If you’ve watched The DCL Show recently, you know that our team enjoyed a Disney cruise to Alaska on the Disney Wonder.
A vacation such as this one is very special, even bucket-list worthy for many of us. One of the biggest reasons people don’t go on a cruise to Alaska is because it departs from the Pacific Northwest and can’t be combined easily with a Disney theme park vacation. You’d need additional flights and with the prices rising steadily just to visit a theme park these days, people aren’t particularly looking for additional costs. I feel like people in general are more inclined to visit Walt Disney World then head over to Port Canaveral for a Disney cruise to The Bahamas or the Caribbean. Port Canaveral is only a short hour’s drive from the Walt Disney World Resort.
We always recommend that guests going on a cruise fly in at least one day prior to their ship’s departure date and it’s no different in this case. In fact, you may want to consider flying in a couple of days prior to spending some time in Vancouver. Take a peek at the video below for a great highlight reel of the beautiful city.
Now, let’s get to the real reason for this article, the Pan Pacific Vancouver – what a gem of a location. Now, I realize that this hotel is by no means inexpensive, but many of us understand that convenience comes with a price, sometimes a big one and this hotel offers maximum convenience to those heading out on a Disney cruise.
If you’ll indulge me for a moment, staying here almost feels as if you’re staying at a DCL hotel if such a thing existed. The Pan Pacific sits atop the Convention Center and the DCL cruise terminal is right under it. The dock you see in the image above is where the Disney Wonder would be the next morning. Glorious!
I’m talking about no need to even walk outside to get to it from your room. Not that the weather outside isn’t simply glorious most days of the year, but it does rain in Vancouver and we don’t need to get wet before boarding the ship, ahem.
Similar to Bell Services at a Disney hotel, you simply call down and ask for your luggage to be brought to the ship. A Couple of items to note with that; don’t call down until your luggage is zipped up and ready as they could knock on your door within five minutes. Also, the recommended “gratuity” for this service is $5 per bag. I’ve read some reports online of guests being told that there is a $5 charge per bag whereas others said it was a gratuity. In our case, the bellman did not say a word about a charge or a gratuity, but we gave him $5 per bag. All we had left to do was to gather what we were carrying onboard from the room and head down the elevator to the terminal where we’d go through security and board the ship. Easy peasy.
Speaking of the room, it was comfortable, well-appointed, and spacious. Also, the view was absolutely incredible. We could see the cruise ships docked right below our room on one side of the terminal. It was awesome to be that close to a cruise ship so we could check it out. Take a look at the 3D / VR tour below for a virtual walk-through of our room.
One thing I simply MUST mention about our room is that the wall between the bedroom and the bathroom was not a solid wall, it was like a frosted glass of some sort, meaning that you could see through it. It was even worse when the light in the bathroom was on, so showering was, let’s say, rather interesting. If you’re not keen on others in the room being able to view your silhouette as you shower, take note.
Another really cool thing about this hotel is that it’s right across the street from a food court. An underground tunnel made it super easy to walk over to it, also without the need to go outside. Not only was there a McDonald’s, but there were quite a few other quick-service type dining locations in addition to a Tim Horton’s which ended up being our go-to breakfast/afternoon coffee spot during our stay. Conveniently enough, there was even a drug store like our typical Walgreens or CVS down in the food court as well in case you forgot to bring anything. Keep in mind that the prices are in Canadian currency.
If you are itching for a new destination that might still feel close to home, Vancouver, British Columbia is a fantastic option with tons of things to do and beautiful surroundings to boot. As always whenever you travel, you’ll need to check ahead of time to see what documentation is needed to get into Canada and back into the United States (or other countries) after your cruise.
If you’d like to start planning your Alaska Disney Cruise Line vacation, please reach out to us at Dreams Unlimited Travel. When you book your Disney cruise with Dreams Unlimited Travel – the official sponsor of DCL Fan – you’ll receive a complimentary gift basket filled with all kinds of great items plus a shipboard credit of up to $1,000 based on the total amount of your cruise reservation – all for the same price as if you book with Disney Cruise Line directly. Plus, you’ll receive as much or as little assistance as you’d like from one of our expert travel agents.Request a no-obligation quote from Dreams Unlimited Travel!
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