Cruisetours vs DIY, Haines vs Skagway, kid activities

[kkbrig]

A few questions as I try to pick our itinerary and cruise line for this July:

 

I've come down to HAL or Princess north or south bound, with 3-5 days added on (hopefully 5).

 

As far as cruise tours vs DIY- many of the cruise tours seem to move you around a lot, which is why I'm thinking of the DIY option, but that is seeming a bit daunting at this point. I think if it were up to me and since we can not stay many extra days, I'd limit it to just going to Denali, stay there all the extra nights, then come back to ANK for the flight home. There are a few cruise tours like this, but most seem to want to take you somewhere new each night!

 

So as for the Princess Cruisetours, almost all seem to spend time at both Mt. Mckinley Lodge and Denali Lodge. The HAL ones do not tell me where they are staying, it just says Denali for 2 or 3 nights. I'm sure I'm missing something obvious, but I did try to find the location! I'm wondering where do the HAL tours stay in Denali and is there a benefit to going to the two locations that most of the Princess ones do (i.e. is it worth packing up and moving and the extra travel).

 

The other big difference is Haines vs Skagway. Haines sounds like a very nice town, but one of the most popular excursions on the AK cruises seems to be the rail trip out of Skagway. Any opinions on this? Wondering if we should base the itinerary on this or both are great options and we just go with the flow on this stop?

 

I've spent hours reading through reviews and have not seen much about kid activities except several have said that they were some of the youngest people on HAL and that there were not many kid activities. We will have 6 kids with us aged 11 through 18. They don't need tons to do, as we will spend all the time we can off the ship or looking at the scenery, but there does need to be some! And I am unsure as to whether the pools can actually be used on these tours? Are they heated or are they really too cold to be a reliable onboard activity?

 

Thanks!

[momto2js]

I think it depends on the age of the kids and their interests. I was planning a one-way with 5-7 days in Alaska to explore the interior. I have 6 and 8 year old boys. After realizing how much time on a bus or in the car we would have, I decide to leave interior Alaska for when they are older and better able to enjoy a long hike. Instead we are going on a RT from Seattle to get our feet wet.

 

EVERYTHING seems like it is a long distance away. Good luck making your decision.

[Kamloops50]

Distances in Alaska are large . The drive from Seward (HAL) or Whittier (Princess ) is almost 3 hours . I would suggest a 7 day rtn to Seattle or Vancouver . With these cruises you'll get to see most of the panhandle of Alaska without the long travel by car , bus or train.

I would take Skagway over Haines because you can do more on your own with the kids. The train is very interesting but the kids might get bored or scared riding the train.

Edited February 1, 2015 by Kamloops50

[mapleleaves]

I just glanced at 3 HAL cruisetour trip reports and all 3 stayed at McKinley Chalet Resort. HAL purchased the property in fall 2013 and has been renovating.

 

I agree with your logic about a cruisetour with kids. DIY will give you much more flexibility with your schedule ( no bags outside the room by 6am!). Plus you can stop for scenic viewings, wildlife sightings, other points of interest, or just because you want a break.

It might be easier to get the long flight over first, arrive in Anchorage then drive to Denali. It's only 240 miles so usually 5 hrs of drive time. The kids especially would enjoy the Park's sled dog demo 10, 2 and 4pm. And there's a free Jr Ranger pack available at the Park .. http://www.nps.gov/dena/forkids/index.htm

 

Staying at a cabin nearby might add to the sense of a family adventure. Plus having a kitchen is nice for a light meal or when you have kids who need constant access to snacks and drinks.

 

There's a fast ferry between Haines and Skagway. If the train is a priority for some members in your group, perhaps your port time in Haines will still give you enough time for it.

 

Hopefully someone with experience in Haines will post about their experience. In the meantime, check the Haines town web site for things to do: http://www.haines.ak.us/

[sammiedawg]

I would not do a cruisetour with young kids, too much time on buses and trains. I would suggest DIY. You cannot see the whole state in one visit. You can easily drive from Anchorage to Denali and back, spend a couple days there.

For first timers I would choose Skagway for the trip to the Yukon, by rental car, bus or train. The ferry from Haines is not cheap and would add lots of travel time. If you are in Skagway you walk off the ship and the train is right there. Many people rent cars, if you choose this option get a van ASAP to accomodate your family.

We have never ported in Haines but we took a ferry there a couple years ago, the salmon were running in September and we wanted to see bear. It is a nice port of call but there is much more history in Skagway.

Both cruise lines will have some Alaskan activities for kids, junior park ranger type programs.

[Crew News]

A few questions as I try to pick our itinerary and cruise line for this July:

 

The other big difference is Haines vs Skagway. Haines sounds like a very nice town, but one of the most popular excursions on the AK cruises seems to be the rail trip out of Skagway. Any opinions on this? Wondering if we should base the itinerary on this or both are great options and we just go with the flow on this stop?

 

I've spent hours reading through reviews and have not seen much about kid activities except several have said that they were some of the youngest people on HAL and that there were not many kid activities. We will have 6 kids with us aged 11 through 18. They don't need tons to do, as we will spend all the time we can off the ship or looking at the scenery, but there does need to be some! And I am unsure as to whether the pools can actually be used on these tours? Are they heated or are they really too cold to be a reliable onboard activity?

 

Thanks!

 

To address kid's activities on HAL, here are the kid's activities from the Westerdam last year in Alaska and should be typical for this season as well:

 

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/travel-2/holland-america-lines-kids-activities-examples/

 

The kids with whom I spoke last year said that Club HAL was the highlight of their vacation. Most parents saw their kids at breakfast and dinner as they were having so much fun with other kids. Especially popular was the dance classes for the teens.

 

Here is a picture of Haines, Alaska:

 

 

Haines is very small whereas Skagway is much larger with much more to do, especially the train ride to the Yukon.

 

Both the indoor and outdoor pools on the HAL ships are maintained at 81 degrees.

 

Here are scanned images of our On Location (daily activities) in Alaska last year that should be typical of what to expect this year:

 

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/travel-2/alaska-2014-westerdam-on-location-daily-activities/

 

Hope this is helpful

Edited February 2, 2015 by Crew News

[kkbrig]

Hmmm. I guess I wasn't thinking we had young kids, so I wasn't even going down that train of thought! Kids are 11, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18. I can not speak for my 2 nephews, but I am pretty sure that my four kids will be ok on those long hauls. I drove them myself to Quebec City and back last summer, quite a haul from NC! But since you've mentioned it, I will really think about it some more.

 

mapleleaves- thanks for noticing the McKinley Chalet Resort as where they stayed! I had not noticed that... but then I've been trying to gather so many details, maybe I missed that. I guess I expected it to be on the HAL website itinerary or something. I was also assuming that the HAL tour stayed in one spot in Denali, whereas many of the Princess ones seem to stay in 2.

[kkbrig]

crew news- that is SOO helpful! I saw tons of stuff that I would want to do! And the kids things seemed pretty cool too. Thanks for that. I was just worried because I had read a couple of reviews saying there were almost no young people on board.

[Crew News]

crew news- that is SOO helpful! I saw tons of stuff that I would want to do! And the kids things seemed pretty cool too. Thanks for that. I was just worried because I had read a couple of reviews saying there were almost no young people on board.

 

Here are the current scanned Holland America Lines' Specialty Restaurant, Beverage, and Room Service (24/7) menus in PDF format that you can share with your party:

 

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/specialty-2/hal-regular-and-specialty-restaurants/

 

Just to get you acquainted with HAL ships, here is a link to a tour of the Ms Westerdam made with my photographs:

 

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/travel-2/ms-westerdam-pre-2014-dry-dock/

Edited February 2, 2015 by Crew News

[AKStafford]

I too would recommend DIY on the land portion. This gives you a lot more options in lodging, dining and activities.

[donaldsc]

We took out 10 year old granddaughter to AK on a 7 day DIY followed by a cruise south on Princess. She took one look at the kid club activities and the kid food that they served and told us that the club sounded boring, the food looked lousy and she wanted no part of it. She told us that she was there to see Alaska and not to spend her time in a kid club doin gsilly activities (her words, not mine).

 

Smart kid. She was up on deck when there were interesting things to see, ate her meals at the buffet or in the MDR and had a great time. We also did some great stuff during the 7 day DIY part of the trip. I can not figure out people waste money taking kids on cruises to great places when the kids end up spending all their time in the kids clubs.

 

DON

[puablo]

If you haven't done it before, I highly recommend the Skagway White Pass rail. There's nothing else like it, and I suspect your kids will be awed by it. It truly is a must do.

[Budget Queen]

Especially with a large family group the benefits of independent touring in Alaska is significant. Add to the mix the big cost savings. Choices certainly are numerous with each line having pluses. But I too will claim the kids would enjoy either. :)

 

You might want to look into van rentals at this point, since they are limited and costly.