1st time Alaska with little kids

[aloha_DC]

All,

 

I'm heading on my first Alaska cruise with my niece (3) and nephew (5) in a couple weeks. (And their parents and grandparents). We're going on HAL round trip from Seattle. Stopping in Sitka, Juneau, Ketchikan and Victoria.

 

Any tips or advice for Alaska cruise with little kids?

 

A little worried they won't be too excited about the scenery, so thinking about how to keep them entertained and make it fun for them.

 

Thanks!

[Paulinda]

I would think it will be difficult to keep the little ones occupied for the entire Alaskan Cruise. When we went it seemed that the swimming pools had lots of children but I don't think they were in the 3 - 5 year range. They seemed to be a bit older. The ship does show some movies in the early evenings, some may be aimed towards children.

 

It's not going to be like a Disney cruise with lots of things for youngsters to do. Perhaps you could question the cruise line on their website what activities are available. I think there were some events for children on our HAL cruise but not sure what they were.

 

Once in port there may be lots of things children would enjoy but on the 2 or 3 days of actual cruising it may be kind of boring for them. Good luck.

[Syrreal]

Not Alaska, but we took my then 3 and 7 year olds on a 12 night cruise around Norway. We had a good mix of sea days between ports (most likely more than you will have with going to Alaska) and didn't have any issues keeping them entertained.

We went on Celebrity, so I think the vibe is pretty similar to HAL.

First off, let the kids explore the kids club. Mine loved it even though there were only 10 kids under the age of 16 in the whole cruise. They played with the couple of other kids that were there and had a ball. In fact, they were angry when we would go pull them out. If it was up to them, they would have stayed playing until 1am every day. The kids club also had a lot of events and personalized attention.

Second, don't stress too much about it. Being some stuff to entertain them (a few books and toys/electronics) but don't try to plan everything with them. Sometimes just a break from everything watching some tv is all they need.

Third, don't discount the kids being excited about the scenery. Make a game about finding whales or bears or birds. They'll enjoy it while you enjoy the sights.

Also, if there is a coffee place on board (never been on HAL), you could take them for a hot chocolate and a pastry to pass the time too.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Coral]

I don't have first hand experience with HAL's kids club but I haven't heard anything negative. You may want to post on HAL's board but my guess is the kids will be fine with the kids club. The wait staff usually love the little kids and go above and beyond in the dining room for them.

 

Not sure if you have looked at excursions but the kids may like the Lumberjack show or the Duck tour in Ketchikan.

Edited July 4, 2016 by Coral

[notentirelynormal]

In Victoria they have a horse drawn carriage. They also have a Miniature Museum on the left side of the Empress Hotel. It is cheap and will keep the whole family busy for a few hours. The trolley will take you into town and probably right across from the hotel.

 

The lumberjack show and the Duck ride sound like the best for young kids in Ketchikan.

 

My 3 YO was amazed by the ship. Being able to see through stairs was a novelty for him. Every time we turned around he was heading to the stairs.

 

I'm still trying to find a grizzly old prospector to help my grandkids pan for gold.

[steenie]

In Victoria they have a horse drawn carriage. They also have a Miniature Museum on the left side of the Empress Hotel. It is cheap and will keep the whole family busy for a few hours. The trolley will take you into town and probably right across from the hotel.

 

The lumberjack show and the Duck ride sound like the best for young kids in Ketchikan.

 

My 3 YO was amazed by the ship. Being able to see through stairs was a novelty for him. Every time we turned around he was heading to the stairs.

 

I'm still trying to find a grizzly old prospector to help my grandkids pan for gold.

 

Those activities in Victoria and Ketchikan were fun for the kids in our group, ranging from 5 to 12. In Ketchikan, Wild Wolf Tours has a good rainforest hike that includes geocaching activities for the kids, but her tour was already full when I tried to book so we didn't get to try it.

[steenie]

On the ship, the 5-year-old in our group also liked the stairs. Maybe since that family made it a competition to see who could go the whole week without taking the elevator, haha.

 

The younger kids liked to just walk/run around, explore, and eat ice cream and pizza. Whale sightings were exciting, too, so maybe setting aside time to look for wildlife.

[aloha_DC]

Thanks everyone, this is incredibly helpful. I'm pretty good at making up games for the kids, so will think about how to keep them entertained while we're scenery watching and also check out those stairs!

[CanuckonaBoat]

just got off Disney Wonder with 1 and 3 year old. Yes - there is a TON more to do on Disney. But I also did the Baltics with an 18 month old on HAL.

 

She/They were also just entertained by being with extended family. We would hang out in empty lounges to let them explore.

 

in port- we did the train in skagway with both kids. It was fine. And then I did a short hike with the 3 year old and my brother in ketchikan. She loved splashing in the puddles and the guides were excellent - showing her cool stuff in the forest. We also did the Allen tour whale watching and that was fine too. She played with the extended family in between wildlife sightings. She loved the snacks on board. At mendenhall glacier they had a tent set up for kids activities - but they are more for kids older than 3.

[donswife]

In Sitka, go to the Fortress of the Bear, where they house bears that were found as abandoned cubs. There are viewing platforms and it is so cool to watch them play. We took the shuttle from town, about $20 per person for ride and admission. Make sure you find out when the shuttle is leaving though...we got left behind because they didn't tell us! Some organized tours also stop there, and also the Raptor center, which is also great for kids.

 

In Ketchikan, the Duck tour is fun and not too long.