Which cruise for college kids,parents, grandparents?

[foxeysandy]

We have a group of three generations contemplating a first-time cruise to Alaska for summer, 2010. We know Princess and Holland have lots of options, but would there be enough to interest the college kids? Also, several of the older adults are "foodies". Any suggestions/advice would be greatly appreciated.

[Assateague Island Princes]

Alaska is so port intensive - all three generations would have plenty to do, see and experience.

 

Its really not so much about the ship in AK as it is about the stunning scenery, the wildlife, glaciers, and port excursions. We've sailed HAL twice to Alaska, and have booked their 14 day itinerary in May of 2010. All age groups sail to Alaska. With HAL, there will be something to keep everyone occupied on sea days - pools (one w/retractable roof so you can swim in any kind of weather), hot tubs, culinary classes, bingo, great libraries, basketball, HAL's kids club for the younger ones, evening shows, dance club, casino, pingpong, ship building contest, naturalist talks, spa and fitness center, beautiful teak promenade deck, etc. HAL fits the bill for us - understated elegance, total pampering (the staff is just amazing - always smiling, always helpful!), and IMO they have the best, most comfortable beds at sea. Food is excellent (though that is subjective, I know) but we've never had something we didn't like - plenty of choices and options. 24 hour (free) room service with full menu, the Lido buffet with waiter service in the evening is quite nice for those who don't want to "dress" for the MDR. The poolside grill has wonderful burgers, tacos, etc.

 

I think HAL (or Princess) would be just fine for a multi-generational cruise. We saw lots of younger kids on our past two cruises really involved and active in the kid's club - they all seemed to be enjoying themselves.

 

If you're concerned about the younger ones being bored - don't be! Get them involved during the planning stages so they have input about experiences in ports - whale watching in Juneau (highly recommend Harv and Marvs!), helicopter to a glacier, a visit to the Mendenhall Glacier (relatively inexpensive bus), or a trip up the tram on Mt. Roberts, the train in Skagway, flightseeing, fishing, Lumberjack Show, Duck Tours, etc. in Ketchikan, kayaking or a visit to the Raptor Center in Sitka...plenty to do and see. An important consideration when looking for a cruise to Alaska is the itinerary and the times in port - the longer the better! Happy planning! You all will just love Alaska - its magnificent, and a place you'll find you want to visit again, and again!

[alpal1993]

I second AIP suggestion She is not a paid employee from HAL,but she should be.LOL

It is a fabulous itinerary .First time being offered from any cruise line.Great oportunityI highly recommend you look into it.

[dhmom99]

AI Princess has some great advices on this.

[foxeysandy]

Thanks so much for the information and advice! It does sound like there would be plenty of activities for everyone on HAL. I see the new itinerary is a 14-day cruise, which looks awesome. We wouldn't have enough time to do 14 days on the cruise plus land. How important do you think the land tours are for first-time Alaska visitors?

[Budget Queen]

You have some choices to make, with each being great touring options.

 

I suggest you research each port/area, then make a list of your top touring priorities, and see what touring fits the best.

 

I give an edge to a one way cruise, then interior Alaska, since some of the port times on the 14 day cruise aren't enough for my interests, and would not even be an option in a few of the ports. The bonus is the very long Anchorage day, which is superb, with a rental car option. But other ports, don't even have enough time for some of my "basic" touring priorities.

[the2006Junket]

Foxey,

 

We cruised with a group of 5 families with some college, other 17/18 yr olds this past August. I highly recommend doing some time in Alaska before/after a cruise, instead of just cruising. We spend 6 nights before cruising on the Radiance and it was spectatular. We went to Anchorage, Denali and the Kenai Peninsula and hiked, fished for salmon, ATV'ed, flew within one mile of Mt McKinley (Denali) then landed in Kantishna for hiking and the bus tour back out, hiked more to Exit Glacier, mountain biked and even took the train from ANC to Seward. Whew.

 

We all loved our cruise too, but if we hadn't taken the land portion, we would've been robbed! The interior is very different from the coastal towns. I also think that as much as teens/college kids like cruising, they also like variety, to explore independently and have some adventure and try and see new things -- I think 13 nights on the cruise routine with, let's face it, alot of similar scenery, would get a little long for the kids.

 

We had a great time on the Radiance and so did our kids, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend it as a ship for foodies. The food was good/great at times and was fantastic in the specialty restaurants, but I found it to be a little less impressive than Celebrity.

 

Happy planning!

 

Lynne