Alaska with a 3 1/2 year old??

[azcater]

Am I crazy to try and do an Alaska cruise with a 3.5 year old next May? We just got back from Mex. Riviera and had a great time, but obviously were limited by what we could do, so we did lots of beach time, etc. But, we've never been to Alaska, so I have no idea what to expect. Our big thing is we want to see the glaciers and amazing scenery, but our most of the tours such that a young child wouldn't make it through? Too long or just too much for a little one? It seems that the tours or excursions are much more expensive than those found in the caribbean or mexican riviera.. so I want to make sure we will be able to enjoy the tours we do.. any suggestions or insight??

 

We're booked on Celebrity's Millennium because it's the only 1 way itinerary that we wanted.

[cb at sea]

While you know your child best, at 3.5, mine would have been cranky on long excursions, especially "sightseeing" ones.....very young children just don't "get" the beauty that you've traveled so far to see...

And yes--an Alaskan cruise is MUCH pricier than a Caribbean...and they're much less "laid-back" because you're going for Alaska....not the ship, really! So, you probably wouldn't want to lounge about the ship when you're in ports, like you might in the Carib...

[boulders]

I took my just turned 4 year old on an Alaskan cruise in August. We had a fabulous time. He went on 2 excursions. One was sea kayaking in Ketchikan. It was a 4 hour trip and he had to sit still in a kayak for about 2 of those. He had a great time. There was lots to see and he did very well. The second tour was in Juneau where we went whale watching. This tour was also about 3-4 hours and he had a wonderful time during that too. We visited the Sea Life Center in Seward and he loved that too. During the times he wasn't with me, he spent a lot of time in the kids club. After returning from the cruise, he announced that he wants to LIVE on a cruise ship. :p

 

There are a lot of wildlife oriented shore excursions. There are other kid-friendly excursions too, like gold-panning and dogsledding. IMO, there are plenty of excursions that a 3 1/2 year old would like and would be interesting for the adults too.

 

We spent less money for the cruise than most of the Caribbean cruises we have taken. Around Christmas, a lot of them went on sale.

[karenem]

We rented a car in Skagway and drove to Carcross. Impossible to get lost, cheaper than a ship's excursion, and we could take all the time we wanted with the kids. Fewer people too.

[sandytoes03]

There are ways to do things in Alaska with kids--for sure! But, the question to me is, would it be better to wait? If this is the only time you can do it, then go and have a blast! But, if you can wait, the older your child gets, the more and more that will open up for all of you to do.

[azcater]

Thanks for the input everyone! We've thought about waiting.. but we have vacation plans backed up for several years.... Disney next year, caribbean after that, then a Mediterranean cruise.. so I think we'll just have to go and do what we can.. We got such a great deal on the cruise, I hate to let it go.

[sandytoes03]

Thanks for the input everyone! We've thought about waiting.. but we have vacation plans backed up for several years.... Disney next year, caribbean after that, then a Mediterranean cruise.. so I think we'll just have to go and do what we can.. We got such a great deal on the cruise, I hate to let it go.

 

WOW! Sounds like you have some amazing vacations coming up!

 

Since you metioned glaciers I think you can easily see Mendenhall in Juneau if you stop there. Do you also cruise Hubbard glacier? Since you're on the ship for that one it won't be difficult to see a lot with your little one. You could also do the Skyline tram ride in Juneau. That's doable with a child, and if it's a nice day the views are gorgeous!

 

Have fun!

[azcater]

Thanks for the ideas, sounds great. Yea, we like to try and do one big vacation each year, but only if I can get deals. I also charge everything to my points card so I can earn miles for airfare.. that helps. :-)

[SaySumthing]

We did an Alaska cruise with my 3 and 1 year old boys. They had a fantastic time. The only excursion we had a hard time on was a combo train/bus tour in skagway (train to fraser, bus to carcross then back to Skagway). The train was great. The 5+ hours on a bus with cranky old people was not. We did a photo safari in Juneau (1 long hike to Mendenhall, 2 hour whale watch - best excursion this trip) and both kids did fine. In Ketchkan we did a 3 hour boat excursion and they did just fine on that as well.

 

Obviously, choosing your excursions wisely is the key. There are lots of things for a 3-1/2 year old to do on the ship. We didn't use the kids club at all because my youngest was too little, and were fine all week long.

[EmmaJean]

We went to Alaska when our boys were 2. We rented a car to go to the Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau, and that worked out well. It was from Rent-a-Wreck. The owner gave us a little tour on the way to the rental place and recommended a place for fish which we enjoyed.

 

The boys loved the train ride in Skagway, we just rode up and back on the train. We did not do the bus ride. We actually purchased our tickets from the railway. So, we had to walk up the pier instead of getting right on the train. It was no biggie. We had the stroller along. It was nice because few people did that and we had the car almost to ourselves. (Sharing with just one other couple). Most people wanted the back car of the 2 cars. We also rented a car in Skagway which was fun, but I thought the train ride was enough. Probably doing one or the other would be better.

 

Your child might enjoy the Lumberjack show in Ketchikan. One of our little guys did and I think the other slept. We booked that through the ship. We walked to that and enjoyed seeing the totem poles in town. It was all in walking distance. (We had the stroller for the boys.)

[cantw8togo]

I'm sure that you will have a great time, however you do need to keep reasonable expectations. Be prepared to change your plans if you need to accommodate naps or meals. Travel with small toys, books and snacks during excursions to help ward off meltdowns. The Mendenhall Glacier is great, my 5 and 8 DS's both enjoyed it, but keep in mind that you can't take unsealed snacks there on account of the bears; sealed granola bars and packaged crackers are fine. Don't let this deter you from going; there are rangers all over the place and they keep an eye on things. They will also point out wildlife that you might otherwise miss. My kids also really enjoyed the whale watching trip we took out of Juneau.

 

Here is a good article on things to do in Skagway with young kids. http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g60877-c86824/Skagway:Alaska:Kid.Scene.html

 

What ports are you stopping in? I'm sure that others will have some great suggestions on things to do in specific ports.

 

N.