Going on Princess to Alaska, any suggestions for land tours with children?

[sfcruise]

We will be on the Princess Sapphire for a northbound Alaska cruise. Can anyone recommend any land tours in Ketchikan or Skagway that would be good for 2 children under the age of 6?

[Kerry's Girls]

We will be on the Princess Sapphire for a northbound Alaska cruise. Can anyone recommend any land tours in Ketchikan or Skagway that would be good for 2 children under the age of 6?

 

We did it on our own. In Ketchikan we rented a car and visited the totem pole park and then Ward Lake with it's walk through the rain forest (a one-mile loop).

 

In Skagway we rented a car and drove to the suspension bridge, stopping along the way in lots of spots to explore.

 

Best,

Mia

[sail731]

We took our 5 year old last summer for a 14 day cruise on Princess and had the best time. In Ketchikan, we went to the South East Discovery Center and also rode the city bus out to the totem pole park. In Juneau, we took the blue bus out to Mendenhall Glacier. In Skagway, we took a gold panning tour and also went on a ranger walk and completed a Jr. ranger badge thru the national park program in downtown.

 

Alaskan ports were very kid friendly and easy to navigate even with strollers. Much preferred to aggressive vendors found in the Carribbean.

 

Also, Princess has a ranger come on board to the ship during the Glacier Bay cruising. They even do some fun lessons in the kids club during that day. Definitely worth checking out.

 

Have fun!

[cruising_w_kids]

We did it on our own. In Ketchikan we rented a car and visited the totem pole park and then Ward Lake with it's walk through the rain forest (a one-mile loop).

 

In Skagway we rented a car and drove to the suspension bridge' date=' stopping along the way in lots of spots to explore.

 

Best,

Mia[/quote']

 

Hi Mia!

 

I'm traveling next year with my family to Alaska on the 12 Night Denali Explorer Cruisetour. And we will be bringing my 2 yr old nephew and my 7 & 10 yr old nieces. I was wondering why you opted to take your own tour and not the ones offered by Princess cruises? Is it due to age restrictions on the excursions or you just wanted to go on your own? Are there age restrictions on the land excursions?

 

Also, is it really required for us to bring a car seat or booster seat for the 7 year old? From what we understand from the literature on Princess Cruises website that it may be required. What is the protocol?

 

Your advice and experience will be greatly appreciated. We wouldn't want to lug around another booster seat for the 7 yr old and then not use it. Nor would we want for her to miss out just because she isn't allowed to ride in a vehicle without the proper safety restraints. :confused:

[cruising_w_kids]

We took our 5 year old last summer for a 14 day cruise on Princess and had the best time. In Ketchikan, we went to the South East Discovery Center and also rode the city bus out to the totem pole park. In Juneau, we took the blue bus out to Mendenhall Glacier. In Skagway, we took a gold panning tour and also went on a ranger walk and completed a Jr. ranger badge thru the national park program in downtown.

 

Alaskan ports were very kid friendly and easy to navigate even with strollers. Much preferred to aggressive vendors found in the Carribbean.

 

Also, Princess has a ranger come on board to the ship during the Glacier Bay cruising. They even do some fun lessons in the kids club during that day. Definitely worth checking out.

 

Have fun!

 

Hi. Since you went with your 5 yr old, may I ask if you were required to use a booster seat for him/her? Been reading on the Princess Cruises website that it may be required and as I am traveling next year with my family including my 7 yr old niece, we would like to know if we need to bring a booster seat for her. Thanks in advance! :)

[BabyBokChoy]

Hi. Since you went with your 5 yr old, may I ask if you were required to use a booster seat for him/her? Been reading on the Princess Cruises website that it may be required and as I am traveling next year with my family including my 7 yr old niece, we would like to know if we need to bring a booster seat for her. Thanks in advance! :)

 

For my 6 year old, I am renting a car with a booster to comply with

Alaska Law AS 28.05.095(b) . See the yellow highlighted section.

[sail731]

Hi. Since you went with your 5 yr old, may I ask if you were required to use a booster seat for him/her? Been reading on the Princess Cruises website that it may be required and as I am traveling next year with my family including my 7 yr old niece, we would like to know if we need to bring a booster seat for her. Thanks in advance! :)

 

We did not need one. We flew in and out of Vancouver and took the Skytrain to and from the airport to the port. During our excursions we were on commercial or city buses which do not require booster seats, nor do they have seat belts for them. Any additional site seeing was right near the port and we walked.

[Kerry's Girls]

Hi Mia!

 

I'm traveling next year with my family to Alaska on the 12 Night Denali Explorer Cruisetour. And we will be bringing my 2 yr old nephew and my 7 & 10 yr old nieces. I was wondering why you opted to take your own tour and not the ones offered by Princess cruises? Is it due to age restrictions on the excursions or you just wanted to go on your own? Are there age restrictions on the land excursions?

 

Also, is it really required for us to bring a car seat or booster seat for the 7 year old? From what we understand from the literature on Princess Cruises website that it may be required. What is the protocol?

 

Your advice and experience will be greatly appreciated. We wouldn't want to lug around another booster seat for the 7 yr old and then not use it. Nor would we want for her to miss out just because she isn't allowed to ride in a vehicle without the proper safety restraints. :confused:

 

After many cruises with my kids, I learned that for us (and I would think most families), ship-sponsored tours are usually the last choice. We prefer to choose our own sites and go at our own pace (in Ketchikan, the kids spent 1/2 an hour skipping stones into the water at the totem pole park - something we wouldn't have been able to do if we had to stay with a tour; in Juneau we stopped to watch a porcupine wander around, etc). I also don't want to keep hushing the kids to keep them from annoying other passengers who are trying to enjoy the trip of a lifetime. Ironically, going on our own also ends up being less expensive. With suggestions from the ports of call board, we have enjoyed ports on our own (or hiring a private tour) all over the world, so I knew that Alaska would be easy since there is no $$ or language issue to worry about.

 

As for the car seat, I'm not an expert on Alaska child seat laws, but when I was doing research I know I found that our 8 year olds didn't need boosters anymore, but I believe your 7 year old will. It's really not that much of a hassle though - this was the first trip I haven't had to worry about car seats.

 

Have a wonderful time - it was amazing.

 

All the best,

Mia

[jac1976]

We cruised Alaska in 2011 when our kids were 6 and 3. In Skagway we booked a private tour with Becky from Beyond Skagway tours. We took the White Pass and Yukon railway (a must for our train loving son) and Becky picked us up at the end of the trip. From there we drove up into the Yukon. We stopped to see bears, build inukshuks, explore Carcross Desert and geocache near Emerald Lake. We had a picnic by another lake. It was a great tour and well worth the money.

 

In Ketchikan we did the Saxman Village Native tour and the Lumberjack show. Our kids loved the Lumberjack show. The Native Village was interesting, but it was very touristy. I did enjoy seeing a totem carver at work though and the kids enjoyed the singing and dancing that the Tlingit performed.

 

For the poster who asked about boosters, the tours booked through the cruise line were all on buses, so there was no opportunity to use any sort of car seat or booster. On the private tour, Becky provided a booster for my son (6 yo), and I brought a Ride Safer Travel Vest for my daughter (3 yo).