Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagay and four little ones

[notentirelynormal]

In 2017 I plan on doing a cruise with DH and my 4 grand kids which will then be 12, 10, 9 and 7. I want to give them the best experience I can but I am also not a millionaire so want to find things that are kid fun and not money unreasonable. That said, if there is an amazing thing we shouldn't miss I want to think about that as well.

 

It is not my first Alaska cruise by a long shot but it might be a while before we are back there again with the little ones. For example, mining a gold mine would be fun, historical and part of the learning experience. We don't need the salmon bake because we can always eat on board.

 

I'm giving some thoughts to "air" excursions but can't decide on which one would give me the best bang for the buck. Same goes for a water excursion. Which city and which overall excursion.

 

This cruise is a bunch of things. A trip to Alaska, a cruise, time to bond with cousins, fun to spend time with grandma and grandpa and if they learn something that is cool too. Parents or others not allowed.

 

I don't mind renting a car and driving if that is what gives us the best experience and price. I just need to know what to do when.

 

I'm gong to post the same thing on the family board but wanted to see if there were Alaska ideas that prevailed.

 

So, please, any ideas and thoughts are welcome. I am a planner and will research any advice given. Well, except for snorkeling.

[mapleleaves]

What a fun family adventure this will be ! A lot of wonderful memories for sure.

 

There are free and/or economical options in every port. Although with 6 people, even economical adds up quickly !

 

Use the SEARCH THIS FORUM tool above, with the word 'budget" and you'll find many great suggestions.

 

Buy or borrow from your library, FODOR's ' Alaska ports of call'.

 

Each town/port has a web site. They use this site to promote tourism and local vendors. The sites are in this link:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2308385

 

Also, look thru past trip reports in STICKYs near the top of the page. There are many detailed trip reports with suggestions on activities, excursions, vendors, etc and wonderful photos. Pay close attention to the trips that include kids.... usually the 1st line of the report indicates the ship, date and who travelled.

 

Have fun with your research!

[donaldsc]

Have you thought about renting an RV and doing a land trip. I do not know what the cost of the RV rental would be but the cost of 6 cruise fares will be high. You will miss some stuff but there is lots of interesting stuff out of Anchorage that you can drive too. Alternatively, rent a large enough vehicle for the 6 of you and go camping.

 

DON

[greenbbs]

i know the itinerary isn't the absolute strongest (i.e. no Glacier Bay), but if you look at Royal Caribbean (Explorer of the Seas, for instance), they have Family Oceanview cabins that you can get that hold up to 6 people.

 

We booked one of the Panoramic Family OV's on Explorer of the Seas for this may for myself, my wife, and our 3 kids...price came out to just about 5k for all 5 of us in the same room. There's an area of bunk beds, a pull out couch, and a separate sleeping area for the adults.

 

We were looking at nearly 9k to get connecting balconies for the same number of people.....definitely a good way to save on the cruise portion.

 

Our stops will be Juneau, Skagway, Tracy Arm Fjord for scenic, and then a full day in Victoria (r/t Seattle)

[lolavix]

I started out looking for a cruise for my family of five (kids would be 13, 11 and 9 or so). After doing some research about what we might like to see and do, now I'm thinking we might just do a 2 week land vacation, which would include some time in the Juneau/Glacier Bay area and then flying over to Anchorage and doing additional things in that area. I don't want to miss Glacier Bay, but the cruise prices for how we'd want to do it and when we can sail (typical summer months, not May or September), with a balcony, were just too much. I know everyone says once you go to Alaska you'll return, but with a family of five, there is less likely to be a repeat trip anytime soon, so I want to be sure we see what we want to see while we're there.

 

We're probably not going for 2 more years, but I am hoping by that time I'll have enough airline miles to get the flights, or most of the flights, for free.

 

I'll be reading along here, though. :)

[LREcruise02]

I haven't been to Alaska yet but have a cruise booked there for next summer and we are taking our kids age 8 and 6. Some things I'm planning are the white pass railroad in Skagway, the mt Roberts tram in Juneau which is right by the port, and just walking around Ketchikan and going to see the totem poles. We are going to splurge in Skagway on the rail trip and add on a dogsled ride. Then do the other ports on our own. Good luck with your planning and have fun!

[mapleleaves]

Have you thought about renting an RV and doing a land trip. I do not know what the cost of the RV rental would be but the cost of 6 cruise fares will be high. You will miss some stuff but there is lots of interesting stuff out of Anchorage that you can drive too. Alternatively, rent a large enough vehicle for the 6 of you and go camping.

 

DON

 

Personally I would choose RV over cruise any day, but, for grandparents and 4 kids ..... that's a lot of people in a small place, plus a lot of cooking or meal preparation in a tiny space. I don't think it would be much of a 'vacation' for grandma and grandpa !

[dijid]

I would suggest that you narrow down the list of what you are offering, and then ask them what they want to do. Also check with their parents to make sure motion sickness won't be a problem before booking a smaller boat excursion or some type of flightseeing. There are lots of good choices that I think kids would enjoy:

 

In Ketchikan, you can do a taxi tour and have someone drive you around. The lumberjack show might be good for their ages. Kayaking could be nice, but you might not have enough adults. The older kids would probably love to zipline, but I'm not sure if the youngest would be able to.

 

Juneau has the Mt. Roberts tram, whale watching tours and Mendenhall Glacier.

 

Skagway and Juneau both have offerings of getting pulled in a cart by sled dogs.

 

You can rent a minivan (call - can't be booked online) in Skagway and drive the Yukon Highway if you don't want to be stuck on the train. There's also a lot of National Park Service ranger tours and buildings for the Klondike Gold Rush park.

[notentirelynormal]

Thanks everyone for your thoughts so far. I will check out each and every one. The cruise is a done deal. Paid for already. RVing is not my idea of a fun trip. :eek: I just need to figure out what to do in these 3 ports. I have over a year to figure it out but I'm looking for experiences others can share that did or didn't work.

 

I know I have to do a lot of research which is why I'm starting her on CC. Okay, I did a bunch of reading here before I asked, then went on a search engine and found a bunch more info. There is not a doubt in my mind that no matter what I pick I will get positive and negative comments on whatever we plan on doing. That is what I want. After I get responses I will check out each experiences and decide if it will work or not. I don't mind going silly in one port and cheap in the others.

 

For example, the post about the train being boring after a while is what kind of opinion I am looking for. Someone who has actually been there, done that with kids.

 

The parents know the date, that is it. All other details will be left to me. Just like all the cruises they have taken with me over the years. They just show up. As the time gets closer I will probably ask the kids some ideas but since they really have no idea what they want to do they really can't have much opinion.

 

I want them to go back home and when they are in school be able to say - hey I was there. I walked through that store or walked on that glacier or panned for gold.

 

These kids are adventurous. The older ones have done quite a lot. They have driven the Fire Boat in LA, been in parades, musical plays, ridden on most fire vehicles. The younger ones haven't quite done as much but they have had their own adventures with mom and dad that include a lot of play acting roles. None of them want for anything. The toughest will be the 2nd to oldest who is borderline autistic. She can go either way.

[TheCalicoCat]

When we sailed with my 4.5 year old son, in Skagway we booked a car tour (beyond Skagway with Becky) & thoroughly enjoyed the drive. She stopped where ever we wanted & she had some idea on where to stop. (Flat fee for all in the car. Similar but different views to the train.)

 

Ketchikan we just walked around town.

 

Juneau we hiked a bit at Mendenhall.

DSCF8195 by Amy S, on Flickr

 

Our next trip will be 14-nights on HAL. Our son will be 8.5 at the time & we want to see bears so in Ketchikan we are taking a flight to Anan Creek. In Juneau, we have quite a few ideas... A return to Mendenhall - for a comparison photo & more hiking. Hiking on Mt. Roberts (I think my son will like the tram). or possibly a whale watch tour (though that is a possibility in Icy Straight Point as well...)

Edited March 14, 2016 by TheCalicoCat

[willtravel8090]

We (my husband, mil and I) went with our daughter 4 yrs ago when she was 7 and she had a great time! We wanted a great experience but had to watch our spending.

 

In Juneau we visited Mendenhall and hiked in the forest.... This was prob her least favorite but that may have been my need for a picture at every turn [emoji6].

 

In Skagway we took the train into the Yukon and got take a cart ride with the sled dogs. She still talks about it to this day. It was our most expensive excursion but worth every penny. She loved the train especially going outside on the platform and adored the puppies.

 

In Ketchikan we took a Duck ride tour which is on one of those amphibious vehicles. She actually picked that excursion. Which if you are ok asking your grandkids you might get some ideas from them. We all enjoyed the Duck ride it was interesting and exciting as we got to see around 50 eagles flying and landing around the water.

 

It was not a port but I would also recommend getting them to go to the kids program on the ship. She made some great friends and learned a lot especially during the scenic cruising portion.

 

As for your granddaughter who is borderline Autistic just make sure to prep her as much as possible and make sure she has a comfort item available. Our daughter also has some spectrum needs and with enough pre information and her lovey we were golden![emoji4]

 

Hope this helps and have fun. We will be returning to Alaska this year on a cruise with our daughter, friends and their son... We can't wait! ENJOY!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[mapleleaves]

Family trip report/photojournal from 2014. 2 kids, 9 and 2 1/2.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2076940

[disneyochem]

On our first trip to Alaska, girls were 10 and 12.

Skagway--train and dog sled. They loved it! Still talk about the puppies!

 

Juneau--whale watching and mendenhall glacier. They enjoyed the glacier visitor center and hike the most. Actually used information/photos for classroom presentations. We're from California so whale watching was not that exciting to them as we have done whale watching in San Diego and Half Moon Bay.

 

Ketchikan--hands down the lumberjack show. We did kayaking and the show. DH and I thought show was a little hokey but the girls loved it!

 

Whatever you decide to do, they will love and remember the special memories with their grandparents! Enjoy your planning.

[disneyochem]

Also wanted to comment on the train ride in Skagway. We did the train after the dog sled cart and BBQ lunch. The girls were pretty much on scenery overload--pretty but they were done. They actually took naps on the ride back to town. My suggestion would to do the train early in the day--after the excitement of the dogs, the train was a little bit of a letdown for them.