Alaska excursions with kids

Hi. We're going on our first cruise in June. Will be me, my husband, 11 yr old daughter and 8 yr old son on NCL Jewel round trip from Seattle. We will be stopping in Juneau, Ketchican, Skagway and Victoria. I have looked at the NCL excursions, but am feeling overwhelmed.:confused: Looking for help on excursion suggestions for our family? Better to book through the cruise or independently? Kids wish list includes panning for gold, dog sledding and helicopter. Is the lumberjack show any good? Totems? Thanks

Tagging along. I'm in the same boat! (haha)

Same ship and itinerary, but in August. My kids are also into the gold panning.

Dog sledding they will certainly enjoy if you can afford it.

Whale watching was a hit, my kids were orginally not so keen on it, but enjoyed it thoroughly including the stop at Mendenhall.

When they were even younger they gold panning was always a hit, but once they got above 10 they are more fickle and we passed on that one.

Hi. We're going on our first cruise in June. Will be me, my husband, 11 yr old daughter and 8 yr old son on NCL Jewel round trip from Seattle. We will be stopping in Juneau, Ketchican, Skagway and Victoria. I have looked at the NCL excursions, but am feeling overwhelmed.:confused: Looking for help on excursion suggestions for our family? Better to book through the cruise or independently? Kids wish list includes panning for gold, dog sledding and helicopter. Is the lumberjack show any good? Totems? Thanks

We are on the jewel starting May 31. My kids are 12 and 16. We will be doing the harv and Marv whale watch in Juneau, helicopter excursion in skagway and probably hiking lower Dewey lake in Ketchikan. We thought about adding the dog sled but from the reviews it didn't interest us. The one I read said actual dog sledding was brief 5 or 10 minutes and we have no interest in playing with puppies as we have those at home, lol. Of course those reviews might not be accurate. We are just going to wander around Victoria.

We are on the jewel starting May 31. My kids are 12 and 16. We will be doing the harv and Marv whale watch in Juneau, helicopter excursion in skagway and probably hiking lower Dewey lake in Ketchikan. We thought about adding the dog sled but from the reviews it didn't interest us. The one I read said actual dog sledding was brief 5 or 10 minutes and we have no interest in playing with puppies as we have those at home, lol. Of course those reviews might not be accurate. We are just going to wander around Victoria.

Lower Dewey Lake is out of Skagway.

Oops, my bad, deer mountain trail. We were looking at lower Dewey lake but I don't think we will have enough time.

Glad to find this thread. We just booked a round trip Alaska cruise with our grandsons. It's their first cruise... boys age 11 and 14. Keep the ideas coming!!!!

Marilyn

We have been cruising to Alaska with our teens for the past few years and have primarily planned our own excursions. Samples of things we have done:

Juneau:

Whale Watching - Orca Enterprises, Weather Permitting

Mount Roberts Tramway - Hiking the trails at top

Rented a car and explored outside of town - lots to see

Salmon Hatchery and Mendenhall Glacier - Hiked to the Falls

Ketchikan:

Salmon fishing on Creek Street

Bear Watching at Herring Cove

Hiking at Ward Lake

Breakfast at Cape Fox Lodge/Hike Married Man's Trail

Walked the town, visited museum, hatchery

Skagway:

White Pass and Yukon Train/Van back with stop at Carcross

Rented Car and drove to Dyea and the Yukon Highway

Ferry to Haines for Bear Watching excursion

Days of 98 Show

Victoria:

Orca Whale Watching Tour

Visit to Royal British Columbia Museum and Maritime Museum

Explore Inner Harbour and watch the entertainers

Walk/Shop and Explore through town and Chinatown area

Thanks for the great ideas. I'll start of list of ideas and let my daughter and her boys decide. Their first cruise will be fun no matter what they choose. I do enjoy doing the research and love doing private excursions.

thanks for all the wonderful ideas....it's hard to narrow down what to do with the kids!! looks like some great adventures~

In Ketchikan, you might consider the lumberjack show. It was the highlight of the cruise for my 8 year old daughter, even if just a tad hokey for the adults. We also took the bus to Totem Bight and enjoyed the park itself as well as the small beach area.

In Ketchikan, you might consider the lumberjack show. It was the highlight of the cruise for my 8 year old daughter, even if just a tad hokey for the adults. We also took the bus to Totem Bight and enjoyed the park itself as well as the small beach area.

That was on our list for the kids (5 and 7 years old). Good to know. Thanks

looking for advice for first trip/cruise to Alaska with kids age 9, 16, 19.

Live in Florida so have to fly to west coast- which cruise line/itinerary do you suggest? Seems like going south to north is preferred from what i have read. Why would i embark/disembark in Seattle as opposed to Vancouver? Traveling in June preferably and haven't booked yet. Was thinking of booking veranda and inside cabin for kids directly across from veranda. Any thoughts greatly appreciated!

looking for advice for first trip/cruise to Alaska with kids age 9, 16, 19.

Live in Florida so have to fly to west coast- which cruise line/itinerary do you suggest? Seems like going south to north is preferred from what i have read. Why would i embark/disembark in Seattle as opposed to Vancouver? Traveling in June preferably and haven't booked yet. Was thinking of booking veranda and inside cabin for kids directly across from veranda. Any thoughts greatly appreciated!

Not an Alaska expert but I am deep within planning my own cruise so I will try to answer your questions.

The big question to start with is do you want a round trip vs. a one way itinerary? One way is usually from Vancouver to Anchorage (Whittier or Seward) or vice versa, so you don't have to worry about Seattle. Round-trip itineraries are from Seattle or Vancouver. If you want to see any of the Alaska interior, then the one way itinerary is a must.

If you are considering a round trip cruise due to time limitations or convenience, I think most would prefer Vancouver. This is due to the route taken, which is generally smoother and more scenic. Also, Vancouver is closer to the action, so Seattle itineraries tend to have more sea time and/or less port time.

I am from South Carolina and I haven't found flights to Seattle that much cheaper than flights to Vancouver to influence my decision, but some have. I do think that one-way itineraries have significantly more travel costs, however.

If you are only doing the sailing, without a land tour, I personally think that a round trip from Vancouver is preferred to a one-way sailing, especially with kids in tow, but others may (will!) disagree.

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

Thank you for the great info CKelly14. I've heard mixed reviews on the land tours with kids. My kids are old enough I think to enjoy it and are more outdoors kids than tv/gamers. What is a must see on land if you have suggestions. i see that if we do a land tour then the one way cruise is the choice. Don't have a time constraint per say. Any preference on cruise lines?

I purposefully spoke in generalities since the choice of a specific cruise line is a very personal decision. Honestly, I found many more similarities between individual cruises compared to significant differences. The one major difference being if you want to see Hubbard Glacier, Glacier Bay, or Tracey Arm, with Glacier Bay being the most highly recommended. Despite this, we are currently booked on a one-way Southbound on the Radiance of the Seas, which stops at Hubbard, although I am still shopping Glacier Bay itineraries on Princess.

Good luck. I have been visiting Cruise Critic for months prior to booking, and I highly recommend significant research before jumping in!