Alaska 'nother question

[mommymoose]

:') sorry .... bad pun!! Ok, so our family of 4- DH and I and 11 and 14 yo. kids would like to set sail for Alaska. We have sailed once on Carnival and basically said cruising's not for us.... we decided to give DCL a try.... and loved it. we have since done a few DCL voyages to the carribbean and really love it! We have decided on a vacation to Alaska next July and we're having trouble deciding on which cruise line to book with- DCL is comfortable to us, but it is so high priced. We wouldn't have room in our budget for all the cool excursions. The only other ships we are considering based on dates and itinerary are RCCL Radiance of the seas and NCL Jewel... compared to DCL wonder, these ships seem so boring! I know thats not the purpose of an Alaska trip, which is why we are even having this debate- But although there is much to see and do while in port, there are still whole days of sailing that will be spent on board. I feel like RCCL and NCL either don't offer a ton of options for the kids on these ships or they charge extra for them... so have you been in this position and what have you done? I won't do Alaska without fun port adventures, it's like staying in a hotel and not leaving. not for us!! we looked at the RCL ovation, which is a great ship but not an itinerary we are interested in as much.

have looked at princess as well and i guess that's on the table, anything else we could consider?? We are not doing a cruise-tour with land portion as our budget does not allow that AND port adventures. so....

[Kamloops50]

:') sorry .... bad pun!! Ok, so our family of 4- DH and I and 11 and 14 yo. kids would like to set sail for Alaska. We have sailed once on Carnival and basically said cruising's not for us.... we decided to give DCL a try.... and loved it. we have since done a few DCL voyages to the carribbean and really love it! We have decided on a vacation to Alaska next July and we're having trouble deciding on which cruise line to book with- DCL is comfortable to us, but it is so high priced. We wouldn't have room in our budget for all the cool excursions. The only other ships we are considering based on dates and itinerary are RCCL Radiance of the seas and NCL Jewel... compared to DCL wonder, these ships seem so boring! I know thats not the purpose of an Alaska trip, which is why we are even having this debate- But although there is much to see and do while in port, there are still whole days of sailing that will be spent on board. I feel like RCCL and NCL either don't offer a ton of options for the kids on these ships or they charge extra for them... so have you been in this position and what have you done? I won't do Alaska without fun port adventures, it's like staying in a hotel and not leaving. not for us!! we looked at the RCL ovation, which is a great ship but not an itinerary we are interested in as much.

have looked at princess as well and i guess that's on the table, anything else we could consider?? We are not doing a cruise-tour with land portion as our budget does not allow that AND port adventures. so....

 

Before you even start to look at cruise lines . Determine whether you want to spend sometime exploring Alaska.

need to decide which departure port (settle or Vancouver).

Cruises from Seattle normally have longer port times because of no stop in Victoria.

Keep in mind Alaska is the primary reason and the ship is secondary (moving hotel).

[celoplyr]

Why do those ships seem boring to you? I loved the Radiance (full disclosure: I have no children, but I felt like there was a TON of activities for kids/teens). Is it a real feel or something that’s just unfamiliar (for instance my parents went from RCL to Carnival... they were surprised that Carnival ended up having their favorite drink of both lines).

 

 

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[mommymoose]

thanks!! I guess it seems boring because i don't see much online about the things to do for kids- i looked at daily navigators, or whatever they are called respectively and couldn't see much that would be exciting to our kids- coupled with reviews that weren't glowing, we got worried!! I agree that its a hotel first, and we are there for the scenery though!! we would like a cruise from Vancouver, and we would like to explore Alaska while in ports, but i don't think we will be adding on a land portion at this time... our budget isn't able to accommodate both port adventures and the land tours.

[darwinsrule]

Love DCL. Wonder was our first ship, and will always be our first love. But the way DCL prices have gone since 2010, and given that we limited as to when we can cruise (DW is a teacher), the fact that we can do multiple vacations for the price of a single DCL cruise made us start to look in other directions. And we are glad we did.

 

Based upon the ship selection I assume you are doing a one way either North or South to get maximum Alaska. Honestly if you are that concerned about the kids being bored then you need to look towards one of the new ships. Our first non-DCL was NCL Dawn to Bermuda. Didn't like the ship, loved the overall cruise experience (it was Bermuda). Next non-DCL was NCL Getaway. Honestly the only ship I think we have enjoyed more was the Fantasy. Loved it so much we did it in 2014 and '15 (and had it booked for this week but DD14 started high school orientation). NCL has Bliss and Joy running out of Seattle doing RT. Royal has Ovation but the itinerary in my mind isn't as good as what NCL has. Royal Princess will be doing the North/South run from Vancouver and Whittier. They will look pretty and have all the bells and whistles. If they don't keep the kids interested feed them to a bear on one of the stops :)

 

Personally we did Carnival Legend last summer with one of the few Glacier Bay intineraries they had. The ship looked like the love child of a '70's era Vegas casino and a cruise ship, but honestly it was one of the most amazing family vacations we have taken. DD's were 9 and 13 and were asking when we could go back when we were getting off the ship. Turns out the answer is summer 2019. We have Jewel booked late August doing the southbound itinerary. Plan is to spend a couple of days in Anchorage and Seward precruise, couple in Vancouver post. Can't wait.

[epixx]

If the ships are boring, have you considered skipping the cruise and just doing the land tour?

[Northern Aurora]

If the ships are boring, have you considered skipping the cruise and just doing the land tour?

 

I am pondering the same issue -- perhaps this family should just do a DIY land trip.

[kawagama]

It also sounds to me as though you would be happier doing a DIY land tour. We did a two week road trip through the Yukon a few years ago and loved it! Rent yourselves one of those campers that will accommodate your family and go where you want to go. Then you won't be wondering about the activities for kids on sea days, but can create your own along the way. And, depending on how you organize your trip, take in the Yukon if you can.

[Gardyloo]

With a family of four I suspect that budget will be a restricting factor on a land tour v. a round trip cruise from Vancouver. Counting air transport, vehicle rental, food, lodging (if not in an RV) and miscellaneous costs, it's hard to beat a cruise on a per-person basis.

 

Two thoughts for the OP. First, don't underestimate the options for fun experiences during port calls that don't require shelling out hundreds of dollars for the ship's excursions. Just for an example, in Ketchikan you can ride the city bus for a couple of bucks to the Totem Bight State Park to see numerous totem poles, walk through cool rain forest, etc. Or take the bus the other way and visit the Native village of Saxman, also with totem poles and fascinating glimpses into Tlingit culture.

 

Or in Skagway, leave the (big) crowds behind by renting a car and driving up into the Yukon. Visit the Carcross desert, a strange subarctic sand dune zone, then drive past (pretty but not earth-shattering) Emerald Lake to the Robinson Roadhouse ghost town, which you'll probably have to yourselves, except for the marmots who will protest your every step.

 

Just sayin', you don't need to spend a fortune in SE Alaska to have a great time.

 

OR, consider a land tour, but not in Alaska. Think about renting a cabin or condo in Whistler, the ski resort north of Vancouver (site of the 2010 Winter Olympics.) Because it's built for winter crowds, family accommodation is plentiful and relatively inexpensive in the summer. And for active families there are few better places - hikes, fishing, bikes, wildlife, ziplines, water activities... all in incredibly beautiful surroundings at the top of the "Sea to Sky" Highway. It's a pretty wonderful area. https://www.whistler.com/summer/

[door60]

We just came back from a cruise to Alaska, and I've got to say, if I were to do it again, I would just do the land portion of the trip -- no cruise. I think you miss a lot by going on a cruise, and there is a lot of at sea time. Honestly, this was the first trip I have ever been on where I had the time to do laundry!

[donaldsc]

:') sorry .... bad pun!! Ok, so our family of 4- DH and I and 11 and 14 yo. kids would like to set sail for Alaska. We have sailed once on Carnival and basically said cruising's not for us.... we decided to give DCL a try.... and loved it. we have since done a few DCL voyages to the carribbean and really love it! We have decided on a vacation to Alaska next July and we're having trouble deciding on which cruise line to book with- DCL is comfortable to us, but it is so high priced. We wouldn't have room in our budget for all the cool excursions. The only other ships we are considering based on dates and itinerary are RCCL Radiance of the seas and NCL Jewel... compared to DCL wonder, these ships seem so boring! I know thats not the purpose of an Alaska trip, which is why we are even having this debate- But although there is much to see and do while in port, there are still whole days of sailing that will be spent on board. I feel like RCCL and NCL either don't offer a ton of options for the kids on these ships or they charge extra for them... so have you been in this position and what have you done? I won't do Alaska without fun port adventures, it's like staying in a hotel and not leaving. not for us!! we looked at the RCL ovation, which is a great ship but not an itinerary we are interested in as much.

have looked at princess as well and i guess that's on the table, anything else we could consider?? We are not doing a cruise-tour with land portion as our budget does not allow that AND port adventures. so....

 

First of all, I find it difficult to believe that considering all the cruises that they do to AK, there isn't something on Princess or HAL that meets or comes close to your needs.

 

Second, you go to AK for what is outside of the ship and not is what is on the ship and even if you are not in port, there is lots to see outside.

 

Third and with regard to your desire to do AK on DCL, are you going to AK to see AK or to see a bunch of Disney characters on a ship?

 

Fourth, we took our 10 year old granddaughter to AK on Princess. She took one look at the kids club activities, pronounced them all dumb and said that she was in AK to see AK and not to play silly games and to eat pizza. She spent all of her time on deck seeing AK. One smart kid.

 

I know why I go to AK and it is not to see a bunch of Disney characters.

 

DON

Edited September 1, 2018 by donaldsc

[smithop]

Save your money and wait until the kids are out of the house. Alaska cruises are higher priced than Carrib and much better enjoyed without kids for just the reasons you are concerned about, not enough to keep them entertained.

 

 

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[Coral]

I agree with the Whistler addition. While it was originally a winter ski destination, they now have more summer visitors due to the activities they have there. Very family friendly.

 

If you do a ship, I wouldn't focus too much on ship activities, just pick an itinerary with a lot of port days.

[Budget Queen]

Look at Each Alaska port and give the kids jobs with finding activities they’d like to do. Alaska is off the cruise ship and I’d give no priority to ship activities in preference over Alaska.

[creel5857]

First, Alaska to our family was much different than any other cruise we had been on. There is not the endless hours of pools, beaches and sun-fun activities ..........nor was it a trip with cathedrals and museums etc. It is a cruise about nature, wildlife, marine life and beautiful scenery. So first you need to see if that is a good fit for your family or no ship is going to fit the bill. Then, if your goal is to see Glacier Bay National Park you will have to go with ships that go there and only a few have permits each day. Beyond that you need to look at land excursions and see if there are ports with specific things you want to see as that will take several hours each day from start to finish. After you have discussed all this to make some decisions THEN you pick the best itinerary and then the best ship/price from there. We have been on 3 Alaskan cruises and loved all 3....but we made sure our family knew this was not a routine trip due to the expense and type of activities.

[wgeo]

Op - we are in a very similar situation. We have 2 kids 13 and 14 and have sailed DCL before and loved it, but we chose not to do DCL for Alaska for 2 reasons - obviously the price was way too high, and also we didn't like their itinerary very much. I did look at Princess and HAL but crossed them off the list because they aren't a good fit for our family. I want my kids to have access to a good kids area if they choose to use it and those ships do not get good reviews for teen programs, also overall the ships seem much "stuffier" than what I am looking for on vacation - just not right for us. I narrowed down our choices to NCL and RCCL. I liked the Norwegian Bliss, looked like it would be a good family fit - but in the end we decided that we wanted to see more of Alaska and we really like the itinerary of RCCL Radiance (the Ovation round trip didn't look great to us because of the lack of port stops - too much at sea time). I'm not 100% convinced that my kids are going to have "an amazing teen experience" on Radiance, I've seen daily teen activity lists and they're Okish I suppose, and I am dissapointed by the lack of family friendly evening activities that we would all enjoy doing together. But by choosing Radiance, which has a much much lower cost than other cruises we are able to plan really great port days. We have soo much planned for Vancouver and each of the ports that even if the kids end up having more "down time" on the few sea days that we have it will be just fine.

[pattyj 1204]

By the end of an Alaskan port day, you will have dinner, maybe the show and bed. It is hard to beat the scenery and the nature talks in the Theatre on sea days. We were on Celebrity twice to Alaska and loved both of our trips. But we both thought that the next time we would try and do a DIY land touring so we could see more of Alaska. We took a car rental in Skagway and had a great trip to the Yukon. I did walk about in Ketchikan and saw the salmon run both reasonable alternatives to the ship tours. My husband did a ship halibut fishing tour that he was disappointed in, but then it is called fishing and not catching for a reason. LOL The glaciers were awesome from the ship. We also saw some sea otters, whales, and eagles from the ship. We were out on deck a lot even though we had a balcony cabin, so you could cut costs by getting a non balcony cabin. Juneau is also easily done without a specific tour-- Ride the bus out to the Mendenhal glacier and spend as much time as you want, Ride the tram up the hill and go hiking. Those are just a few of the inexpensive outings you can have in Alaska. With a little research you can find more in other ports, but you will have to do some research, which the teens can help with. Have fun and enjoy Alaska. You won't regret the experience.

[TwinMamainMN]

We just got back 3 weeks ago from RCCL Radiance of the Seas northbound Vancouver to Seward. It was amazing. Our kids are 10, 10 and 6. We did an excursion in every port (all booked privately - none through RCCL) and had a blast! Our family will never forget being on a Deadliest Catch boat and seeing 30 eagles swoop in for fish in Ketchikan, watching humpback whales bubble net feed in Icy Strait Point (Hoonah), walking near a glacier and seeing over 1 million baby salmon in Juneau, riding a sled dog cart while on a tour from Skagway, or seeing Hubbard Glacier calve just 100 yards away. They loved Adventure Ocean during the few hours we were on the ship and not eating or sleeping.

 

Alaska days are long, especially if you get up and moving for early morning excursions or just ot get off the ship and explore. If your part times are long and you do excursions, you will be tired. We let our kids stay in AO most nights until 8:30 and then we were all exhausted. For us, the ship was perfect. A good size that we could get around easily, windows everywhere to enjoy the view, a good kids club that gave us some time alone to have a drink, read and relax. The food was good, the service was great.

 

We didn't need all the bells and whistles, nor did we miss them.

[Rode Warrior]

We booked a cruise on the Celebrity Millennium for next summer, and since then found out she will be in dry dock for refitting in January. The ship will feel brand new. I am not sure what they will have added or removed, but it should be nice. In our one week north bound, inside passage cruise, there are only two days at sea. Scenery I expect with be great. All of the ports have good opportunity to do stuff on your own. I don't think the children will be bored unless they are, shall I say, at the age of "unreasonability." All our children pass through those phases.

[abbiep]

Our first cruise was DCL and our 2nd to Alaska was NCL Jewel. It no where near compares to DCL in my opinion. We set the bar high to start with. It was okay but we didn't find a lot to do as a family during sea days. The ports where awesome though. We did the Deadliest Catch Excursion on our own and it was great. Very interesting to see how they actually catch the crab. We also saw lots of wildlife. We also did an excursion for viewing of the glaciers right off the ship. A boat picked us up from the ship and took us out to the glacier. We got a lot closer than the ship could get. It was amazing. At the end of the excursion we met back up with the ship and got back on. Our granddaughter was 12 at the time and was disappointed with the sea days.

[kochleffel]

Cruises from Seattle normally have longer port times because of no stop in Victoria.

 

Is that what you meant to say? Every Seattle itinerary that I've seen had a port stop in Victoria, and I think that this (or another port outside the U.S.) is required for ships not registered in the U.S., which is almost all of them. Many of the stops at Victoria are just a few hours in the evening, about enough for drinks and dinner but that might be all.

 

Cruises from Vancouver usually don't call at Victoria, but Vancouver is already outside the U.S.

[Coral]

Is that what you meant to say? Every Seattle itinerary that I've seen had a port stop in Victoria, and I think that this (or another port outside the U.S.) is required for ships not registered in the U.S., which is almost all of them. Many of the stops at Victoria are just a few hours in the evening, about enough for drinks and dinner but that might be all.

 

Cruises from Vancouver usually don't call at Victoria, but Vancouver is already outside the U.S.

 

I don't like sailing out of Seattle because the port times are shorter! I don't know what they mean.