Cruise Tour with Children

[TxAlaskaCruiser]

We are planning a family trip with about 4 kids and at least 6 adults. Would love to see Denali, but wondering how tough this will be with children aged 5 to 9 years old. Anyone out there who has done this? From reading posts sounds like if we do the cruise tour, better to do the tour part first so we are not exhausted when we return home. Posts appreciated.

[PennyAgain]

Seldom do children do cruise tours. It would be a much better deal for your family group to rent vans and DIY your own land tour. Not only will you save a ton of money, but everyone will have a much better experience.

 

The cruise tours are mostly done by people who are older, sometimes a great deal older.

 

A lot of time is spent waiting. No good for children and younger adults.

 

Planning and driving your own tour you will be able to do things that are interesting to everyone but from time to time doing different things. Driving in Alaska on the primary tourist routes is very easy.

[mapleleaves]

From what I've read about cruisetours, there's a lot of travel time which isn't the best situation for young kids. I would recommend renting cars for the drive to Denali so that the kids can get out and burn off some energy every couple of hours. Drive time from Anchorage to Denali is about 5 hrs; you follow the George Parks Hwy all the way there so it's quite straightforward.

As for the bus into Denali, I've been on the shuttles with kids and have never seen a problem. However, IF a kid acts up, one parent must be willing to hop off the bus with that kid and flag down the next bus heading to the entrance. Pick up free Jr Ranger kits at the Visitor Center to help keep them occupied. Give them cheap binoculars and cameras so they can be "spotters" for the driver. Bring snacks.

I recommend the shuttle to Eielson over the Tundra Wilderness Tour. The kids will be FREE and the adult fare is only $34 compared to $113 for the Tour. It's only 4 hrs each way, with restroom stops every 90 minutes. Most kids (and adults) sleep on the return trip :). At Eielson the bus stops for 30-40 minutes so it's a nice spot to have a picnic lunch, enjoy the exhibits and walk around. (Buy sandwiches and drinks before the trip as there are no concessions after the bus pulls away.) http://www.nps.gov/dena/forkids/beajuniorranger.htm

That's my 2 cents !

[Budget Queen]

I never recommend cruisetours for kids, and especially ones this young. Fixed lengthy time in transits, no way out, early mornings, late evenings, point to point touring, add, it's your most costly way to go.

 

You also need to think carefully about Denali Park and kids under 8. It is not for everyone, and some kids just can't tolerate it. Sorry, but the bus does demand "adult behavior", ability to occupy yourself quietly and through boring segments. :) It is much more scenery based than wildlife based. Wildlife is rarely close by. Binoculars are necessary.

 

IF you continue to go with this, be very specific in what behavior is "required for the animals". :) Bring with you, triple, the games, DVD's with head phones, food. Be prepared to exit the bus- meaning, all by yourselves on the side of the road- to run off some steam. :)

 

Alaska trips, should never be "exhausting". It is poor planning if they are. Less can be more, if you don't have at least 3 days, with two transits for Denali I suggest you may want to consider Seward. Has way more for kids, and excellent close up wildlife with the Animal Conservation on the Seward Highway, Alaska Sealife Center, Kenai Fjords boat tours etc.

[TxAlaskaCruiser]

Thank you for comments. This is a great message board. I will look into doing it ourselves and Seward as an alternative. First time cruiser and Alaska visit.

[misterjohnny]

Thank you for comments. This is a great message board. I will look into doing it ourselves and Seward as an alternative. First time cruiser and Alaska visit.

 

I am in a similar boat (three kids 8-13), plus we have two grandparents along.

 

We decided to forgo the Denali part and are spending three days with Seward as our headquarters. day trip to the russian river, 6 hour boat trip to the glaciers out of seward, seward aquarium, and maybe a 1/2 day fishing. Plus a few stops between Anchorage and Seward as we are renting a van for all of us. Renting a van seemed to be the only viable option since we wanted to see Seward area but our ship leaves from Whittier. Plus it gives us much more flexibility to change plans once we are there.

[poolwife]

I also think renting a car and doing an independent trip is the best way to go at least in Alaska. Then you can go where you want when you want.

 

We just got back from a 7 day independent pre-cruise trip touring only the Kenai Peninsula. We really enjoyed our day in Cooper Landing where we did a float trip down the river and a horse back ride. Great horse stables where you also bbq'd hot dogs and other sides were for lunch. Very friendly people. We did one of the Kenai Fjords trips with Major Marine tours out of Seward and loved it. We did the 7 1/2 hour which left at 10:00 am and got back at 5:30. For $19.00 additional per person they serve you an all you can eat Prime Rib/Salmon buffet which includes really good rice, salad, rolls and dessert, and a non-alcoholic drink. Was a wonderful day. Went to two glaciers and saw so many whales we didn't need to go on another whale watching tour out of ISP or Juneau. They did it all- jumped, did bubble net feeding. It was fabulous.

 

Glad you are considering the kids. The Alaska Wildlife Conservation center, as previously posted, is a great place for kids to see all of the wildlife of Alaska. We, as 4 adults, really enjoyed stopping there.

 

If you need somewhere to eat a long the way, there is a great place called Summit Lake Lodge which comes up on the left side of the road before the turnoff for the Sterling Hwy. to Soldotna and Homer. Food is very good there, the scenery is breath taking and they have an ice cream shoppe also with very good ice cream. We stopped there at dinner time on our way to Cooper Landing and had a great rib eye steak dinner with this wonderful fresh mushroom sauce. Anyway, I highly recommend stopping there for either lunch or dinner.

[Gymjenn14]

alright i may be the exception but we did a Holland America cruise tour in to Denali with my 7 year old daughter in June and it was a great trip. we sailed from vancouver and got on the bus in Seward. we stopped enough that she was fine. she brought a book bag with activities that kept her occupied. we were in Denali for not even 24 hours, but on the first night, hiked up to and around the WAC center and then in the AM took the savage river shuttle into the park, got off to hike a bit saw an alpha wolf, a grizzly bear, and some dall sheep. then flagged down the camper shuttle and got a ride back to the visitor's center with plenty of time to catch the train. she loved the time in the park hiking, climbing, and looking for animals. the train was long and she slept a bit but we saw moose right away leaving the park and the experience of riding the train was great and she truly enjoyed it. the cruise tour part of the trip was much easier for her than the hours spent flying to and from vancouver and alaska.

 

once in anchorage we spent an extra day and rented a car and drove back down to Seward. we stopped at many senic points along the way including the conservation center and then went to exit glacier and hiked up towards the icefield. we only made it to the cliffs but it was a great day and a great way to end the trip. My daughter did sleep on the drive back to anchorage and we fully took advantage of the extended daylight often hiking and such until after ten pm, but then waking up when we were ready the next day and not rushing our mornings since none of us of morning people.

[Budget Queen]

alright i may be the exception but we did a Holland America cruise tour in to Denali with my 7 year old daughter in June and it was a great trip. we sailed from vancouver and got on the bus in Seward. we stopped enough that she was fine. she brought a book bag with activities that kept her occupied. we were in Denali for not even 24 hours, but on the first night, hiked up to and around the WAC center and then in the AM took the savage river shuttle into the park, got off to hike a bit saw an alpha wolf, a grizzly bear, and some dall sheep. then flagged down the camper shuttle and got a ride back to the visitor's center with plenty of time to catch the train. she loved the time in the park hiking, climbing, and looking for animals. the train was long and she slept a bit but we saw moose right away leaving the park and the experience of riding the train was great and she truly enjoyed it. the cruise tour part of the trip was much easier for her than the hours spent flying to and from vancouver and alaska.

 

once in anchorage we spent an extra day and rented a car and drove back down to Seward. we stopped at many senic points along the way including the conservation center and then went to exit glacier and hiked up towards the icefield. we only made it to the cliffs but it was a great day and a great way to end the trip. My daughter did sleep on the drive back to anchorage and we fully took advantage of the extended daylight often hiking and such until after ten pm, but then waking up when we were ready the next day and not rushing our mornings since none of us of morning people.

 

You didn't get into Denali?

 

The point made with the OP was referencing this, as it is a big highlight on cruisetours, especially taking into account all that time in transit to get back and forth to Denali. By train it is 16 hours, road at least 10, round trip Anchorage. For some it isn't a good use of time to invest in all that time, and not get into the park.