Help! Kid Question

I desperately need help! I have read so many forums and reviews I am going crazy! I have 2 boys - 3 and 7. They are very active and love to be entertained. We are a huge Disney family so they are used to having something to do all day/ every day. With that being said, we are highly considering a DCL trip next year to Alaska. My DH has always wanted to go and well, he puts up with our Disney World obsession. However, DCL only goes out of Vancouver and is so much more expensive than every other cruise line. Is it worth the substantial difference in price?

I am not concerned about ports of call. We will make the best of everything.. but if the kids are happy, it will be a much better trip for us. I am leaning towards DCL because of their free kids club and kids activities. I took HAL when I was in my 20's with my parents and that was not kid friendly, whatsoever, when I went.

Thanks!

I can only speak from my experience from my recent cruise on Princess, which was our first cruise. I have 2 boys ages 9 & 10 and 2 nieces ages 5 &7, and prior to our Alaska cruise I was worried that they would be bored. All the kids had a GREAT time, and at no point were they ever not entertained. My sons spent some time in the kids club and enjoyed it, but because they were old enough to enjoy some freedom they spent most of their time entertaining themselves and meeting other kids creating their own fun. My nieces LOVED the kids club, and during the times when it was closed (meal times) they kept pestering their parents about when it was time to get back to kids club. My 2 older nephews (16 & 19) on the other hand were a tad bored at times, but that's kind of the awkward age where you don't necessarily fit in with either the adults or children's activities, so understandable.

BTW, as everyone always says on here itinerary in Alaska should be the deciding factor, then figure out what ship/line meets that. After seeing Glacier Bay, I think you would be cheating yourself if your itinerary didn't include it. Hubbard was good, but Glacier Bay was spectacular. Obviously, this is just my opinion but I hope it helps.

I can only speak from my experience from my recent cruise on Princess, which was our first cruise. I have 2 boys ages 9 & 10 and 2 nieces ages 5 &7, and prior to our Alaska cruise I was worried that they would be bored. All the kids had a GREAT time, and at no point were they ever not entertained. My sons spent some time in the kids club and enjoyed it, but because they were old enough to enjoy some freedom they spent most of their time entertaining themselves and meeting other kids creating their own fun. My nieces LOVED the kids club, and during the times when it was closed (meal times) they kept pestering their parents about when it was time to get back to kids club. My 2 older nephews (16 & 19) on the other hand were a tad bored at times, but that's kind of the awkward age where you don't necessarily fit in with either the adults or children's activities, so understandable.

 

BTW, as everyone always says on here itinerary in Alaska should be the deciding factor, then figure out what ship/line meets that. After seeing Glacier Bay, I think you would be cheating yourself if your itinerary didn't include it. Hubbard was good, but Glacier Bay was spectacular. Obviously, this is just my opinion but I hope it helps.

So is the kids club not open during dinner?

So is the kids club not open during dinner?

No, it wasn't. On at sea days the hours were 9-12, 2-5, 7-10. On Port days the hours were expanded depending on port times, but it was basically set up that parents could leave the kids for the day, pick them up for dinner, and take them back after dinner.

I have the kids activity flyer for my kids age group (8-12) if you are interested in seeing it, I could email it to you.

Edit: I guess it's relative to what your idea of (or assigned) dinner time is. For us with 6pm Traditional dining, it was closed, if you had the late seating it would allow you to feed the kids and then go to dinner after you dropped them off at 7. I was looking at it from our time frame, yours may differ.

No, it wasn't. On at sea days the hours were 9-12, 2-5, 7-10. On Port days the hours were expanded depending on port times, but it was basically set up that parents could leave the kids for the day, pick them up for dinner, and take them back after dinner.

 

I have the kids activity flyer for my kids age group (8-12) if you are interested in seeing it, I could email it to you.

That would be awesome! I will PM you my email address. I really appreciate it! There is so stressful! lol! Happy kids means less whining which means happy mom!

I am clearly not tech saavy enough to figure out messages... so I just googled it and found it! Thank you soooo much!

DCL only goes out of Vancouver and is so much more expensive than every other cruise line. Is it worth the substantial difference in price?

 

I am not concerned about ports of call. We will make the best of everything.. but if the kids are happy, it will be a much better trip for us. I am leaning towards DCL because of their free kids club and kids activities. I took HAL when I was in my 20's with my parents and that was not kid friendly, whatsoever, when I went.

• Vancouver is not expensive. If you see something in Vancouver.... give yourself a currency discount! https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/q/bc?s=CADUSD=X&t=5d
  
• Vancouver many hotels to meet various budgets. Yes the hotels adjacent to the cruise terminal are a premium.... but looking a few blocks away offers significant discounts. The savings offers opportunity for multi day Vancouver stays.
  
• Yep.... Disney does charge a premium for pixie dust snorting. There are significant savings with alternative cruise lines for that same week.
  
• If not HAL... consider Princess. Disney skips Glacier Bay for glacier seekers. HAL and Princess offer the most sailings into Glacier Bay. The only negative thing about Princess is the lack of photo packages.
  
• July offers the best dry weather experience..... however going in the wetter months offers savings at the end of the season.
  

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I actually meant DCL was much more than Princess.. You have great points! I do appreciate it!! Flying into Seattle is so much cheaper for us and a direct flight. Then I will probably do the train into Vancouver.

Snorting pixie dust is cracking me up!

Adults need more pixie dust to counter the effects of the credit card bills post-cruise.

If you fly into Seattle.... consider....

• $50 Quick shuttle offers a transfer direct from Seattle's airport to Vancouver. 6 to 7 daily trips to fit your schedule.
  
• Look closely at the train.... while the flight is cheaper.... you are likely needing to budget one night in Seattle hotel for the 2 daily train schedules.
  
• You need to budget 3 to 6 hours to get from Vancouver to Seattle.... this can mess up your available flight times.
  
• What about fly into Vancouver.... then train out to Seattle for the return flight home.
  

If Tracy Arm is important.... look closely at the Princess/HAL cruise ship.... some Glacier Bay ships offer a side excursion deep into Tracy Arm when there isn't ice congestion.