Alaskan Excursions for 5 year old and 2 year old

[bossygal77]

Hi everyone!

 

We are cruising RT to Alaska on Celebrity Solstice this June and wanted to know if you had any recommendations for family friendly excursions? We have a 5 year old and 2 year old, who are really good travelers, but I wouldn't put anything past them. We are going to Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan, and Victoria. I won't be looking to do anything in Victoria, as we live in Seattle and will likely go some other time, but I would like some input on what to do at the other ports. We are up for anything!

 

Thanks,

Sarah

[rebeccalouiseagain]

Don't bother with the White Pass Train ride- I did it twice with my kids at a young age and they were bored after the first twenty minutes.

 

In Skagway there is a half day tour (Gold Panning, Dog sleds, 40 below), very close to the ship that takes you to see the Iditarod puppies and you even get to hold them. It's great. They take you in a 40 below room though and I'd skip that part with the kids. I wouldn't feel comfortable subjecting my little ones to that part but it is just a small part of the tour and you can hang back with the puppies instead.

 

In Juneau there is a Mount Roberts Tramway that takes you up to the top of the mountain. It is in walking distance from the ship and you don't have to buy tickets in advance. The fee is about $30 per adult and kids 6 and under are free.

 

Ketchikan was the best place to shop IMO. Part of the shopping area is car-free and with little bridges. Fun for the little ones.

Edited January 7, 2014 by rebeccalouiseagain

[Kerry's Girls]

Hi everyone!

 

We are cruising RT to Alaska on Celebrity Solstice this June and wanted to know if you had any recommendations for family friendly excursions? We have a 5 year old and 2 year old, who are really good travelers, but I wouldn't put anything past them. We are going to Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan, and Victoria. I won't be looking to do anything in Victoria, as we live in Seattle and will likely go some other time, but I would like some input on what to do at the other ports. We are up for anything!

 

Thanks,

Sarah

 

I went last summer with 8 year olds and a 2 year old. Juneau is easy - the Mendenhall Glacier has a flat, stroller-friendly hike to a waterfall and stunning view of the glacier. We also saw a darling porcupine along the path. The shuttle bus was $16 ea r/t I think.

 

Skagway we rented a car and drove to the suspension bridge. Lots to see on the way and we stopped quite a few times to let the kids wander in the beauty (waterfall, rock formations, meadows - amazing different scenery along one drive). We also saw bears along the road (early June cruise).

 

Ketchikan we again rented a car and drove to the totem pole park, which was fun for all the kids, and then stopped at a gorgeous park on the way back (I don't remember the name but I can look it up if you want it). It had a lake and a circular, stroller-friendly hike that we were going to do, but the kids were having so much fun skipping rocks into the lake that we didn't do the hike.

 

Have a great time - we did!

 

Best,

Mia

[sherryf]

My kids were 2, 5 and 8 on their first cruise to Alaska.

 

I did the White Pass train with the younger two and they were fine. The 5 year old (boy) was thrilled to be on a train. My daughter, at 2, was quite mellow and not any trouble. (Something I can't still say about her at 14 :rolleyes: ) They did also have other young cousins along to amuse each other. This can be a good excursion, depending on your kids. Another option here is to rent a car and drive on your own, which gives you the option of stopping when you need to.

 

We went whale watching in Juneau, mainly for the benefit of the 8 year old. We chose to take the cruise line excursion, which is on a relatively large boat with lots of space to roam. The 5 year old was quickly bored, but we were able to keep him occupied and moving without disturbing others. The 2 year old was really too young to "get" it and we held her most of the time. I would say that this is not the best excursion for kids this age, but doable if YOU really want to do it and are willing to work to keep the kids happy. We also had a stop at Mendenhall Glacier as part of this tour, and it is a good place for a walk but don't expect the kids to be thrilled with the glacier. There is a really cool park that you see on the drive out to the glacier that your kids might love. It could be an option if you rented a car for the day.

 

We did the gold panning, sled dogs and 40 below excursion that someone else mentioned when the kids were teens, and they loved it at that age, especially the puppies. I'm not sure it's as ideal for very young kids. The gold panning tables are high, but I think they had stools for smaller kids to stand on. The 5 year old would need help, and the 2 year old wouldn't "get" it at all, most likely. The puppies are really cute, but very active. This might be fine for kids that are comfortable with dogs, but not for kids that might be bothered by dogs jumping on them. It's also noisy and smelly, if that's an issue. Most people on our tour with small kids skipped the 40 below chamber. Actually, a lot of people skipped it. We thought it was interesting. They give you warm coats, gloves, and hats to wear and it doesn't seem that cold for the few minutes you are in there. I wouldn't want to try to stuff a 2 year old into the warm clothes for it.

[lmg1230]

My younger daughter was not quite 4 when we cruised in Alaska. The ports were Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway and we did a 5 day land tour to Denali and Fairbanks post-cruise. We took grandparents with us and it was a once-in-a-lifetime cruise for them so we were most concerned about picking excursions that they would love. My youngest was already well-traveled by that age and easygoing so we were fairly certain that she would be fine regardless of what we chose but might need some entertaining.

 

In Ketchikan, we explored the town and attended the Lumberjack show which she loved - she insisted on having her photo taken with them after the show.

 

In Juneau, we went on an excursion that included whale watching and Mendenhall Glacier. She lost interest in the whales after the first few sightings but was happy enough on the boat especially after they started serving smoked salmon. Back in town we took the Mt. Roberts tramway - she didn't care for the ride but was happy enough to explore at the top.

 

We took the White Pass Yukon railway and she was fine. The excursion was bus in one direction with a couple of stops. On one of the stops we did a go-kart ride with sled dogs which was thrilling! She wasn't interested in the scenery on the train but we brought colouring and stickers and she was happy enough to play while the rest of us enjoyed the view.

 

When we were in Denali we visited Jeff King's ranch to meet sled dog puppies and both of my girls loved it - anything that had to do with sled dogs was a huge hit when we were in Alaska!

 

Lisa

[rebeccalouiseagain]

I agree. Anything to do with the sled dogs is a big hit. I think i mention the Sled Dog excursion that is close to the ship. It was great because you can hold the puppies and my son loved that one. I have also done another sled dog excursion that is about 40 minutes from the ship and you ride in a dog sled. I loved this but it is too long IMO for a small child of 2. We had a little boy with us and he wasn't at all interested in the scenery and it was too much for him.

Edited January 20, 2014 by rebeccalouiseagain

[lrowe70]

Disagree with the post above, the Skagway train is a big hit with kids. Who doesn't love trains?

 

I'd recommend that as well as the lumber jack show and the tram in Juneau.

Glacier hike, totem pole park and dogsled rides are also fun for kids.

 

All 3 of those places are great for just walking around town. They are perfect sized towns for little feet.

[boulders]

I was bored by the Skagway train. There are much more interesting excursions to go on with kids. DS went on Alaskan cruises when he was 4 and again when he was 6. He loved the whale watching, sled dog and gold panning excursions we went on. There are lots more wildlife or interactive excursions to go on too.

[Onessa]

Skagway - Unless both of your kids are absolutely enthralled by trains it is highly unlikely that they will not get bored at somepoint in the train trip. It is just TOO LONG. My DD was 8YO and loves to read so she was fine, but would have been just as fine on-board the ship reading on deck somewhere :)

 

For 2YO is is a bit young, but the 5YO may be interested in some of the Junior Ranger Programs at the National park in Skagway. The headquarters is right in town - check out the website:

http://www.nps.gov/klgo/forkids/beajuniorranger.htm

Edited January 20, 2014 by Onessa

[rebeccalouiseagain]

Disagree with the post above, the Skagway train is a big hit with kids. Who doesn't love trains?

 

I'd recommend that as well as the lumber jack show and the tram in Juneau.

Glacier hike, totem pole park and dogsled rides are also fun for kids.

 

All 3 of those places are great for just walking around town. They are perfect sized towns for little feet.

 

Humm... big hit. Was the Skagway train ride a big hit with your kids? I liked it ok but my two boys were bored after the first ten minutes. One was 8 and the other was 5. Not a hit with the family in general and I do like trains. Better ways to spend the day in Skagway for sure.

[jac1976]

We did Alaska when my kids were 6 and 3. In Ketchikan we did the tour of the Saxman Native Village and the Lumberjack Show. The kids loved the lumberjack show. They were pretty neutral about the Native Village and Totem Poles.

 

In Juneau we went to the Mendenhall Glacier and then did the Salmon bake for dinner. The glacier was neat. There were nice paths that were easy for the kids to walk. We even saw 2 black bears! (This sounds scary and dangerous, but it really wasn't. The kids thought it was so cool!) They also enjoyed the visitors' center where they got to touch a bear skin and a piece of the glacier. The salmon bake was just a fun dining experience.

 

In Skagway we did the train ride and then arranged for a private tour with Becky from Beyond Skagway Tours. We really enjoyed the train, although DD (3 years old) napped most of the time. I will say that DH and DS love trains though, so it kept their attention the entire time. After the train ride, Becky met us with her SUV, complete with boosters for the kids. We drove up into the Yukon, making several sightseeing stops along the way. We stopped at the Carcross Desert and Emerald Lake. Becky knew of a geocache at the lake- the kids really enjoyed their "treasure hunt". She arranged for us to have a picnic lunch on the side of a lake and even brought pans so DS could take a try at panning some gold. We stopped along the side of the road so the kids could build inukshuks (stone statues) and we also stopped for the obligatory border crossing pictures where we got to see another black bear!

[rjm11]

One way to combat the train boredom is to do it just one way- that's what we did. Dad and kids (4 and 3) rode the train one way (half price too!) to Fraser, and I rented a car, drove basically across the ravine from them to Fraser (could see the train much of the way), and met them there. It was VERY easy- we then all continued on to Emerald Lake in our rental car, and stopped at Carcross and played with the sled dog puppies (you could do a mock ride too), saw the impressive museum with stuffed animals, had ice cream, had lunch at Spirit Lake Lodge, and enjoyed the beautiful scenery. Kids got to experience the train (about an hour of it), and we all got our own "tour" for the price of a rental car (about $50 for the day).

 

It was very easy- I got the kids and dad settled on the train (there was a special car for those who were disembarking in Fraser) and then I walked to the Avis rental place and got the car. Kids napped all the way back in the car. I dropped everyone at the ship, then returned the car and walked back to ship (about 2 blocks).

Edited January 28, 2014 by rjm11