REVIEW: Star Northbound to Alaska with Kids in a family suite

[Apexgal]

Seward - our last day

To tell you how fast the weather can change in Alaska - we went from wearing our heavy coats and long underwear every day since Vancouver to actually wearing short sleeves on this day! Ok - it was by the afternoon and I had a fleece on until about noon but it was downright warm!

This was my birthday and I had a day packed of activities for our last full day. First up Turning Head Kennels for their 9 am summer dogsled tour (they were a top 10 finisher). In Seward, the big outfit is Seavey's dog sled - they are everywhere and that's where the cruise ships go with the big tour busses. Thanks to TripAdvisor, we opted for a more personalized experience and it could not have been better. Highly recommend!!! There was just 1 other family when we arrived and its a pretty laid back operation.

We played with the big dogs, snuggled the puppies, asked lots of questions about the race, saw all the equipment and then saddled up the team. What I think made the difference is it wasn't like you have 5 minutes here, then 5 minutes here, then we have to go here. It was more like someone had invited you over for dinner and you were there to learn and chat. The kids wanted more time with the puppies and were more interested in that than learning about the race, so they snuggled puppies while we gained information. The ride was fun and fast and while I was initially trying to keep the kids quiet, the musher said nope - let them scream and giggle all they want. They are purposely training the dogs to block out noise.

Now - let's be clear - its a working dog sled kennel. There is poop (though they do a good job of keeping it clean). Dogs have muddy paws. They do jump. You will get dirty. They are on chains around their houses but those were the happiest dogs and all with distinct personalities.

After this we made a quick stop at Safeway to pick up picnic supplies. Are you keeping track - pretty sure this was grocery store trip #4 for this vacation (EEK!). But it was significantly cheaper and more fun to eat fried chicken and peaches overlooking a glacier than sitting down for a long lunch.

Exit Glacier is quite close to Seward (about 15 minutes or so) so we headed up there to do a little "easy" hike. They had said it was a little over a 2 mile round trip easy hike. Let's just start by saying - they have a different version of "easy" where I live. This apparently was "easy" by Alaska standards. I'd say more moderate as it wasn't flat trail the whole way - it required some scampering over rocks. Not for someone with mobility issues. My kids however are part mountain goat.

Lots of rangers everywhere working along the way to give stories and point out interesting facts (which make for excellent rest breaks for those of you who aren't part mountain goat). The trail was also marked with the years so you could see how far the glacier had receded. Where we stood was close to where it was when my eldest was born and that really hit home for him.

The hike is part through the forest but then opens up to more like walking on the moon with no greenery anywhere. We had hiking boots and I'm glad we did. And for this - we wore short sleeves!

After our hike it was time to head back to Anchorage. This time we made it in about 3 hours rather than the 8 it took us to get there. We stopped a few times along the way but nothing crazy. Highly recommend an ice cream stop at the turn off for Girdwood.

Back in Anchorage, we made a quick stop at the Ulu factory for me to pick up a little gift to myself. I had wanted to pick up a knife in Juneau but didn't want the hassle of checking a knife on board. If you have kids that you are still cutting up their meat for them - an Ulu will change your life!

We checked into the Courtyard Marriott next to the airport (fantastic and recently renovated) and showered and had reservations at the Glacier Brewhouse downtown. It was more touristy than I expected but honestly we were tired and I didn't have a fancy birthday dinner in me. The place was huge but packed and I was glad we had made reservations. The food was good and the kids liked that their dinner came with dessert.

Back to the hotel for an early wake up call for our 6 am uneventful flight.

Overall - it was a great vacation but I do feel like I've seen Alaska and maybe will go back there one day but there are too many other places to explore. I'm definitely glad we stayed and got to experience Alaska outside of just the cruise as I feel that was really the best part of the trip and added so much to it.

The kids impression - they really liked Alaska - but they like to travel just about anywhere. I asked if they preferred this or a trip to Disneyworld. They said they would prefer something like this as long as I kept the kid friendly activities (like the dog sledding) in the mix and they would prefer not to go on Princess again (they were really not a fan of the kids club). My son however is now angling for the Norwegian Bliss with the go cart track...

[Apexgal]

Thanks for reading....appreciate all the comments. We like to travel and I hope I'm teaching my kids to love to experience new places. I get a lot out of these reviews and I'm usually searching for any kid information I can glean so anytime I can give back kid info I'm happy to.

 

Happy to answer any questions!

 

Also - if you are thinking about Europe - I did a similar in-depth review on Celebrity for our med cruise here 2 years ago (very kid centric): https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2392798

[ceilidh1]

Thanks for reading....appreciate all the comments. We like to travel and I hope I'm teaching my kids to love to experience new places. I get a lot out of these reviews and I'm usually searching for any kid information I can glean so anytime I can give back kid info I'm happy to.

 

Happy to answer any questions!

 

Also - if you are thinking about Europe - I did a similar in-depth review on Celebrity for our med cruise here 2 years ago (very kid centric): https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2392798

 

Thanks again for this amazing review. I have enjoyed reading your honest, thoughtful comments and appreciate that it didn't come over as "Princess Bashing" - many who have any sort negative experience tend to be so critical and judgemental. You did not (despite MANY issues onboard!) You simply stated the facts, stated your opinions, and provided valuable information for lots of us who travel with kids. Thank You again for taking the time!