Help/critique for my Alaska family excursion plan, please!!!

[CCH828]

Okay, I've been trying to do some research on what to do in port, but comments on my plan so far would REALLY be appreciated from people who've BTDT. I have the lovely task of trying to make everyone happy on this cruise and it's stressing me out! We cruise May 8-15th!!! (NEXT WEEK....

 

Our group-- me and DH, DD who is a month shy of 3yrs old, DS who is 11 months old, and two grandparents in their early 60's.

 

Here's my plan so far:

 

TRACY ARM--- me, DH and kids stay on the ship. We have an aft balcony...will we have a good view? Grandparents are considering the smaller boat excursion to get up closer to a glacier.

 

SKAGWAY--- (7am-9pm) Grandparents might do the White Pass Rail. DH and I are *considering* bringing our kids and doing it, too (the 3hr trip), with BOTH kids as lap children. (The website said under 3 are free as lap children.) Is there any hope that the train will be somewhat empty-ish so we will not be crammed in like sardines? DS is a fairly chilled out baby and can sleep on me if I put him in the carrier. DD may be okay with stickers, iPhone games and such if she gets bored. Other plans for Skagway include walking around the Klondike Gold Rush Nat'l Park. I tried contacting Dyea Dave for a bus tour, but they kicked my email over to Beyond Skagway Tours, who told me that since there will be "other adults on the bus" they passed me along to a private tour company. So apparently children are not welcome on Dyea Dave bus tours, which was disappointing. We're not booking a private tour because I don't want to haul car seats (or borrow them, because we're a bit picky about our car seats...) and don't want to have the kids locked down in a seat for the tour (hence the bus idea, which is now nixed.) This is such a long day and I want to make the most of it, just not sure how.

 

JUNEAU--- ALL take the Glacier Express Blue Bus (or similar) up to Mendenhall Glacier and hike possibly the East Glacier Loop (clockwise, to go down the stairs versus up. 3 1/2 mile hike.) We're also considering an easier trail in case we decide to bring our stroller (BOB Revolution) or the grandparents don't really want to hike. We'd carry DS in a backpack-carrier and DD would walk and/or also be carried or use the stroller. Then bus back to Juneau and hopefully have time for the Mt. Robert's tramway. Will there be enough time? (in port 7am-3pm)

 

KETCHIKAN--- (7am-1pm) ALL do the walking tour, stay in town, explore Creek Street, the boardwalk, etc. Will this be "enough"? DH does not want to spend the $$$ on the Misty Fjord boat tour.

 

VICTORIA--- (730pm-midnight) Probably stay on the ship. Possibly grandparents do...something...not sure what yet because it seems like for a family with little ones that Victoria is a bad option due to timing. (We do not plan to use the ship's babysitting services, except for the service provided by the grandparents on the day at sea!

 

 

 

also a few other things---

 

---is a BOB Revolution on an Alaska cruise (Carnival Spirit) a bad/good idea? Our other option is a Joovy Caboose Ultralight, which can hold both kids but neither of them can really nap in it.

 

---we're not planning on bringing car seats along. Doable?

 

---will good places to eat be all around, easily accessible, or do I need to really research this?

 

---can you pack food and bring it to places like Mendenhall, Klondike Nat'l Park, etc, for picnics?

 

---anything else I need to know, pack, consider, for the kids?

 

 

If you made it this far, congrats! And THANK YOU for any input!!!

 

(x-posted in Family Cruising, but was recommended to post here for answers.)

[karatemom2]

Just a note on the White Pass Rail. Do expect that the train cars will be full. Typically there are multiple ships in port in Skagway and the train is the number one excursion choice. In our experience there were no empty seats.

 

You might check with Chilkoot Charters in Skagway as I think they will accept kids, but I don't know if they would take children that young if you don't have a car seat for them. The vehicles used aren't really buses, but more along the line of large vans. Perhaps booking through the ship would be your best bet as they do use tour buses. Or you could rent a car and car seats from Avis and do the drive yourself. That would give you the flexibility to take as many breaks along the way as needed for the kids.

 

Our kids were older when we started cruising, but I do remember what it was like to have little ones and I guess my best advice would be to not overdo it and just be flexible. At those tender ages overload and fatigue set in very quickly and if you try to pack too much into your port day I'm afraid you will end up with a couple of really cranky kids. Best of luck!

[KAYEF]

You can also rent a car there and drive the "same" area that the train goes. Avis and Sourdough........I don't imagine you'd want to do a Green Jeep, but look them up as well........that's what we're doing this time.

I printed out MURRAY'S GUIDE which is full of information regarding what to see, etc. I learned about that on CC. If you rent a car you can stop frequently, have a little "picnic" etc.

The train is fun but FULL.

The scenery is beautiful.

Have a grand cruise!

[DizzyDallasDi]

Something you haven't received an answer to yet is your question about packing a picnic lunch for Mendenhall. That's not a good idea because the bears may sniff it out and want to join you for lunch. :eek:

 

The train in Skagway is a great trip for those who enjoy nonstop scenery. I'm not sure your kids would appreciate the beauty that surrounds them (I know mine wouldn't have at those ages) but they may fall asleep with the swaying of the train...several people did during my trip. :) Besides taking pictures, listening to the historic commentary and watching the gorgeous landscape go by, there's nothing else to do on the train.

 

You don't have much time in Ketchikan, but it you want an option, the kids might really enjoy the lumberjack show.

 

Have a wonderful trip to the Great Land. There's nothing on earth like it!

[Mendenhall Ranger]

If you want to pack a lunch for the East Glacier Trail hike, that's A-OK - we certainly don't expect you to take on a 3-mile day-hike without some nourishment! :eek:

 

We just ask that visitors refrain from eating in the area immediately around the Visitor Center (parking lots, Steep Creek, Photo Point). That's the bear hot spot, and it's where, if we allowed chowing down... well, we might have 1,000 people a day tempting the bears with their pic-a-nic baskets. Which wouldn't be good for either the visitors or the bears!

 

So head up the East Glacier Trail a good mile or so, maybe a little further... heck, get to the summit - the overlook high above Nugget Falls - and enjoy lunch with a view. Pack out your garbage, don't leave anything for the critters and enjoy your visit! :)

[TheCalicoCat]

My answers are the same as in the family cruiseing area of CC.

[JAKcruiser]

We cruised to Alaska last summer so I'll answer with my suggestions after being in the same ports.

 

Skagway - I also recommend renting from Avis and using Murray's guide. (Google Murray's guide.) Have one adult walk to the Avis location, pick up the car, come back near the ship and load everyone in. I would recommend you bring your car seats. You could go at your pace, stop when you want, and give your 3 y.o. freedom to run around at some of the stops. I think the flexibility would make for a much happier day for everyone. There is only one road so you won't need to worry about getting lost. (BTW - Beyond Skagway is Becky's new tour company which offers private tours.)

 

Juneau - I agree with your plan to go to Mendenhall. You will all enjoy the visitor center and the gorgeous scenery. It is not difficult hiking there, more like walking along a dirt path. You can walk as far as you'd like and turn back when you've had enough. The kids will also enjoy the freedom and exploring. (Check with the bus company as to requirements of car seats.)

 

We also walked to the Alaska Museum which was wonderful for kids. Lots to see and do. I think it was $5 for adults, free for children.

 

Ketchikan - Is a beautiful place to walk around. You'll be there too early to see the salmon but hopefully the flowers might be out. We really enjoyed the Lumberjack show, as I think your 3 y.o. would.

 

As far as food, you are not supposed to take any food off the ship unless it is pre-packaged. A good snack to bring along each day are the little boxes of cereal available at breakfast. I always pack some granola bars to keep in our back pack. They come in handy for a quick snack.

 

If you don't already have waterproof shoes or sneakers, buy a can of waterproofing and spray your current sneakers. It worked great for us when it was raining in Juneau.

 

Have a wonderful time!

[vmom]

We did the tour on Chilkoot that was both train and bus.

 

Frankly with childen the ages of yours I would not recommend either the bus or train tour. I think they will be extremely bored and restless which is likely to impact your enjoyment. The seats on the train are not wide and the train cars are likely to be packed.

 

I like the suggestion by a previous poster to rent a car and get the Murrey guide. I think it will be alot less stress and you can stop whenever the kids need a bit of a walk around.

[fishfire]

Skagway:

I went on the white pass rail two years ago in June and it was not very crowded. We filled less than half of the seats (in the car I was in) on the train, but the bus back was full. The scenery was beautiful and changed a lot. I taught preschool for many years, I think your daughter would enjoy the train ride almost as much as the adults. I did the tour that included Liarsville. Their were children on the tour and they seemed to really enjoy the music, the food is good and the portions are big enough to feed the chidren from your plates with no problem.

 

The National Park ranger gives a tour of Skagway that is fantastic and was my favorite tour of all those taken over two trips to Alaska.

 

Juneau: The Mt Roberts tram doesn't take that long and there are animals and a nice easy loop trail at the top. I would do that hike, rather then the mendenhall glacier with your family.

 

Ketchikan:

I did the Mysty Fjords tour my first year (it rained the whole time) and loved it regardless of the bad weather. The next year did Creek Street and was terribly disappointed. It was very crowded and was one store after another, full of trinkets and clothes with Alaska printed on it.

 

Food: Lots of great places to eat everywhere, no cheap places without long lines

 

Hope this helps.

[CCH828]

Thanks, all. I'll have to work on DH to convince him to do Misty Fjords in Ketchikan. He doesn't want to spend money. My mom and FIL are trying to keep it low cost, too, but the one thing they want to do is "see a glacier", hence their Tracy Arm excursion, which I hope they love.

 

Thanks for the suggestions...I'm editing my planning list tonight!

 

So for Juneau...the Mt. Robert's Tram is "enough" for the day, without Mendenhall, if we choose?

 

Skagway...is the drive scary? I've heard about "sheer rock walls and just a guardrail on the other side"....while this sounds cool, I know I will be scared with my two little ones in the car!

 

And also....VICTORIA.....anyone??? Stay on the ship??

[bonvoyagie]

It is hard to see AK without getting off the ship and taking excursions into the wild. With that comes expenses - nothing in AK is cheap - the short tourist season coupled with the fact that most everything comes into these towns by plane or boat (Skagway is the exception).

 

The trick is getting the most for your money (you probably already have figured this out ;)). I would start by minimizing your ship board expenses - for starters you can bring your own sodas - or make kool aid. Don't worry about bottled water - they fill the tanks in either Seattle or Vancouver and have some of the best water in the world so drink the ship water - bring some containers to mix your drinks in.

 

On tours - find ones that provide meals or at least snacks - they are usually pretty good.

 

I think you are already keen to the idea of splitting up the group based on interests. Everybody has their idea of "must see" items in AK. Some of these are seeing a glacier, learning about the gold rush of 98, experiencing a lumberjack show, wildlife, or first nation culture.

 

We have been there twice and have seen whales, Mendenhall Glacier, and Tracy Arm. Rode the train in Skagway, rode horses to Dyea, panned for Gold and trecked through a rainforest and while this was 9 and 10 years ago we spend approx 1000.00 on excursions for the two of us and about 1500.00 the next year with four of us (two teenagers). the only tours we did twice were whale watching, Mendenhall Glacier, and WP&Y RR.

 

On our third trip in 50 days we are going to take the small boat trip into tracy arm, and I am going to take the long train trip to Carcross with Chilkoot - for three of us we have already spent close to 1000.00 and my DW and MIL want to also take the short train ride (another 240.00). We have not decided on what (if anything) to do at Ketchikan except walk around Creek Street and shop. We have been to Victoria three times and have seen everything it has to offer. However I do reccommend Butchart Gardens - if your ship has a tour there - go on line and read more about it.