Glacier Day is a huge day for Disney character fans sailing Disney Cruise Line’s Alaska itineraries. It’s the only opportunity guests have to meet Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, and Goofy in their special Alaska-exclusive costumes. Miss them on Glacier Day, and you won’t get another chance, as they’re back in their regular outfits for the rest of the cruise. (NOTE: Some of our readers have said that they’ve been able to see the characters in their Alaska-exclusive costumes outside of Glacier Day, so your mileage may vary.)
If you’re hoping to collect photos with all five characters, I learned a few things during my Alaska cruise aboard the Disney Magic last week that might help.
I was awake surprisingly early on Glacier Day and wandered up to Deck 10 around 6:30 a.m. to look for whales. One of the best tips I learned on this sailing was to watch for whale exhales. It sounds obvious now, but I had never thought about it before. Looking for the mist from their blowholes made spotting whales much easier, and it was a fun way to spend some time before the character madness began.
Because madness is exactly what Glacier Day character hunting can become.
Mickey Mouse was scheduled to be the first character out at 9:00 a.m., and from a previous Alaska cruise, I knew I needed to be in line well before then. Character meets typically begin on Deck 10 aboard the Disney Magic and Disney Wonder, then rotate from side to side and occasionally between Decks 10 and 9. Weather can change everything, though, and rain is a pretty common occurrence in Alaska.
At around 7:00 a.m., armed with a coffee from Cove Café and my new Alaska-themed gloves, I found what I thought was the correct line. Since I always get mixed up between Port and Starboard, I even asked a passing crew member if we were on the Port side of the ship. He confirmed that we were, so I settled in under a covered area and happily claimed the first spot in line.
As more guests arrived, something started to feel off.
A much larger line was forming on the opposite side of the ship. Those of us in line kept looking at each other and wondering why so many more people were choosing the other side. Since most guests start with the first character of the day, the crowd imbalance didn’t make much sense.
After a fair amount of investigating, and plenty of confidently delivered but inaccurate information from guests in both lines, I discovered a painful truth.
I wasn’t in the Mickey line. I was in the Minnie line.
The crew member I’d asked had either misunderstood my question or simply made a mistake. Either way, after spending an hour securing the coveted first spot in line, I had to abandon it and head across the ship to the actual Mickey line.
Thankfully, another guest in that first line shared the easiest trick I’ve ever heard for remembering Port and Starboard, and after 15 Disney cruises, I wish I’d learned it sooner. As you’re facing forward on the ship, “Port” and “left” both have four letters. That’s it. That’s the trick. The left side of the ship is always Port. In the DCL Navigator app, Forward and Aft are displayed on the Deck Plans, so when I filled out my survey at the end of our cruise, I suggested they add Port and Starboard as well. Let’s see if they do it!
Unfortunately, by the time I made it to the correct line, there were already 10 to 12 families ahead of me. To make matters worse, the rain had picked up, and unlike my original line, this group wasn’t standing under the covered section nearby. Everyone was getting soaked.
A quick word of advice: if your waterproof jacket doesn’t have a hood, don’t forget your umbrella like I did.
One thing I quickly learned is that not every crew member knows exactly what’s happening with the character schedule. The character handlers are your best source of information. Several of us tried to find out whether the meet-and-greets would remain on Deck 10 or move down to Deck 9 because of the rain, but nobody seemed to know for certain.
That’s one of the challenges of Glacier Day. Some decisions simply aren’t made until the last minute because Disney wants to keep the characters on the top deck whenever possible. The photos are infinitely better when they include Alaska’s breathtaking scenery in the background. But as you can see, being on the top deck wouldn’t have improved the background of my photos, since it was a very gray and cloudy morning and you couldn’t see much until later in the afternoon.
Eventually, the decision was made to move the meet-and-greet down to Deck 9. A crew member came over, explained the change, and personally escorted the line to the stairway. Everything was handled beautifully. Nobody lost their place, nobody cut the line, and best of all, we were finally out of the rain.
If you’re planning to meet all five characters, it’s important to understand how quickly these lines grow. They can become enormous within minutes. The good news is that if you’re in line during the scheduled meet-and-greet window listed in the Disney Cruise Line Navigator app, you’ll still get to meet that character even if the line extends well beyond the posted time. Character handlers typically identify the last guests for that specific character, then allow new arrivals to begin lining up for the next one.
The key to meeting all five characters is simply following the schedule in order of appearance. That usually means bouncing back and forth across the ship as each character rotates through their appearance times.
It might sound complicated, but once you’re there, it actually becomes pretty easy to follow.
(NOTE: There are far more characters doing meet-and-greets than just five, but these five are the only ones who wear Alaska-exclusive costumes on the Disney Magic as of the date of this post. Again, your mileage may vary.)
One of my best tips, especially if you’re traveling solo like I was, is to make friends with the people around you in line. My husband has absolutely no interest in standing in line for Disney characters, so this was a one-woman mission. The friendships I made throughout the morning allowed me to go grab another coffee, take a quick restroom break, and generally survive several hours of waiting without worrying about losing my place.
For some perspective, I got in line at 7:00 a.m. and didn’t finish my final character meet until a little after noon. Would I do it again? Absolutely.
Seeing these characters in their Alaska-exclusive costumes was worth every minute I spent standing in line. The outfits are beautiful, the backdrop is spectacular, and there’s something special about knowing these are character photos you can only get on an Alaska sailing.
Glacier Day ended up being one of my favorite days of the entire cruise, and this was only one small part of it. I have plenty more to share from our day in the glaciers, so stay tuned.
And if you’ve sailed Disney Cruise Line in Alaska, I’d love to hear your own Glacier Day tips and strategies in the comments below.
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