Med or Alaska?

[Joel&Hall]

Hi,

 

We are thinking of booking a cruise in the not to distant future and are trying to decide between doing a Med cruise or a Canada land trip including an Alaskan cruise. We will be travelling with our 2 daughters who at the time will be roughly 3 & 5 & are after opinions on what cruise would be best with young children. Would love to hear from people who have done either (what was good/ bad, would you do it again etc) & would also like to hear what cruise line you did it with.

 

Thanks!

[Ashland]

Have done both on RCI (Radiance=Alaska & Liberty=Western Med) these are two totally different cruise experiences..and like comparing apples to oranges..Both are amazing trips and you'll enjoy either.

[Keith1010]

The Mediterranean tends to be very port intensive and often to see sites you must travel great distances. With kids those ages we found the Caribbean, Bermuda and Alaska worked best and saved trips to the Mediterranean until they were in their teens.

 

Keith

[boulders]

Alaska is much more young child-friendly. There are lots of opportunities for wildlife seeing and active excursions. There are even sled dog puppy-holding excursions

[Kerry's Girls]

I've done both - the Med when my girls were 5 and Alaska when they were 8 (but we had a toddler along with us). I'd agree that Alaska then the Med would be the order I would choose - though we ended up doing the Med first because ironically it was less expensive at the time than doing Alaska, even though we're in Los Angeles. Both are amazing trips for kids, though I'd agree that the Med gets better and better as they get older.

 

Best,

Mia

[Joel&Hall]

Thanks for the advice everyone, yeah with the Med we are worried about the kind of excursions they would have and the length of them so Alaska does seem to be the better option at their age. Another question, what kind of excursions did you do with your kids in the Med & in Alaska? & were their many other children on the boat?

 

Thanks!

[chipmaster]

The med. is all about history, churches, ruins, art etch., very hard to get any child except the most mature of them to appreciate. That being said my children experienced a lot and enjoyed their experience, but I am sure they would have had more fun on a Caribbean or Hawaiian cruise. Even Alaska / nature can tire on kids but they also had fun there too. comes down to parents and their objective. Kids with the right mind set can gain a lot on any kind of vacation ;) We did a lot of beach and amusement park stuff when ours were younger than as they got older adjusted our factions as they matured

[Lerin]

We did the Med pre-child and plan to go again when he can appreciate the history. Possibly when he is 12? We have done Alaska with him and are in the process of planning another trip for next summer.

 

Depending on the line, length and time of year both cruises could have many children or hardly any at all. A larger line that caters more to families(Carnival, NCL, Disney, RC) will have the most kids. Late June to Mid-August will also have a higher concentration of kids as US schools are mostly out then.

 

Can't speak about excursions in the Med because we mostly went to churches and wine tours.

 

In Alaska there are TONS that kids will enjoy: dog sledding, small boats, glacier hikes, helicopters, totem pole villages, cultural dancing, wildlife, train...check out the Alaska board for a wealth of information.

[Onessa]

DD is now 18YO - but we did her first Med trip the summer before she was 5YO and her first AK cruise was the next spring. She was always a great traveler and she enjoyed both.

 

The Med trip was different than previous Italian trips DH and I had done pre-kid. But we all enjoyed it. The Europeans tend to be a bit more relaxed at their historical sites so it was not real tense -- places to run around and stuff helped.

 

The AK trip was more "outdoorsy" we hiked and did the helecopter up to the glacier and stuff. Also a good time. The cruise past the glacier part was pretty dull for her. The kids program had a break during part of it and; hey, face it, what 5YO reall cares about ice breaking off and falling into the water far away? Her daycare had a window that faced a river and big pieces of ice, floating in the water, were old news to her :) She wasn't "into" trains and so her interest the White Fang RR trip was short-lived (she read a book and we played a portable board game for 98% of it).

 

We've done several more European cruises over the years, one more AK cruise. As she has matured, her interest-level has increased and what-all we do has changed; but they have all been great trips

 

The on-board experience was similar.

Edited December 12, 2013 by Onessa

[Kerry's Girls]

 

Depending on the line, length and time of year both cruises could have many children or hardly any at all. A larger line that caters more to families(Carnival, NCL, Disney, RC) will have the most kids. Late June to Mid-August will also have a higher concentration of kids as US schools are mostly out then.

 

 

I think in the Med, there will most always be kids on board. We went on what should have been a completely off week (non-holiday week in January) and there were lots of kids from South Africa who were on their summer break, plus local families who do the same as some Americans - take their kids out of school when they can get lower fares!

 

As for excursions, private is almost always best with young kids (and, ironically, often much less expensive). You get to choose what you want to do/don't want to do (no museums/shopping!) and go at your own pace. In Alaska we rented a car in most ports and in the Med we had a private guide/driver either just us or with another family on our roll call. The ports of call board is great here for finding exactly what is right for your family.

 

Best,

Mia

[BubMunkeyBles]

I'd probably choose the Med. A lot of the AK things aren't that kid friendly truthfully (coming from someone who lives here with a 3 and 4 year old). We travelled the Europe a ton with them though and I found that easier. Caribbean would be even easier.

[Joel&Hall]

Thank you for such great responses! We would love to do a Caribbean cruise but we live in Australia and are planning a big America trip when the girls are older so will do it then. Kerry's Girls who did you do your private tours though? Would like to see what is on offer and general prices as that would help us to decide. Thanks very much!

[dsrdsrdsr]

From your point of view, it's probably a lot easier to look after them in Alaska - a lot fewer poeople about, no need to hold their hand all the time. Many of the Med ports are city centres, and many of the tourist sites are packed.

[Kerry's Girls]

Kerry's Girls who did you do your private tours though? Would like to see what is on offer and general prices as that would help us to decide.

 

For the Med I booked private tours based on recommendations I found on the ports of call board here - different ones in each city. In a couple of the cities we booked a taxi for the day. In each case, though it wasn't cheap, it was less expensive per person than the ships tours would have been. Alaska was much less expensive port-wise though. We rented cars in most ports and Juneau was I think $16 each to take the shuttle to Mendenhall Glacier.

 

Best,

Mia

[rebeccalouiseagain]

I've been to Alaska six times with kids and never tire of it. It's spectacularly beautiful and relaxing.

 

I have also been to Europe on five different itineraries with kids and had a great time. But on one cruise- we got all the way to Copenhagen and my nine year old was sick and we were disembarked.

 

With kids 3 and 5- I'd do Alaska. There is less jetlag and expense. They will have fun anywhere you go and be more interested in the youth program and the ship than the ports. I can attest to this.

 

For Alaska- I recommend Princess for this age group. There is an indoor pool for cold days and lots of hot tubs. The outdoor movie theater is a big hit with my son. Also- Princess is the only cruise line allowed in to Glacier Bay. I've done Celebrity and Norwegian also but Princess excels with Alaska. I'd pick the Golden Princess roundtrip Seattle last week of May first week of June- because that is when you will see plenty of whales. Glacier Bay is the best of the Glacier experience (College Fjords is second). If you plan to do Canada- we disembarked on day 6 in Victoria and stayed there for three nights it was awesome.

Edited December 21, 2013 by rebeccalouiseagain

[lmg1230]

We have done both Alaska and the Mediterranean with our daughters and loved both!

 

We cruised on the Diamond Princess out of Vancouver to Alaska followed by a 5 day cruise tour when the girls were 10 and almost 4. Our ports of call were: Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway. We did Ketchikan on our own and went to the Lumberjack show. In Juneau we went on a whale watching cruise, visited Mendenhall Glacier and took the Mt. Roberts Tramway to the top. In Skagway we went on a White Pass & Yukon Route Railway excursion. Both girls loved anything to do with wildlife and sled dogs. Our cruise was the last week of June and there were about 120 kids on board if I remember correctly.

 

Our Mediterranean cruise started in Rome and we spent a few days there first when the girls were 15 and 8. We cruised on Celebrity Equinox and the ports were Santorini, Athens, Istanbul (overnight), Kusadasi, Mykonos and Salerno (for Naples and Pompeii). This cruise was in August and I would say that the majority of people on board seemed to be extended family groups and there were many Europeans and Australians as well as North Americans. We went on a shore excursion for Santorini in order to get to Oia easily; booked a private guide in Athens; booked a private guide for the first day in Istanbul and then on the second day went on a Bosphorus cruise and then wandered on our own; booked a private guide for 4 hours to take us to Ephesus in Kusadasi; did Mykonos on our own; and booked a driver to take us to Pompeii where we had a private guide waiting and then drive us to Sorrento for a pizza making class and back to the ship via the Amalfi Coast. Alaska may be easier with younger kids but there's no reason that you can't do the Mediterranean with them - you just have to adjust your expectations of how much you can see accordingly.

 

We have also cruised in the Baltics once (ages 12 and 6) and in the Caribbean three times. We have cruised on Princess, Holland America, Celebrity and Disney. My kids have had a great time on all the cruise lines and in all of the locations.

 

Plan to spend a few days pre-cruise in the embarkation port so that your family can explore a bit and recover from the jet lag before boarding the ship. I'm sure that you will have a great time whatever vacation you choose!

 

Lisa

[Joel&Hall]

Thank you! I think I have decided on Alaska as I think it will be a bit more relaxed and that the girls will have more fun on it we will save the Med until the girls are a little bit older. We are thinking we will fly to Vancouver with a stop over in LA to take the girls to Disneyland :D we will probably spend a few days in Vancouver and are planning on going to see Banff, Jasper & Lake Louise etc, then do our cruise we are looking at one that starts in Vancouver and finishes in Anchorage and then doing a tour from there before flying home. It will be an amazing trip! Now to decide when we want to go :D

[sherryf]

For Alaska- I recommend Princess for this age group. There is an indoor pool for cold days and lots of hot tubs. The outdoor movie theater is a big hit with my son. Also- Princess is the only cruise line allowed in to Glacier Bay.

 

I love Princess, but this is absolutely not true. Holland America, Princess and NCL all go to Glacier Bay. Carnival has a couple of permits, usually first and last cruises of the season, I think.

 

I've done Celebrity and Norwegian also but Princess excels with Alaska. I'd pick the Golden Princess roundtrip Seattle last week of May first week of June- because that is when you will see plenty of whales.

 

You can see plenty of whales any time during the Alaska cruise season. Although I've done round-trip Seattle 5 times, it's not necessarily the best choice. I'd do a one-way with some land touring if I had the time and money, or a round trip Vancouver if it fit my schedule. Unfortunately, round-trip Seattle is what fits my budget and schedule best right now, but that doesn't make it best.

Glacier Bay is the best of the Glacier experience (College Fjords is second).

 

"Best" glacier experience is often debated on the Alaska ports of call board. Some prefer Hubbard over College Fjords. I've done both, plus Glacier bay (x3) and Tracy Arm/Sawyer Glacier (x2) and they are all different experiences, and all worthwhile in different ways.

[smalltownmomwa]

We took our kids to Alaska in April this year. They were 7 & 9 and really enjoyed it. We did not do any of the expensive (fun) tours listed - glacier tour, sled dogs, etc. We rode the city bus to see totem poles, took a private tour up White Pass (a car/tour is better with littles than the train as they can get out, also, our family was the only one on the tour). The highlight was the Lumberjack Show. Otherwise we just walked around and enjoyed the scenery.

If we had done Med with old churches & ruins, I don't think they would have liked it as much at all.

 

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[Aggiebuttercup]

I loved Banff, Jasper, and Lake Louise, but that is going to be a lot of driving. I hope your kids are good in the car (mine are not - they will be quite a bit older before they get to go to those places). There is a lot of family-friendly hiking in those areas. I hiked with a six-month-old strapped to my front, and I think my kids would have been able to keep up even at age 3 (but they are outdoorsy kids).

 

The Alaskan cruise I went on was a much slower pace on sea days than the Caribbean cruises. The crowd was much older - I saw very few children on board...and not that many under 40. The pace should suit small children too.

 

It sounds like a wonderful trip overall :)