Kids on Board? Alaska cruise in July or August

[skynight]

On 1/19/2021 at 5:06 PM, Roberto256 said:

 

And, I don't think Princess has said, but I would be very surprised if they open the kids clubs.

Those could easily be lawsuit and virus epicenters.

 

This is a good point especially for a 2021 cruise in Alaska or anywhere.

[Castaway Cowgirl]

We will be on an August Alaska cruise with 3 kids.  They are generally well behaved, but they are kids. I agree that kids clubs will be limited capacity, so kids will be more visible.  I think the last week of August will have less kids. September probably almost none.

[cruisequeen4ever]

Though Princess isn’t a huge cruise line for kids, July AK cruises are a popular time and region for sailing with kids. The beginning of August would still have kids, but many school districts start back mid-August now, so anytime after that should be calmer.

[donaldsc]

4 hours ago, cruisequeen4ever said:

Though Princess isn’t a huge cruise line for kids, July AK cruises are a popular time and region for sailing with kids. The beginning of August would still have kids, but many school districts start back mid-August now, so anytime after that should be calmer.

 

Every one of the few Princess cruises that I have been on has had lots of kids and also apparently a good kids program.  Why do you say that?

 

DON

 

[Iamcruzin]

On 1/17/2021 at 9:17 PM, memoak said:

Until Canada and the US of open the borders there will not be any Alaskan cruises 

To add SAGA cruises an adult cruise line are requiring covid vaccinations. If this is carried out to other cruise lines there won't be any kids on board since they don't qualify to be vaccinated.  OP didn't mention what year they booked or want to book but if it's this year it's not happening.

Edited January 23, 2021 by Iamcruzin

[Coral]

1 hour ago, Iamcruzin said:

To add SAGA cruises an adult cruise line are requiring covid vaccinations. If this is carried out to other cruise lines there won't be any kids on board since they don't qualify to be vaccinated.  OP didn't mention what year they booked or want to book but if it's this year it's not happening.

Clinical trials are going on now. It is just a matter of time.

[donaldsc]

4 hours ago, CarelessAndConfused said:

 

Probably because unlike Princess (which I'm sure has a fair amount of kids mostly during summer), other cruise lines have things on their ships like:

 

-go cart racing

-zip line courses

-aerial walking courses

-miniature golf courses

-water slide parks

-full blown arcades

-teen discos

 

and various other such kid attractions that are rare or non-existent on Princess.

 

The only Princess cruises that I have ever taken is 3 cruises w grandkids to AK.  Every one of my grandkids gets taken to AK when they are 10.  On each of those cruises, there were many kids and most of them appeared to be more interested in the wonders of AK as opposed to go cart racing, zip line courses, aerial walking courses, etc.  My grandkids spent most of their time on deck watching the scenery.  In fact, on one cruise my granddaughter noted that some of the adult passengers were in the spa area where you really can't see stuff while we went through Glacier Bay and she commented that those people were really stupid (her words, not mine) for missing all the scenery.  Smart kid!!

 

DON

[alikaalex]

4 hours ago, Coral said:

Clinical trials are going on now. It is just a matter of time.

This is true, but I don't think a vaccine for the under-16 set is on the immediate horizon. (We were recently asked if our daughter would want to join the clinical trial, so at least one kids' vaccine is still gathering participants.) I guess it will depend on whether and which cruise lines establish a vaccine requirement to embark on a sailing.

[skynight]

On 1/22/2021 at 11:20 PM, donaldsc said:

 

Every one of the few Princess cruises that I have been on has had lots of kids and also apparently a good kids program.  Why do you say that?

 

DON

 

Certain itineraries and shorter cruises, one week or less, have more youth on board. If you book Alaska and itineraries sailing during school vacation periods you will find more families and youth. Longer cruises and cruises during the school year barely have youth on board.  This past February, just before the shutdown, we sailed three 10 day cruises b2b2b on the Crown. Probably less than 50 youth on any of these voyages. We have been on many Princess cruises with just a hand full of children on board.

[stevenr597]

Many years ago, we took our two children, now grown up, on the Coral Princess, tour of Alaska.  Few children on board, but they had a great time; have never forgotten the trip. 

[Farts]

On 1/17/2021 at 10:33 PM, Smokeyham said:

Thanks for the responses.   223 kids on your August, 2019 southbound seems like quite a few.   Did you notice their presence very much?

How did you know exactly how many kids there were?

[Smokeyham]

1 minute ago, Farts said:

How did you know exactly how many kids there were?

On my Princess Alaska cruise they posted the number of kids in each age group at the sign in place for kids activities.  I don't remember the age ranges they used for each group, but it was interesting to see the numbers.

[Farts]

4 minutes ago, Smokeyham said:

On my Princess Alaska cruise they posted the number of kids in each age group at the sign in place for kids activities.  I don't remember the age ranges they used for each group, but it was interesting to see the numbers.

wow. that's kind of creepy. lol

 

I am surprised so many kids are on a AL cruise. The last time I went, the average age was 65 

[memoak]

34 minutes ago, Farts said:

How did you know exactly how many kids there were?

Just ask the captains circle person

[MJSailors]

    Under the present circumstances with the pandemic we are experiencing, it may be  a moot consideration when considering booking a Princess Alaskan cruise on the basis of how many children may be on such a cruise. There are many questions concerning  the feasibility of a start up to cruises for the 2021 season for Alaskan cruises. 

      Such questions would most likely include the necessity of a requirement for proof of vaccinations  for all passengers,including those under the age of 16. At present, such a vaccine does not exist. Given the recent difficulties associated with the vaccine distribution to those groups initially targeted to receive the vaccine now, it seems that it will be quite a bit of time until vaccinations are successfully distributed to the entire adult population of the US and other countries. This situation alone may cause any cruises slated for the Spring and Summer of 2021 to be cancelled or not to be scheduled.

     A few posters have mentioned the closure of the border between Canada and the US. If such a ruling continues for most of 2021, Alaskan round trip cruises would not be a possibility because the ships need to visit a foreign port before returning to one of the home ports of Seattle, LA or San Francisco. Victoria BC serves as such a port for a majority of cruises visiting Alaska.Unless the cruise lines find a loophole to this regulation, cruise companies would be in violation of the law if the ships were not welcome to a Canadian port.

       Hopefully,in the following months of 2021, infection rates world wide will stabilize and be greatly reduced from the numbers we are seeing now. IMHO,  cruise lines will not resume cruises where mass infections could occur such as those that affected the Diamond Princess and other ships last year at the beginning of the Covid-19 spread. No company wants to experience infections and quarantines affecting thousands of passengers again.

         With all this to consider, questioning the amount of children passengers on a particular ship for a particular cruise is likened to the expression ,”putting the cart before the horse” . IMHO, there are other more significant factors to consider when booking a future cruise during this time of dealing with Covid-19.

 

[Incognito1]

We've done two on RCCL and two on Princess.  Definitely more kids on RCCL.  The only unruly ones we noticed were in the main dining room on Princess, and the headwaiter took care of it rather rapidly. 

Edited January 25, 2021 by Incognito1

[Canadianmama3]

I hate to burst everyone’s bubble.  But cruises to Alaska, stopping in Canada won’t be happening in 2021.  They are talking about how mass vaccination here won’t be done until September, and that doesn’t include kids.   They won’t open up for cruise ships. 
 

Yes I know people argue the communities depend on cruises.  But really the economies of Vancouver and Victoria are not “dependent” on cruise ships.  Do they help? Yes.  But it’s not everything and not worth the risk.  They are looking at imposing more travel restrictions to Canada.  Not reducing them. 

[caribill]

9 hours ago, Canadianmama3 said:

I hate to burst everyone’s bubble.  But cruises to Alaska, stopping in Canada won’t be happening in 2021. 

But really the economies of Vancouver and Victoria are not “dependent” on cruise ships.  Do they help? Yes.  But it’s not everything and not worth the risk.  

 

Alaska ports do depend on cruise ships.

 

So if Alaska wants cruises this year, it can work with the US Congress to get an exemption for just 2021 to suspend the foreign port requirement for cruise ships that are round-trip USA.

 

Obviously the one week one-way Alaska cruises from or to Vancouver would not be possible this year.

[billco]

5 hours ago, caribill said:

 

Alaska ports do depend on cruise ships.

 

So if Alaska wants cruises this year, it can work with the US Congress to get an exemption for just 2021 to suspend the foreign port requirement for cruise ships that are round-trip USA.

 

Obviously the one week one-way Alaska cruises from or to Vancouver would not be possible this year.

President Biden Reiterates Support for the Jones Act, Potentially Impacting Cruises

https://www.cruisecritic.com/news/5842/

Edited January 26, 2021 by billco

[pms4104]

1 hour ago, billco said:

President Biden Reiterates Support for the Jones Act, Potentially Impacting Cruises

https://www.cruisecritic.com/news/5842/

The Jones Act is not applicable here

[billco]

1 hour ago, pms4104 said:

The Jones Act is not applicable here

Hmm. Maybe that is why CC pulled the article.

[donaldsc]

10 hours ago, caribill said:

 

Alaska ports do depend on cruise ships.

 

So if Alaska wants cruises this year, it can work with the US Congress to get an exemption for just 2021 to suspend the foreign port requirement for cruise ships that are round-trip USA.

 

Obviously the one week one-way Alaska cruises from or to Vancouver would not be possible this year.

 

I know that we all want to get on a ship but considering all the other things that Congress has to deal w this year, modifying the foreign port requirement is not a really high priority.  

 

DON

[nini]

4 hours ago, pms4104 said:

The Jones Act is not applicable here

Why is it not applicable? I have read numerous threads with detailed

explanations of this.

 

Jones Act and the PVSA

The Jones Act applies to vessels carrying merchandise from one U.S. port to another. If a ship will move merchandise between U.S. ports it must be built, owned, and a documented vessel. So, if a ship is moving goods within the U.S., they must abide by all U.S. maritime laws. 

The Passenger Vessel Services Act (PVSA) applies to cruise ships because cruise ships move passengers. The PVSA prevents a ship from taking passengers from one U.S. port and dropping them off or having them exit the ship in another port. The only way a cruise ship can do this is to be registered in the U.S. and fall under all U.S. maritime laws. 

[Smokeyham]

This is a bit off-topic for a thread about the number of the number of children on board of Alaskan cruises, but there have been some interesting ideas posted about the possibility of a temporary amendment to the Passenger Services Vessel Act (PVSA) to allow for Alaska cruises that do not stop at Canadian ports (which seem unlikely to allow cruises to berth in 2021).

 

A number of countries are trying to restart cruising by permitting cruises that  are only available residents of their countries (i.e. around-Britain cruises for the British or cruises only for German citizens/residents).  

 

Temporarily (for 2021) removing the requirement for a foreign-port stop might save the 2021 Alaska cruising season, which does seem to be valuable to Alaskan ports.   Cruise ships could bypass the Canadian ports.

 

 

 

 

[pms4104]

17 hours ago, nini said:

Why is it not applicable? I have read numerous threads with detailed

explanations of this.

 

Jones Act and the PVSA

The Jones Act applies to vessels carrying merchandise from one U.S. port to another. If a ship will move merchandise between U.S. ports it must be built, owned, and a documented vessel. So, if a ship is moving goods within the U.S., they must abide by all U.S. maritime laws. 

The Passenger Vessel Services Act (PVSA) applies to cruise ships because cruise ships move passengers. The PVSA prevents a ship from taking passengers from one U.S. port and dropping them off or having them exit the ship in another port. The only way a cruise ship can do this is to be registered in the U.S. and fall under all U.S. maritime laws. 

Because the Jones 

 

Act applies to cargo not cruise ships ... as your cited info indicates