Opinions on a Alaska Cruise with Teenagers- 2025?

[NotACruiseFanButIDoIt]

I am currently looking into a large family trip (50th wedding anniversary) with grandparents, parents and teenage kids (middle & HS kids) for a cruise to Alaska in the summer 2025. 

We have only ever cruise on Disney and NCL.  What are your opinions on Alaska cruises? All opinions welcome. We are open to other cruise lines besides NCL , we also think the kids have outgrown Disney.     

We also have concerns about leaving out of Seattle (what we see on the news and online is not exactly appealing but we'll do it if we have to).  Pros/ Cons of Seattle vs Vancouver, etc.    Thanks!

[kitkat343]

The one way cruises leaving from Vancouver have stronger itineraries.  Doing a roundtrip from Seattle saves you the longer flight from Anchorage though.  

 

 Traditionally, HAL and Princess had the strongest programs in Alaska, and Princess is a great family line for if the kids can go without waterslides.  Princess brings puppies on board to play with, and has a naturalist to teach the kids about Alaskan wildlife.  We were really happy with our princess cruise.

 

RCL might be another good line if your kids want waterslides, and lots of other kid amenities.  

 

I'd be cautious with NCL because of the itinerary change issues but its totally up to you.

 

Edited May 11 by kitkat343

[KimA75]

We stayed in Seattle for our 2019 cruise.  Granted, that was several years ago, but I have relatives living there.  It is fine as long as you follow the standard rules while traveling- don't walk alone at night, etc, etc.  We thoroughly enjoyed Pike's Market and the Space Needle the day before the cruise.  It really is an amazing place.

 

We used Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas for the amenities on the ship since we had 9 & 5 year old boys.  I believe your kids would enjoy this ship as well.

 

Pros and cons that we immediately noticed:

   Flights in and out of Seattle were cheaper since it was not an international flight

   On a larger ship, and leaving from Seattle, the ports were not as intensive

   Plenty of activities to keep the kids busy on the cruise

 

While we had an amazing time and loved the ship, your kids are old enough to do a one way cruise, either north or south.  It means ending in a different port from where you started, so it could deeply impact flight costs.  However, the ports are better since the ship does not have to return to the same port.  It also means that you could include a land tour before or after the cruise, depending on which direction you are heading.  Smaller ships can get into ports that the larger ships cannot.  I admit, I am really looking forward to another one when I can do one direction and add a land tour.

 

So, it all depends on budget and what exactly you are looking forward to.  If the kids get bored easily, go with a larger ship that does a roundtrip out of Seattle.  This is also the better option if you are on a tighter budget.  If you have a larger budget and more time, go with a smaller ship, heading one direction, and throw in a land tour if possible.

 

Alaska was beautiful and our multigenerational group thoroughly enjoyed this trip.  I would have absolutely no hesitations on booking another cruise as I feel like there was still more we could do and see.