Hiya, friend!
Thanks for reaching out to planDisney as you look forward to one of my family's favorite vacations ever: a Disney cruise to Alaska. In fact, our first cruise ever was a 7-Night Alaskan Cruise from Vancouver. Since then, we were forever sold on the magic of a Disney Cruise Line vacation.
Here at planDisney, we are fellow Disney Parks and cruise Guests, just like you. Although we may not be able to directly support booking your vacation experience, we are happy to point you toward the right Cast Members and resources to make that magic happen. And, of course, it's our pleasure to offer you advice and recommendations based on our real, lived experiences. I hope that you can count on us to offer counsel that you'll find helpful to make your Disney cruise experience the best it can be.
I'll start by offering a few broad areas to consider as you get ready to set sail with Captains Minnie and Mickey. If I don't cover all the areas you had hoped for, please feel free to send follow-up questions to us at planDisney. We'd be thrilled to hear from you again.
Booking
I remember feeling uncertain when booking our first cruise, and that was only two staterooms. But booking is a breeze when you call Disney Cruise Line directly. If you are booking up to four staterooms, you may also choose to use the Find a Cruise online booking tool. With the online tool, simply set up your stateroom selections under the section for the number of Guests. You may also choose to enlist the services of an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner (travel agent).
Staterooms
I mentioned that we booked two staterooms for our first Disney cruise to Alaska. Something that I liked about how we booked our rooms was that we selected rooms on opposite sides of the ship. With the ship immersed in gorgeous Alaskan scenery on all sides, it was great to have options for our family to move from one stateroom to another to catch views of all of the natural beauty around us. While it's nice to consider grouping all of your party's staterooms as close together as you can, I'd still recommend booking staterooms in a variety of categories and locations throughout the ship to give you a diversity of views and experiences.
Port Adventures
Port Adventures, or shore excursions, offer a phenomenal way to immerse yourselves in the cultures and natural wonders of Alaska. But satisfying the interests of a large family group can be challenging, as can be the logistics. Here are a few recommendations that I think would work well for large groups.
Thanks again for stopping by, friend. I hope we hear from you again soon. We look forward to sharing more insights for making the most of your adventure to North America's last frontier.
~Tony