Alaska with two preschoolers

My two sons (4 and 3) and I will be taking the Disney Wonder cruise in late August. I am trying to plan out excursions (will have family to help wrangle the kiddos) but feeling a bit stuck trying to figure out what the best balance of fun for me and the kiddos would be. They are active little boys who love sea life and animals.

Skagway - I was thinking about the chilikoot tour that includes dog sledding but I am worried that it may be too long of a tour. I guess I can always bring iphones/ipads for them to play with when the get bored? Or would the gold rush camp be better?

Juneau - I have dreamed for a long time of taking the tour where you fly over the glacier and eat at the lodge with the bears. I was talking to the four year old last night though and he told me that the bears sounded too scary. Would it be better to do whale watching in Juneau? I would think that it would be a whole lot of waiting which would be tough for the kiddos. We leave out of Vancouver so we could whale watch there to free up some time to see glaciers in Alaska.

Ketchikan - Really stumped here for things to do. Thought about the Annette Island Celebration so that the boys could make drums but I see on the cruise website that they recommend it for five and up.

I am willing to go outside the cruise lines for an excursion or experience. Any ideas on how to make this vacation fun for all of us? Thanks in advance

 

Juneau - I have dreamed for a long time of taking the tour where you fly over the glacier and eat at the lodge with the bears. I was talking to the four year old last night though and he told me that the bears sounded too scary. Would it be better to do whale watching in Juneau? I would think that it would be a whole lot of waiting which would be tough for the kiddos. We leave out of Vancouver so we could whale watch there to free up some time to see glaciers in Alaska.

 

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You said that you had family w you to help wrangle the kids. Couldn't you leave the kids with the family and go off by yourself. If you feel that you owe them something for helping, buy them a nice extra cost dinner on the ship. You do not have to be w the kids 24/7.

 

DON

My first trip to Alaska was with kids 2, 5 and 8. Here's what we did:

Juneau: Whale watching with a Mendenhall Glacier stop. The 8 year old was obsessed with whales at that age, and enjoyed it very much. The 5 year old like being on a boat and kind of looked at the whales. The 2 year old was oblivious and needed to be held the whole time. I doubt that 3 & 4 year olds would get much out of it, and you might spend more time tending to them than watching the whales.

Skagway: 8 year old went kayaking with his dad. I took the other kids on the round trip train ride with other family members. The 5 year old enjoyed being on a train. They mostly were occupied with their cousins. If your boys are into trains/Thomas they might enjoy the train aspect of this tour. I think the longer trip into the Yukon with the sled dogs would be way too long. One option to consider is renting a car and driving into the Yukon yourself. You will need passports for any trip that goes into Canada.

Ketchikan: We left the kids in the Kids Club and went shopping and to Creek Street on our own. We only had a short stop here anyway. If the Salmon are running when you are there, the kids might enjoy going to Creek Street to see them. Sometimes you will also see seals there catching fish. The Southeast Alaska Discovery Center is quite nice.

My two sons (4 and 3) and I will be taking the Disney Wonder cruise in late August. I am trying to plan out excursions (will have family to help wrangle the kiddos) but feeling a bit stuck trying to figure out what the best balance of fun for me and the kiddos would be. They are active little boys who love sea life and animals.

 

Skagway - I was thinking about the chilikoot tour that includes dog sledding but I am worried that it may be too long of a tour. I guess I can always bring iphones/ipads for them to play with when the get bored? Or would the gold rush camp be better?

 

Juneau - I have dreamed for a long time of taking the tour where you fly over the glacier and eat at the lodge with the bears. I was talking to the four year old last night though and he told me that the bears sounded too scary. Would it be better to do whale watching in Juneau? I would think that it would be a whole lot of waiting which would be tough for the kiddos. We leave out of Vancouver so we could whale watch there to free up some time to see glaciers in Alaska.

 

Ketchikan - Really stumped here for things to do. Thought about the Annette Island Celebration so that the boys could make drums but I see on the cruise website that they recommend it for five and up.

 

I am willing to go outside the cruise lines for an excursion or experience. Any ideas on how to make this vacation fun for all of us? Thanks in advance

In Skagway, it likely would be a mistake to take that age group on a confined fixed scheduled long tour. I instead suggest you drive yourself to Caribou Crossing, as well as the Desert, and stop all you want along the way. Great lunch stop at the Bakery in Carcross.

In Juneau, are the other members in your party interested in whale watching? Then charter a boat for just your group. Otherwise, go with a large boat, and absolutely, bring along triple the games and batteries.

If you have others with you, then negotiate splitting up, so you can go on some priority tours, not suitable for the kids.

Kids seem to like the Lumberjack show in Ketchikan, also the Duck tour. It is a great walking city as well.

I have dreamed for a long time of taking the tour where you fly over the glacier and eat at the lodge with the bears. I was talking to the four year old last night though and he told me that the bears sounded too scary. Would it be better to do whale watching in Juneau? I would think that it would be a whole lot of waiting which would be tough for the kiddos. We leave out of Vancouver so we could whale watch there to free up some time to see glaciers in Alaska.

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Scary? check out this video by another guest...

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