Small ship w/ kids review - Alaskan Dream Cruises (kind of long)

I found very little information about small ship cruising in Alaska prior to our trip, so I thought I would post a review about our week on board the Admiralty Dream with Alaskan Dream Cruises.

It was wonderful!

We are a family of 4, so we had 2 rooms right next to each other on deck 3 of the Admiralty Dream. Rooms were cozy, but plenty of storage for everything, and beds were incredibly comfortable. Bathroom took a little getting used to. One of those multi-task bathrooms :-)

All excursions were included! In fact at the end of our trip we received our on board account bill and were surprised at how little it was. All sodas were included, and a beer or wine with dinner was also included.

We started our trip a couple of days early in Sitka and thoroughly enjoyed everything to do in this town. Highlights were the Raptor Center, the historic totem park, the Sitka Summer Music Festival, and the Sheldon Jackson Museum. Most fun for my son was a float plane ride with Ken of Air Sitka down to a lake where he learned to fly-fish. We stayed at the Fly-In Fish Inn in Sitka and loved this place! We ate dinner here every night as well. Great restaurant.

Day 1: Sitka - Included in the cruise was a walking tour of Sitka. In the morning they guided us to the Bishop's House, St. Michael's Cathedral, and the Sheldon Jackson Museum. Prior to boarding the ship, the cruise line arranged a sea otter and wildlife tour around Sitka on 1 of their tour boats. This was great and we saw tons of sea otters and even a whale. The tour boat met up with our ship in a calm bay and we walked off the tour boat right onto our ship. Our luggage was waiting in our rooms. We had a social hour in the lounge with food and drinks where everyone become acquainted with each other. Afterwards was dinner. (Food was exceptional the entire trip). An educational program followed dinner.

Day 2: Glacier Bay - We had a gorgeous warm sunny day. The ship was able to spend the entire day in Glacier Bay. We picked up a native Tlingit and a park ranger early in the morning. They both stayed on board until 8:30pm, so they had breakfast, lunch and dinner with us. They both led many different talks and activities with us, as well as narrate where we were going. The park ranger spent some time with the kids as well. We went through a few of the inlets and bays that the big ships don't go through. Of course we stopped for a very long time at Marjorie Glacier. Saw several calvings. Saw some of the other glaciers as well. Throughout the day we saw just about every type of wildlife from grizzly bears to whales to puffins to seals. The day ended with a stop at Bartlett Cove (the Glacier Bay visitor center). Here we were able to get off the ship and explore the area and take a walk.

Day 3: Juneau - Today was our only really rainy day, but we still had a great time. Our guides took us to Mendenhall Glacier. We had ample time there and were able to hike to Nugget Falls. After Mendenhall, guests had a choice of either a whale watching tour or the Mt. Roberts tram. Even though the whale watching was probably the more popular choice, we opted for the tram because that is what our kids wanted to do. We were lucky and were able to see everything when we got up there. After we were finished and were ready to head back down, it had clouded up and we couldn't see much though. After the tram we had lunch at the Hangar (paid for by the cruise), and then had some time to stop by the Taku Salmon fishery and do a little shopping.

The highlight of this day was going to Orca Point Lodge. After Juneau, we sailed for about 45 minutes to Colt Island. At the Orca Point Lodge we had a King Crab feast. It was fabulous! The setting was beautiful. The rain had cleared. The kids were able to play on the beach, and there is a touch tank. My son spent 45 minutes feeding the sea urchins. After dinner there was a campfire with s'mores. A great night!

Day 4: Tracy Arm - Truly spectacular. Our ship anchored about a mile or so from Sawyer Glacier. We then took the inflatable boat over to the glacier. We were able to get really close. We saw some great calving. Some even saw a shooter (ice shooting out of the water). The inflatable boat was able to maneuver over to inspect some blue ice, seals and different types of birds. After spending all morning at the Sawyer Glacier, we slowly sailed out of Tracy Arm stopping at a couple of waterfalls. The boat was able to get so close that we could feel the spray.

Day 5: Hobart Bay - This is an Alaskan Dream exclusive. The entire day is spent kayaking, riding zegos and riding atv's. We did all 3. We were able to see bears, otters, seals, and eagles. Guides were with us all the time and were able to narrate and point things out. We also learned about the different flora and fauna that grows in Alaska. A fun day!

As we were sailing away from Hobart Bay we encountered many humpback whales. The ship stopped so we could watch the show. The captain then slowly followed them, and we watched them for literally several hours. They were all around us. Sometimes they were so close we could feel the spray from their blow holes. Quite a sight! Since it was getting late, and the kids needed to get to sleep, we laid in bed with the window open and could still see and hear the whales as we went to sleep.

Day 6: Petersburg - A local took us on a tour of the town and led us on a walk through a bog. It was the 4th of July so we watched their parade and were able to watch and even participate in many of their downtown activities. Favorites were the log rolling, boot stomp and the duck race. The highlight was the fireworks show that evening. Quite fantastic show for such a small town.

Day 7: Kake - We spent several hours in this small village. We watched a master totem carver, saw the tallest totem pole, watched a local Tlingit dance, and visited a salmon hatchery. At the salmon hatchery we watched a mother black bear with her 2 cubs for quite a while playing in the woods and in the creek.

Day 8: Disembarked in Sitka

Just a couple of notes:

We have been on big cruise ships before in the Caribbean, and after this small ship cruise, both of our kids said it was by far their favorite trip and they liked it much better than the big ship. That is saying a lot! We won't ever go on a big cruise ship again.

On our ship the entire time was a Tlingit guide and an exploration leader. Between the 2 of them, we learned so much. Every night there was a program in the evening to learn about whales or bears or the Tlingit culture.

The cruise line now has designated "family" cruises. When we booked our cruise last year, they did not offer this. There were 5 kids on our boat ranging in ages of 10-13. They all had a great time. I would highly recommend this type of cruise for families if your kids are a little older and enjoy learning about new things and don't mind having no tv or internet access.

Great review and thanks for taking the time to write it and to share it with us.

Keith

Glad your family and you had a wonderful Alaskan cruise.

I will certainly have friends check out this small boat for Alaskan cruising.

Thank you for your review. We are hoping to be on a similar cruise next year. Many people don't realize how much is included with the cruise price making it not much more expensive than one of the large ships when you add in all the extras.

You could have made your review twice as long and I still wouldn't have had enough.

Barbara

Day 2: Glacier Bay - We had a gorgeous warm sunny day. The ship was able to spend the entire day in Glacier Bay. We picked up a native Tlingit and a park ranger early in the morning. They both stayed on board until 8:30pm, so they had breakfast, lunch and dinner with us. They both led many different talks and activities with us, as well as narrate where we were going. The park ranger spent some time with the kids as well. We went through a few of the inlets and bays that the big ships don't go through. Of course we stopped for a very long time at Marjorie Glacier. Saw several calvings. Saw some of the other glaciers as well. Throughout the day we saw just about every type of wildlife from grizzly bears to whales to puffins to seals. The day ended with a stop at Bartlett Cove (the Glacier Bay visitor center). Here we were able to get off the ship and explore the area and take a walk.

Not sure what date you sailed but this photo is of the Admiralty Dream in front of Margerie Glacier on June 10 this year. Possibly your trip?

What a nice review. I hope to make the jump to this type of cruise at some point. I have a friend who has been with Lindblad for years, asks me every year when????

But, I have to disagree, the price is no where near similar to the "regular cruiselines". I just picked up a 2 week sailing for less than $700pp with all taxes. I also have my priority of tours, with always flights. So may not be as ideal for some visitors. So, I'll keep my eye open for a small boat, without so many "included" tours. :)

I loved our small (very small - 12 pax, 11 on our sailing) trip around Glacier Bay this May.

Here's the thread with my short review and itinerary (further down):

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1865408

I also posted some pictures under the "Alaska - show us your pics!) thread.

Thanks for the report. We are on Admiralty Dream next month and really looking forward to it and now even more so. I am curious about one thing. Like you we are arriving in Sitka a couple of days early. We are staying at Shee Atika Totem Square Inn, one of Alaskan Dreams' recommended hotels. How exactly does it work on day 1? Where and when do you meet up with the cruise and turn over your luggage?

We booked the same cruise you took, but after final payment received a new itinerary with the last 2 days changed without Petersburg and Kake. Ours says it is now going to Red Bluff, Hidden Falls, Kelp Bay and Lake Eva. That's fine, I understand when you get on a ship that you are going wherever it is going. I guess find it curious and wonder why the change now. Thanks again!

dfb - On the morning of day 1 (about 8:30am), someone from the cruise will come to your hotel to pick you and your luggage up. You will have tags to put on your luggage with your cabin # on them. They will take you to their hospitality room at the Centennial Harrigan Hall (downtown). Here they will have some coffee, rolls, donuts, and other snacks. They will brief you on how the morning will go. They will take your luggage separately to the ship.

With our group we went to the Bishop House, the Sheldon Jackson Museum and then the Cathedral. It was a little loose where we didn't have to go to these places at the exact same time as others, but we could if we wanted to. At any time we could go back to the hospitality room to get a drink, snack or sit.

After these morning stops, we were to meet at the dock at 1pm right by the hospitality room to board their tour boat for the sea otter and wildlife quest. Once on this boat, they fed us lunch (wraps, pasta salad, chips and brownies). This tour lasted about 2 1/2 hours. We met up with the Admiralty Dream about 3:30pm.

Not sure why the change on your itinerary, but regardless you will have a great time. 1 of the crew members was talking about Red Bluff and Lake Eva and they sounded nice, so they must go there occasionally.

Have fun!

Great review, great info. Thanks.This is something I really want to do.

We booked the same cruise you took, but after final payment received a new itinerary with the last 2 days changed without Petersburg and Kake. Ours says it is now going to Red Bluff, Hidden Falls, Kelp Bay and Lake Eva. That's fine, I understand when you get on a ship that you are going wherever it is going. I guess find it curious and wonder why the change now. Thanks again!

We were on the Alaskan Dream a couple years ago and they added Red Bluff mid cruise. Appears there is some flexibility in route too.

dfb - On the morning of day 1 (about 8:30am), someone from the cruise will come to your hotel to pick you and your luggage up. You will have tags to put on your luggage with your cabin # on them. They will take you to their hospitality room at the Centennial Harrigan Hall (downtown). Here they will have some coffee, rolls, donuts, and other snacks. They will brief you on how the morning will go. They will take your luggage separately to the ship.

 

With our group we went to the Bishop House, the Sheldon Jackson Museum and then the Cathedral. It was a little loose where we didn't have to go to these places at the exact same time as others, but we could if we wanted to. At any time we could go back to the hospitality room to get a drink, snack or sit.

 

After these morning stops, we were to meet at the dock at 1pm right by the hospitality room to board their tour boat for the sea otter and wildlife quest. Once on this boat, they fed us lunch (wraps, pasta salad, chips and brownies). This tour lasted about 2 1/2 hours. We met up with the Admiralty Dream about 3:30pm.

 

Not sure why the change on your itinerary, but regardless you will have a great time. 1 of the crew members was talking about Red Bluff and Lake Eva and they sounded nice, so they must go there occasionally.

 

Have fun!

Thanks, that is very informative and helpful.

We were on the Alaskan Dream a couple years ago and they added Red Bluff mid cruise. Appears there is some flexibility in route too.

Great! So, what did you see there?

Thank you so much for your review! I have been planning this trip in my head at least for some time, and it's great to get real feedback about it. I have some questions:

1. How old were your kids? What age would you consider a minimum?

2. I have also looked at Innersea Discoveries- did you consider them too, and if so, what made you pick Alaska Dream?

3. Were there food choices to accommodate picky eaters?

4. Did you split adults between the two rooms, or let the kids have one alone? With such a small ship I would think you could get away with that at a younger age than one of the big ships, but I'm curious how others are doing it.

My kids are too young yet (7 and 5), but I'm hoping for sometime in the next 3-4 years.... probably trying to do a land trip to Alaska before that (RV rental!). Thanks for the review!!

Great! So, what did you see there?

It’s a beautifully scenic area with many waterfalls. It’s deep and the past two times we’ve been there the boat noses up very close to the waterfalls. At the end is “bear Meadow” at the mouth of the creek that flows into the bay. We saw a large brown bear standing on its hind legs looking at us the past trip with Alaskan Dream. There were dozens of Barrow’s Goldeneyes. Previously, and what was one of the highlights of the trip with Un-Cruise was kayaking around the area and up the creek. As we exited the bay a purse seiner was just setting up and circling their net. Un-Cruise/Innersea had kayaks onboard that greatly increased the value of the trip.

Rjm11, my kids are 10 and 12. I wouldn't say there is a minimum on the age that should go because that depends on the child and his/her personality. Personally, we could have taken a trip like this when outlets daughter was 6 or 7, but our son being a little bit more rambunctious, 9 probably would have been the minimum for him. Keep in mind that the majority in these cruises are older folks, not elderly, but it seemed that the bulk of passengers were between 50 and 70. So, you would probably feel more at ease if you didn't have a 5 year old running around the ship knocking people over :-)

We did look at Innerse as well, and their activities did look great, but we chose Alaskan Dream for 3 reasons... First price. Alaskann Dream was quite a bit less than innersea. We booked almost a year out and received a good discount over the regular fare. They also had an additional discont for children. Second, Alaskan Dream went to Glacier Bay, which I really wanted to go to. I couldn't get an Innersea itinerary to work for us that included Glacier Bay. And lastly I was drawn to Alaskan Dream's connection with the locals and the natives. If I'm not mistaken they are the only cruise company actually based in Alaska.

We had 2 cabins. We put mom and daughter in 1 and dad in son in the other. Keep in mind the cabins are not connecting. We did it this way because my daughter (12) was not keen on sharing a room with her brother. Also my son sleepwalks, so we thought it best for dad to be with him.

As far as food, the chef came out on the first night and said that he could make lots of other dishes for the kids (hamburgers, grilled chess, Mac n cheese,etc). So if they didn't want anything on the menu, just to ask.

I think I answered all your questions. I'm on my phone so I can't see your post once I start typing. If I didn't, I'll post some more later.

Happy planning!

Rjm11, my kids are 10 and 12. I wouldn't say there is a minimum on the age that should go because that depends on the child and his/her personality. Personally, we could have taken a trip like this when outlets daughter was 6 or 7, but our son being a little bit more rambunctious, 9 probably would have been the minimum for him. Keep in mind that the majority in these cruises are older folks, not elderly, but it seemed that the bulk of passengers were between 50 and 70. So, you would probably feel more at ease if you didn't have a 5 year old running around the ship knocking people over :-)

 

We did look at Innerse as well, and their activities did look great, but we chose Alaskan Dream for 3 reasons... First price. Alaskann Dream was quite a bit less than innersea. We booked almost a year out and received a good discount over the regular fare. They also had an additional discont for children. Second, Alaskan Dream went to Glacier Bay, which I really wanted to go to. I couldn't get an Innersea itinerary to work for us that included Glacier Bay. And lastly I was drawn to Alaskan Dream's connection with the locals and the natives. If I'm not mistaken they are the only cruise company actually based in Alaska.

 

We had 2 cabins. We put mom and daughter in 1 and dad in son in the other. Keep in mind the cabins are not connecting. We did it this way because my daughter (12) was not keen on sharing a room with her brother. Also my son sleepwalks, so we thought it best for dad to be with him.

 

As far as food, the chef came out on the first night and said that he could make lots of other dishes for the kids (hamburgers, grilled chess, Mac n cheese,etc). So if they didn't want anything on the menu, just to ask.

 

I think I answered all your questions. I'm on my phone so I can't see your post once I start typing. If I didn't, I'll post some more later.

 

Happy planning!

Thanks so much for your replies! It's very helpful to hear from others- and you're right there aren't very many reviews for the small ship cruising. Did you feel like there was enough to do? My kids are pretty middle of the road- don't need tons of activities, love wildlife, and have traveled a lot, and enjoy some non-internet based down time on iPads (reading, games, etc). I have one picky eater though- he's happy with pasta, rice, chicken, potatoes, etc., but won't eat fish or much beef (maybe a meatloaf or burger). I'm hoping he grows out of that a little though! I'd love to see any photos you have of the ship too... and of course of Alaska and your stops! We did take the kids at ages 4 and 3 on a big ship cruise to Alaska- it was enough to convince me that I had to go back!

I'll try and post some pics, once we get them uploaded. (May be a while). Sorry about all the typos in my last post. I should have waited to reply when I wasn't on my phone.

There was some downtime. However, my kids are perfectly happy reading, playing games, etc.. So it wasn't a problem. I thought it was the perfect mix of active vs inactive time. Sometimes kids (my son especially) can get into overload if the day is filled with non-stop activities. The ship had a game cabinet in the lounge with about a dozen different games. My kids tried out a lot of them. All of the kids on the boat liked hanging out in the lounge, playing a game and sitting at the bar asking for Shirley temples 1 right after the other.

Now that Alaskan Dream has some designated family cruises, I would think that you could book one of those cruises with any age kids (even on the younger side like yours). I would imagine that most of the passengers on those itineraries would be families, and that there would probably be a few more activities incorporated to keep the kids busy. On our cruise, there weren't a lot of kids-only activities. One of the deckhands, Gordon, was great with the kids, and he spent an hour or so 1 day showing them how to tie knots. There was also the polar plunge, which all the kids did. Otherwise, all activities were for the group, adults and kids. So, the family cruises would probably have a few more kids-only things.

It’s a beautifully scenic area with many waterfalls. It’s deep and the past two times we’ve been there the boat noses up very close to the waterfalls. At the end is “bear Meadow” at the mouth of the creek that flows into the bay. We saw a large brown bear standing on its hind legs looking at us the past trip with Alaskan Dream. There were dozens of Barrow’s Goldeneyes. Previously, and what was one of the highlights of the trip with Un-Cruise was kayaking around the area and up the creek. As we exited the bay a purse seiner was just setting up and circling their net. Un-Cruise/Innersea had kayaks onboard that greatly increased the value of the trip.

Sounds wonderful! We'll look forward to it.

We had the joy of being on the 8-day cruise on the Baranof Dream from June 8-16. I haven't posted a full review yet but plan to, but I can definitely speak to this topic because we traveled with our 16-year-old son and 5-year-old daughter. We too had booked the trip before they began advertising the family cruises, and we were actually on our cruise just one week before the first family cruise. Nonetheless, it was perfect. I had expected that my husband or I would be entertaining our 5-year-old the entire trip and that our enjoyment of the scenery and experience would be less for it. I was completely wrong! The crew was amazing with both our kids and the other child on board - a 13-year-old boy. One of the crew - Jess - was going to be leading the kids programs the following week, so between his duties he did activities with the kids. He is definitely a Pied Piper-type, and his years of teaching and patience really showed. Also, Mary, the naturalist on board, was really great with my daughter. There were many times that someone else would be with her and my husband and I would have time to be together without worrying. Even in Hobart Bay, Jess took our daughter in his kayak, and our Tlingit guide Kevin took her on his Zego. She had a blast and so did we.

We had 2 rooms next to each other. The ADC folks planned for the girls in one and the boys in the other, but we asked and were granted permission to put the kids in one room (luckily our kids get along great and WANT to be together). We were told that she couldn't be in the room alone or wandering around alone, which we agreed to. In reality she took a couple naps during the afternoons and I would hang out in our room or stand on the deck within view of her door so while she was alone in her room, she wouldn't be able to wander around the boat without me seeing/hearing her leave the room. She became so comfortable with the boat and everyone on board that it became very hard to keep her under supervision.

That being said, taking a child that young will depend on the child. Our kids love nature and are not very tied to electronics. I actually brought an iPad with us but they never used it the whole cruise. The 5-year-old is a good sport about trying new things, meeting new people, seeing new sites, and going with the flow. Although she can be a picky eater and the chef offered to make her "kid" food, there were plenty of choices at every meal that she happily ate (when she wasn't full from eating cookies!). She also is pretty good about staying up late (too good, sometimes) so going to bed after sunset (after 10) was fine for her. We did let her sleep through breakfast a couple times though, and forced her to take a couple naps.

We absolutely loved our cruise and wouldn't hesitate to go on another Alaskan Dream Cruises tour. We didn't want it to end and wish we had picked a longer journey. And our 5-year-old refused to talk about it for 3 weeks because she wanted to be back on the boat so much and talking about it made her too sad. It truly was an unbelievable trip.

We sailed on the Alaskan Dream Cruises, Baranof Dream, the week after you on the Family Cruise (June 16 sailing) with our 11 year old son. It was wonderful! I choose this cruise based largely on the reviews I read on-line and this was the only small cruise line I could find that had activities specifically for children. As you mentioned, there was an activities director (Jess) just for the children (who was GREAT!), in addition to the on-board naturalist, Mary and the native-American cultural specialist. During the 1 week trip, our son ate only 1 meal with us - the rest of the time he was happily eating with his new-found friends and often a staff member. Jess kept the kids happy and occupied (WITHOUT ELECTRONICS!) throughout the trip - playing games, doing art projects, reading them stories and watching occasional movies. This allowed us to have enjoyable grown-up time, while still being able to share the experience with our son.

I can't say enough about what an amazing experience this trip was! Sailing by the most beautiful landscapes I think I have ever seen - I never picked up the book I brought on deck because I didn't want to stop watching the scenery! And the wildlife - unbelievable! We saw whales (and more whales!), sea lions, seals, sea otters, eagles, bears, and deer - right up close. The beauty of the small ship experience is that when the captain spotted wildlife, he would slow down the engines and follow it.

We got up incredibly close to the glaciers - in fact, we were in a little boat (the "dib"), and were even able to touch an ice float that had broken off the glacier which floated by us! Watching (and hearing) the glacier calve was amazing.

I could go on and on about the new experiences we had - kayaking, RTV-ing, and riding the zego (all new experiences for this middle aged mom!) - all of which were equally as thrilling.

Also of note, the staff was wonderful and attentive. The food was plentiful and delicious. There were (unfortunately for my diet!) fresh baked breads, cookies, muffins and pastries every day, in addition to amazing desserts. The chef was wonderfully accommodating - one of the other youngsters on the cruise needed gluten free food - so the chef got special flour and made special treats for him every day. My request for caffeine free diet soda was met with the response of "what kind would you like? we will get it in port tomorrow" - and after that, we had caffeine free diet soda every evening when we requested. The waitress staff worked very hard, but always had a smile on their faces and they kept the cabins neat and clean.

The cabins were small but very comfortable (and we were 3 people in the cabin). We spent the majority of our time when on board either on deck or in the lounge area, which were extremely comfortable.

All in all - this was an AMAZING trip for all of us (my 11 year old son said to me on our last day - "I am definitely coming back to Alaska") and I can't recommend it too highly!

I’ve never seen such glowing reviews from one time posters, like the last two here, without there being some ulterior motive.

No ulterior motive, other than wanting to share our experiences with others to give them information that may be hard to find. As for why I am a first time poster, it's because I typically don't fill out reveiws on any board, unless I have had an unusually good or bad expereince. In this case, the experience was exceptional, and I wanted to share that with others.

When I was trying to decide on a cruise to Alaska, I really wanted to go on a small cruise, but many of the reviews I read said that small cruise experiences weren't great for kids - but I really didn't want to go on one of those huge ships, despite the fact that they have established track records with activities for children. So I was torn about whether to bring my son or leave him home so I could enjoy the cruise I wanted. In the end, when I found this cruise line, with their newly minted "Family Cruise" itineraries, I thought I had found the ideal trip. Since there were no reviews of the "family" trips (because they were new for this season) - I therefore based my decision to sail on this relatively new cruise line on the few on-line reviews I could find on this and a few other travel boards.

Our experience turned out to be as wonderful as the prior reviewers had said. And I, in turn, decided I wanted to "give back" to these reveiw sites by reviewing the Family Cruise experience, so other individuals who, like me, want the small cruise experience but also want to share it with thier children, can have the same opportunity that we had and can make a more informed decision.

Thought I'd add a few words to this thread in case it helps anyone. We just returned home after a great 9 days on the July Family Cruise on the Baranof Dream. I posted a full review on the Alaska page here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=39295229#post39295229

I'll second what others have said about Alaskan Dream being a fabulous experience for kids, and add that the family itinerary closely resembled the others discussed upthread; nothing was 'sacrificed' to make it kid-friendly. The two youth leaders we had onboard worked seamlessly with our expedition and cultural leaders (giving us a total of four leaders) and our kids loved every minute of it while learning so much.

Our kids are 14, 12, and 8, and the kids on this cruise ranged from 6-14 (with two older teens as well). It suited all these ages, though I will say the 6-year-old was a mature six. The best age possible may be 10 and up for most kids. We expected some down time and brought both books and a few movies, and the kids had their iPods for the plane ride, but we never got out anything other than novels the whole 10 days: the youth leaders kept them engaged with projects and activities nonstop!

Happy to answer any questions!

Thanks for your post! We took Innersea Discoveries in Alaska last year and it was sort of an act of faith- as you mentioned, not a lot of info on these cruises. They're so different from what most of the people here describe on the big ships. Prices are higher, staterooms are small, food likely to be better quality but certainly not a main feature, up close and personal with nature, focus on activity and learning. DH and I have never taken a big ship- not our thing at all. We absolutely loved Innersea Discoveries and are going back next year- in fact, I just booked a hotel room in Juneau. We're getting excited! I have a review published from July, 2012. My avatar pic was just before a snorkeling expedition. That was the only extra other than alcohol and tips, and it was a whopping $40, including use of a full-body set of double-strength wetsuit gear.

As for kids- we had quite a few, with the youngest being about 10. He was pretty smart and his mother wryly observed that his teachers would undoubtedly be impressed with his newly-acquired prowess at poker. The kids seemed to have a running poker game which they resumed nightly and they all goaded each other into the Polar Plunge off the ship (the 10-year old went in 3 times). I'm sure the parents and grandparents who selected this trip knew their kids. You don't spend much bucks to take them someplace where they'll be miserable. They all had a good time.