giselleacttwo

We've did the 28 day LA-Tahiti-LA on Princess in 2013 with a 3 year old and will be doing it again this year with a 2 year old. It's a very relaxing itinerary with lots of sea days, which we love.

We always tip if our kids spend time in the kids' center. Their days and contracts are very long, and a little something to thank them for their time and attention is always appreciated.

Our cruise was in the middle of the public school year, so there were only about a dozen kids under the age of 18 (including my three), but they still had an amazing time! We were on Princess.

We did a 28 Day South Pacific/Hawaii (we also homeschool). It was amazing! 19 days at sea, 9 in port. At the time we had three kids, ages 10, 8, and 2. Would not hesitate to do an itinerary that long again.

If you can afford a balcony, get a balcony. Even my much older children have difficulty opening the balcony door. Napping kids in inside cabins just are not fun for parents.

Oh, and in Canada my kids' favorite activity was going to the grocery store and buying Canadian candy. I think the candy and the potato chip aisle (for novel flavors and varieties) are always a top destination for my kids whenever we travel out of the country.

Thanks for the ideas and suggestion! I feel like I have a starting point now. Although I'd love any ideas anyone else has too.

 

My 3-almost-4-year old really enjoyed the Mt. Roberts Tramway (we rode it a couple of times because she wanted to do it again, and it's an all day pass) as well as the Lumberjack Show in Ketchikan. I brought a stroller for her baby brother, but I wish I'd brought one for her. Even as close as the stuff was to walk to, she complained pretty bitterly about walking when he could ride.

At the top of the Mt. Roberts Tramway there's an injured bald eagle on display, as well as a cool bald eagle nest my kids loved climbing in (it's huge).

We took the train in Skagway, but my daughter stayed on the ship in the kids' club. At that price, I don't think she would have enjoyed it enough to justify paying for her. It was great for my older kids (10 and 12).

We were on Princess for Father's Day this year and didn't notice anything special going on.

I just thought that I would post this as an FYI.

 

It was a good thing my SILs had their forms. Both SILs were asked to provide a travel consent form when they checked in for RC's Navigator of the Seas June 7 sailing from Galveston. If they hadn't brought the form, they would have had to get their exes to fax a form to the pier or risk being denied boarding.

 

Apparently the cruise line does occasionally ask for the form.

Yes! I didn't even know these were a thing, until I heard about them here on CC. I just did an Alaska cruise with my four kids while dad stayed home to pay for the cruise, and it's a good thing I had it. I was asked twice for the paper, once upon entering Vancouver, and the second time going back into the U.S. after a train trip into Canada from Skagway. My sister also brought her kids, no father, and she was questioned even more heavily than I was at immigration.

The cruise line itself never did ask for it from either of us, but if we do travel in the future without the kids' dad I know I will be bringing it along.

I know what you mean, but the day will come that they go from blue to black overnight!

Gee our kids are lucky!

My kids don't like that they stay blue either. Especially my older one, because he would be Platinum right now and mom doesn't share her free internet minutes! :eek: :cool:

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Recent Mocktail menu. As others have posted, they will make a virgin version of almost any drink.

The listed mocktails are good (my favorite being the chococobanana). I also really like the virgin strawberry daiquiris and pina coladas. My kids like Shirley Temples as well (cherry sprite).

My sister just got this upgrade offer too and jumped on it. It bumped her from an outside Emerald deck to a Caribe "Premium" Balcony. Well worth it.

The Inside Passage is visited on both one way (Vancouver to Whittier) and RT out of Seattle itineraries. You will have rougher waters just out of Seattle until you get to the Inside Passage. (Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, etc.) :cool:

Also, we sailed last when my daughter was 2 and not old enough for the kids club. Her favorite activity was afternoon tea. She loved it! She loved dressing up and all the little mini sandwiches, cookies, cakes, etc.

My kids love the Princess kids' programs, MUTS, the pools, the pizza, the International Cafe, and the buffet. We did a 28 day cruise with them and they were three of maybe a dozen kids on board. One of their favorite activities during the break between afternoon and evening kids programming was swimming with us and then grabbing pizza on deck before we took them back to the kids club for the evening while we grabbed dinner in the MDR. :cool:

We're investigating Alaskan cruises with a land tour package included. One package excludes Fairbanks and another excludes Talkeetna. Any suggestions for which one is a better stop?

I love Talkeetna a lot more than Fairbanks. I've been to both numerous times. On a clear day you get absolutely stunning views of the entire Alaska Range (including Mt. McKinley) from Talkeetna. While possible to see Mt. McKinley from Fairbanks, it is a far less common and not nearly as stunning a view. You can walk the main drag in Talkeetna in 10 minutes flat, but don't let that deter you. There are some good restaurants (Mountain High Pizza Pie for lunch and dinner/The Roadhouse for breakfast) in Talkeetna. Talkeetna is a very small town compared to Fairbanks. If I needed a movie theater or a bank I'd go to Fairbanks. If I wanted to see small town Alaska, I'd go to Talkeetna.

My kids have never been bored on a Princess ship, and they have done itineraries ranging anywhere from 2 to 19 sea days. As mentioned above the Kids Clubs are pretty heavy on crafting and hands on stuff, plus they do movie nights, video game tournaments, dance parties, etc. Princess doesn't offer organized activities that the whole family can join in that I've seen. If Jr. Chef at Sea is offered on your ship I would highly recommend it with your 10 year old. (I think the 4 year old is too young). Parents can come along and watch as they meet the Executive Chef and see the galley and decorate a cake or cupcakes.

Did you tip the Kids' Center staff? If so, how much? I'm not sure what the going rate is for a 7 day cruise.

Hummm... We live in Fairbanks where we expect to have summer highs in the +80s to +90s. And our custom built home does have air conditioning.

 

That's great! Where I live, it's an extremely rare amenity.

Some do, some don't. Depends on the property. Fairbanks Princess rooms do have a/c. I don't know a single person in Alaska that has it in their home. It just doesn't make sense for the two days a year we might need it. When we get a "heat wave" in the high 70's there's a rush on Home Depot for box fans, though. :D It will cool down at night, though how much depends on what time of year you are here.

Looks good to me! I'm not a fan of bacon and chocolate combined, but most of the rest of it is right up my alley.

I've been on two Princess cruises over Halloween. One, a Med. Cruise on the Star (port day) where they did very little to celebrate. There were food art decorations and carved pumpkins in the atrium and that's about it. Saw very few passengers in costume.

The other was a S. Pacific cruise (sea day) and they went a lot more all out. There was a large, well attended costume party in Club Fusion, in addition to the food art/pumpkins and a Halloween Carnival in the atrium. Saw hundreds of passengers in costume. At the carnival they did cookie decorating, face painting, and Halloween bingo. Was hosted by Kids Center staff but open to all.

Hi, i will be on board the Ruby Princess from 22nd of November with my 30 month old boy, just curious to see if the cruise ships have highchairs or cribs on board the boats, or any other things that parents will need.

The "cribs" that Princess provides are pack n' plays, IME. If he's large for his age it may be a tight squeeze. They also provide high chairs in the dining room, but it may take a few minutes for them to be located if you are using Anytime Dining. If you have Traditional Dining it may just need to be requested again the first night. Make sure you request one (and a crib) on your booking either through the cruise personalizer or your TA.

I've never seen a changing table on a Princess ship, so if he's still in diapers you'll need to use your cabin for that.

You're on your own for an other baby/toddler supplies other than the crib and high chair. I think some other lines sell diapers, etc., but I've never seen them on Princess. If he is still eating baby food that can be provided through Princess as well. My toddler wasn't on our last cruise, so we just fed her table food as appropriate.

Princess allows you to use the kids' center along with your toddler, but they require you to be there with them at all times. They have toys and things they can play with. Drop off care begins at age 3.

I'd grab some in Anchorage. You can usually find apples and bananas at the lodge espresso shops but on buses, trains, tours, etc. it's going to be harder (if not impossible) to come by. Better bring along. Berries are usually poor in quality and extremely pricey, even in big cities.

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I love dead rat-packers. And I'm 34. You don't have to have a hearing aid to appreciate that music. If it makes you feel any better, there was an entertainer on one of my most recent cruisers that was partial to Neil Diamond. I probably heard half a dozen "Sweet Caroline" sing alongs. Not my style, so I just moved on to one of the many other venues. :cool:

I'm not a fan of Baked Alaska (anything with meringue, actually) but the presentation can be fun.