It's kind of refreshing to see an honest assessment, based on your experience. That said, we sailed on the Wonder I think two or three weeks before your sailing and our Glacier Explorer was amazing. We got to see both South and North Sawyer, including at least 3 calvings at South Sawyer, lots of seals resting on the ice, mountain goats, and a pod of orcas pretty close up. We were able to watch the orcas for a good half hour at least. But I think that just proves your point. It can be an incredible experience or a somewhat disappointing experience and the factors are outside of everyone's control. I appreciate your honesty and perspective.
I completely agree with you! This tour can be absolutely amazing or disappointing based on so many conditions. I feel like a lot of Alaska is like that. We did the glacier tour last year (on your sailing) and it was an amazing experience. We got to witness white thunder and soooo many seal pups. But Mother Nature does what it wants. This is a great vlog because it sets realistic expectations! Great job!!!!
I appreciate all of your Disney Wonder cruise videos as I’m considering going to DCL Alaska next year and your videos are helping me with planning. Thank you for the great details and informative videos!
We were on the sailing the week before you and it was our first time on an Alaskan cruise. Your video showed me an interesting perspective of what could’ve been but we went into this is zero expectations and were so relieved that we did the glacier excursion because if we would’ve only saw the snippet from the big ship, I feel like we would’ve been disappointed. Our lack of Alaskan experience helped us enjoy this excursion so much and we found it so worth it. I think we’re willing to take the gamble in the future as well. It’s all about perspective!!
I completely agree with your video. We were on the Wonder at the beginning of this month and were lucky enough to get super close to the South Sawyer glacier on the cruise ship; the captain said that it was the closest they had been in 4-5 years. So, the people that paid for the $299 excursion actually didn't see much more than we did on board for free. My TA had been trying to convince us to do the excursion (probably the same hype that you had heard) but I'm so glad we saved our money for activities on board for our kids. P.S. We really enjoyed watching your videos as we were getting ready for our own trip!
I enjoy watching your videos especially since we did an Alaskan cruise with DCL last August. First off my recomendation is to book the first excursion at noon, if available. Going on the first one had our boats playing cat and mouse with the Wonder. It was exhilarating having our captain go off to show us things and then race to catch up to and pass the Wonder multiple times. Truely one of the best parts for me doing the excursion. When I got back on the ship and watched the 3pm group go I could see that it didnt seem like it would have been as fun as the one I had done. So when you were talking about how you felt underwhelmed the first thing out of my mouth was that you probably did the 3pm excursion which you did haha. You are correct that depending on weather and wildlife conditions it could affect your outcome but I felt if you can book the noon excursion that it will give your tender boats a bit of time to explore since they leave before the Wonder begins to make its trek to the glacier. Everyones experience will vary but I highly believe it is worth doing the noon excursion. Only drawback really is if you are adament about taking pictures with the characters in their Alaskan outfits then its a real decision that needs to be made because doing the noon excursion will obviously mean that you will miss out on that.
We did the excursion last year on the last sailing and the South Sawyer Glacier was much larger and got right into the ice field at the North Sawyer Glacier, Captain Fabien also got the Wonder right up the edge of the ice field at North Sawyer Glacier (have a very nice photo hanging on our wall of it in the ice field). We did the first tour, which meant getting off just into Tracey Arm and then the ship follow which presented amazing photo opportunities. The water falls were not as impressive though compared with earlier in the season. We are on the last sailing again this year and taking our son on the excursion and fingers crossed for the same experience.
Just got off the Wonder a couple weeks ago. We did not do the excursion and just stayed on the ship. The Wonder got as close as she could to the south glacier but because of seals resting on the ice in front of us we couldn't get much closer. We basically had the same view that your mom did. So with pictures of Mickey and the gang in hand, we headed back down to our room. As soon as we got in and turned the TV on the Captain came on and said that in the 20 minutes we were stopped to load the 3pm excursion, the winds had shifted and blown the ice away from our path and that he was going to try and get closer. So we huffed it back up to Deck 10 and managed to beat most of the crowd who hadn't heard the announcement yet. Sure enough the Wonder was able to round that last corner and we got a full on view of the south glacier. We saw some of the excursion boats heading out to it and at best they maybe got about halfway between the ship and glacier. It's all dependent on lucky weather, not just on the day but on every minute. If those boats had departed 20 minutes earlier or the winds came 20 minutes later, we would not have seen it.
To be fair a lot of the excursions in Alaska have a disclaimer that explains that the experiences are not consistent in their content due to things like weather, animal behavior, and such.
We went to glacier bay on Holland America and got super close to John Hopkins glacier and got to see several large calvings …plus on way in we saw seals, bears, mountain goats, otters, a pod of orcas, puffins, and it was amazing! I think HAL and Princess get best access to glaciers because they have been cruising to Alaska the longest.
I would suggest booking a Hubbard Glacier cruise. That is usually round trip out of Vancouver, or one way between Vancouver and Seward (Northbound or Southbound). Still hit or miss depending on weather and iceburgs, but Hubbard is currently the most active, a calving monster that will amaze from the decks of your cruise ship. And book a smaller capacity cruise ship as they can get closer to the glacier.
I was on the second sailing of the Wonder this season and the cruise ship got really close to the glacier. The tinder boats didn't get much closer and I'm glad I saved my 600 bucks
This is exactly why I prefer the small ship cruises like Alaskan Dream Cruises or Uncruise. You can get closer to the glacier on your actual cruise ship because they are less than 200' long and less than 100 guests on the ship. You are already low to the water to see whales and small enough to get to the glacier. We had the glacier margarita several times from our cruise bar.
I'm sorry you didn't feel like your experience was worth the money! We definitely loved that excursion. While I wouldn't do it again if I was alone, I will most definitely take my boyfriend whenever we go on an Alaskan cruise. We did the morning one, which I liked because we led the Wonder into the fjord, which was fun (we also don't do the character M&G lines)! So many great photos speeding along besides her. Our boat captain actually took us to South Sawyer glacier for about 15 minutes, and we got super close. Then he went to Sawyer glacier. There was a lot of ice in the water (all the Wonder crew said it was icier than it was any previous sailing). It was funny how our captain actually slowly ran into a small iceberg and used it to push through the icy water (sort of like a battering ram), so we got pretty close. Though there were a lot of seals so we couldn't get too close to the glacier, but it was still amazing views. On the way back to the ship I still remember everyone onboard waving at the small boats, including all the CMs out on the CM balcony at the front of the ship (I tried to find it later before I realized it was a crew only area). A very special moment! At the end, I didn't get a glacierita, but the small boat crew gave me a chunk of ice in a cup, which I filled with soda back on the Wonder. I sipped that all day and it didn't fully melt until after dinner!
I don’t feel so bad not going now. I went to Alaska about three weeks ago. I thought the view of the glacier from the Wonder was really good. It seemed super close to me. Saw a whale and a ton of sea lions on the icebergs with my binoculars.
I feel if the price was the same as 2022 which if i remember was $199 then its not so bad.. but I decided this year for $299 it wasnt worth it for us. Also a good camera like a bridge camera is good for this.. some sorta of 25x zoom or better. get some nice photos.
I would not pay $300 even for the big glacier. For that price I would want a special meal included, or at least free unlimited nonalcoholic drinks. With inflation being what it is, I guess I could see $200 (for the experience as is). I know the cost of living has got to be rough for the businesses operating in Alaska but I have to be realistic with my own wallet too. I am guessing part of the pricing is to keep the numbers manageable.
OK to pardon my French you were boned big time. We went on the Alaska sailing last September 1 second week of September and we were able to go to the big glacier you talked about and we were maybe a half to a full football field away. It was a Normas. It was lots of cracking ice fell off. There was tons of seals. It was amazing. We did a couple loops. We were closer and further away. Plus the ship got almost all the way in there as well so people on the ship had a good view. We were the later of the day excursion, and we got it because we put our name on the list when we got on the boat.. yes, if I was you, I would’ve went to Disney and made a little fuss and maybe they’ve given you some onboard credit because ouch, that was not good. The one we did was amazing like you said, we saw a huge glacier that sadly might not be around forever but we got great pictures are great. Sounds to panoramic shots. Sorry Weather/iceberg traffic caused you a problem
I was there last week. We went to the south side. I agree it wasn’t worth the money. We did see seals, and mountain goats. We had fun, I was glad I went, but it wasn’t worth the cost.
We ran into you and were in your video last year. Unfortunately the price went up and this time you did not go to Dawes Glacier like we did last June. From the video, I feel that Dawes Glacier was much bigger and more beautiful. We even witnessed the white thunder three times when we were there. So sorry for your experience. We loved ours but it was cheaper and better.
I feel for the price food should be included, more than just crackers. Also maybe a discount if you end up going to north Sawyer glacier and not one of the 2 big ones. Even cutting the price by $50 per person makes it seem more reasonable
As of the end of the season last year sawyer was a tidewater glacier. The start of the season this year it appears that a silt deposit island has formed to the point that it may no longer be considered tidewater. The receding ice and climate change is why this isn’t as “awe inspiring” as you want it to be
Sadly, your glacier experience was a dud. I've been to Alaska with Disney and another cruise line and both glacier experiences were better than yours. I think on Disney we did the helicopter ride over a glacier with dog sledding. It cost more but it was worth every penny.
It's kind of refreshing to see an honest assessment, based on your experience. That said, we sailed on the Wonder I think two or three weeks before your sailing and our Glacier Explorer was amazing. We got to see both South and North Sawyer, including at least 3 calvings at South Sawyer, lots of seals resting on the ice, mountain goats, and a pod of orcas pretty close up. We were able to watch the orcas for a good half hour at least. But I think that just proves your point. It can be an incredible experience or a somewhat disappointing experience and the factors are outside of everyone's control. I appreciate your honesty and perspective.
I completely agree with you! This tour can be absolutely amazing or disappointing based on so many conditions. I feel like a lot of Alaska is like that. We did the glacier tour last year (on your sailing) and it was an amazing experience. We got to witness white thunder and soooo many seal pups. But Mother Nature does what it wants. This is a great vlog because it sets realistic expectations! Great job!!!!
I’m glad you guys had such a great time! I’m thankful that at least through my experience others get to see both possibilities
I appreciate all of your Disney Wonder cruise videos as I’m considering going to DCL Alaska next year and your videos are helping me with planning. Thank you for the great details and informative videos!
Thank you for sharing your experience! I would’ve been bummed as well
Thanks. Very helpful information.
We were on the sailing the week before you and it was our first time on an Alaskan cruise. Your video showed me an interesting perspective of what could’ve been but we went into this is zero expectations and were so relieved that we did the glacier excursion because if we would’ve only saw the snippet from the big ship, I feel like we would’ve been disappointed. Our lack of Alaskan experience helped us enjoy this excursion so much and we found it so worth it. I think we’re willing to take the gamble in the future as well. It’s all about perspective!!
Great video! Thanks for all the pointers and thanks for calling out the kids' entertainment!
Liked this review very helpful. Of course every experience will be different but that's alot of money to make such a gamble
I completely agree with your video. We were on the Wonder at the beginning of this month and were lucky enough to get super close to the South Sawyer glacier on the cruise ship; the captain said that it was the closest they had been in 4-5 years. So, the people that paid for the $299 excursion actually didn't see much more than we did on board for free. My TA had been trying to convince us to do the excursion (probably the same hype that you had heard) but I'm so glad we saved our money for activities on board for our kids.
P.S. We really enjoyed watching your videos as we were getting ready for our own trip!
I enjoy watching your videos especially since we did an Alaskan cruise with DCL last August. First off my recomendation is to book the first excursion at noon, if available. Going on the first one had our boats playing cat and mouse with the Wonder. It was exhilarating having our captain go off to show us things and then race to catch up to and pass the Wonder multiple times. Truely one of the best parts for me doing the excursion. When I got back on the ship and watched the 3pm group go I could see that it didnt seem like it would have been as fun as the one I had done. So when you were talking about how you felt underwhelmed the first thing out of my mouth was that you probably did the 3pm excursion which you did haha.
You are correct that depending on weather and wildlife conditions it could affect your outcome but I felt if you can book the noon excursion that it will give your tender boats a bit of time to explore since they leave before the Wonder begins to make its trek to the glacier. Everyones experience will vary but I highly believe it is worth doing the noon excursion. Only drawback really is if you are adament about taking pictures with the characters in their Alaskan outfits then its a real decision that needs to be made because doing the noon excursion will obviously mean that you will miss out on that.
If we ever do sail with Disney again to Alaska we will for sure look into doing a noon excursion. Thanks for the info!
We did the excursion last year on the last sailing and the South Sawyer Glacier was much larger and got right into the ice field at the North Sawyer Glacier, Captain Fabien also got the Wonder right up the edge of the ice field at North Sawyer Glacier (have a very nice photo hanging on our wall of it in the ice field). We did the first tour, which meant getting off just into Tracey Arm and then the ship follow which presented amazing photo opportunities. The water falls were not as impressive though compared with earlier in the season. We are on the last sailing again this year and taking our son on the excursion and fingers crossed for the same experience.
Thanks for this valuable information concerning the excursions!
No problem at all! I just wanted people to know all possibilities when booking this excursion
@@ThemeParkExpress - One more question. What binoculars would you recommend for whale watching? Thanks again.
Just got off the Wonder a couple weeks ago. We did not do the excursion and just stayed on the ship. The Wonder got as close as she could to the south glacier but because of seals resting on the ice in front of us we couldn't get much closer. We basically had the same view that your mom did. So with pictures of Mickey and the gang in hand, we headed back down to our room. As soon as we got in and turned the TV on the Captain came on and said that in the 20 minutes we were stopped to load the 3pm excursion, the winds had shifted and blown the ice away from our path and that he was going to try and get closer. So we huffed it back up to Deck 10 and managed to beat most of the crowd who hadn't heard the announcement yet. Sure enough the Wonder was able to round that last corner and we got a full on view of the south glacier. We saw some of the excursion boats heading out to it and at best they maybe got about halfway between the ship and glacier. It's all dependent on lucky weather, not just on the day but on every minute. If those boats had departed 20 minutes earlier or the winds came 20 minutes later, we would not have seen it.
It’s wild how random it can all be! I’m happy you guys got to get close!
Love your honestly
We cancelled it about a month ago - the boat view is enough for me
To be fair a lot of the excursions in Alaska have a disclaimer that explains that the experiences are not consistent in their content due to things like weather, animal behavior, and such.
We went to glacier bay on Holland America and got super close to John Hopkins glacier and got to see several large calvings …plus on way in we saw seals, bears, mountain goats, otters, a pod of orcas, puffins, and it was amazing!
I think HAL and Princess get best access to glaciers because they have been cruising to Alaska the longest.
We heard good things from those lines in Alaska too! Maybe one day we can go back on one of those lines
I would suggest booking a Hubbard Glacier cruise. That is usually round trip out of Vancouver, or one way between Vancouver and Seward (Northbound or Southbound). Still hit or miss depending on weather and iceburgs, but Hubbard is currently the most active, a calving monster that will amaze from the decks of your cruise ship. And book a smaller capacity cruise ship as they can get closer to the glacier.
I was on the second sailing of the Wonder this season and the cruise ship got really close to the glacier. The tinder boats didn't get much closer and I'm glad I saved my 600 bucks
This is exactly why I prefer the small ship cruises like Alaskan Dream Cruises or Uncruise. You can get closer to the glacier on your actual cruise ship because they are less than 200' long and less than 100 guests on the ship. You are already low to the water to see whales and small enough to get to the glacier. We had the glacier margarita several times from our cruise bar.
This is Craig Dennis are you both haveing fun on your cruise and how is the food on the cruise i watch your both new videos all the time👍👍👍👍👍👍
$300 is a lot for a gamble. I have a family of 5. That's a lot of Merch I can buy. Thanks for the honest review.
No problem at all. We didn’t hate our experience. We just wish we could know in advance that we were going to a lesser glacier
Personally, I feel the only must do excursion in Alaska is the White Pass train in Skagway. Excellent and informative vlog. Thanks.
We’re taking the gamble and can’t wait. We’re sailing on Aug I don’t know how the weather changes from June to August.
I hope it all works out for you and you have the best excursion ever!
I'm sorry you didn't feel like your experience was worth the money! We definitely loved that excursion. While I wouldn't do it again if I was alone, I will most definitely take my boyfriend whenever we go on an Alaskan cruise.
We did the morning one, which I liked because we led the Wonder into the fjord, which was fun (we also don't do the character M&G lines)! So many great photos speeding along besides her. Our boat captain actually took us to South Sawyer glacier for about 15 minutes, and we got super close. Then he went to Sawyer glacier. There was a lot of ice in the water (all the Wonder crew said it was icier than it was any previous sailing). It was funny how our captain actually slowly ran into a small iceberg and used it to push through the icy water (sort of like a battering ram), so we got pretty close. Though there were a lot of seals so we couldn't get too close to the glacier, but it was still amazing views. On the way back to the ship I still remember everyone onboard waving at the small boats, including all the CMs out on the CM balcony at the front of the ship (I tried to find it later before I realized it was a crew only area). A very special moment! At the end, I didn't get a glacierita, but the small boat crew gave me a chunk of ice in a cup, which I filled with soda back on the Wonder. I sipped that all day and it didn't fully melt until after dinner!
Sounds like you had an awesome time! I’m happy you enjoyed it!
I don’t feel so bad not going now. I went to Alaska about three weeks ago. I thought the view of the glacier from the Wonder was really good. It seemed super close to me. Saw a whale and a ton of sea lions on the icebergs with my binoculars.
Preaach! Thank you...cuz although it appeared fun, it was not giving what it was suppose to give! Period!!
I feel if the price was the same as 2022 which if i remember was $199 then its not so bad.. but I decided this year for $299 it wasnt worth it for us. Also a good camera like a bridge camera is good for this.. some sorta of 25x zoom or better. get some nice photos.
Not sure if I missed it but it looked like you had lovely weather. What week did you go on your cruise?
Update: the water is free and you can get as much glacier ice as you want no extra charge!
I would not pay $300 even for the big glacier. For that price I would want a special meal included, or at least free unlimited nonalcoholic drinks. With inflation being what it is, I guess I could see $200 (for the experience as is). I know the cost of living has got to be rough for the businesses operating in Alaska but I have to be realistic with my own wallet too. I am guessing part of the pricing is to keep the numbers manageable.
OK to pardon my French you were boned big time. We went on the Alaska sailing last September 1 second week of September and we were able to go to the big glacier you talked about and we were maybe a half to a full football field away. It was a Normas. It was lots of cracking ice fell off. There was tons of seals. It was amazing. We did a couple loops. We were closer and further away. Plus the ship got almost all the way in there as well so people on the ship had a good view. We were the later of the day excursion, and we got it because we put our name on the list when we got on the boat.. yes, if I was you, I would’ve went to Disney and made a little fuss and maybe they’ve given you some onboard credit because ouch, that was not good. The one we did was amazing like you said, we saw a huge glacier that sadly might not be around forever but we got great pictures are great. Sounds to panoramic shots. Sorry Weather/iceberg traffic caused you a problem
It’s no one’s fault it happened the way it did. I just want others to be aware of the risks when booking
I was there last week. We went to the south side. I agree it wasn’t worth the money. We did see seals, and mountain goats. We had fun, I was glad I went, but it wasn’t worth the cost.
Who’s paying $200 for a child under 2. That’s ridiculous.
Idk but people do it apparently
If you're a couple, are you going to leave your child alone? It's a scam.
What month did you take this trip?
We ran into you and were in your video last year. Unfortunately the price went up and this time you did not go to Dawes Glacier like we did last June. From the video, I feel that Dawes Glacier was much bigger and more beautiful. We even witnessed the white thunder three times when we were there. So sorry for your experience. We loved ours but it was cheaper and better.
I’m happy you guys got to have a great time!
Your girlfriend??? U mean FIANCÉ!! 😂😂😂 JK just giving u hard time 😂 Alaska looks beautiful though
I feel for the price food should be included, more than just crackers. Also maybe a discount if you end up going to north Sawyer glacier and not one of the 2 big ones. Even cutting the price by $50 per person makes it seem more reasonable
Agree 100%
As of the end of the season last year sawyer was a tidewater glacier. The start of the season this year it appears that a silt deposit island has formed to the point that it may no longer be considered tidewater. The receding ice and climate change is why this isn’t as “awe inspiring” as you want it to be
Pretty expensive for a bit of a bait and switch, should at least be able to get a refund option if you get a diminished experience.
At least a discounted price would be nice as an acknowledgement
They did get a chance for all you can eat Ritz crackers for $600.
To me it would be worth it gif the pictures of the ship,
Iceland. Jökulsárlón Glacier in a zodiac.
👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Sadly, your glacier experience was a dud. I've been to Alaska with Disney and another cruise line and both glacier experiences were better than yours. I think on Disney we did the helicopter ride over a glacier with dog sledding. It cost more but it was worth every penny.