Disney Magic Alaskan Cruise Review – Day 4: May 31, 2026

While yesterday would be considered a destination at sea day, today’s the first actual port we’ll visit this week on this 7-Day Alaska cruise on the Disney Magic: Skagway. What started as a late 1800s gold rush boomtown is now mainly a cruise destination.

Disney Cruise Line describes this port as:

Discover this charming area that served as the setting of Jack London’s book, “The Call of the Wild.” This magical place is located on the south coast of the state, near the north end of the Lynn Canal, in the Alaskan Panhandle.

Local Culture and Flavor
A plethora of magnificent, albeit quaint, landmark buildings line the main thoroughfare in town. Broadway Street illustrates what life was like during Skagway’s heyday—when opportunity and riches were as easy to find as the gold that brought treasure-seekers from near and far. While walking along this historic 7-block stretch, don’t be surprised if you bump into residents wearing late 19th-century attire from the time when the town came into prominence.

Past and Present
Originally home to the Chilkoots and Chilkats Native Americans, Skagway came to prominence in 1896 when gold was discovered approximately 600 miles along the Klondike River. This event catalyzed what would be known as the Klondike Gold Rush of the 1890s. During this time, hundreds of thousands of gold prospectors settled into the area in search of fortune. The town grew both in size and structure during this economic boom, but by 1899, gold rush fever had passed.

Modern-day Skagway holds approximately 800 residents and embraces its place in American history. Visitors continue to frequent this area to appreciate its distinct charm and sweeping mountain and river views.

This is a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it type of town. That is, if you could even drive through it. There’s one road heading out of town, originating at the dock. At 4 blocks wide and 23 long, it’s hardly a sprawling metropolis. The main strip is Broadway Street, which you step onto right off the ship. At a whopping 7 blocks, less than half a mile, this is where you’ll find all the shopping and dining for those trinkets and snacks. It was a really nice mixture of local flair and the typical cruise port paraphernalia you encounter everywhere around the world. I mean, is it even a cruise port if there isn’t a Cariloha or Del Sol? I’m pretty sure there’s an international law requiring a Diamonds International, accompanied by about a half dozen other jewelers. Quaint would be the best word to describe it.

We arrived in port nice and early with an all-ashore time of 7:15 AM. As the all-aboard wasn’t until 8:30 PM, there was plenty of time to explore or take advantage of shore excursions. Joining us in port today were the Carnival Miracle and Silversea Moon, both of which I believe alternated with us during our glacier viewing. It was a cold, windy introduction to mainland Alaska, with temps in the high 40s to start, slowly reaching the mid-50s with a steady breeze blowing off the water.

Something that’s been missing throughout this sailing is any shipwide announcements and the customary horn blowing at noon on sea days and when leaving ports. We’ve been told it’s due to noise restrictions so as not to disrupt the wildlife and serene atmosphere. There was no official announcement when we were clear to go ashore; we were simply instructed to head down to the gangway at or after the designated time.

Since our excursion meet-up time wasn’t until 10:55 AM, we decided to grab some breakfast and then head ashore to explore the town first. The hour and a half proved to be ample time to browse the shops and admire the scenic landscape. Skagway has done a terrific job of maintaining the feel of a turn-of-the-century 1900s settlement. We picked up a few souvenirs, and Becca was excited to find a Pandora store with Alaska and Skagway exclusive charms. With only Broadway Street and a few side streets to explore, we started down one side of the street and came back up the other side when we reached the end. No need to bounce back and forth.

Photos from Skagway, Alaska

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Making it back to the ship twenty minutes before our excursion time, we hit a snag. They’d temporarily stopped passengers from boarding or debarking in order to move the gangway from deck 4 to deck 3. We’ll add this to the list of things we’d never encountered but learned is a common occurrence at Alaskan ports. The reason is the change in tides and the mostly shallow waters. It took just under 10 minutes for them to get situated, and we quickly made our way aboard to stop by the stateroom before heading to Fathoms to meet our excursion group.

Mushers Camp and Gold Panning

Disney Cruise Line describes this excursion as:

Explore Alaska’s history as you discover the stories of the gold rush and dog sledding in the region.

On this adventure you will…

• • Begin your adventure with an approximately 35-minute captivating drive through downtown Skagway and along nine miles of breathtaking coastline, leading to the Adventure Camp in Dyea.
  • Engage in an informative Musher Presentation, where our expert mushers will share their knowledge about dog mushing and answer any questions you may have.
  • Get to know some adorable dogs, your interaction with them plays a crucial role in their social development.
  • Try your hand at gold panning while your guide shares intriguing tales of the gold rush and the daring prospectors who ventured into the Alaskan wilderness in search of fortune.
  • Enjoy a short, self-guided nature hike to a beautiful waterfall overlook or relax in the saloon, featuring a deck with serene views of the picturesque stream.
  • Conclude your day with a relaxing bus ride along the coastline back to the pier, soaking in the scenic beauty one last time.

Cost for this excursion is $174.00 (ages 10 and up), $134.00 (ages 3 to 9), $0.00 (ages 0 to 2) and it lasts about 2.5 hours.

After meeting in Fathoms and being escorted out to the pier, we were introduced to our tour guide for the day, Patrick. He boarded us onto the bus and we began our half-hour trek through Skagway to the mushers camp. Along the way he regaled us with the history of the region while pointing out notable landmarks. I think he was a yoga instructor in a former life, or possibly in the off-season, as his voice had that soft, melodic tone that almost willed you to sleep. I’d bet he could make a good hypnotist as well. He was terrific at storytelling and mixed in a fair amount of dad jokes to keep us entertained.

The drive through the valleys and along the tidal channel was very picturesque, and on the return trip we stopped to admire a harbor seal frolicking away.

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Mush!

Arriving at the mushers camp, we got a few minutes to use the restroom and stretch our legs before the presentation began. It started with a 10-minute introduction into what sled dogs were first used for back in the early 1900s: transportation of people and goods. As more efficient means of supply became available, the transition into a more competitive sport materialized.

While interesting, I would have liked a much deeper explanation on how training is done, how sleds are prepared, conditions along the trail, and so on. We later found out there was another variation of this tour that went more in-depth. So that’s on us for choosing the cliff notes version. Part of that came down to the fact that this port had a lot of excursions offered, but many were just different combinations of each other. For example, you had choices A, B, C, D, and E, but then also ABC, ABD, BDE, and ACE. So while they all seemed similar at a glance, you had to really dig into each one to figure out which offered the full version versus a sampler.

After the introduction we split into two smaller groups of about 16 each to go visit the two puppy litters. There were the 5-month-olds, all named after fighter pilots and fully into their puppy shark phase, and the 7-week-old “cheese” litter, each named after a type of cheese.

We started with the cheese pups, where each family got the opportunity to cuddle and pet one of the little fur balls. Obviously this was the crowd pleaser. Little Parmesan was a very relaxed lap warmer who Becca was, of course, reluctant to give back. The two groups then swapped and we went to see the kennel where the Pilots were housed. Since they were in that awkward stage of playfulness and not yet knowing their own strength, we could only reach through or over the fencing to pet them. Patrick did encourage anyone with too much energy, i.e. the kids, to run around the circumference of the round kennel while the dogs ran alongside. A few tried, but there wasn’t very good synchronization, so the pups scattered as they tried to figure out which small human to chase. There were a few items inside the enclosure that looked like giant hamster wheels, and that’s exactly what they were. This is one of the training aids used, as each wheel was wide enough for two dogs to run side by side, teaching them to keep pace with each other.

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Then it was on to the next part of the activity. Again we were split into two groups, as half were signed up for the gold panning demonstration while the rest had selected roasting s’mores. Like I mentioned, there were many different combinations of similar activities with overlaps.

We’d selected the gold panning so Becca could have an opportunity for some shinies. Since Angie and I had both done this type of activity growing up and traveling with our own parents, we were a little underwhelmed once we saw the setup. I was expecting to be scooping buckets of sandy water out of a riverbed and sifting through a series of wire strainers or something to that effect. You know, like they did it back in the old days. Nope. We were presented with bowls already containing premeasured sand piles. The bowls had ridges along the sides, and we were shown a technique to dip the pan into a water trough, then swirl the sand around the bowl so it would separate into the grooves. Then a series of gentle dunks into the trough would wash away the sand from the top, similar to waves washing onto a beach. Since gold is denser than sand, it would remain on the bottom as the sand rinsed away from the top.

Sure enough, after getting a little help with technique from Patrick, we began to discover small flakes of gold in the bottom of the pan, which we were then able to pick out and place in a small specimen jar as a souvenir keepsake. Nothing extravagant, and I have no doubt each pan had a predetermined amount waiting to be “discovered.” More of a novelty than a historical reenactment.

The two and half hour breakdown of this excursion is roughly:

• 10 minutes for check-in and walk to bus
• 35 minute commute to the camp
• 5 minute restroom break
• 10 minute dogsledding introduction
• 10 minute “Cheese” litter
• 10 minute “Pilot” litter
• 20 minute gold panning
• 15 minute free time to shop in the gift shop/use restroom, or take the short walk to see the waterfall
• 30 minute drive back to town

As you can see, it wasn’t a lot of any one thing. I wouldn’t say it felt rushed, just that it was a sampler plate instead of a meal. Would I recommend it? Not really. I really enjoyed the ride itself, as Patrick was a fantastic guide, but the time at the camp left you wanting more. Yes, the dogs were cute and getting some furry cuddles is never a bad thing, but honestly, other than the fact that these are future sled dogs, what’s special that you can’t do at home?

Now that’s not to say I wouldn’t investigate other excursions of a similar nature that were more in-depth. One of Becca’s friends said they did one of the other options at this camp that took them to another section where they actually got to take a short sled ride with dogs pulling them and had a deeper dive into the overall experience. It’s just a matter of picking the right combination, or even a single activity, to allow more time to really dig into the topic.

Steam Train & Helicopter Tours

One of the most popular excursions in Skagway is the train ride that travels deeper into the Alaskan frontier along the White Pass & Yukon Route, a key part of the Klondike Gold Rush. We’d considered adding this leg to our excursion as an optional add-on but weren’t sure about spending just under three hours on a train. It’s narrated along the way, and I have no doubt the history lesson would have been interesting, to some at least, and the views promised to be spectacular. Instead we figured it would give us more time to explore on our own in the afternoon after returning from the mushers camp. Had we known we’d knock that out beforehand, I think we would have kept the train in play. We definitely underestimated the size, or lack thereof, of Skagway. For those who did take the train, I heard a number of positive comments — nothing earth-shattering, but it seemed everyone enjoyed a relaxing ride.

The one I’m kicking myself for not doing is the helicopter tour. I knew it was a non-starter for Angie and Becca since that’s not in their wheelhouse, so I never gave it much thought before we made port. We’ve never tried to book multiple excursions within the same port since it’s unusual to have 12 hours ashore to work with. Skagway is one of those exceptions, and I’d highly recommend looking to double up with a morning and afternoon adventure, as there truly isn’t much to see or do directly in town.

The helicopter tour leaves right from the pier and traverses the sky for approximately 20 minutes with what I can only imagine are amazing views. You then land ON A GLACIER for a 40-minute tour and educational walk. That’s simply not something you’ll get many opportunities to do in a lifetime. You’re then treated to the return trip skirting the coastline and over mountain peaks.

I did look into booking it last minute, though. I was discussing it with Alys over morning coffee and she told me that a few years prior, when she was on the Disney Wonder Alaska crew, she was able to walk up day of and fill an empty seat. This got my hopes up a bit, so she first tried calling the Port Adventures team to see if they could reach out and check availability. Since everything on their end had to be pre-booked, all they could recommend was calling the vendor directly or, as Alys had done, walking over and inquiring in person. She looked up the phone number for me and I had my mission. To my dismay they were unable to find any openings, mostly because they’d had to cancel a few of the morning treks due to high winds and were working to reschedule those families into other time slots. I was offered an 11:45 AM slot but that was right in the middle of our existing plans. They recommended calling back once we returned to see what they could find. Of course by then everything was booked solid. Next time!

Dinner in Animator’s Palate on Disney Magic

Animator's Palate Dinner Menu A

This is one of those dinners where the food almost takes a back seat because Disney animation is happening all around you. Characters pop in, scenes come to life, and suddenly dinner feels more like a show you get to eat your way through. Updated for 2026!

Available on: Disney Fantasy, Disney Dream, Disney Wonder, Disney Magic, Disney Adventure

Small Plates +

Smoked Salmon Tartare

Dill, capers, purple onions, cornichons, horseradish cream

Sliced Serrano Ham

Manchego cheese, olive and sun-dried tomato tapenade crostini

Black Truffle Pasta Purseittes

Carrots, leeks, chives, champagne sauce

Baked Tomato and Goat Cheese Tarte

Cumin, shaved purple onion-radish salad

Creamy Butternut Squash Soup

Sour cream, chives

Baked Potato and Cheddar Cheese Soup

Light ale, smoked bacon, sour cream, chives

Watermelon, Orange, and Jicama Salad

Endive, avocado, lime-demerara sugar dressing

Iceberg Wedge

Candied pecans, smoked bacon lardons, black and globe radish, Maytag blue cheese

Garlic-Herb Focaccia Bread, Soft White, Whole Wheat Rolls

Entrees +

Pennette Bolognaese

Slow-cooked veal, beef and tomato ragu, thyme, Parmigiano-Reggiano, toasted garlic ciabatta

Grilled Tuna Steak

Black bean muenster, queso fresco, crisp cassava, roasted corn-chipotle salsa

Lemon-Thyme Marinated All Natural Chicken Breast

Sour cream mashed potatoes, roasted beets and carrots, grain mustard jus

Dijon-Herb Crusted Pork Chop

Sun-dried tomato risotto, buttered green asparagus, Barolo wine sauce

Grilled Grain-fed Sirloin Steak

Oven-baked potato, asparagus

Black Bean Chipotle Cakes

Brown rice pilaf, corn kernels, tomato-cilantro salsa, red bell pepper dressing

Sesame Halloumi Parcel

Sweet potato-tahini mash, spiced red capsicum puree, buttered kale, roasted grape tomatoes

Ginger Teriyaki-dusted Angus Beef Tenderloin

Wasabi mashed potatoes, bok choy, baby carrots, tamarind-barbecue reduction

Jumbo Shrimp Salad

Poached shrimp, dill, diced cucumber, tomatoes, egg, purple onion, lemon-olive oil, arugula leaves

Desserts +

Chocolate Walnut

Dark chocolate mousse, walnut crust, raspberry crème

Apple Crumble Rice Pudding

Roasted oats crumble, cinnamon apples, vanilla bean ice cream

Key Lime Pie

Key lime curd, raspberry gel, whipped lime ganache

Sundae +

Cookies ‘n Cream Sundae

Cookies ‘n cream ice cream, chocolate, whipped cream, chocolate chip cookies

No Sugar Added Dessert +

Chocolate Beetroot Cake

Chocolate-beetroot cake, pepper crème, milk chocolate soil

📄 View Menu as PDF or Image

Our first visit to Animator’s Palate for this sailing has arrived. The menu here remained pretty well intact, with the only new items appearing to be two desserts: the Apple Crumb Rice Pudding and Chocolate Beetroot Cake.

We kept it pretty simple with the Serrano Ham, Truffle Pasta Purseites, and Smoked Salmon Tartare for appetizers.

The Baked Potato and Cheddar Soup was perfect to get a little chill out of the bones.  Served steaming hot it went down smooth.

Becca and Angie had their traditional choices of the Pennette pasta and Lemon-Thyme Chicken. I opted to take Cristiano up on his earlier offer of bringing a plate of the Veal Trio that had been on the menu at Rapunzel’s on the first night. It was excellent. Served as a tenderloin cut resting on top of a serving of pulled shank, the tenderloin was true to its name, and with the reduction sauce the flavor jumped off the fork. The pulled shank was beautifully seasoned and would’ve made an awesome pulled beef sandwich!

The star of this meal is the venue itself. You begin in a room adorned with black and white drawings in various stages of completion. Spread throughout the room are a number of video screens also showing drawings in progress. As the meal advances, so do the drawings, adding additional features, depth, and shading. As the dessert course is being served, a show begins that takes you on a journey through Disney animation. The culmination is Yensid, or Sorcerer Mickey, materializing and dancing his way through the dining room, much like the conclusion to Fantasmic at Hollywood Studios and Disneyland. He’s followed by a parade of all the service teams doing a celebratory clap-out. It’s a great way to conclude the evening.

Trivia note: Yensid is the true name of “Sorcerer Mickey” from Fantasia – Disney spelled backwards.

Sun vs. Sleep

The plan was to head down to Fathoms for some more adult game show action, as the first round of Seriously? was preceding a new addition, at least to me, of dueling pianos. I just couldn’t convince myself to leave the appeal of bed, though.

Surprisingly, I’m still struggling a bit with the time zone changes and the length of daylight. In past travels, major time zone adjustments have only taken me a day or two at most to settle into. This time it’s hitting differently. I think the daylight is more of a factor than the time zones. With sunrise just after 4 AM and sunset right around 10 PM, my body seems to think that if the sun is up, I should be too. Each morning I’ve been wide awake by 5:30 AM, as even the slightest shimmer of light makes its way through any cracks in the verandah curtain. I should note that’s how I am at home as well, so it’s the additional 4 hours of daylight that are making the difference. Something to consider if you have similar sleep patterns.

Ultimately I decided to go to bed a bit early, just before 10, even though the sun was still setting and the colorful horizons over the mountains were gorgeous. With any luck I’ll be able to tune it out and get a full night’s sleep to reset the internal clock.

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Good night. Be sure to check back tomorrow to see what adventures await us in Icy Strait Point – I’m sure we’ll have a WHALE of a good time!

Disney Magic Day 4 Daily Program

Personal Day-By-Day Disney Magic Alaska Cruise Review: