Alaskan cruise with teens

Advice Please! First time cruisers and wondered what the best cruise line is from either Vancouver or Seattle to Alaska? Traveling with teens 13 & 15. Which cruise lines cater most to this age? Thanks!

We did ours on Carnival and it was loaded with teens! Our son was 12 (almost 13) when we went and he had a great time. Alaska is different than Caribbean when it comes to Carnival. In the Caribbean, they do a lot of the deck parties. That doesn't happen in Alaska. It's all about the scenery and excursions, people are there to see & do things. It's the only time our son had to be back in the room before the actual end of the club activities. Usually, we're just going to the beach, so who cares if he's up until midnight. But in Alaska, we had to be up at 7 a.m. to go hiking or something like that.

Here are the teen activities for Holland America Line for Alaska:

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/here/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/AL-15-Kids-13-17.pdf

Terri,

You have already made a good decision to take teens on an Alaskan cruise. It will be a great experience for them. If they are like my teens they likely will not thank you, but they will have a great experience none the less.

Personally, I would not worry about which line caters to teens. I have cruised a lot with my kids at various ages, and I think the mainstream lines are all more similar than they are different. They all run basically the same play. The kids club or the teens club is a bit of an afterthought in my opinion, and that is not what teens will remember about Alaska. These ships are big, and there will be other teens on board no matter which one you choose. I like to look at the departure city (Vancouver is very nice for a couple day stay pre-cruise), itinerary in Alaska, flight times and prices, and of course the cruise fare ( I am a bargain hunter).

Have fun....

In Alaska - it is all about the excursions you will book for the teens in the ports! I would focus on the ports. Save $$$$ for the excursions.

As others said, Alaska is more about the ports than the cruise line or specific ship. We mainly use the ship for sleeping, eating breakfast and dinner and transportation between ports. Research all of the main Alaska ports with the teens and find things they want to do. Then find the itineraries that spend the most time in those ports.

One-way itineraries usually provide the most port times. I prefer Vancouver departures / arrivals since you sail inside of Vancouver Island and have more scenery to see than on those using Seattle. This also provides calmer seas than you may experience sailing outside the island. One way itineraries also give you the option to do a land tour before or after your cruise.

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I should also add that Alaska is great for teens! So many people wait until they are older (50 plus) to go to Alaska but all the really cool excursions are for the young!

I cruised with my teens 5 years ago (then 13 & 17). I didn't really bother looking at the teen activities on the ships. My concern was what we could do as a family (my 76yo mom joined us) that all of us would enjoy. We also (minus mom) did a DIY land tour pre-cruise because I knew that my boys would be bored beyond belief taking a cruise-tour. As it turned out the boys loved all the excursions we had planned and while they did complain a little about not having a whole lot to do on the ship, they also found other kids their age and played ping-pong or other games. My youngest played so much ping-pong, he wore a hole in the heal of the cast on his foot! We were on Celebrity Millennium sailing from Seward to Vancouver.

Thank you for all of your helpful responses! Does anyone know, are there 5 night, one way cruises from Vancouver to Alaska?? 7 nights on the ship seem like a lot. I have looked and found 5 night, round trip cruises. Looking for one way. Thanks again for all your help.

Thank you for all of your helpful responses! Does anyone know, are there 5 night, one way cruises from Vancouver to Alaska?? 7 nights on the ship seem like a lot. I have looked and found 5 night, round trip cruises. Looking for one way. Thanks again for all your help.

You found RT 5 night because they don't go as far or see as much. The ferry does it in 4 nights, but that is because timing in ports is minimal...just enough time to unload and load. It takes more than 36 hours to get from Whittier to Juneau, with only a quick stop in Yakutat...no glacier viewing anywhere. Next stop is Ketchikan, 20 hours after departing Juneau where you are for only 4 hours; only 2 hours allotted for the stop in Ketchikan). Next stop is Bellingham, Washington, over 36 hours away.

I don't think you will find 7 nights too long. We wondered if our first 17 night cruise with 6 sea days in a row would be too much...Nope, it wasn't at all!

In Alaska - it is all about the excursions you will book for the teens in the ports! I would focus on the ports. Save $$$$ for the excursions.

This. I first went to Alaska as a late teen. Kids clubs weren't as developed then. Didn't matter. Unlike the Caribbean, for example, Alaska itself was amazing and totally captivating. If you can do some excursions, your boys are gonna have a blast. They'll find ways to amuse themselves on the sea days. Honestly, it's not a big deal.

You found RT 5 night because they don't go as far or see as much. The ferry does it in 4 nights, but that is because timing in ports is minimal...just enough time to unload and load. It takes more than 36 hours to get from Whittier to Juneau, with only a quick stop in Yakutat...no glacier viewing anywhere. Next stop is Ketchikan, 20 hours after departing Juneau where you are for only 4 hours; only 2 hours allotted for the stop in Ketchikan). Next stop is Bellingham, Washington, over 36 hours away.

 

I don't think you will find 7 nights too long. We wondered if our first 17 night cruise with 6 sea days in a row would be too much...Nope, it wasn't at all!

Thank you!

Thank you for all of your helpful responses! Does anyone know, are there 5 night, one way cruises from Vancouver to Alaska?? 7 nights on the ship seem like a lot. I have looked and found 5 night, round trip cruises. Looking for one way. Thanks again for all your help.

Frankly you need 7 days. A key to consider is to involve the teens in the planning. Don't try and guess for them. :) Especially with the port activities. I'd suggest focusing more on that. Have them rank their priorities for what they want to see and so in Alaska. Every port is different and worthwhile. find out about each, and make lists. That goes a long way toward a cruise choice selection. There are only 6 Inside Passage Alaska ports, so a very doable job. ;)

Alaska by Cruiseship by Anne Vipond is a good resource to consider obtaining. Try your library.