Alaska tips for 2 and 4 year old

[CeleBrat]

Hello--New here!

 

We are heading to a cruise on the NCL Star (Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan, Victoria) at the end of May, and were wondering what sort of recommendations anyone has for traveling with a 2 and 4 year old? DH will be with me, and we have TWO adjoining balcony cabins. WooHoo!

 

Any recommendations for shore excursions? We were thinking about whale watching and possibly taking the White Pass RR.

 

 

We have cruised many times with the kids in the Caribbean so we are cruise-saavy, but are just looking for some Alaska-specific info.

 

Thanks!

[MLAW]

We are cruising Alaska for the first time this summer with our daughters, 8 and 10, so I can't give a lot of advice. I was concerned, however, about them possibly getting bored on the White Pass RR and having to deal with their boredom in a public place. We have decided instead to rent a car in Skagway and drive to Emerald Lake and Carcross. This way we can stop for pictures when we want, get snacks and see sled dogs in Carcross, and not worry about the girls disturbing others if they get bored (usually they are good but you never know with kids). The route is very close to where the train goes but we can go further into the Yukon. The price for a car rental was less than a 1/4 of the train ride for four people. We also have cruised often in the caribbean with the girls but will have our first adventure to Alaska so we have a lot to learn also. Have a great trip!

[Yindella]

I am also interested in visiting Alaska next year. My son will be 2 1/2 by then. Please post a review when you get back.

[navygator]

We just returned on NCL Spirit with a 2 1/2 yr old and 1 yr old. For shore excursions we did the following:

 

Ketchikan- Rainforest Wildlife Sanctuary $89 for adult, free for kids under 3. It was a 20 min bus ride, 1.5 hour nature hike and 20 min feeding reindeer. My kids were thrilled to be out in the woods walking around even though we didnt see much wildlife. They could have cared less what the guide said about the trees, flowers, etc but when they got to feed the reindeer it was awesome!

 

Juneau- Tram and hike. We didnt book an excursion. We just walked over to the tram and bought tickets. $24 for adults, free for kids under 5. The tram was amazing. It took us up over 2000 feet with spectacular views of the city and mountains. We then hiked for about 3-4 hours on some pretty small trails. We saw a Blue Grouse and her babies, a Marmut (small mammal) and a million eagles. We even came across a large patch of snow that the kids loved playing in.

 

Skagway- Whlte Pass Railway and Gold Dredge. $132 for adults and free for kids under 3. This was a great trip for kids. We were thinking of renting a car but then we would have to worry about car seats. The train was great b/c the kids could get up, walk around, play with their toys, etc. My kids would have fallen asleep in the car and missed everything so the train was a better choice for us. The train ride is long and they dont give you your lunch until its almost over so bring snacks for the kids. The gold dredge part is ok. The tour is boring for the kids but you actually pan for gold and get to keep what you find. We found about $8 for each daughter and had it put in a gold locket as a memento.

 

Prince Rupert- Dont bother getting off the boat. There is nothing here. We didnt book any excursions b/c nothing looked interesting. There is a small playground right where the ship docks that my kids liked but that only lasted about 45 min. It is a terrible port.

 

We live in Seattle so we have been to Victoria and Vancouver on other occasions. Here are my kid friendly recommendations:

 

Victoria- Beacon Hill Childrens Farm- Cute petting zoo and nice park to walk around. Its also very cheap... under $10/person. The Royal BC Museam is ok. Not too much for kids but the IMAX is neat.

 

Vancouver- Stanley Park. Good playground, cute miniature train ride and petting zoo. Vancouver also has Granville Market that has a special Childrens market. There is an indoor playground with a special area for kids 2 and under.

 

Seattle- Seattle Childrens Museam. Its the best place to go with kids and let them explore and run like crazy! We first took my daughter there when she was 15 mo and wound up spending 4 hours... we thought she would be bored in 20 min! Its also pretty cheap... under $10/person.

 

Hope you all enjoy your cruises!

[KyBuckeye]

Navygator, or anyone else for that matter. Any other recommendations for children in Seattle? We will be spending 2 nights and a day and a half sightseeing there precruise next month and we are looking for any advice. We are staying at a Holiday Inn Express near the Space Needle but are wide open for suggestions.

 

Thanks,

Heidi

[navygator]

How old are your kids? If the weather is good the zoo is terrific for all ages but you would need a car/bus/taxi. There are a bunch of good things right near your hotel (walking distance) such as Pacific Science Center/IMAX, Aquarium and the Childrens Museam. Pike Place Market is interesting but impossible with a stroller.

[flagger]

We took our daughter to Alaska when she was 15 months. For your ports I would highly recommend Captain Larry with Orca Enterprises in Juneau. I would also recommend Michelle with Island Wings in Ketchikan.

 

All my daughter can talk about now is AIRPLANE AIRPLANE AIRPLANE and loves looking back at pictures of the whales in Alaska.

 

Navygator, she says in her thread title that her kids are 2 and four.

[KyBuckeye]

Navygator, I'm not the op but I did ask about Seattle. My children are 6 & 7 so are pretty "portable". We are planning to visit Pike Place, do you recommend a time of day? We really want to see the fish tossing! Had heard the children's museum was outstanding. Hubby would love to do the Boeing tour but I'm not sure our children are old enough for it? Any other suggestions?

 

thanks!

[mommiemudd]

See my review on the Spirit for tips. We took our 3 year old and it was so much fun!

[bdsmom]

how did you do with young (carseat age) children on the excusrions/motorcoach? lap child ? carseat? we are doing alaska with an 8 month old in august. Thanks

[navygator]

It wasnt a problem having my 12 mo old on excursion w/o a car seat. Even if I wanted to bring the carseat there was no way to install in on the bus or train! She happily sat in my lap and looked out the window!

[navygator]

KyBuckeye

 

 

My hubby asked at work and several people said the Boeing tour was great ( keep in mind that they are all pilots!) but none of them had taken kids. So I guess it depends on your kids interests. If they love planes, they will love the tour. That advice really applies for your whole vacation!

 

I have been to Pike Place all times of the day and all days of the week and it always seems to be crowded! Alot of cruisers do the market the morning of their embarkation so they can bring fresh flowers in their room. The bouquets are amazing. No matter when you go, you will see the fish tossing!

[HappyJ]

Navygator, thanks so much for all the great tips! We are leaving for our cruise to Alaska on the Regal Princess in two weeks with our 19 month old, and I wasn't sure what shore excursions we could realistically handle with a toddler.

 

After reading your description, we are definitely considering the Ketchikan Wildlife excursion. It sounds like the bus ride was fairly short, and feeding the reindeer would thrill our son. Were there any other animals to see? And were there any other children on the shore excursions? (I've been depressed by the threads on the Princess boards talking about how nice it would be not to see any children on cruises.)

 

As for Victoria, is the Beacon Hill Children's Farm close to where the cruise ship will dock?

[navygator]

Happyj

 

Our cruise was pretty early in the season so we didnt get to see much wildlife on the Rainforest Sanctuary. Our guide told us that when the salmon are spawning you have a good chance of seeing bear. We saw where a bear had laid down and taken a nap and where one scratched a tree. After seeing the claw marks part of me was glad we didnt encounter any bear!! Over all we saw alot of wildlife during the week. When we pulled into Ketchikan we were having breakfast at one of the outdoor restaurants and 3 orcas were swimming in the water next to the ship. My 2 1/2 yr old started screaming "Shamu"! We also saw humpbacks, a million eagles, sea lions resting on icebergs in the Tracy Am Fjord, a Blue grouse and chicks in Juneau and a Marmut in Juneau.

 

I really dont know how far the cruise ship port is from the Beacon Hill park. I know we had a hotel on the water where the seaplanes and Ferry's come in and we were able to walk to the park. I think there is a website for the Beacon Hill park, that might give you an idea of its location relative to the cruise ship terminal.

[mommiemudd]

We chose excursions that were in a motorcoach because carseats are not required. I also have a tote n go that I carry for taxis, etc.