Jessica Riediger

Independent Destination Wedding Travel Agent

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4 Mistakes I Made on Our Alaska Disney Cruise (And 4 Things I Did Right!)

I recently sailed Alaska's 7 Day Alaska Itinerary out of Vancouver on the Disney Wonder. We had stops at Dawes Glacier, Juneau, Ketchikan, and Skagway. The weather was amazing-70's and 80's many days in the ports and really clear weather until the last day at sea. We saw whales, porpoises, seals, and bald eagles without ever even leaving the ship. It was an incredible experience for my children.

The ship was perfect-a great size for Alaska with plenty of activities, great cabins, and the food was excellent. The crew treated my kids so well and we loved seeing our waiters every night in the different dining rooms.

We had a great time, but there's a few things I wish I had done differently:

We tried to do character photos early. The lines are LONG at the beginning of the week but by the last few days the lines were much shorter and my kids were much happier after a short wait to see the characters!

I scheduled too many shore excursions. We booked the glacier cruise, 2 excursions in Skagway, 1 in Juneau, and another in Ketchikan. A few days before the cruise we canceled our excursion in Ketchikan (and weren’t charged for it) and I’m so glad we did. By the time our last port rolled around my kids were ready for a little more freedom and to be able to explore at our own pace. They napped when we pulled into port so when they woke up we explored the town on our own and had a great time.

We didn’t book a balcony. It’s better to go to Alaska in an interior room than not go at all, but it would have been great to have splurged and been able to use the balcony while my kids napped! From our window we saw whales, porpoises, seals and of course icebergs! The visibility from a balcony would have been even better.

I didn’t pack swimsuits for my kids. Really, I had no idea kids would be swimming in the pools in Alaska! But we had several warm days and the pools and splash areas were used every day. We managed to grab my oldest a swimsuit in port and she got to use the pools for the last few days.

Let's skip to the good part! There are 4 things I was glad I did that made our cruise just a bit more enjoyable.

We chose Disney Cruise Lines over other cruise lines. I’ve sailed on six different cruise lines, 2 of those in Alaska (now 3!). There’s nothing that compares for a family vacation than Disney Cruise Lines! The kid’s clubs, character experiences, family activities like crafts, animation classes, family dance parties, theme nights really set Disney apart from all the other cruise lines. There was something for all ages to participate in all day!

I booked the glacier explorer at Dawes Glacier. I was worried my kids (ages 2 and 4) were too young to appreciate it but they were amazed by being so close to a glacier and watching seals float around on icebergs! The deck hands even brought an iceberg onto the boat and gave each child their own piece to eat and play with. We bundled them up to up on deck after we reached the glacier and they were able to watch it calve. We got MUCH closer to the glacier and wildlife than we were able to on the ship.

We chose early dining. My kids absolutely loved the rotational dining! Their favorite drinks were on our table when we arrived each night along with crayons and a kids menu with coloring activities. Tianna’s was so fun with the Mardi Gras parade and it was such a neat experience to see our artwork come to life in Animator’s Palate! However, with the time difference, I know if we had late dining they would have been too tired to enjoy any of it.

We packed costumes for Frozen Night. The deck party is so fun and you even see all of the moms and dads really having the best time and singing along! Frozen night happens on glacier viewing day, so be prepared at both dinner and after dinner for special Frozen activities!

I've sailed Alaska 3 times on 3 different cruise lines! I would love to help you plan your next Alaska or Disney cruise! Jessica@VincentVacations.com

Jessica Riediger

Destination Wedding Travel Agent

Planning a destination wedding should feel exciting—not overwhelming. Since 2017, I’ve specialized in destination wedding travel, helping couples plan unforgettable celebrations at all-inclusive resorts in Mexico and the Caribbean.I work exclusively with all-inclusive wedding resorts and am consistently recognized as a top producer for Hyatt Inclusive Collection and AIC Hotel Group brands, includi... Read More >>>

An expert luxury advisor with five star luxury travel packages. With a luxury travel company, Vincent Vacations.

12 Reviews & Success Stories

Destination Wedding

First of all, thank you so much for putting together such a wonderful package for both John and I on our special day. The trip was completely completely amazing from start to finish. All the extra details that you provided for us were absolutely perfect. From the minute that we landed to our transportation to the resort were phenomenal. The minute that we arrived at the resort, we were completely amazed at our surroundings in the fabulous views. The staff at the resort from the concierge, the front desk and housekeeping were absolutely amazing and took care of us and all of our needs. The extra details that they put into our stay were phenomenal. The meals at both restaurants were absolutely fantastic. I think we must’ve tried everything on the menu and definitely did indulge the entire time we were there. This resort was an absolute gem of a place and definitely the staff made us feel extra special all the time. I got to enjoy the spa while I was there and it was amazing. The staff at the spa even came around while we were at the pool, relaxing and offered free mini massages and facials. As far as the wedding- Lorena, the wedding coordinator- did an amazing job and putting together a wonderful photographer, make up artist and hairstylist for myself and our special day. We enjoyed a private dinner on the beach and danced into the evening hours. I definitely would recommend this resort to any of your clients in the future. It was by far the most amazing relaxing experience that we both will definitely want to do again. Thank you so much for everything and it was such an amazing experience working with you.

-Mindy

Very professional

Jessica Riediger arranged my last trip. It was tricky involving three states and three different airlines in ten days. The likelihood of glitches was great. There was a slight delay in my flight leaving from OKC but after that, everything went very smoothly. I had a wonderful trip. Jessica was wonderful in arranging all of the details and helping me to understand the best way to navigate the connections etc. I appreciated her highly professional assistance and highly recommend her to anyone planning travel.
-C. Eugene Walker

St. Lucia

Jessica is the best. She put us in the most incredible vacation spot we could imagine. She took care of everything. And when we had some trouble on the way home she went above and beyond to make sure we were taken care of.
-Paul R.

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