Non-Disney to Alaska with Kids?

[pdcsgirl]

I'd like to hear from folks who took kids (mine will be 7 and 10) on an Alaskan cruise other than on a Disney ship.

 

DH would like to do Alaska in 2017. I'm hesitate to do Disney because it doesn't go to the glaciers. And really, what's the point of going to Alaska if you don't see them? Disney is also roundtrip, and it seems to me that 1 way with a land tour makes more sense.

 

But will my kids be bored on the other ship, especially if it is too cold to swim in the pools? I know that Princess has covered pools, and goes to Glacier Bay, but it gets terrible ratings on food, which is important to DH and me. Are there other ships with covered areas should the kids (or us) want to swim while we look at the scenery?

 

By way of background, we are older parents--I'll be 51 and DH 50 when we go. I've been on 12 cruises, mostly Celebrity, Holland and Princess. DH has been on a Celebrity cruise and a Holland Cruise. The whole family just got off the Disney Fantasy, which was the first time DH and I had cruised since 2007. We were very impressed with both the food and the service on Disney.

 

I would prefer to avoid Norwegian. Was also not impressed with RCCL's food, but in all fairness it was back in 1999 before it also owned Celebrity so the food might have improved since then.

 

Any feedback would be appreciated.

Edited March 31, 2016 by pdcsgirl
typo

[mapleleaves]

Have a look at trip reports in STICKYS at the top of the page. There are many detailed trip reports and photojournals. They'll give you first hand experiences of cabins, ship life, activities, and recommendations for excursions, vendors, etc.

 

Such as this one from an RCI cruise SB with a 9yr old, DIY land precruise :

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2070945

Edited March 31, 2016 by mapleleaves

[Kamloops50]

I haven't found much difference between the food on any cruise ship.

Keep in mind the ship is only a floating hotel. Alaska is for scenery , glaciers , ports and animals.The ship isn't that important.

Princess has a good children's program in Alaska. If you do Glacier Bay with Princess , the rangers come on board and have a

children's program.

Some cruise line that have permits for Glacier bay don't use the rangers on board.

Edited March 31, 2016 by Kamloops50

[teachatthebeach]

We took our 10 year old DD on a Celebrity Alaska cruise last summer. On sea days and after dinner, she enjoyed time in the kids club. She liked Celebrity's kids club better than Disney's. On port days, we spent as much time as we could on land, so there was no time to be bored!

[Coral]

I'd like to hear from folks who took kids (mine will be 7 and 10) on an Alaskan cruise other than on a Disney ship.

 

DH would like to do Alaska in 2017. I'm hesitate to do Disney because it doesn't go to the glaciers. And really, what's the point of going to Alaska if you don't see them? Disney is also roundtrip, and it seems to me that 1 way with a land tour makes more sense.

 

But will my kids be bored on the other ship, especially if it is too cold to swim in the pools? I know that Princess has covered pools, and goes to Glacier Bay, but it gets terrible ratings on food, which is important to DH and me. Are there other ships with covered areas should the kids (or us) want to swim while we look at the scenery?

 

By way of background, we are older parents--I'll be 51 and DH 50 when we go. I've been on 12 cruises, mostly Celebrity, Holland and Princess. DH has been on a Celebrity cruise and a Holland Cruise. The whole family just got off the Disney Fantasy, which was the first time DH and I had cruised since 2007. We were very impressed with both the food and the service on Disney.

 

I would prefer to avoid Norwegian. Was also not impressed with RCCL's food, but in all fairness it was back in 1999 before it also owned Celebrity so the food might have improved since then.

 

Any feedback would be appreciated.

 

RCCL and Celebrity merged in 1997.

 

I have been on Celebrity, HAL and Princess and honestly - the food is more similar then different.

 

I strongly recommend you look at the ports you want to visit and find an itinerary that works for you. Figure out what glacier works best for you. I like Glacier Bay as it never seems to be missed. All the main cruise lines have kids programs and I really have not heard anything negative about any of them. The kids will have fun on whatever line you pick.

 

Some of Princess's ships have covered pools, others do not. Grand, Star, Coral, Island have covered pools. Crown, Ruby and Emerald do not. I forget what ships are in Alaska in 2017.

 

I would check out Alaska by Cruise Ship by Anne Vipond.

[Coral]

Princess has a good children's program in Alaska. If you do Glacier Bay with Princess , the rangers come on board and have a

children's program.

Some cruise line that have permits for Glacier bay don't use the rangers on board.

 

Actually - the Rangers onboard in Glacier Bay is required by the National Park Service. They don't have a choice.

 

https://www.nps.gov/glba/planyourvisit/cruise.htm

Edited April 1, 2016 by Coral

[donaldsc]

Alaska is about what is outside the ship.It is not about large mice running around the ship or the quality of the food as long as it is decent or the shows or anything else on the ship. Pick the ship that will give you the best Alaska experience and if the kids are bored, that is their problem. All of the AK ships have kids clubs so even if they are uninterested in the beautiful stuff outside the ship, they will keep busy at the kids club.

 

We took our 10 year old granddaughter to AK on Princess because we felt that they had good activities for kids. She took one look at the kids club and told us that all of the activities looked stupid and she was there to see AK and eat with us in the dining room and not do inside activities or eat pizza. Smart kid.

 

DON

[xlxo]

If you are seeking wildlife encounters (beyond what they serve in the restaurants).... must include Vancouver as a port for a few days.

 

https://www.grousemountain.com/products/breakfast-with-the-bears

 

[YOUTUBE]RJZcYalXkPg[/YOUTUBE] [YOUTUBE]k8h1oLcVWLI[/YOUTUBE]

[jchristi]

We are platinum Disney cruisers, having just taken our 15th. My sons are 10, 12 and 16 and cruising, to them, IS Disney. DH and I have been on other lines and have been happy, but truthfully, the mouse has our heart.

 

That said, we our going on our first Alaskan cruise this year....on Carnival. I specifically did NOT want my kids hanging out in the kids clubs and not aware of the scenery around them. I priced Disney as well, and the Carnival cruise was 40% less for a balcony+inside room compared to two insides on Disney. The Carnival cruise we are on is one of the few Carnival itineraries to Glacier Bay, which I didn't want to miss.

 

We are all very excited, but I am sure there will be some initial comparisons made to Disney. What I think/hope will happen is that the focus will be on Alaska, and not the lack of "pixie dust".

[jplee3]

We are platinum Disney cruisers, having just taken our 15th. My sons are 10, 12 and 16 and cruising, to them, IS Disney. DH and I have been on other lines and have been happy, but truthfully, the mouse has our heart.

 

That said, we our going on our first Alaskan cruise this year....on Carnival. I specifically did NOT want my kids hanging out in the kids clubs and not aware of the scenery around them. I priced Disney as well, and the Carnival cruise was 40% less for a balcony+inside room compared to two insides on Disney. The Carnival cruise we are on is one of the few Carnival itineraries to Glacier Bay, which I didn't want to miss.

 

We are all very excited, but I am sure there will be some initial comparisons made to Disney. What I think/hope will happen is that the focus will be on Alaska, and not the lack of "pixie dust".

 

My family and I are in the same boat. My parents have been to Alaska and on various cruise lines, including Disney, but the rest of us (my two brothers, SILs, my wife and I, and all the kids) have primarily been on a couple Disney cruises. I think one of my brothers has been on other cruise lines as well, actually. Either way, the only thing my nephews know about cruising is Disney. We've definitely been spoiled by it. But yea, a big reason we didn't go with Disney was because of the lack of glacier touring on the boat. We'll be going with Royal Caribbean this time around. Hopefully it turns out to be a good one!

[CowPrincess]

If you are seeking wildlife encounters (beyond what they serve in the restaurants).... must include Vancouver as a port for a few days.

 

 

Yes Vancouver is a great place to visit. However, not everyone has the luxury of extra time (or in some cases, extra money, or health-insured days) when their primary purpose for their visit is to board a cruise ship.

[CowPrincess]

Alaska is about what is outside the ship.It is not about large mice running around the ship or the quality of the food as long as it is decent or the shows or anything else on the ship. Pick the ship that will give you the best Alaska experience and if the kids are bored, that is their problem. All of the AK ships have kids clubs so even if they are uninterested in the beautiful stuff outside the ship, they will keep busy at the kids club.

 

We took our 10 year old granddaughter to AK on Princess because we felt that they had good activities for kids. She took one look at the kids club and told us that all of the activities looked stupid and she was there to see AK and eat with us in the dining room and not do inside activities or eat pizza. Smart kid.

 

DON

 

Definitely a smart kid :) I know that if my parents had been able to afford to take me to Alaska when i was a kid, they'd have handed me binoculars and said "Look for whales" :D

[jamminlion]

I'm a Norwegian cruiser, so curious why you'd rather avoid them? Is it that you just prefer spending twice the price going Disney? In Alaska, the product is the same for the most part. Port time and itinerary are the deciding factors for us.

 

To your question: We have taken our kids on an Alaskan cruise, and taking them again in June. Between kids club, family time, scenery, and ports, my kids were never bored. There is so much for them to learn, see, experience, that by the end of the trip they were exhausted!

 

If your kids need constant entertainment in front of them, don't waste your money on Alaska. Go Caribbean.

[TheCalicoCat]

I'd like to hear from folks who took kids (mine will be 7 and 10) on an Alaskan cruise other than on a Disney ship.

 

DH would like to do Alaska in 2017. I'm hesitate to do Disney because it doesn't go to the glaciers. And really, what's the point of going to Alaska if you don't see them? Disney is also roundtrip, and it seems to me that 1 way with a land tour makes more sense.

 

Any feedback would be appreciated.

 

Our family, including 4.5 year old son loved HAL - 7 night Volendam Round Trip - Visited Glacier Bay & we took the off the ship excursion to Tracy Arm, which I wholeheartedly recommend. (Ranger came on the ship & did a program with the kids in Glacier Bay. People were swimming - we did not pack our swim gear.)

 

We'll be returning to AK on HAL when my son is 8.5. - 14-night round trip on Amsterdam.

 

Disney in late July = $5200 for 7 nights

HAL in late July - $4400 for 14 nights

 

Disney never was, probably never will be on our list of possibilities.

 

I have found the food on all of the lines that I have been on to be more alike than different...

Edited April 3, 2016 by TheCalicoCat

[Coral]

I'm a Norwegian cruiser, so curious why you'd rather avoid them? Is it that you just prefer spending twice the price going Disney? In Alaska, the product is the same for the most part. Port time and itinerary are the deciding factors for us.

 

I have avoided them due to the Nickelodeon characters. Thankfully I think they have ended that contract.

[pdcsgirl]

I'm a Norwegian cruiser, so curious why you'd rather avoid them? Is it that you just prefer spending twice the price going Disney? In Alaska, the product is the same for the most part. Port time and itinerary are the deciding factors for us.

 

To your question: We have taken our kids on an Alaskan cruise, and taking them again in June. Between kids club, family time, scenery, and ports, my kids were never bored. There is so much for them to learn, see, experience, that by the end of the trip they were exhausted!

 

If your kids need constant entertainment in front of them, don't waste your money on Alaska. Go Caribbean.

 

The one Norwegian cruise that I went on was my least favorite. I found the food awful and service lacking. I've just had so many positive experiences on Celebrity and HAL that I couldn't see doing Norwegian unless the itinerary was unique. I realize opinions may vary--I think that it's the only line my parents have ever sailed!