Alaskan cruise with 11 month old

[Illini3]

Hi everyone,

 

I appreciate all of the great advice on this board! My husband and I are taking an NCL Alaskan cruise with his parents at the end of May. Not only is this our first cruise, but also our first big vacation with our son, who will be 11 months old. (We actually traveled from IL to CA when he was 5 months, and he did beautifully, but that was a laid-back family trip.) My husband's parent are cruising pros, but they definitely forget that things are a little different with a baby! :p

 

I was hoping to hear from those of you that have been to Alaska with a young one. Were you able to do any excursions? If so, would you recommend any? We will be in Icy Straight Point/Hoonah, Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan. I'm already looking at low-key, shorter options. My son just went down to 2 naps - at 9ish and 2ish, and he is an extremely happy 8 month old. Hopefully this will stay the same...of course, I realize now that I've said that, I've jinxed myself! :eek:

 

Any advice from Alaskan cruise goers with babies/toddlers would be much appreciated! Thanks so much! :)

[boulders]

Ketchikan has the lumberjack show right next to the dock which looks like it would be fun for kids. In Juneau, the whale watches on a large boat would be good too. So would Mendenhall glacier. Perhaps a trip to see sled dog puppies (but not the sled ride) or panning for gold. Skagway has some great shopping and you could take the little one with you.

 

Alaska is a great destination for kids. I've taken two trips with my kids - one with all three when they were 13, 11, and 3 and one with the youngest when he was 6. We had a great time each time.

[laurasue]

Our DD will be 3 for our Alaska cruise at the end of May. We are planning mostly low key days, but with an 11 month old and a baby backpack I bet you could do more than we will be able to! in Juneau you could hike near the Mendenhall or do a whale watching (we booked a private charter with Rum Runners, great reviews and its private so if things go awry it's only ruining our trip, not others, plus his first mate is a dog, which my daughter will love), the prices are competitive per person with the big cruise ship boats. In Ketchikan you could take him on the city bus to visit the totem poles, or just walk around town. I know I've seen at least one flightseeing tour to Misty Fjords that allows kids, but it might be problematic with a little kids ears/noise. In Skagway we are renting a car so we can go explore on our own. We are expecting we are going to have to give up a little of "what we would do if it was just us" to accommodate naps and such, but are excited to experience Alaska with her. We are planning to do sled dogs when we get to Denali (for free).

 

Happy travels!

[sherryf]

On my first Alaskan cruise, my kids were 8, 5 and 2. It was a family trip and we had a 9 month old baby in the group. This child has always been active and he actually started walking on that trip. His parents had a lot of trouble keeping him happy because he really just wanted to be moving all the time. They did take him on a whale watching tour in Juneau and on the train in Skagway, but they spent a good portion of their time chasing him around and trying to keep him happy and out of trouble.

 

My daughter (2) was so much easier. She was a mellow child and sat happily on the train. She required more attention on the whale watch, but it was doable.

 

How your son does on your trip will depend a lot on his personality and his mobility at that stage. Of course, it's hard to predict if he will be crawling, walking or running at 11 months.

 

I'd avoid any excursions that involve sitting for long periods of time. The 3-hour round-trip train might be okay since you can get up and move around, but one of the longer train/bus combo trips (7-9 hours) would not be good. 3 hours on a bus would not be good, since you can't get up and move around like you can on the train. Renting a car is also a good option since you can go at your own pace and stop as needed.

[rebeccalouiseagain]

11 month olds simply want to move. They are either crawling or walking at this age. The won't enjoy Whale Watching one bit. They probably won't even know what you are talking about. They'll be more interested in climbing the stairs on the boat. At 11 months they want to explore but they won't focus on tours. They won't sit and listen to guides at that age.

 

It's not that your child won't initially be interested in a train or helicopter ride but they bore easily after 10 minutes or so.

 

If you want to do something fun- do the 1/2 day excursion to see the Iditarod Pups in Skagway.

[sherryf]

11 month olds simply want to move. They are either crawling or walking at this age. The won't enjoy Whale Watching one bit. They probably won't even know what you are talking about. They'll be more interested in climbing the stairs on the boat. At 11 months they want to explore but they won't focus on tours. They won't sit and listen to guides at that age.

 

It's not that your child won't initially be interested in a train or helicopter ride but they bore easily after 10 minutes or so.

 

Obviously a child that age will not get much out of most excursions, but that doesn't mean that the parents can't do things that they enjoy... as long as they are willing to deal with an active toddler while they do it. We did whale watching with a 2 year old because the rest of the family wanted to do it, particularly our 8 year old who was obsessed with whales. My daughter doesn't even remember it, but my son definitely does. We weren't going to skip it just because we had a toddler to deal with.

 

If you want to do something fun- do the 1/2 day excursion to see the Iditarod Pups in Skagway.

 

I wouldn't do a "1/2 day" excursion of any kind with a toddler! There are closer places to see puppies, such as the Klondike Gold Dredge. However, I wouldn't do this with a child who is not used to dogs or might be frightened or overwhelmed by them. These puppies are very active and some small children don't like having dogs jump all over them. My kids thoroughly enjoyed the puppies at the Gold Dredge as teenagers, but I know that at least one of them would have been totally freaked out by them as toddlers. :eek:

[Kerry's Girls]

We're going to the same ports in June with four 8 year olds and a toddler, so we're trying to plan active, explore-type activities.

 

In Juneau we're taking the shuttle to the glacier and doing the hike to the waterfall. We're bringing a harness so the toddler won't have to hold hands, but can't wander off the path.

 

In Ketchikan we're hiking the rainforest (and I believe there is a stroller friendly hike if you want to bring the stroller).

 

In Skagway we're renting a car to drive to Emerald Lake. We figure we can stop when we want, have lots of snacks and with our own car won't have to worry about the kids making noise, etc.

 

We haven't nailed down Icy Straight Point, but we're thinking of just taking a walk.

 

The older kids are going with us on a wildlife boat tour in Seward, but not the toddler. I agree with Rebecca that when my girls were toddlers, I wouldn't have taken them on a little boat like that because I'd have spent the whole time trying to contain them. I learned the secret to successful travel with little ones from others on this board - have reasonable expectations and have lots of snacks/drinks handy.

 

Best,

Mia

[kandjrolls2]

We're going to the same ports in June with four 8 year olds and a toddler' date=' so we're trying to plan active, explore-type activities.

 

In Juneau we're taking the shuttle to the glacier and doing the hike to the waterfall. We're bringing a harness so the toddler won't have to hold hands, but can't wander off the path.

 

In Ketchikan we're hiking the rainforest (and I believe there is a stroller friendly hike if you want to bring the stroller).

 

In Skagway we're renting a car to drive to Emerald Lake. We figure we can stop when we want, have lots of snacks and with our own car won't have to worry about the kids making noise, etc.

 

We haven't nailed down Icy Straight Point, but we're thinking of just taking a walk.

 

The older kids are going with us on a wildlife boat tour in Seward, but not the toddler. I agree with Rebecca that when my girls were toddlers, I wouldn't have taken them on a little boat like that because I'd have spent the whole time trying to contain them. I learned the secret to successful travel with little ones from others on this board - have reasonable expectations and have lots of snacks/drinks handy.

 

Best,

Mia[/quote']

 

What cruiseline are you using? I'm in the process of booking an Alaskan cruise for next summer.

Thanks

[sherryf]

In Juneau we're taking the shuttle to the glacier and doing the hike to the waterfall. We're bringing a harness so the toddler won't have to hold hands' date=' but can't wander off the path. [/quote']

 

With such a large group, it might be cheaper to rent a car. The one time we took the shuttle, we were only able to snag one seat. My daughter (12) sat on my lap and the boys all stood. On the way back, we didn't get any seats. The shuttles are very crowded and they pack you in like sardines. This may be sub-optimal with all the kids in your group. Having a rental car would also allow you to stop at the really cool looking park on the way out towards the glacier. I'm not sure what it's called or how to get there, but I'm sure someone on the Alaska board could tell you. I've seen it from tour/shuttle buses and it looks awesome.

[Kerry's Girls]

What cruiseline are you using? I'm in the process of booking an Alaskan cruise for next summer.

Thanks

 

We're on RCCL. For this trip I wanted a one-way that started in Alaska so we could spend a few days in Alaska beforehand. I have also done a bunch of Alaska cruises r/t from Vancouver or Seattle (pre-kids) and loved them all.

[Kerry's Girls]

With such a large group, it might be cheaper to rent a car. The one time we took the shuttle, we were only able to snag one seat. My daughter (12) sat on my lap and the boys all stood. On the way back, we didn't get any seats. The shuttles are very crowded and they pack you in like sardines. This may be sub-optimal with all the kids in your group. Having a rental car would also allow you to stop at the really cool looking park on the way out towards the glacier. I'm not sure what it's called or how to get there, but I'm sure someone on the Alaska board could tell you. I've seen it from tour/shuttle buses and it looks awesome.

 

Thanks so much. I thought about it, but we're renting cars in Skagway and Ketchikan, as well as driving from Anchorage to Seward, so I'm looking forward to a port without driving. :) Also, I figure this way everyone can spend as much time as they want at the glacier without worrying about what the others are doing. Another downside to the shuttle is that we can't bring any snacks along, since no food at all is allowed at the glacier (due to bears), so it would be nice to have a car to keep lunch in. I'm prepared to hire a cab or two to the glacier if necessary to all arrive together, and then we can shuttle back at our own pace. Really appreciate the input though! Thank you.

[Illini3]

Thanks for all your great suggestions!

 

Our LO is already crawling and walking along furniture, so I'm sure in a couple of months we will be chasing him as he runs around!

 

Right now our plans include Mendenhall in Juneau (probably on our own), the lumberjack show in Ketchikan (ideally just the show so it fits before the afternoon nap but the shore excursions connect it with another mini "trip"), doing one of the shorter train options in Skagway, and then whale watching in Icy Straight Point.

 

I realize whale watching is going to be tricky, but it's the one "must" for our group. I think us 4 adults will just have to switch off who gets "distract baby" duty. With that said, what would you recommend we book for whale watching? Booking a private boat would be great because we wouldn't be bothering anybody and we could be flexible if needed, but will it be too confining for our LO? Would a larger boat through the cruise ship be better since it would allow our LO a little bit of space? Thoughts? Thanks!

[sherryf]

Thanks for all your great suggestions!

 

Our LO is already crawling and walking along furniture, so I'm sure in a couple of months we will be chasing him as he runs around!

 

Right now our plans include Mendenhall in Juneau (probably on our own), the lumberjack show in Ketchikan (ideally just the show so it fits before the afternoon nap but the shore excursions connect it with another mini "trip"), doing one of the shorter train options in Skagway, and then whale watching in Icy Straight Point.

 

I realize whale watching is going to be tricky, but it's the one "must" for our group. I think us 4 adults will just have to switch off who gets "distract baby" duty. With that said, what would you recommend we book for whale watching? Booking a private boat would be great because we wouldn't be bothering anybody and we could be flexible if needed, but will it be too confining for our LO? Would a larger boat through the cruise ship be better since it would allow our LO a little bit of space? Thoughts? Thanks!

 

I suggest that you ask about the whale watching on the Alaska ports of call board. I've never been to Icy Strait Point so can't make recommendations, but I'm sure someone on that board can help.

[mom2sz]

Thanks for all your great suggestions!

 

Our LO is already crawling and walking along furniture, so I'm sure in a couple of months we will be chasing him as he runs around!

 

Right now our plans include Mendenhall in Juneau (probably on our own), the lumberjack show in Ketchikan (ideally just the show so it fits before the afternoon nap but the shore excursions connect it with another mini "trip"), doing one of the shorter train options in Skagway, and then whale watching in Icy Straight Point.

 

I realize whale watching is going to be tricky, but it's the one "must" for our group. I think us 4 adults will just have to switch off who gets "distract baby" duty. With that said, what would you recommend we book for whale watching? Booking a private boat would be great because we wouldn't be bothering anybody and we could be flexible if needed, but will it be too confining for our LO? Would a larger boat through the cruise ship be better since it would allow our LO a little bit of space? Thoughts? Thanks!

 

We first went on an Alaska cruise when my daughter was 5 months old and again when the kids were 4 & 7. Your initial plans look good right now. Mendenhall is great for kids no matter what age. For Juneau, have you also looked into Mt. Roberts Tramway? There's a bald eagle display, bear viewing platforms and plenty of spaces for kids wanting to explore. He may also enjoy the ride up.

 

Train rides in Skagway are perfect for little ones..they can either sleep or enjoy the scenery. My daughter slept through most of the train ride. My kids loved Saxman Totem Park with all the totem poles in Ketchikan.

 

Personally, I would go with larger boat for your whale watching. Most of the people will be too busy looking for whales for your son to be a bother and you'll have a little bit more space for everyone. Hope that helps. Good luck!

[Illini3]

We first went on an Alaska cruise when my daughter was 5 months old and again when the kids were 4 & 7. Your initial plans look good right now. Mendenhall is great for kids no matter what age. For Juneau, have you also looked into Mt. Roberts Tramway? There's a bald eagle display, bear viewing platforms and plenty of spaces for kids wanting to explore. He may also enjoy the ride up.

 

Train rides in Skagway are perfect for little ones..they can either sleep or enjoy the scenery. My daughter slept through most of the train ride. My kids loved Saxman Totem Park with all the totem poles in Ketchikan.

 

Personally, I would go with larger boat for your whale watching. Most of the people will be too busy looking for whales for your son to be a bother and you'll have a little bit more space for everyone. Hope that helps. Good luck!

 

This is excellent - thanks so much! I also checked out your website, which has great advice. I was beginning to get really worried about traveling with our son, but your site put me more at ease.

[babymomma1]

We're going to the same ports in June with four 8 year olds and a toddler' date=' so we're trying to plan active, explore-type activities.

 

In Juneau we're taking the shuttle to the glacier and doing the hike to the waterfall. We're bringing a harness so the toddler won't have to hold hands, but can't wander off the path.

 

In Ketchikan we're hiking the rainforest (and I believe there is a stroller friendly hike if you want to bring the stroller).

 

In Skagway we're renting a car to drive to Emerald Lake. We figure we can stop when we want, have lots of snacks and with our own car won't have to worry about the kids making noise, etc.

 

We haven't nailed down Icy Straight Point, but we're thinking of just taking a walk.

 

The older kids are going with us on a wildlife boat tour in Seward, but not the toddler. I agree with Rebecca that when my girls were toddlers, I wouldn't have taken them on a little boat like that because I'd have spent the whole time trying to contain them. I learned the secret to successful travel with little ones from others on this board - have reasonable expectations and have lots of snacks/drinks handy.

 

Best,

Mia[/quote']

 

Mia,

When yall rented cars at the ports did you bring a car seat from home??? and your stroller? Did you feel overwelmed with all the carry ons?

 

Baby Momma1