Alaskan cruise with kids?

[welly01]

My mom turns 60 this year and she said she'd like to take an Alaskan cruise for her birthday. My mom has never taken a nice vacation and I would love to take her. But, DH and I have also both always wanted to take an Alaskan cruise. When I first mentioned it, DH said he would (begrudgingly) stay home with the kids.  But, I'd really like for us all to go.  Would we be absolutely crazy to try to take a cruise with young kids?  We would either go this summer or next summer.  DS is currently 5 1/2 and DD is 2 1/2.  My mom is our main babysitter and there's really no one else I'd leave the kids with for a week.

[yummmy]

It's definitely more money but you could possibly do Disney's Alaskan cruise. That would be a combination of both things, a great cruise to Alaska but also plenty for the kids to do. And they have amazing kids clubs/Nursery that you can leave the kids in to have adult time! We cruised when DS was 10.5 months old and will be cruising again when he is 4.5 years old and it went fine and are excited for the next one.

[sandandsea]

We are planning this for when the kids are a little older. I want them to be able to do the snow dog sledding excursion. but I think it’d be fine to take the kids, especially on Disney.

[judyblume14]

I don't have personal experience, but just this past weekend, I was talking to someone with a 5yo and a 2yo. They travel a lot and said that cruising with the kids is by far the best way to vacation - especially when the grandparents join them.

[sandandsea]

Feb 1, 2018 10:28:57 GMT -5 judyblume14 said:

I don't have personal experience, but just this past weekend, I was talking to someone with a 5yo and a 2yo. They travel a lot and said that cruising with the kids is by far the best way to vacation - especially when the grandparents join them.

We have looked into this a lot and really the kids have to be potty trained first. My kids are fish and Ds2 (1.5) would freak out if there was a pool and he couldn’t swim. After 3, it seems like the perfect way to do extended family trips. Separate rooms, separate activities, space, but dinner together.

[traveltheworld]

I have been on a few cruises and my parents, who are really into cruising, have done the Alaskan cruise 4 times, so here are my thoughts/tips:
- go when your youngest is at least 3 and potty-trained, otherwise she can't go into the main pool, even if she wears a swim diaper;
- unless you book a suite (very expensive), you'll likely need 2 rooms as each stateroom only sleeps 4; you pay a reduced fee for the 3rd and 4th persons in the room, regardless of whether that 3rd or 4th person is an adult or child. Different cruise lines have different reduced fees, but generally it's around 60 - 85% (of full price);
- everyone has their own preferences and budget, but I usually book either an ocean view or inside cabin; I generally just go to the cabin to sleep so I don't want to pay for the upgrade to balcony. And oftentimes on an Alaskan cruise, it gets a bit chilly to sit out on your balcony;
- if you go to Alaska, do not do the 7 day ones that leave and come back at the same port; you'll see a lot less. The better options are to either do a 14 day one or do a 7 day one and fly to/back one way (e.g. departs Vancouver/Seattle, gets to Anchorage, spend a few days in Anchorage and surrounding area, then fly back from Anchorage to Vancouver/Seattle);
- do tack on a few days' land excursions at Anchorage - Alaska is beautiful in the summer and really worth seeing;
- I think cruises are great for kids - it's like an all-inclusive in that there are plenty of on-board activities, kids' clubs, unlimited food, etc. It'll make for a very "easy" vacation;
- depending on what you like, each cruise line has a different "vibe". Do not cruise Holland America as the average age would be 70. We've found that Royal Caribbean or Princess to be good. Royal Caribbean usually has more fun activities and trends a bit younger than the Princess, but the Princess has better food. Celebrity is also very nice, but generally more expensive and I find that the age of the kids tend to be older (more teens). I'd avoid Carnival as I find the ships and food to be sub-par. Honestly with little kids, I think either Royal Caribbean, Princess or Crystal would all be fine so I'd pick based on price and ports of call;

A website I use a lot is vacationstogo.com It shows you all the options and discounts. Once I find something I like there, I call my cruise lady (representative from Expedia Cruise Centre), and she can generally match or beat the price found on vacationstogo. You should book 4 - 6 months in advance to ensure the best cabin selection, and can keep watching the prices. Generally you only have to pay a refundable deposit up until 3 months before departure, so if you find something else significantly cheaper, you can always change your booking.

Good luck and let me know if you have any other questions! I love vacation-planning

[welly01]

traveltheworld, thank you for your insight. I will definitely ask for advice when we get closer to actually booking a cruise.

[sandandsea]

Check out cruisecritic.com too. The boards there are amazing.

[sdlaura]

I’ve heard great things about the Disney Alaska cruises. A friend of mine is in her 50s, no kids, and travels all the time to fancy destinations, and she has loved the Disney cruises she’s been on with a friend and her kids. So it seems like they would even work for people without small children.

[erinshelley21]

We went on an Alaskan cruise a few years ago and DS was 18 months old. Our nieces were 5 and 8. They all did well. The only part of the trip that I didn't like was the land portion. We did a land and sea tour so we stayed at different lodges with Princess the last 3 days. It was hard with children.

The nieces were able to go to the kids club for a couple hours at a time and do different activities with that. They do crafts, scavenger hunts, play games, etc. DS couldn't because they have to be 3.

So, I think your kids would be totally fine, especially if they are both going to be old enough for the kids club. There are plenty of excursions that are entertaining for kids as well. We did one that we got to see where the sledding dogs were and even play with the puppies.

It was probably my favorite vacation I've been on if I take the land part out of the equation. We went in June and the weather was perfect.