Which cruise line to Alaska with kids?

[1stxalaskacruiser]

Planning our first cruise to Alaska in June 2013, 4 adults (parents and grandparents) and one 9 year old. Probably going to r/t Seattle - should we choose NCL, HAL or Princess? Have heard that HAL tends to have an older clientele - is this even the case in summer when school is out?

 

Priorities are Glacier Bay and being able to whale watch, dog sled, kayak and zipline.

 

Thanks for your help.

[6rugrats]

HAL or Princess. There will be plenty of children on either.

[9olivia]

I am traveling on HAL this summer with my extended family. The kids in our group will be 12, 7, 6, 3 and 2.

 

I was a little nervous about the reputation of HAL having less kids but after doing some research I was reassured that there would be other families on board and people seem to be pleased with club HAL. I chose the Volendam out of Vancouver because it goes to both Tracy Arm and Glacier Bay and for Alaska it seemed to me that itinerary was the most important. We will fly into Seattle and take the train to Vancouver.

 

Good luck! I'm sure you will have fun no matter what cruise you pick!

[bralli]

I've been on the Diamond Princess adn the Celebrity Infinity to Alaska in June and both ships had tons of kids and great programs. I think if are going during normal times when school is out, there are going to be lots of kids.

[chipmaster]

We've done Princess, lots of kids during the summer. Princess like HAL have many sailings to Glacier, probably between the two the most, RT fewer but still a few.

 

Planning our first cruise to Alaska in June 2013, 4 adults (parents and grandparents) and one 9 year old. Probably going to r/t Seattle - should we choose NCL, HAL or Princess? Have heard that HAL tends to have an older clientele - is this even the case in summer when school is out?

 

Priorities are Glacier Bay and being able to whale watch, dog sled, kayak and zipline.

 

Thanks for your help.

[TheCalicoCat]

I am traveling on HAL this summer with my extended family. The kids in our group will be 12, 7, 6, 3 and 2.

 

I was a little nervous about the reputation of HAL having less kids but after doing some research I was reassured that there would be other families on board and people seem to be pleased with club HAL. I chose the Volendam out of Vancouver because it goes to both Tracy Arm and Glacier Bay and for Alaska it seemed to me that itinerary was the most important. We will fly into Seattle and take the train to Vancouver.

 

Good luck! I'm sure you will have fun no matter what cruise you pick!

 

DITTO! (Only we will be a party of 3 - including a 3.5 year old)

[lmg1230]

We sailed on Princess to Alaska when my younger daughter was just shy of her 4th birthday and had a wonderful time - we had grandparents along as well. We have sailed on Disney, Princess (twice), Holland America and Celebrity and my kids have a slight preference for Princess, however, they have enjoyed all the cruises and the kids clubs on each of the ships.

 

Lisa

[sherryf]

We took my kids (teens) to Alaska last summer on the Golden Princess and they all had a great time. There were lots of kids on board and they made a lot of friends.

 

For Alaska, your decision should be based mainly on itinerary, which ports you want to see, which glaciers, etc. Cruise line/ship should be secondary.

 

Regardless of which one you choose, you will have a fantastic time in Alaska!

[Keith1010]

Of the three lines you mentioned Princess has the best children's program. On top of that they do a wonderful cruise of Alaska.

 

Keith

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

They are all good ..

[lrowe70]

They are all good ..

I hear they are all good and all have what you are looking for.

We leave in a month on a Northbound Alaska with our young child.

After looking at Royal Caribbean and Celebrity we opted for Celebrity because it has a well-regarded children's program, but also more activities that my husband and I enjoy.

 

You'll have a great time, regardless of the ship you decide upon.

[sandvinsd]

We did HAL with the kids (ages 5 and 9) and grandparents last summer and had a great time. Since it was summer, there were plenty of kids on board and ours loved the programs at clubHAL. Of course these Alaskan cruises are port intensive so there is not a lot of time on the ship.

[Roz]

Alaskan cruises during June, July, and August will have the most families with children, regardless of the line. May and September, not so much due to school schedules.

 

Roz

[NJfoodie]

We're planning alaska as well w/ a group that will include quite a few kids. Given that this is for us a once in a lifetime trip, we are looking first and foremost at itinerary - who is in port for how long, at what times, which ports, etc. Then we looked at the onboard activities for all age groups. All of the major lines w/ have a decent kids program, in the summer there will be other kids, and all are generally family-friendly. If there's a particular amenity that is important to you as a group, for the adults, or for the child, then certainly consider the line that offers it. You also know your child best for what activities he'd enjoy and whether or not he would want to participate in the kids programs. But for most alaska cruisers, the itinerary is still what matters most.

[sandvinsd]

II agree that the itinerary matters most. Pick the cruise that is going to the places you want. The kids will likely enjoy any of the boats. As I said in an earlier posts, these are port intensive so you don't have many days just being on the boat.

[familycruzinnewbie]

For those that have sailed HAL to Alaska, which itinerary did you do and why? HALs site drives me a little crazy, I can never find the info or price of anything unless I get into the booking part and then I find a category is gone or everything is much higher. I'm used to the Carnival one I guess. Does HAL have a reduced children's rate and how far in advance is best for booking. Thanks

[TwoSue]

Does HAL have a reduced children's rate and how far in advance is best for booking. Thanks

 

One of the reasons we chose HAL over the rest for our upcoming Alaskan cruise is that the third and fourth passengers in the cabin were only $99 plus tax. It was hundreds and hundreds of dollars cheaper than the other lines for our family of four. It's not that way on every single sailing, but many.

[familycruzinnewbie]

TwoSue, which cruise route/ship did you choose? I noticed now you can cruise from Vancouver to Alaska one way for $350 pp each way even for some of the summer dates and the OV and Inside rooms are sometimes the same price or cheaper. Now they only have 2 people per room so you'd need 2 cabins. Now with airfare, if you were feeling adventurous you could book that long in advance and then cross your fingers that you get the cruise you want when they drop the rates.

 

If I look at 2013 dates prices seem to be at least $900 pp and I don't think the $99 kids fare is on. When are prices decent and the $99 3/4th passenger deals available? Also do you book with HAL directly? Thanks

[shellgoodman]

We loved the NCL Pearl to Alaska with our kids. The kids program was terrific. At one time, we sat with some HAL folks on an excursion in Alaska and they all felt that they were the youngest ones on the ship (they were close to 50). They told us how bored they were. I have never been on HAL so I don't have first hand experience.

 

We also loved the freestyle dining with them with a great number of restaurants to choose from.

 

We are dying to go back on NCL but because they don't cruise the Caribbean in the summer, we haven't been able to go. I am about to book the Mediterranean on the Epic for next year with my girls. We were going to go this summer but my older daughter was ill and is still not up to all that walking.