracy Arm Fjord excursion that can only be booked via Disney... Does anyone think that there will still be spaces available for that excursion since we are in the last group that can book excursions as first time DCL members?

2. Skagway: Liarsville Gold Rush Trail Camp & Salmon Bake Featuring exclusive Disney Character Experience... My mom would like to take all of her grandchildren on this specific excursion, ages 4-12. Has anyone done this excursion and can share their experience? Also, will it be age appropriate for any of the older grandchildren (ages 10, 11, 12)?

Thank you for all of your helpful feedback as first time DCL members!
 
We are looking at booking two excursions from DCL, but wanted to get feedback from past experiences...

1. Regarding the Tracy Arm Fjord excursion that can only be booked via Disney... Does anyone think that there will still be spaces available for that excursion since we are in the last group that can book excursions as first time DCL members?

We were lucky enough to book the first Tracy Arm Fjord Boat Tour Disney offered. They actually added it as an option after the 75 Day mark. Closer to 60 days, so it was open to book for everyone at that point so I can't comment on availability for first time cruisers. One thing though is be diligent and check in at 12:00 EST on your booking day, and if you don't get it, check back every day for availability. People do change their minds.
 
Anyone with younger kids booked their own whale watching in Juneau? Who did you go through? Harv & Marv comes highly recommended but our kids are under 13 so they can't do the group tours. The private ones are more expensive than DCL's equivalent with Mendenhall Glacier.

Edit: I just noticed someone recommended Rum Runners, but it seems like it's a separate arrangement. Has anyone done that? How smoothly did it go? Are there any others that includes Mendenhall Glacier?
 
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Anyone with younger kids booked their own whale watching in Juneau? Who did you go through? Harv & Marv comes highly recommended but our kids are under 13 so they can't do the group tours. The private ones are more expensive than DCL's equivalent with Mendenhall Glacier.

Edit: I just noticed someone recommended Rum Runners, but it seems like it's a separate arrangement. Has anyone done that? How smoothly did it go? Are there any others that includes Mendenhall Glacier?
We used Rum Runnere last year when my daughter was 5. It was fabulous and they are great with kids. They will arrange (and pay for) taxi service to the glacier. You just have to get your own cab back. My daughter was exhausted so we didn't do this, but it would have been super easy.
 
We one tour through the cruiseline and two independent excursions. If (when) I go back to Alaska, I may try to do even more independent excursions. We used "Beyond Skagway Tours" (use google and look at reviews, etc) and rented an SUV for 6 with guide. They catered to what we wanted to do. The biggest advantage to a private tour in Skagway is that they usually can get you to the main stops before the tour buses. Example, when we got to the dog sled cart, we were the only ones there. As we were leaving, 2 buses pulled in. When we got to Emerald Lake, there were no buses yet. At lunch, it was a little crowded because a bus stopped there to shop and rest before Emerald Lake, but that was the only time we ran into crowds until dropped off in town at our request. Doing private also let us eat at a smaller venue.

We also did Harv and Marv and loved it. Our kids were younger, but we had 6 people and got a small boat for our private group. The two independent excursions were the highlight of our excursion list. We only did one excursion through the cruiseline and it was the Deadliest Catch crab tour (Ketchikan). We really enjoyed it, but preferred our two independent excursions because it was just the 6 of us versus 50 or so on the crab boat.
 
We booked chillkoot charters bus/rail combo to the Yukon with dog cart ride added on as well and really enjoyed it.

the highlight of our trip, however, was the "Taku Lodge Feast & Five Glacier Discovery" floatplane tour we booked through Wings Airway in Juneau. We flew over 5 glaciers - AMAZING - and then went to Taku Lodge which is situated directly across a lake from a glacier as well (Google Taku Lodge - it has a fascinating history)
http://www.wingsairways.com/taku-lodge-feast-and-five-glacier-discovery

We did save money over DCL excursions. Note, however, that I will only book "direct" with a non-DCL tour provider if I fully understand their cancellation policy. Some providers require an up-front payment or deposit. I prefer wherever possible that if I have to cancel at the last minute (maybe due to weather concerns, illness, etc) that I will be able to get a full refund.
 
We haven't been there yet, but I have already booked 3 excursions independently for our Wonder cruise this June. One is a river float with Skagway Float Tours, one is a glassblowing experience at Jewell Gardens in Skagway, and the other is a Misty Fjords flightseeing excursion with Island Wings in Ketchikan. Haven't booked an excursion for Juneau yet. We might independently go to Mendenhall Glacier. It is nice to not always have to be part of a tour group.

Who did you book the glassblowing through? We might like to try that one.
 
We did a kayak trip and glacier hike at Mendenhall through Above and Beyond Alaska after two families I know IRL highly recommended them. It was the highlight of the trip - just amazing. We were back on the ship without any issues.
 

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