May 1st Cruise.... too cold???

[Budget Queen]

... and the point of the post is??? As an aside, what is the point of referencing CHILLY CHILDREN on a Disney Disney cruise? Are you suggesting that children will not be chilly if they were on RCCL, NCL, Princess or HAL? You DO realize the ship will be an enclosed ship - right?

 

Hey, "chill out", why so defensive??? It's only a comment and it looks like you are taking this way too personally?? On Disney cruises, the kids activities are outside a great deal. I'm sure that it will be going through some "growing pains". Are you trying to defend your early season booking?? No need to, you, are the only one who has to be happy with it.

[Budget Queen]

Wow, I swear I read places that the temperature in mid may would be in the mid 60's but now I am seeing its closer to mid 50's!

 

My wife and I (florida folk lol) will be on the May 15th princess cruise. I understand we should layer but are gloves required you think? Are jeans ok or not warm enough?

 

Absolutely, you need to bring gloves along with a hat. I don't bring jeans, since they tend to get and stay damp, take forever to dry and are bulky. Some people do pack long johns, there are several different kinds on the market.

 

What you are not considering, is the WIDE range of weather in a single week. In ports, you can be in shorts with temps in the 70's, but if you are considering enjoying your glacier sailing day, then you definately need the warm clothing, including the accessories. Many people are unprepared, I always think of this as "crowd control". My priority is full deck viewing, which I always get. :)

 

The wide range of attire is "required" visiting Alaska, no matter when you go.

[Budget Queen]

The Disney Wonder is currently an open-air upper deck, and will be dry-docked in December 2010 to be retrofitted and enclosed for sailing through Alaska. Disney ships are unique in that they have four separate and distinct pools (3 are public, 1 for cast members). Of the public pools, one is for children only ... one is for families (children and adults), while the third is for adults only. Accordingly, there are no indoor versus outdoor pools. The public pools will be enclosed. Disney pools are heated to 80 degrees, and filled with fresh water (not salt water).

 

We've sailed the Caribbean in December and January, and experienced cool / cold weather while walking on open decks (similar to June in Alaska). I am not sure if deck 4 will be enclosed or not ... but one can always bundle up for a walk if the deck us not enclosed. Deck 4 is where the jogging / walking trail is currently located.

 

Mistake? Disney researches the heck out of most anything they do. They did not decide to sail to Alaska on a whim. That does not mean everyone will want to sail in May, nor September. It means there will be various options available everyone. Many of my friends swear by going to the Jersey Shore or Walt Disney World in August - while I wouldn't dream of going at that time (too humid, too hectic, too crowded).

 

Disney ships are almost always sold out. Disney rarely discounts staterooms by any comparable measure (vs. other cruise line discounts). If Disney sells out the early May cruises - it's certianly not a mistake. If they are only at half capacity - they made a mistake. The internet makes it very easy for people to research their destinations in advance. Having never been to Alaska (land or cruise), I knew, in advance, that early May was colder, with less options available. Price was not necessarily an option, as I knew I was paying approximately twice the price of a comparable cruise on Princess or HAL. I understand those who cruise on other ships, or who've cruised to Alaska before ... may prefer alternate dates. Having said that, cruising Alaska is one more experience under my belt - regardless of the sailing date.

 

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You have some misthinking perhaps. Even on the "coldest" of Caribbean sailing, it still is no comparism to sailing Alaska, of which, you definately need hats and gloves, during a glacier sailing timeframe. I have NEVER seen those on any of the Caribbean cruises I have been on.

 

Disney also does discount and just because you write their ships, sail full, so do all the other lines. BUT, you have no idea of the secondary market who fills these ships at give away rates- travel industry employees. Right now, I have a rate available to me for $199 mid October, for New England. Disney- is $349, last year I picked up a 16 day Panama Canal sailing for $320. Etc etc etc etc. The public just doesn't know about these cruisers who fill the ships.

 

Also, the Alaska cruise season has been stretched. It used to be from mid May- as the earliest to mid Sept. , now the season is 2 weeks earlier and a week later. Why?? revenue. Only reason. :)

 

As a further comment, these earlier sailings are a disservice to uninformed cruisetour passengers. The descriptions are so vague that these people have no clue they are not going to get into Denali Park, no matter what their skimpy description says. So, yes, cruise lines aren't alway out for the best for the customer. It can pay to be informed and making your own decisions according to YOUR priority for touring. Only thing that counts! :)

[NancyIL]

The Disney Wonder is currently an open-air upper deck, and will be dry-docked in December 2010 to be retrofitted and enclosed for sailing through Alaska. Disney ships are unique in that they have four separate and distinct pools (3 are public, 1 for cast members). Of the public pools, one is for children only ... one is for families (children and adults), while the third is for adults only. Accordingly, there are no indoor versus outdoor pools. The public pools will be enclosed. Disney pools are heated to 80 degrees, and filled with fresh water (not salt water).

 

We've sailed the Caribbean in December and January, and experienced cool / cold weather while walking on open decks (similar to June in Alaska). I am not sure if deck 4 will be enclosed or not ... but one can always bundle up for a walk if the deck us not enclosed. Deck 4 is where the jogging / walking trail is currently located.

 

Mistake? Disney researches the heck out of most anything they do. They did not decide to sail to Alaska on a whim. That does not mean everyone will want to sail in May, nor September. It means there will be various options available everyone. Many of my friends swear by going to the Jersey Shore or Walt Disney World in August - while I wouldn't dream of going at that time (too humid, too hectic, too crowded).

 

Disney ships are almost always sold out. Disney rarely discounts staterooms by any comparable measure (vs. other cruise line discounts). If Disney sells out the early May cruises - it's certianly not a mistake. If they are only at half capacity - they made a mistake. The internet makes it very easy for people to research their destinations in advance. Having never been to Alaska (land or cruise), I knew, in advance, that early May was colder, with less options available. Price was not necessarily an option, as I knew I was paying approximately twice the price of a comparable cruise on Princess or HAL. I understand those who cruise on other ships, or who've cruised to Alaska before ... may prefer alternate dates. Having said that, cruising Alaska is one more experience under my belt - regardless of the sailing date.

 

CHILDREN? Those who've sailed Disney know that children are not obstacles, errantly running amuck throughout the ship. They are not on the ship for the purpose of runing around. Rather, they are well involved in their activities, or at their own pool. We've sailed on Disney many times, but only TWICE with children (ages 12, 14 & 15 at the time). Regardless, there is heat in the staterooms, and in the public areas. Other than that, children are exposed to chilly weather throughout much of the US ... depending on what part of the country they are located.

 

The Wonder will be in dry dock in October 2009, but there is no mention of the pools being enclosed:

 

To prepare for the Alaska sailings, a brand-new venue called Outlook Café will be added to the Disney Wonder during dry dock in October. Located high atop Deck 10, the 2,500-square-foot Outlook Café is a stylish retreat for guests to relax and enjoy a beverage or cocktail as they peer out through floor-to-ceiling, curved glass windows at breathtaking vistas. The design of Outlook Café is sophisticated with contemporary, Art Deco inspiration. An elegant spiral staircase connects Outlook Café with the existing Cove Café one deck below. The 65-seat lounge has a granite-topped cocktail bar with comfortable seating throughout the space, all providing picture-perfect views of the surrounding landscapes. http://disneycruise.disney.go.com/whats-new/disney-wonder-bound-for-alaska-in-2011/

 

 

Disney has had to discount their cruises quite a bit recently, not only by offering cat. 12 gty. cabins at lower prices, but also by offering "kids sail free" promotions or large onboard credits.

[Roboat]

I have sailed in this timeframe- there is a BIG difference between May 1 and May 8- a week later,...

 

Oh drat the luck. I'll miss the nice weather by a week. :rolleyes:

 

I am also from Orlando and have a May 1 AK cruise. Hmmm, the fur-lined flip-flops, or the light-weight mukluks?

 

mcotravelgal (OP), I haven't been on an AK cruise yet, but I tentatively booked the NCL Pearl on May 1, 8-days, at a great price with an AFT balcony. Since we will be out of the wind when underway, we should not be too affected by the cold. (And we don't do shore excursions, due to mobility issues.)

 

So you might consider an aft balcony too, if all else looks OK to you. :)

[inkmahm]

Absolutely, you need to bring gloves along with a hat. I don't bring jeans, since they tend to get and stay damp, take forever to dry and are bulky. Some people do pack long johns, there are several different kinds on the market.

 

What you are not considering, is the WIDE range of weather in a single week. In ports, you can be in shorts with temps in the 70's, but if you are considering enjoying your glacier sailing day, then you definately need the warm clothing, including the accessories. Many people are unprepared, I always think of this as "crowd control". My priority is full deck viewing, which I always get. :)

 

The wide range of attire is "required" visiting Alaska, no matter when you go.

I'd agree with the hat and gloves but disagree with skipping the jeans. We wore jeans every day on our last trip to Alaska BUT we sprayed them with waterproofing at home before the trip (a tip I got on this board). We had one day of rain to try out the waterproof jeans and they worked! Of course, it wasn't a monsoon style downpour, either.

[Minoushka]

We were in Alaska in JULY and in places..around College Fjord it was COLD Glacier viewing was also a TAD chilly .If you can go later in the season

Just so you should know spring ....blooming .flowers happens in MID MAY here in Montreal SOOOOOO I guess Alaska would be even later

WE had GREAT weather in July unseasonally warm

You definitely need warm clothes ,hats scarves mitts etc at all times

I suppose Emerald Lake would not have melted in May ...it is GORGEOUS if you can see it

I think May and Sept not ideal for Alaska I would go back in july

[deepnite10]

We cruised the inside passage in May aboard the NCL Star..

 

this is the type of weather we encountered..but, the weather can be unpredictable..

 

we packed way too much warm weather clothing and not much for the warm weather we encountered..

should have packed atleast a pair of shorts..

[allentownahoy]

I had better and warmer weather May 10-24 -including the earlier days of this trip than I did July 24 -Aug. 6. On this 2nd trip I only had 1 t-shirt day plus a full week of rain and thick fog. Couldn't see a thing when sailing the inside passage and in many ports the mountains were not visible.. On the earlier trip I had several tee shirt afternoons and only 1 wet or foggy day. Great visibility everywhere.

 

I also liked the fact that in May there was more snow on the mountains-added to the ambience of the Alaska scenery.

 

So, don't sweat your early booking. The weather could be fine and even if it is not you will still love Alaska.

[negc]

... and the point of the post is??? As an aside, what is the point of referencing CHILLY CHILDREN on a Disney Disney cruise? Are you suggesting that children will not be chilly if they were on RCCL, NCL, Princess or HAL? You DO realize the ship will be an enclosed ship - right?

Perhaps the poster was simply suggesting that there are likely to be more children on a Disney cruise in Alaska than you would expect to find on the other lines. No need to read anything more than that into the comment.:rolleyes: Early May is definitely not going to offer optimal weather conditions and we can only hope that those who book such an early cruise are fully cognizant of the likely weather conditions that they may encounter.

When we cruised on the Dawn Princess in early June ten years ago, there were only outside pools which were pretty much unused for the entire cruise. Most ships nowadays, including the Radiance which we are sailing on next June, have a covered pool which will allow passengers to use the facility without sacrificing opportunities to view the fantastic Alaska scenery.