Best Tours for a 12 year old?

[K_e_short]

My son and I are going on the Norwegian Jewel in July 2019.

 

I have read most of the posts in this section but wanted to get some suggestions.

 

What are the best excursions for a 12 year old?

 

We're stopping in Ketchiken, Juneau, and Skagway.

 

I've already been to Skagway and remember just walking around the small village so perhaps a half day tour so we have time to wander.

 

Thanks

[Northern Aurora]

What kinds of activities does your twelve year old like to do?  Before folks start offering ideas it would be helpful to know his interests.

[K_e_short]

21 hours ago, Northern Aurora said:

What kinds of activities does your twelve year old like to do?  Before folks start offering ideas it would be helpful to know his interests.

Swimming, outdoor things, cruise ships, waterslides, cruise ships, Titanic... 😛

 

I guess he's a typical boy who would play minecraft and watch YouTube videos all day. 

 

Are there tours that would be too boring (historical ones) for a preteen? Anyone brought their child(ren) on a tour before?

[Northern Aurora]

In Ketchikan, given your son's interests, two ideas quickly popped into my mind -- the Deadliest Catch crab fishing boat, and also the Lumberjack show.  Both have had a number of reviews.  

 

In Skagway the town itself is essentially a small walking museum with a number of buildings owned by the National Parks Service opened as small museums.  The NPS has a junior ranger program in one of the old saloons (Skagway had an incredible number of saloons), but at the age of 12 he most likely will be too old to enjoy that program.  Some kids that age find the White Pass and Yukon Railway of interest, but he sounds like an active sort of person who may find a train trip too confining.  But it is easy to walk up to the historical cemetery on a nice day, and there are a several other walks.  Perhaps renting a car that day and driving toward Emerald Lake with a number of stops along the way?

 

In Juneau, given your description of his interests, I doubt the Alaska State Museum would be of interest.  Perhaps a trip out to Mendenhall Glacier or a trip up the Mt. Roberts Tramway?  Whale watching?

 

You mentioned the Titanic.  The north had our own version of the sinking of the Titanic -- the sinking of the Princess Sofia.  It sank tragically in October, 1918 after it left Skagway on its last run of the season going to Vancouver.  A number of notable folks were onboard, and the sinking itself (plus how the recovery was handled) was a public relations disaster for the Canadian Pacific steamship company.  Vanderbilt Reef, on which it ran aground, can actually can be seen on Juneau's limited roadway north of the community.  There is an excellent book on the topic by two Canadian historians (Ken Coates and Bill Morrison) titled "The Sinking of the Princess Sophia:  Taking the North Down with Her."  Sometimes it can be hard to find good reading for a twelve year old, and this is a book which is well researched but is not long and is very readable (by which I mean it isn't academic in nature).

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Coral]

I would look into dog mushing on a glacier, glacier trekking, glacier point wilderness safari, zip lining, deadliest catch in Skagway, whale watching, etc....

 

I think the lumberjack show - he would be too old for it.

[Gardyloo]

In Skagway, consider renting a car and driving up into the Yukon.  Visit the Carcross Desert, stop for a (brief) look at Emerald Lake, but continue on a few miles to the Robinson Roadhouse ghost town.  Plenty of outdoor time and fun activities for both kids and grownups.  Map - https://goo.gl/maps/rWUossdrvU12

 

 

[K_e_short]

18 hours ago, Northern Aurora said:

In Ketchikan, given your son's interests, two ideas quickly popped into my mind -- the Deadliest Catch crab fishing boat, and also the Lumberjack show.  Both have had a number of reviews.  

 

In Skagway the town itself is essentially a small walking museum with a number of buildings owned by the National Parks Service opened as small museums.  The NPS has a junior ranger program in one of the old saloons (Skagway had an incredible number of saloons), but at the age of 12 he most likely will be too old to enjoy that program.  Some kids that age find the White Pass and Yukon Railway of interest, but he sounds like an active sort of person who may find a train trip too confining.  But it is easy to walk up to the historical cemetery on a nice day, and there are a several other walks.  Perhaps renting a car that day and driving toward Emerald Lake with a number of stops along the way?

 

In Juneau, given your description of his interests, I doubt the Alaska State Museum would be of interest.  Perhaps a trip out to Mendenhall Glacier or a trip up the Mt. Roberts Tramway?  Whale watching?

 

You mentioned the Titanic.  The north had our own version of the sinking of the Titanic -- the sinking of the Princess Sofia.  It sank tragically in October, 1918 after it left Skagway on its last run of the season going to Vancouver.  A number of notable folks were onboard, and the sinking itself (plus how the recovery was handled) was a public relations disaster for the Canadian Pacific steamship company.  Vanderbilt Reef, on which it ran aground, can actually can be seen on Juneau's limited roadway north of the community.  There is an excellent book on the topic by two Canadian historians (Ken Coates and Bill Morrison) titled "The Sinking of the Princess Sophia:  Taking the North Down with Her."  Sometimes it can be hard to find good reading for a twelve year old, and this is a book which is well researched but is not long and is very readable (by which I mean it isn't academic in nature).

 

Oh wow thanks so much for the detailed answer. I am going to look up that book to buy it for him.

Thank you for letting me know what excursions wouldn't be good. I was thinking seeing the glacier would be a good idea.

 

18 hours ago, Northern Aurora said:

 

 

 

 

 

[K_e_short]

9 hours ago, Gardyloo said:

In Skagway, consider renting a car and driving up into the Yukon.  Visit the Carcross Desert, stop for a (brief) look at Emerald Lake, but continue on a few miles to the Robinson Roadhouse ghost town.  Plenty of outdoor time and fun activities for both kids and grownups.  Map - https://goo.gl/maps/rWUossdrvU12

 

 

Oh yeah. I could rent a car. Great suggestion thank you.

I actually have been to the Yukon (Girl Guide camp many years ago which is when I did a day trip to Skagway).

 

[dyeadave]

If you come to Skagway and wish to go north of town, in any way, do not forget to bring the permission , in writing , notarized, from the other natural parent of the minor child to be taken taken over the border, as well as the other pertinent papers. 

DD

[K_e_short]

On 12/18/2018 at 10:14 PM, dyeadave said:

If you come to Skagway and wish to go north of town, in any way, do not forget to bring the permission , in writing , notarized, from the other natural parent of the minor child to be taken taken over the border, as well as the other pertinent papers. 

DD

Thank you for that reminder. I'm Canadian and will need to have a letter from his Dad as we will not be allowed on the cruise ship without proof of permission to leave the country.

Of course if we cross back into Canada that won't be an issue (but getting back to Skagway will be).

 

[K_e_short]

On 12/18/2018 at 7:42 AM, Coral said:

I would look into dog mushing on a glacier, glacier trekking, glacier point wilderness safari, zip lining, deadliest catch in Skagway, whale watching, etc....

 

I think the lumberjack show - he would be too old for it.

I was looking at the dog sledding on a glacier but it is expensive ($500 plus per person) but that is a total bucket list item for me so am really leaning toward that for me 🙂

[Budget Queen]

Ask  him!!!!   A  12 year old can certainly do some reading and understands costs.    Nothing will match up better then having HIS involvement.   It may actually surprise you.   Nothing worse than making choices that don't match up,  which parents do.  :)   

 

Never would I simply "walk around"  without some direction.   And  figuring out what you want to do when you get there,   is a waste of valuable.   Many times,  skimping is a mistake-  especially if not a frequent visitor.   

 

Likely he may be interested in wildlife?   A jackpot consideration, and something  I never miss,  is a Kenai Fjords boat trip.   You will be there-   Seward to easily take advantage of this,  as example.

[Coral]

On 12/19/2018 at 10:17 PM, K_e_short said:

I was looking at the dog sledding on a glacier but it is expensive ($500 plus per person) but that is a total bucket list item for me so am really leaning toward that for me 🙂

Alaska is for the young! Make this a memorable trip and save for these excursions! Cut back on things before or after (eating out, etc...). Budget Queen mentioned Kenai fjords trip out of Seward - another excellent suggestion.

 

Walking around will allow you to see jewelry shops and tourist traps.

Edited December 22, 2018 by Coral

[K_e_short]

On 12/22/2018 at 3:53 PM, Coral said:

Alaska is for the young! Make this a memorable trip and save for these excursions! Cut back on things before or after (eating out, etc...). Budget Queen mentioned Kenai fjords trip out of Seward - another excellent suggestion.

 

Walking around will allow you to see jewelry shops and tourist traps.

 

Thank you for the advice.

I'm a cruise company's worse enemy. I don't shop on the ship. I don't pay for fancy food. I don't go to the spa. We're in an inside cabin. Other then the casino (which I'd do at home anyways) I try to spend nothing.

 

Also should mention that this is a Christmas present for my son so he has no idea. I will be videotaping his reaction when he opens his 'present".

[AKfamily]

My kids are 11 and 13. We live in Juneau. They loved the Carcross Desert north of Skagway this summer. They also loved taking the train to the Denver stop and getting off to hike. The train comes back by and you can get a ride back to town. Just call the railroad to get the most accurate details on how to do this. In Juneau, go to the Mendenhall Glacier and walk to Nugget Falls. My kids love building rock cairns on the beach near the falls, or ice sculptures if there is glacier ice  floating close enough to snag. Bring tall rain boots!!  He will be able to wade and explore like the local kids. You can also do a canoe trip on the lake or kayak excursion in Fritz Cove. He would also enjoy the tram, if you venture out along the trails at the top. Go at least to the cross, or further if you have time. Visit the library or order some books ahead of time and learn about the wildlife and landforms you will be seeing. And please don’t be afraid to ask local parents and kids you see for tips! We generally all love to give pointers. You’ll recognize locals by the boots- brown Xtra-Tufs 😀

[moneeman]

We are planning our second Alaska trip for next year, but our first was years ago when our son was 12 years old.  Our son was very active, and always wanted to be doing "something".  We had a great trip, and he thoroughly enjoyed it, though some activities more than others.  Here is what we did, and how he reacted.

 

Pre-cruise - 3-summit flightseeing out of Talkeetna - fabulous plane ride and Matt loved every minute of it.  We were blessed with beautiful clear skies, which is not the norm.

Helicopter trip with glacier landing - great excursion.  He was thrilled with the helicopter, and found the glacier interesting

Whale watch trip - we had a good trip and saw numerous whales.  Matt liked it at first, but got a bit bored after watching whales for an hour or two.  Still a good trip, and a not-to-miss activity, in my view.

Dogsledding on a glacier - Our favorite excursion, and Matt loved every minute.  The helicopter up, meeting the dogs, sledding, and of course, the puppies!

We rented a car in Skagway and drove to Emerald Lake.  I know others have said this was great for their family, and perhaps they knew better where to stop, but Matt was bored after a while.  He did enjoy parts of it, but there were some long stretches where he wasn't appreciating the beautiful views that my wife and I were enjoying.  He DID love seeing the grizzly on the side of the road, and he also thought it was cool stopping to buy snacks at a Canadian convenience store.  If you rent the car, do some research on where to stop.  If I did it over again...with a 12-year-old...I would probably turn around earlier (but that's me).

Sea Life boat trip - we saw whales, sea lions, otters, eagles, etc.  Good trip, but all of us got a little bored after a while.  Partly because it was a large boat with 150 people on it compared to the much smaller independently booked whale trip earlier in the cruise.

 

The ship we were on was not terribly kid-friendly, but Matt still managed to have a good time.  He was pretty responsible at that age, and we gave him a bit of freedom, which he enjoyed.  Of course, that was 17 years ago and the world has changed, so we perhaps would be more restrictive now.

 

I agree with others who said to involve him in planning, and keep him busy.  Don't spend too much time simply walking around the towns.  They are mostly tourist traps.

 

[Cheryl H]

We've taken our son twice before and already booked for our third trip.   Here's some things he has enjoyed: 

 

For Skagway, we did the short train/bus combo with Chilkoot Tours the first trip.   Regarding the train, he wasn't too wowed by the scenery, but even I got tired after about a half hour.   This time, we are booked for the adventure boat with Ocean Raft Alaska.  It's supposed to do some donuts in the water, and sight seeing.  We haven't done that tour yet so I can't say for sure how it will be, but it sure looks exciting.  Also we are going to buy the Smart bus shuttle passes and ride up as close as we can to the gold rush cemetery and take the trail to Lower Reid Falls. 

 

For Ketchikan, we did a float plane to Misty Fjord that included a stop for some photos.  Again, it was scenery, but I don't think he was too impressed.  (Disclaimer, all our tours are not catered to him...we sign up for a variety of things).  We loved the floatplane tour.  We took the funicular up and had lunch at the Cape Fox Lodge, and walked the Married Man trail down.  He enjoyed that.  Then second trip, we did the Crab boat tour (Aleution Ballard).  Seeing the different types of fishing was interesting.  Next trip, we are booked on Ketchikan Helicopters.

 

For Juneau, first trip we did a goldmine tour (booked thru the cruise line).  We got to go in the mine and they demonstrating a 100 year old drill, and a rock thrower.  We had to wear hearing and head protection but it was provided.  Then we panned for gold.  We also took a shuttle to Mendenhall and did the trail to Nugget Falls.  The second trip, we just did Mendenhall again.  Next trip we are booked on a whale watch for Juneau.  And we always eat at Twisted Fish there in Jueanu. 

 

Have fun planning your trip! 

 

 

 

 

[K_e_short]

Thank you for all the tips.

As of now we have decided to do the following tours:

Ketchikan - lumber jack show with axe throwing. He really wants to do this, especially the axe throwing. Sure why not let me 12 year throw an axe 🙂 After the show we're going to see some totem poles.

Juneau - Helicopter ride on glacier with dog sledding. I am super excited about this one and he is as well.

Skagway - We're going to take a bus tour that crosses over to B.C. and the Yukon. I know he might get a little bored but we're Canadian so I want him to be able to say he's been to the Yukon (We're from Ontario and may never make it back up that way).