First time cruiser, 1st post...tons of questions!

[Mom128]

Hello Family Cruise Board. I am recently widowed and want to take my two young (9 and 12) daughters on a cruise. It was something my DH always wanted to do so we are gonna do it! I am thinking Alaska in June. Here are some of my ?'s. Can you even use the pool on a ship during a cruise to Alaska? What in your opinion is the best place to leave from (want to do a little sightseeing before or after the cruise). Is there a cruise that might have more single parents then others? Are my kids appropriate age to leave in the cabin for an hour or so? Best food and shore excursions?

OK, so you can see that I have lots of questions, and concerns. I made myself stop but if you could help that would be great.

Thanks guys...I love these boards so I look forward to chat with you!

[jerin]

Seattle and Vancouver are the most common departure ports for Alaska cruises, and both are wonderful for sightseeing. I'm more familiar with Seattle -- there's an Aquarium, a science museum, a music museum, the Space Needle, a zoo, national parks. Vancouver is beautiful with the majesty of the mountains RIGHT there -- I know that there are also plenty of things to do with kids there, but I'm just not as familiar.

 

Any of the mass market lines will have a good number of kids, and some single-parent families and/or kids sailing with one parent -- you definitely won't be out of place.

 

I don't think any cruiseline has definite guidelines of what is 'old enough' to be on their own, but my 11 and 12 year olds both babysit at home, so I feel comfortable leaving them in the cabin for an hour or two (even with younger kids). A lot depends on the individual children and what they're used to at home.

 

My in-laws really liked a kayak trip they took at one of their ports of call in Alaska. I think that it's offered at several ports, I'm not sure which one they did.

[kitty9]

There is no ship that's more attractive for single parents. Most of the mainstream lines attract lots of families, so you'll not be alone.

 

The only problem I have with the Vancouver departures is the difficulty in just getting there from many US cities, plus the insane airfare to Canada. I was looking at fares from Milwaukee, and I couldn't find anything that didn't have 3 stops or was less than $1200 USD.

 

As far as leaving the kids alone in a cabin, I guess it's all up to you and if you can trust that no one will be able to get in the cabin (workers have pass keys and can get in when they want). Read the thread on this board about the 13 year old who was left on her own and was sexually assaulted. Ships are like any city, and they have their perverts, both passengers and crew members.

 

Using the pool depends on whether the ship has an indoor pool and what the temps are. They can be quite variable in that area of the world.

[harryfat1]

Hello Family Cruise Board. I am recently widowed and want to take my two young (9 and 12) daughters on a cruise. It was something my DH always wanted to do so we are gonna do it! I am thinking Alaska in June. Here are some of my ?'s. Can you even use the pool on a ship during a cruise to Alaska? What in your opinion is the best place to leave from (want to do a little sightseeing before or after the cruise). Is there a cruise that might have more single parents then others? Are my kids appropriate age to leave in the cabin for an hour or so? Best food and shore excursions?

OK, so you can see that I have lots of questions, and concerns. I made myself stop but if you could help that would be great.

Thanks guys...I love these boards so I look forward to chat with you!

 

Welcome to cruise critic.

 

The previous posters pretty much answered your questions,. But just want to reiterate few points.

 

1 – It’s typically more scenic to cruise out of Vancouver as you get to see the east side of the Vancouver Island via the Inside Passage. If you do the round trip Vancouver, you will see it twice. Typical Seattle round trip takes you to the west side of the Vancouver Island (some ships may be exception), where it’s more in the open seas, higher chances or rough seas – anyone in the family sensitive to motion sickness?

 

2 – Like other have pointed out, cheaper to fly to Seattle if you have access to Southwest or Virgin America or other low fare carriers. Vancouver due to its International flight, have less choices and thus more costly. You can get transfers that take you from Seattle airport to Vancouver, but that involves more money and planning to arrange the transfers.

 

3 – Go to the Alaska forum to ask specifics about the cruise itself once you narrow it down to few ships/itinerary (e.g. the eternal debate of which is better – Hubbard Glacier or Glacier Bay).

 

4 – Alaska season runs from May to September. Obviously the highest chance for kids are between June and August when they are off, but some people pull the kids out of school in May and September, so you should see kids on most sailings.

 

5- Most likely you are not looking at outdoor pool swimming in Alaska, but some ships have indoor pools, so if swimming is a higher priority for you, look for those ships.

 

6 – There are also some “one way” cruises to/from Alaska such that they start/end in Vancouver, but the other end is in Alaska. Those are the more scenic part of the Alaska cruises, but they are also the most expensive as you need to fly to/from Anchorage in Alaska and the airfare alone may be as higher than the cruise itself. So depending on your budget, it may or may not be worth exploring.

 

Hopefully this helps. Come back with follow up questions if you need clarifications.

[Cheryl H]

Hello Family Cruise Board. I am recently widowed and want to take my two young (9 and 12) daughters on a cruise. It was something my DH always wanted to do so we are gonna do it! I am thinking Alaska in June. Here are some of my ?'s. Can you even use the pool on a ship during a cruise to Alaska? What in your opinion is the best place to leave from (want to do a little sightseeing before or after the cruise). Is there a cruise that might have more single parents then others? Are my kids appropriate age to leave in the cabin for an hour or so? Best food and shore excursions?

OK, so you can see that I have lots of questions, and concerns. I made myself stop but if you could help that would be great.

Thanks guys...I love these boards so I look forward to chat with you!

 

I'm so sorry about your loss. Congrats on planning a trip to honor your DH.

 

We are going on the Radiance of the Seas June 24. They have an indoor pool and they have family time in there twice per day. We are taking our son who will be 6 at the time.

 

Our sailing departs from Vancouver. We are flying to Seattle and taking the ferry up to Victoria for a visit before our cruise. But I've read where some take an Amtrak train from Seattle up to Vancouver BC. I heard it's a nice train ride. Takes 4 hours though. It might be simpler to just fly into Vancouver. Our cruise ends in Seward. We have a tour lined up that ends in Anchorage and we fly home from there.

 

Our biggest mistake ever on a cruise was flying in on the day of departure. We almost missed a ship once. So now we always arrive in our departure city at least 1 day early. Then we take a taxi over to the ship in time for lunch. (your ship may list boarding in the afternoon, but most ships start boarding around 11:00 am and you can go up and have lunch. Last time we took our carry ons with us to lunch and our room was ready by 1:00 pm).

 

Once you choose a sailing, go to the meet & mingle board and chat with folks that will be on your cruise. Then you may find out if there's any single parents along. I have met the nicest folks on the rollcall thread and then enjoy meeting them in person at the meet & mingle party. (Royal Carribbean hosts a party if you have at least 25 people sign up). I'm not sure if the other lines do this as well or not.

 

As far as shore excursions, we tried to select some that we knew our son would enjoy. We're doing the Chilkoot Summit train/bus combo tour in Skagway. Doing a gold mine tour in Juneau and then taking a shuttle to Mendenhall glacier. Ketchikan for us is a float plane to Misty Fjord. There's also a lumberjack show in Ketchikan that we might see. Icy Strait Point we are doing a whale watching tour. There lots of tours to pick from. You can select tours from your ships excursion list, or book privately with an independant tour. Maybe your girls would enjoy helping to select some tours.

 

We had a young gal join us on a cruise who was recently widowed. She brought a friend from church. Those two gals had more fun. I think they had spa treatments and went to towel folding class and on and on. They did it all!

[ourfamilylovescruising]

welcome to Cruise critic, the train from Seattle to Vancouver is beautiful you go through the cascade mountains it is about a 4 hour ride but the kids would love it. I think the cost is under 50.pp and I am sure you will make that up in savings from your air fare. I would suggest either Princess or Holland America for Alaska with the kids because they do a Jr. ranger program so they can learn alot about Alaska. good luck and have fun planing the trip. :)

[tkportersat]

I don't have much to add but your post touched me as I was a 31 year old widow to a 9 and 11 year old back in 2003 and we had many great cruises after my husband passed; including the one year mark to keep us "busy".

 

The best advice I can offer to you is that once you sign up for a cruise, go find or start a "roll call" on the roll call board. I made so many friends that way before we ever went on the cruise and it makes things so great. A few years back I met a woman who was also a widow and we hung out a lot on that 7 day cruise and went on an excursion together with our kids. Also, do a ton of research before you leave so you know what you want to do (and if you decide to do Caribbean and there are less than safe ports, safety factor). I always wanted to have a plan and look confident; so that we wouldn't be a target for less than nice individuals.

 

My kids were 10 and 12 on that first cruise we went on and they spent a lot of time in the kid's club but they had a curfew and they did spend some time in the room alone. I just told them not to answer the door. We also had the cheap walkie talkies that I got from Target and kept tabs that way.

 

Best of luck to you during this difficult time and I hope you find a great vacation! :)

 

If you have any other questions please let me know, I did 5 cruises with my kids as a single mom. What line are you thinking of going on?

 

PS - Our story has a happy ending. The kids are now 18 and 16, I got remarried to a great guy this year and now also have a 6 month old!!

 

Hello Family Cruise Board. I am recently widowed and want to take my two young (9 and 12) daughters on a cruise. It was something my DH always wanted to do so we are gonna do it! I am thinking Alaska in June. Here are some of my ?'s. Can you even use the pool on a ship during a cruise to Alaska? What in your opinion is the best place to leave from (want to do a little sightseeing before or after the cruise). Is there a cruise that might have more single parents then others? Are my kids appropriate age to leave in the cabin for an hour or so? Best food and shore excursions?

OK, so you can see that I have lots of questions, and concerns. I made myself stop but if you could help that would be great.

Thanks guys...I love these boards so I look forward to chat with you!

[Naomi John]

welcome to Cruise critic, the train from Seattle to Vancouver is beautiful you go through the cascade mountains it is about a 4 hour ride but the kids would love it. I think the cost is under 50.pp and I am sure you will make that up in savings from your air fare. I would suggest either Princess or Holland America for Alaska with the kids because they do a Jr. ranger program so they can learn alot about Alaska. good luck and have fun planing the trip. :)

 

Not sure if Mom128 read this, but great tip!! Thanks!

[fisherhum]

Hi,

I'm from near vancouver and if you do end up in Vancouver there are lots of things to do there as well (very similar to Seattle) - Great Aquarium, science world, markets etc. The train is a great way to get to Vancouver from Seattle or it is only about 2 hours from Bellingham, WA if you are driving. (not sure if the train stops near Bellingham).

 

If the timing works, I would highly recommend a cruise that does the inside passage as it is absolutely beautiful. The weather in June can be warm but it can also be rainy and cool. You can't really count on any particular weather in June.

 

Cheers

[JAKcruiser]

Mom128 - I identify with your situation as I am recently widowed and our family had dreamed of an Alaskan cruise. My husband requested that my son and I carry out his dream so we're heading to Alaska on the June 24th Royal Caribbean Radiance. We have been on many cruises and various cruise lines as we live in Florida with easy access to the ports. My son's favorite of all was Royal Caribbean so that's what we've chosen. They have great kids' programs for each of the age ranges. The big factors for me were the ship and the great itinerary.

 

Since it's a one-way from Vancouver to Seward, the airfare is more expensive which I know can be a big factor when paying for all three of you. If that is a problem, Holland America is having a sale where the 3rd/4th passengers are free. Maybe you should see what they offer.

 

If you do join us, at least you'd know another single mom on board. Good luck. I know its nice to have something to look forward to.

[Cheryl H]

Mom128 - I identify with your situation as I am recently widowed and our family had dreamed of an Alaskan cruise. My husband requested that my son and I carry out his dream so we're heading to Alaska on the June 24th Royal Caribbean Radiance. We have been on many cruises and various cruise lines as we live in Florida with easy access to the ports. My son's favorite of all was Royal Caribbean so that's what we've chosen. They have great kids' programs for each of the age ranges. The big factors for me were the ship and the great itinerary.

 

Since it's a one-way from Vancouver to Seward, the airfare is more expensive which I know can be a big factor when paying for all three of you. If that is a problem, Holland America is having a sale where the 3rd/4th passengers are free. Maybe you should see what they offer.

 

If you do join us, at least you'd know another single mom on board. Good luck. I know its nice to have something to look forward to.

 

Hi Jakcruiser,

I was chatting with you over on the other thread. So sorry to hear of your loss. You are certainly welcome to hang out with us if you need people to visit with. Looking forward to meeting you and your son onboard.

 

Cheryl