Must-do excursions.

I will be cruising on Bliss in July with my 3 grandchildren and my son. The trip is going to be

based on the must do excursions in these 4 points for KIDS ]aged 12, 10 and 8: Ketchikan 8 hours,

Juneau 6 1/2 hours, and Skagway 10 1/2 hours, Victoria 6 hours and utilizing the great activities on the ship.

For example, I know the train ride in Skagway is supposed to be fantastic, but would 3 and 1/2 hours

on a train for 3 active kids be the best way to spend 1/2 of our time there? They are active normal kids,

and I'm sure would want to be DOING things rather than watching scenery go by for that length of time. What has been your experience on the train with kids.

So where are the best places to see/do dog sledding/pat dogs, pan for gold, see/experience indigenous life (totem poles etc.), lumberjacks, see wildlife?

In Victoria, I would like them to experience "afternoon tea", but not at the EMPRESS. Could anyone recommend an alternative, less costly place for tea in Victoria?

I would really appreciate all suggestions that would make this a dream trip for the kids. (BTW, they don't even know they are going yet)

At Skagway you can take a bus/shuttle tour from town to Fraser, BC where there's a train station. Maybe a couple hours with a few short stops (Welcome to Alaska and Welcome to Welcome to Yukon signs, for example - you've got to get pics there! Ha Ha) then you can take the train back from Fraser. It's two hours or less from there back to Skagway. I think your grandkids will be okay. Especially on the train - it's pretty cool with LOTS to see. There is more than one company that will take you on the bus then back on the train: Dyea Dave Tours (I've used him before and am again this coming May) and Chilkoot Charters are two that come to mind. Good luck!

Child-free cruiser so I'll let others with experience comment on the things their kids enjoyed most. Some suggestions to your specific 'want to do' things below in red.

So where are the best places to see/do dog sledding/pat dogs, pan for gold, see/experience indigenous life (totem poles etc.), lumberjacks, see wildlife?

Ketchikan - multiple parks with totems, a totem heritage centre... details of all on this page. Also a lumberjack show.

Skagway - unless all the adults have passports or equivalent WHTI documentation, excursions to the Yukon are out (kids <16 just need birth certs for land crossing, same as with the closed-loop Seattle cruise) but if you can do one of these there are sled dog options. Gold panning excursions here too.

Juneau - Whale watching is best here or Victoria, for humpbacks or orcas respectively. Mendenhall glacier does have some hiking trails, some very short, and bears are possible (though with hordes of tourists around, unless you get away from them just bear scat/tracks much more likely).

Unless you're going to go on a bear excursion (mostly flights required) your wildlife spotting will be slim to none in the ports - unless you get out to some hiking trails and even then you'll need to be lucky. If you count salmon as wildlife, the streams are packed with them in season, even right in town - you'll likely see folks fishing. Keep eyes peeled on the ship and any excursions out of town for beasties. Worst case, reindeer sausages are readily available;-) Plus, if the kids misbehave, tell them Santa won't be bringing them anything this Xmas 'cos you just ate Rudolph!

Take binoculars - make sure they aren't too heavy for the kids to handle, and a wide view angle (the number after the x) is better than a long zoom (the number before the x) especially on the ship.

 

In Victoria, I would like them to experience "afternoon tea", but not at the EMPRESS. Could anyone recommend an alternative, less costly place for tea in Victoria?

Literally anywhere selling tea is cheaper;-)

Abkhazi gardens - not as fancy as Butchart but much cheaper and walkable if you're energetic/cheap taxi ride if not.

Murchies - this is more of a UK-style tearoom, with ad hoc ordering rather than just one 'afternoon tea' package which means that you can pick and choose cakes, scones, pastries, sandwiches etc. but won't get the 'white glove' fancy style service.

White Heather tearoom consistently scores well on TripAdvisor though personally I haven't visited.

Butchart Gardens offers afternoon tea for less than half the price of the Empress, but you do have to get to the gardens first (at least $38pp adults even if you use public transit, ~$75pp for independent shuttle buses, way more than that for cruiseline tours as they charge in USD!)

One thing to point out is that the kids do get a hefty discount at the Empress: 50% off the regular fancy stuff, they can also choose a Prince and Princess 'tea' with pop and more kid-friendly snacks, but at least one adult has to lay out the full $75...

Edit - just clicked that you said with your son, but no mention of his spouse. Whether mom ain't coming because she doesn't want to, is deceased, or divorced/separated, make sure that all documentation is arranged in advance! If he's a widower, take death certificate - for anything else take a notarised letter from the non-traveling parent giving permission or court documents giving sole custody. Even if you don't cross the border from Skagway, this cruise does visit Victoria which means the kids are being taken out of the US and could be whisked away - both US and Canadian authorities take a very dim view of such possibilities! You might not be asked for docs, but if you are and do not have them then you will not be allowed to board in Seattle, end of story.

Some cruise lines even demand passports for all kids traveling with one parent, and may also have standard forms they want completed about custody/travel permission. Check this directly with NCL, do NOT trust your travel agent to have checked this for you. Right now you have ample time to get documents, even new passports, if needed - so if you haven't already verified these requirements make it your priority to ensure you don't get caught short!

Ketchikan - the Deadliest Catch excursion, Kayaking and the Lumberjack show should appeal to kids.

Skagway - We did the bus / train combo to Emerald Lake with Chilkoot Tours and added the optional dog cart ride at Caribou Crossing. This is a long day, and some of the kids may get bored, but should enjoy playing with the puppies and dog cart ride.

Juneau- Whale watching and the Mt Roberts tram ( if not raining / foggy) should appeal to kids.

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Thanks to all who answered my questions about kid-oriented excursions in our ports In Alaska.

And thanks for the info about docs. for the kids. It is a real mish-mash. My son is divorced and is

Canadian with American landed residency. Kids are American 'cause I don't think he has gone through the process of getting them first registered as Canadian citizens ,which is required before you can get a Canadian passport.

As to whether the kids have American passports, will have to find out .I would imagine so, as they have travelled with their Mom or their Dad a bit and my son and the kids came to

Toronto two years ago.

I am Canadian--so no problem there with documents.

I really like the recommendation of doing half the train ride, combining it with the bus ride.

Now one more question: Which companies would you recommend for: dog-sledding (not on glacier--just the camp), and which city would you do it in. I don't want to load up everything in one day--eg. Skagway. Would just like to spread out the activities so we can enjoy the ones available on the boat--according to the brochures the ship has a Ferrari racing track which I'm sure they will want to go on ad nauseam!

As for tea, I have been to Victoria previously and gone to the White Heather. It was fantastic. But I checked on line, and it is almost as expensive as the Empress and has very rigid rules about their tea trays. This one can only be shared by two, this one is only for one, and no children's plans. But to all of you who are going to be in Victoria at some point, the White Heather is the place to go--but reserve--very NB.

Thanks again to all of you. And any more suggestions are most appreciated--I am doing all the arrangements myself and I want to make sure the kids have the

most wonderful time.

Regarding Skagway -- The Klondike Gold Rush National Park has two units, one located in Seattle and the other in Skagway. Just use google to find their NPS website. If you look at the website for the Skagway unit you will find a section on kids and youth. The NPS actually runs a junior ranger activity center in one of Skagway's old historic saloons, the Pantheon. We were in Skagway twice last summer, on during both visits I dropped by to observe their activities. Both times there were two NPS Rangers and a number of kids working on their Junior Ranger activities. That website also should have information on the Mollie Walsh Park in Skagway.

There is also a public playground in Ketchikan rather near the Totem Heritage Center -- on Demount Avenue.

RE: Skagway...we will be there in August this summer with kids ages 10,10, and 6. We considered the train or half train/half bus combo excursion and decided against it. Why? We have active kids like you describe your grandkids. They want to move and have freedom.

Have you seen the photos of the train inside the train cars? They have small wooden benches. There is no snack/dining option on the train, which for us wouldn't be a necessity, but would help kill time when the kids lose interest in looking out the window, which I know would not last the whole trip. I also didn't want to spend $$$ for the train trip if our kids were going to be reading a book or complaining they were "bored" after 20 minutes.

We decided to book a private tour to Emerald Lake in the Yukon, with dog sledding (at a camp), which gives us the chance to stop for photos, stretch our legs, let our kids run, and load up again. Since we haven't done it yet, I can' t officially "recommend" it, but I am confident it will be a fun day.

I don't think the Skagway train is essential for every Alaska trip, especially with kids. It really depends on the kids ages an interests (and those of the adults too!). Some people may be shocked that we are not going on the train at all, but this is our trip, not theirs. Consider what your family wants to see, and I bet you will enjoy it!

We did dog sledding excursion in Juneau.

We got into a 6 person cart, with each cart pulled by a dog team.

We also got to hold puppies. It was a lot of fun!

Thanks again to responders. I was very grateful to the family with kids the approx. age of my grandchildren

who verified that the train trip would be all I believed it would be--for them. Boring, tedious and seemingly endless. I'm sure it is a wonderful trip--a must do--

according to adult friends, but they were unaccompanied by kids. This is their trip and I can stop feeling guilty for not being able to do everything that people say is "a highlight". As to the family who posted pictures of their dogsled rides--thanks you made me want to take the kids even more. And for the kidless cruiser--thanks for being so detailed with your suggestion. Most helpful. All responders--thanks for taking the time and for your suggestions.

Everyone else, I welcome your continuing input--its hard to have the responsibility for 4 other people having the most memorable trip.

In Juneau, we took the Mount Roberts tram (yeah, the weather sucked the day we were there but it was fun regardless). The kids may love it! And there is a restaurant up top so you can have a meal.

In Skagway we chose not to do the train either. We went on a short hike instead. It was amazing just going a short distance from town you would never know there were cruise ships in town.

Yakutania Point

In Ketchikan we took the city bus to Totem Bight State Park. Potlatch Totem Park was right next door where you could watch the actual carvings take place! A great day!

Whatever you choose to do, enjoy your cruise! Alaska is amazing! :)

We will be on the Bliss right before you, in June!

 

 

Make sure you get their input for what they might want to do. Have them look at websites for tours offered. Ask them to list the 3 things they would want to do most in each port' date=' then see if there are any that all, or most, want to do. It may surprise you what they are interested in, or more importantly, have no interest in. Alaska is not cheap, so it would be a shame to spend a lot of money on an excursion and have them not be interested.

 

 

 

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With out then 6yo DD we did the train up to Carcross and their small shuttle back with Chillkoot Charters and in Ketchikan we did the Deadliest Catch Crab Boat and she like both of them. For the train we loaded up her Kindle with a couple movies and TV on our Amazon Prime movie account and that kept her occupied at times but she loved going out on the platform to watch the scenery go by. On the boat it was a short enough tour that she didn't get bored. In Juneau we did both the tram up Mt Roberts and then took a tour to Mendenhall on our own and in Victoria DD wanted to go to the Kids Club so DW and I took a quick walk around Victoria.

When booking the tours look at booking on your own and not through the ship. For the three of us on those 2 tours (Train and Crab Boat) alone we saved a total of $300. I know we saved money in Juneau but can't remember exactly how much, but I want to say somewhere between $50 and $75 total.

We are doing land and sea. Fairbanks to Denali 2 nights then anchorage 1 night onto Seward for ship. Aug/Sept. We are 2 60 year olds in decent shape. Looking for 1 flight and glacier walk. Not sure which is best stop to do this in; any other excursion suggestions appreciated.

Fairbanks - Riverboat through cruise

Denali - 2 nights only excursion for sure is -AM Tundra Wilderness Tour through cruise line.

Anchorage- 1 night - visiting friends

Anchorage to Seward - sad to say only 2 hours in Seward mostly spent boarding cruise

Glacier Bay

Haines - 14 hours Thinking of renting car and driving any suggestions for Haines?

Juneau - 10 hours

Ketchikan - 8 hours

then onto Vancouver where we spend 2 days and nights

Need help on best place for the glacier flight and walk and any other suggestions. Cost is not a main issue.

Make sure you get their input for what they might want to do. Have them look at websites for tours offered. Ask them to list the 3 things they would want to do most in each port, then see if there are any that all, or most, want to do. It may surprise you what they are interested in, or more importantly, have no interest in. Alaska is not cheap, so it would be a shame to spend a lot of money on an excursion and have them not be interested.

 

 

 

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I so agree with your paragraph...I learned that years ago .. for a birthday one son, only wanted to go to the mall and see the dinosaur display.....talk about saving time and effort....

As they got older, asked if they wanted to go on vacations with us, many times I heard no, school, friends and sports became far more important. But, imagine my surprise when they were all teens and I assumed, everyone would want to visit the Galapagos after hearing about the wonderful experience DH and I had. But the next year when plans were being made, my DH(said once was enough) and one child had no interest.....An incomplete family on vacations or doing different excursions or none at all often can be, a very very happy family.....:D;)