Best Alaska Cruise with a baby?

[Spillerena]

Hi, I'm new here and new to cruising. My family is planning an Alaskan cruise and my sister is bringing her baby. The baby will be almost 2 by the time we cruise. I've been trying to figure out which cruise line would be best and getting overwhelmed with the options. Do any cruises offer babysitting services so that my sister would be able to go on some of the shore excursions, or will someone have to be on the ship with the baby the whole time? Also, I read that some have an age minimum, but I can't seem to find out which cruises have this minimum and what it is.

 

Any advice would be greatly appreciated! I had no idea it would be so hard to figure this out!

[Essiesmom]

There are no cruise lines that will allow an under 2 y/o into their kids programs. Royal Caribbean has some ships with and under two program, but I don't know which ones they are and if they go to Alaska. Someone will be along to give you a better idea of your options. EM

[Kamloops50]

Under 2 yo will have to looked after by the parents . I think they can hire a babysitter if they want to go out for a few hours . Usually some of the kids club staff will babysit for a price (usually cash only). I don't know how they will check the age. If the baby is 23 months they might accept it. You should also check that whether Kid's Club (any cruise line) require the baby to be potty trained.

 

All cruise lines have a kids club of some kind.

Edited October 22, 2016 by Kamloops50

[kitkat343]

Disney has a fee based nursery on all of its ships, and newer and some refurbished RC ships have nurseries. The Norwegian Escape has a nursery, but I'm fairly certain that ship hasn't yet been assigned to Alaska. You can book some hours on Disney prior to sailing, and RC on the first day. There is no guarantee of which hours you will be able to get, as Disney opens up signing up first for suite passengers and elite cruisers (people who have completed a lot of cruises with them).

 

If you can wait until 2, Cunard and Carnival both allow 2 years olds in the kids club, but I don't know if they sail to Alaska.

 

Another option to consider is Princess, which does an outstanding job in Alaska. They allow children under 3 into the kids club under parental supervision. If you sail when schools are in session (which knocks out a lot of the Alaska season) there won't be too many kids in the kids club, and the child will get a lot of attention and help from the kids club staff. They told me it would have been a lot harder for our family if we'd sailed when there were a lot of kids on board, since they need to run structured activities then.

 

Some lines do allow babysitting, but I believe (could be wrong about this) that it is generally in-cabin babysitting. That's fine for when your kid is napping, but my child would get restless confined to the room (other kids are probably fine with it, especially if they can have an IPad or TV)

Edited October 22, 2016 by kitkat343

[kitkat343]

In general, the minimum age to sail is 6 months. Some lines have regulations that require children to be 1 year on sailings with 3 sea days in a row or certain cruises due to the difficulties of evacuation by sea if a baby falls ill. For Alaska, I believe it would be 6 months, but certainly your sister's baby will be fine at nearly 2.

Edited October 22, 2016 by kitkat343

[Ashland]

You might want to consider RCI Radiance...They have an amazing Royal Tots & Nursery for those little's 6 months to 36 months of age. We have gone twice with grandsons just under 2 yrs of age. And it worked out so well...trained staff wonderful. RCI has one of the best services for families with little ones...$6.00 per hour during the day and $8.00 per hour in the evenings in a great nursery (think pre-school setting with cribs). Any questions you have I would be glad to answer or google RCI for pictures and info..

[Kerry's Girls]

We had an under-2 in our group on the Radiance and he loved the nursery. It was the first time the mom had let him stay with strangers so she was nervous, but it worked out great and she used it numerous times. Radiance (or I imagine any of the RCCL ships with nurseries) was a great choice for a wide-range of ages, as it was for our group. I'm not sure if the nursery is open during shore excursions. We rented a van in two of the stops. At Juneau there was a tour bus to the stroller-friendly Mendenhall Glacier.

 

Best,

Mia

[Ashland]

We had an under-2 in our group on the Radiance and he loved the nursery. It was the first time the mom had let him stay with strangers so she was nervous' date=' but it worked out great and she used it numerous times. Radiance (or I imagine any of the RCCL ships with nurseries) was a great choice for a wide-range of ages, as it was for our group. I'm not sure if the nursery is open during shore excursions. We rented a van in two of the stops. At Juneau there was a tour bus to the stroller-friendly Mendenhall Glacier.

 

Best,

Mia[/quote']

 

The nursery is open during port times and they encourage families to use the service so they can book excursions....We booked an excursion privately instead of through RCI...same exact excursion...the staff had our cell number...and we had the ship's number and nursery extension. This worked out great...Our little was much happier onboard playing, eating & napping.

[williamsk]

Some of the options for childcare have been noted above, but do not count the child out for some shore trips. We did Alaska on Holland with a 2yo and brought a jogging stroller and child backpack. We walked Sitka on our own (very easy), caught a city bus/ walked to the glacier in Juneau. At one stop we booked a private 4 seater airplane into the fjords (but it helped that my husband is a private pilot and she was used to flying). Not everything can be accomplished with a toddler, but more than you think. Private tour companies will often have lower age limits versus ship led excursions.

[DipBrat]

Agree with Williamsk an almost two year old can easily do shore excursions. Maybe avoid big bus tours but exploring in your own or smaller tours will work well.

 

 

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[Ashland]

Agree with Williamsk an almost two year old can easily do shore excursions. Maybe avoid big bus tours but exploring in your own or smaller tours will work well.

 

 

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Not quite right...most if not all shore excursions have minimum age requirements...most are 5 yrs old....Big bus tours are sometimes the best option...they don't require or can even use car seats.

 

One excursion we did with our little was the Lumberjack show in Ketchikan...no age limits at that one.

[williamsk]

Not quite right...most if not all shore excursions have minimum age requirements...most are 5 yrs old....Big bus tours are sometimes the best option...they don't require or can even use car seats.

 

One excursion we did with our little was the Lumberjack show in Ketchikan...no age limits at that one.

 

As noted try private excursions where you will often find lower age limits or on your own. While there is nothing wrong with the lumberjack show, if this is a once in a lifetime trip, it is well worth it to consider other options. Your options will be very limited if you only consider excursions through the cruise ship.

 

Cruise tours including long bus rides have not always worked well for our family, but depending on your child your mileage may vary.

 

Any way you choose, Alaska is a fabulous destination. I lived there for three years and it remains one of my favorite locations on earth (in the summer).

Edited October 31, 2016 by williamsk
Repeated word

[Ashland]

As noted try private excursions where you will often find lower age limits or on your own. While there is nothing wrong with the lumberjack show, if this is a once in a lifetime trip, it is well worth it to consider other options. Your options will be very limited if you only consider excursions through the cruise ship.

 

Cruise tours including long bus rides have not always worked well for our family, but depending on your child your mileage may vary.

 

Any way you choose, Alaska is a fabulous destination. I lived there for three years and it remains one of my favorite locations on earth (in the summer).

 

Very few private excursions in Alaska will be conducive to a baby under 2...which the OP is traveling with. We've always done private excursions in Alaska but when we have traveled with extended family that included toddler's, adding something that the little's might enjoy can require flexibility to that "once in a lifetime trip".

[CruisingGiants]

We went on a 10 night Alaska cruise last year with our then 18 month old with Norwegian. We did a lot of our own excursions and she went everywhere with us! Even took a helicopter tour in Juneau to Mendenhall Glacier -- it was fantastic -- she sat on my husband's lap (This was the only tour we booked through the ship).

 

Here's a quick list of what she was able to do with us...

 

Seattle - Pike Place food tour - great! (of course she slept the whole time, so maybe we just got lucky here)

 

Ketchikan - Totem Bight State Park (not our favorite), Creek Street + Married Man Trail & Lunch, watching the Salmon swim - fun

 

Juneau - after the helicopter tour we asked if we could get a taxi to go walk Nugget falls trail instead of go back to the ship -- the helicopter company drove us there themselves, and we took the bus back - great day overall.

 

Skagway - rented a car and drove to Carcross, it was nice to strike out on our own!

 

Glacier Bay - I know they say to stay out on the main decks for this, which we did for a little, but it was great to have a balcony on this day so our little one could run in and out and do her own thing while we sat in awe of the glaciers :)

 

Icy Strait Point - walked the beach trail, and took bus to Hoonah. We didn't do much here -- ate crab bisque, haha

 

Sitka - took a tour (booked once we got to town) to Fortress of the Bear -- excellent idea for a 2 year old. Also went to the Raptor Center on same tour and had time to walk around town

 

Victoria - horse drawn carriage (her excitement wore out quick with this) and walk around town. We saw a seal on our walk from port -- and also ran into a playground if I remember correctly :)

 

Vancouver - did the Hop On, Hop Off bus -- really glad we did this here as it went all over. Granville Island was a lot of fun -- big toy store there!

 

There weren't a ton of children on our boat, the Jewel, but they did have a "toddler" room we could go into any time we wanted -- it was pretty small. They did have a few children's activities a day we tried out and enjoyed...and of course Dora and Diego were characters on the boat, so that was exciting :) We never tried to get a babysitter, so not sure about that. Dinner in the main dining room was difficult with our little squirmer, but they had a great "families with kids" section in the buffet area we ate at a lot.

 

Hope that helps :)

Edited November 15, 2016 by CruisingGiants