Tips for newbie w/kids headed to Alaska.

So grandparents are treating us all to a ten day cruise aboard the Grand Princess. Including my 3 year old and 10 month old.

My Dh went on many cruises growing up so he is totally excited and confident that it is going to be great. I on the other hand have only been on a few "booze cruises" with my girlfriends, never thought about taking my kids!

Anything I need to know??

I've sailed on Grand Princess and it is a nice ship. The youth program is really good for the three year old. There are movies under the stars bring lots of warm clothes for that. Alaska can be rainy and cold- so bring layers.

Little tip- go to deck 16 to use the hot tubs. No one finds them right away and you will have them to yourselves. Believe it or not- the hot tubs are a great way to take in the scenery. These are up high and great.

You should check out the Alasks Ports of Call board here on Cruise Critic for more information on Alaskan cruises. I suggest reading through a few pages to get an idea of the weather, excursions, etc. and then ask specific questions.

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

I too what check out the Alaska Port Of Call Board which will give you lots of great information as you prepare for the cruise. This link will take you there.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=55

Keith

Yes, welcome to Cruise Critic!

It was very cold and wet when we were in Alaska a few years ago in the middle of June. We had fleece hats, mittens, and jackets as well as waterproof rain jackets and waterproof shoes. We love the Keen waterproof hiking shoes, my daughter had her first pair in Alaska when she was 4 and we've had a pair every year since. It is no joke that the weather changes dramatically, we had cold and wet and sunny and warm in the same day so think layers.

Lots of fun excursions in Alaska for the kids. We did one small museum that was great for the kids. Somewhere there was an boat trip with underwater viewing that we did not do but looked great for the kids. We hiked at Mendenhall Glacier and that was one of our favorite days. We also did some wildlife watching small boat tours that we loved, one whale watching and another general tour that took us right up to the glaciers in a small boat.

We always travel with 3 generations, and find cruising the perfect format for family vacations... happy planning!

thank you for the responses. I appreciate it. I am more looking on info about kids in the room, tips traveling with babies, Princess cruise line and kids, etc. I have already done research on excursions and Alaska, sorry should have been more clear.

Totally appreciate the tip about the Keen shoes. Purchasing dd a pair right now!

The nice thing about Princess for your 10 month old is Princess allows parents to take under-3s to the kids area to play as long as you stay with them. Usually a nice little area with toys to crawl around.

If you do a search of the forum, you'll find some packing lists for cruising with little ones. Basically you want to bring everything you'll need, including more than enough diapers, wipes, formula if you're using it. Princess will also provide baby food/baby cereal as long as you order it in advance of your cruise. They'll have you fill out a form that asks how many meat/veggie/fruit jars you want. They were delivered to our stateroom and then we didn't end up using them (my girls were 13 months) because there was plenty for them to eat in the dining room.

Best,

Mia

The nice thing about Princess for your 10 month old is Princess allows parents to take under-3s to the kids area to play as long as you stay with them. Usually a nice little area with toys to crawl around.

 

Thank you sooo much! We were super concerned about this! Our "3" yo will actually be 3 in July, and the trip is mid June, so we were hoping we could at least go in and play with her. Awesome to know. Thanks!

P.s. Your picture is super cute!

There are lots of craft activities for children in the kids club, and the staff did a great job of helping my 2 year old son participate in activities. If you haven't booked your cruise yet, you might want to go in early June, since the kids club has many more children during school vacations, so it is harder for the staff to modify activities for children under 3 when there are a lot of kids present. We took a roundtrip Panama canal with 18 kids leaving January 8th, and the previous cruise had 150 kids. My son, who was barely 2, was able to open both the lock to the front door and balcony, so keep a close eye on your kids. My son loved riding in the elevators, and being in the kid zone. I don't know about your boat, but on the Coral Princess the outdoor play space was accessible 24/7, even when the kids club was closed. There were bikes and a wading pool and a playhouse in the outdoor play space. My son loved the buffet, and it was easy to feed him there at 5 before the dinner crowds hit. Our trip was in late May/early June, and we had lovely warm weather. Unfortunately, you really do need to bring a lot of clothing since the weather is quite unpredictable.