Day three of our cruise was “Glacier Day.” It exists in a class by itself. It’s not a port day, but it isn’t really a traditional sea day either. On this particular day of the cruise, the Wonder slowly but surely inches its way through a fjord in the Stikine Icecap, getting closer and closer to glaciers southeast of Juneau. With each passing hour the water gets more vibrant, the mountains more imposing, and the air crisper.

Luckily for us, we woke up to mostly clear skies, the fog and rain from our previous day had burned off and we were able to see the magic all around us. Temps were in the high 30s/low 40s (fahrenheit) most of the day.

Disney Wonder sails toward Stikine Icecap in Alaska.

Views of Alaska from the Disney Wonder cruise ship.

Portrait of siblings in front of the Mickey funnel on the Disney Wonder in Alaska.

Woman dressed in rain gear takes a photo of Alaska from deck 10 of the Disney Wonder.

This is also the day that Mickey and Minnie are out in their Alaska gear. We got into Mickey’s line about thirty minutes before his first set, and all told, spent almost an hour in line. It wasn’t that bad of a wait, but we were most definitely rushed through the “meeting” experience. No autographs, and definitely NO lollygagging.

Kid covers her face entirely with a beanie while she waits in boredom to meet Mickey Mouse on an Alaska Cruise.

Tween boy high fives Mickey Mouse on a Disney cruise ship in Alaska.

Family poses for a photo with Alaska Mickey on the Disney Wonder.

Immediately after meeting Mickey, I got in Minnie’s much larger line. For whatever reason, her set started thirty minutes after his first set, and I could tell people were taking more time with her, so a combination of things added to the length of the line, which turned out to be about 90 minutes. I chatted with some folks around me, enjoyed the beautiful views, and called Brett to round up the kids and come back when I was five or six people from the front.

All present and accounted for before it was our turn, and the cast member tells me we can only use one device for photos. So, we handed her Brett’s phone and I told her I was just going to grab a quick photo of the kids first with my camera and then hop in for a family picture. And she basically told me I was not allowed and that it was a one photo only situation. I don’t know if there was some confusion, if she thought I was going to try to hand off my camera to her after taking a ton of photos or what, but it happened in a blink. And in the end, I didn’t get a photo of just the kids with Minnie (or earlier with Mickey because we were rushed there as well), and I was really upset by this. I think I was mostly frustrated with myself, as I should have just taken the extra 20 seconds to approach it how we approach all character interactions, instead of asking.

Family approaches Minnie Mouse for a meet and greet on the Disney Wonder cruise ship.

Family meets Alaska Minnie Mouse on the Disney Wonder.

Young girl gives Minnie Mouse a hug onboard the Disney Wonder in Alaska.

Sometimes there is so much expectation for a “thing” and this photo that I missed out on was that thing for me on this particular vacation. It’s like we build it up in our heads (or our hearts) and when it doesn’t play out the way we envision it, it’s a bummer.

All this to say, the photo op portion of the morning was less than magical.

But we had some lunch, I shook off my woes, and the kids went to their respective kids club activities. Brett and I grabbed some drinks from the French Quarter lounge and found ourselves some blankets and loungers on deck four and THIS is when the day got good. Magic, magic, everywhere.

A look down deck four of the Disney Wonder as it sails through Alaskan wilderness.

An image of the teal water in Endicott Arm, an Alaska fjord.

Glacier Explorer boat speeds away from the Disney Wonder in Endicott Arm Alaska.

An up close image of the teal water in the fjords of Alaska's Stikine Ice cap.

View of Endicott Arm fjord from the Disney Wonder in Alaska.

Crystal clear waters of Alaska as viewed from the fourth deck of the Disney Wonder.

Looking down deck four of the Disney Wonder at the gorgeous water in Alaska.

Beautiful teal waters of an Alaskan fjord with a boat off in the distance.

I am a lover of anticipation. It’s one of my favorite emotions to experience and sitting out on deck four watching everything around us become more and more majestic with each passing minute as we glided through the fjord towards that glacier at the other end… it fueled that feeling. We were out there for hours.

Eventually, Koda popped up, but what’s even better is I saw Lucas walk through the doors right behind him. That’s the kind of character magic I’m all about.

Teen boy hugs Koda on deck four of the Disney Wonder.

Tween boy does poses as a bear with Koda of Brother Bear on the Disney Wonder.

Boy does a "bear pose" with Koda on deck four of the Disney Wonder as it sails through Alaska.

The mountains continued to rise farther and farther up out of the sea as we glided through the fjord. This one was Endicott Arm and we were on our way to Dawes Glacier. It’s my understanding that there are a couple of different arms Disney might sail down, and that the decision on which one, comes down to the “day of” when the captain is given clearance from local authorities based on current environmental conditions.

Gorgeous views of mountains and Endicott Arm from Deck four of Disney Wonder.

Man looks through binoculars at the wildlife in Alaska.

Snowcapped mountain peaks and teal blue water in the fjords of Alaska.

Boy uses binoculars to look for bald eagles and bears in Alaska.

Couple poses on deck four of the Disney Wonder with Alaska mountains in the background.

A google map of the Endicott Arm and Dawes glacier in Alaska.

Teen boy looks out over the Stikine Icecap in Alaska, from a cruise ship.

We got Penny from the kids club so she could join us and shortly thereafter, Koda came back around. Basically, we felt like we were winning at life at this point - I mean look at this scenery. As is often said, the pictures really don’t do it justice.

Young girl points out wildlife in Alaska while eating an ice cream cone on deck four of the Disney Wonder.

Koda waves hello to guests on deck four of the Disney Wonder in Alaska.

Little girl meets Koda on the Disney Wonder in Alaska.

Girl makes "bear paw" hands with Koda in Alaska.

Siblings meet Koda from Brother Bear on the Disney Wonder cruise ship.

Family meets Koda from Brother Bear on the Disney Wonder in Alaska.

Siblings take turns using binoculars on the Disney Wonder.

They left for ice cream and came back ready to blend in with the wildlife.

Boy in a walrus onesie takes in the sights of Stikine icecap in Alaska.

Young girl wears a snow leopard onesie on a cruise in Alaska.

Brother and sister, dressed as walrus and snow leopard, hug in Alaska.

Little girl enjoys deck four of the Disney Wonder in Alaska.

After another hour or so we headed back to our stateroom to get ready for our glacier excursion. A few notes on this. The “glacier explorer excursion” is expensive (honestly, all the Alaska excursions are), so I was a bit skeptical about it. After all it was “just” a boat ride closer to the glacier we would be able to also see from the ship. Was it really worth $349 per person ($249 ages 3-9)? I polled some friends and the unanimous response boiled down to “yes, it’s the best, you simply must.”

When we secured the cruise, these coveted spots were already booked solid, which didn’t surprise me. But, here’s the thing, to book an excursion you don’t have to put any money down and people cancel things all the time. So, we had a feeling something might pop up if we kept an eye on it. After about 7-10 days, with both of us checking the app pretty consistently, Brett finally snagged one. It was the last excursion of the day at 4pm. And I think THIS made it even more magical. We got to spend the entire afternoon slowly getting closer and closer to the glacier and then when the ship reached it’s farthest point, it was time for us to get on a smaller boat and get EVEN closer.

Up next… my absolute favorite experience of the entire cruise: the Glacier Explorer Excursion.

The Last Frontier: A Disney Wonder Cruise Report - June 2025 (Day 03 Part 01: Glacier Day Onboard)