Ahoy there, Randy! Welcome to planDisney!
You happen to be planning my dream Disney cruise and asking about my dream Port Adventures! Childhood Rana has always dreamt of whale watching, and when she grew up and realized how awesome cruising with Captain Mickey can be, she quickly added it to her Disney cruise bucket list! While I haven’t checked off this adventure yet, I’m ecstatic for your grandsons who will get to cross it off theirs!
I did some Disney Cruise Line research and found that the three
Alaskan Ports of Call offering the best whale watching adventures are
Icy Strait Point,
Juneau, and
Sitka, with Icy Strait Point rumored to be the best place for whale watching in the state.
My recommendation is to book a cruise that visits one or more of these ports, to give your grandsons the highest chance of seeing those majestic mammals. I found multiple Disney cruises that sail to at least one during the time period you’re asking about. I also found an 8-Night Alaskan cruise on the
Disney Magic that sails to both Icy Strait Point and Sitka on July 22-July 30, 2027.
To find the cruise that best suits your family, under
“Plan a Cruise” on the Disney Cruise Line website, filter the dates by “June/July 2027” and the destination by “Alaska”. You will see all of the cruises and their corresponding Ports of Call. If you’re trying to easily find the 8-Night cruise I recommended earlier, you can also sort by length, from shortest to longest, helping you find it quickly.
As for the whale-associated
Port Adventures, they vary by age range in each port. While I don’t know your grandsons' ages, I did find a few for different age groups in each Port of Call, with Juneau having the highest number of options, followed by Icy Strait Point. To easily find them, on the Alaska Port Adventures page, you can filter by Port of Call, and then “Nature, Sightseeing” to narrow them down even further to the whale activity ones.
I don’t think you can go wrong with any of them, as each will offer your whale-loving grandsons a memorable adventure. But if you're wondering which ones I have my own whale-loving sights on, it's the
"Whale and Marine Mammals Cruise (IS01)" in Icy Strait Point, offering whale watching and marine life sightings like adorable sea otters; as well as
"Alaska Whales and Rainforest Trails (JU34)" in Juneau, offering views of orcas and humpback whales. When booking, please remember that while marine life sightings are common for this time of year, they are never guaranteed.
My last recommendation is to remind them to take plenty of photos during these once-in-a-lifetime adventures!
Randy, I hope this helped give you some suggestions. I’m truly so excited for your grandsons and your family, and wish you the most adventurous memories ahead! Please sail back to planDisney if you have any more questions.
Seas the Adventure,
Rana