Alaska Cruise with Kids Questions

[spjon27]

Hi There,

 

First post, but I was wondering about the Princess ships doing the Alaska Cruises in July of 2021. Specifically, I am looking to compare the Coral, Royal, and Emerald Princess. My family will be going on a cruise next July. We have 2 kids (at the time they will be 14 and 6 almost 7) We will be sailing with my brother's family (kids for them are 14, 11, 8, and 7) We are lookign at anytime dining, lots of pool time (they are water kids) and we are a more fun group. My concern is that the pool area looks a little dull (2 of the tis are on swim teams and 4 of them have grown up with a pool) and the teen area looks kinda bland (from the pictures they posted). Any help would be appreciated. 

[1025cruise]

Well, Princess won't have the slides, etc that other lines have.

Also, keep in mind that Alaska is a bit on the chilly side. None of the lines will have major pools (at least that someone on a swim team will recognize). Pool time tends to be not an important factor.

Pick your cruise based on the itinerary you want. For Alaska, that is the most important thing. Personally, I'd do Coral or Emerald over Royal because I wouldn't want to be on a huge ship.

[StrawberryHill]

Have not been on the Emerald.  Coral is our favorite for Alaska and has an indoor pool for swimming.  Royal is too large for Alaska in my opinion and has no indoor pool.

[Cruiserkenn]

Yes, Coral and Emerald have nice, sheltered promenade decks for being out and about for seeing the sights.

 

 

Edited June 3, 2020 by Cruiserkenn

[pms4104]

26 minutes ago, StrawberryHill said:

Have not been on the Emerald.  Coral is our favorite for Alaska and has an indoor pool for swimming.  Royal is too large for Alaska in my opinion and has no indoor pool.

I don't clearly r3call ... is that covered pool adult only?

[Cruise Raider]

4 minutes ago, pms4104 said:

I don't clearly r3call ... is that covered pool adult only?

 

No, the covered pools on Princess are for all to enjoy....at least that's been my experience from my many sailings on this line.  There are rules about kids in the hot tubs but not strictly enforced ... take that for what it's worth as some may like this but some may not.  There is usually an adult pool somewhere on the ship .. on the Grand class, I believe it is the one on the back of the ship but they aren't even picky about that enforcement either.  

The only one of the three that has a covered pool is the Coral.  I personally like the size of the Coral the best of the three.  However, the Royal would be more fun for kids of those ages and she is a beautiful ship, IMO.  

The Emerald is the Crown class and does have that extra deck added over the Grand Class, so I think it gets a bit crowded in the public areas and dining.  But, that being said, I do have a booking for Alaska on her nonetheless.  The Royal does feel roomier to me even though it probably isn't.  

[Potstech]

And the pools are not the larger type for swimming laps.  Mostly for just relaxing and playing games.

[cruisequeen4ever]

Princess ships may not have water slides, but your kids will still have a blast. I’d go with the Royal because it has the most extensive and modern kids’ clubs of the ships you mentioned. They may swim a day or 2, but it can be quite chilly. The youth counselors are fantastic, and your kids will have plenty of fun activities indoors when it’s cold. 

[INeedAMaiTai]

I know it's not one you listed, but last summer we went on a family cruise on the Grand with nine adults and four kids (12, 10, 9, and 6).  It was a blast!  The kids played in the inside pool most of the time (it was warm in there), and brought along some stupid pool balls and such to play with (dollar store finds so we just threw them away at the end of the trip).  Only a couple of times was the jacuzzi occupied where I told them they couldn't go in, just because some adults were enjoying their quiet time.  The teen/youth center was great.  With teens, they just meet people and become a pack of kids that roams the ship, it's pretty funny to watch.  The younger ones had fun with all of the activities they had from the late night balloon drop, face painting, kid events, movies, etc.  There's always something to do, and taking "older" kids makes it easier than toddlers and babies.  I like that they can do their own thing but we still get together for family activities and meals.  The 9 and 10 year olds were able to sign themselves in and out of the kid center (upon adult approval) and the would go play ping pong, shuffleboard, and board games.  They are good kids that I trust; if I knew one might have been a disruption or a problem, I wouldn't let them just peruse the ship.  If you have more questions, I'll be happy to help.  You can always dm me.  I have cruised as a kid, being an adult, with babies, toddlers, and now "older" kids.  It's a great way for a big family to get together and vacation without having to spend every minute with each other.

[franktown]

This has been mentioned but I just want to make sure that you understand that no cruise line offers a resort style pool.  They are small and as other have said mainly for taking a dip to cool off or to play organized games. Some cruise lines do have water slides but not Princess.  If they went in early before the crowds they could probably be able to swim short laps.  

[donaldsc]

Call me harsh but I have gone on 2 AK trips w 10 year olds both times without their parents.   I told them that we are in AK for the scenery and for what AK uniquely offers.  They were not to waste their AK time in the kids club and miss the beauty and tour opportunities that AK offers.  They understood and spent no time in the kids club although they did spend some time on the pool.  In fact on 1 trip when we were in Glacier Bay, my 10 year old noted that the people in the private spa area probably could not see much of Glacier Bay and commented that they were really being stupid.  That is one smart kid.

 

DON 

[StrawberryHill]

The covered pool on the  Coral Princess is for everyone.  It is covered with a glass ceiling so there is some light during the day.   They are not " lap" pools unless there is no one else in the pool.  If its warm weather, they will be busy, it is cold weather, they will be empty.  The indoor one is nice at night because it is a bit warmer because of the enclosed area

[spjon27]

Thanks for all the advice. We decided on the Royal. We are going to be part of a large group and the deciding factor for us was the dining. We have a few who would love the buffet and then others want the anytime with the main dining room. I do appreciate the help and took all your comments into consideration.

[Hlitner]

The OP might want to consider that NONE of the ships they mentioned has an indoor or all weather pool!  If swimming is a priority they might want to look at ships that have an all-weather pool deck.   As to the Royal, she is a beautiful ship but also does not have an all weather pool.  This can be a problem on Princess which gave-up the idea of all weather pools quite a few years ago after their first few Grand Class ships.   As to the buffet, we will all have to wait and see what Princess (and other lines) do about buffets in the post COVID-19 world.  The Royal has a beautiful Lido (buffet) area but there will likely be some major modifications in the entire buffet concept.  Another issue on the Royal (and Royal Class) is that the balconies of most of the cabins are very small (when compared to many other type ships).    In fact, the balconies for the regular balcony cabins are so small you would not be able to put both families together on one.   If it is within the budget, one of the families might want to consider booking a larger suite that has a decent balcony.

 

Hank

 

 

 

[Coral]

26 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

The OP might want to consider that NONE of the ships they mentioned has an indoor or all weather pool!  If swimming is a priority they might want to look at ships that have an all-weather pool deck.   As to the Royal, she is a beautiful ship but also does not have an all weather pool.  This can be a problem on Princess which gave-up the idea of all weather pools quite a few years ago after their first few Grand Class ships. 

 

 

 

Coral Princess has an indoor pool.

[Hlitner]

1 hour ago, Coral said:

Coral Princess has an indoor pool.

True, Coral and Island both have indoor pools although neither of those ships is high on my list for other reasons..  On the other hand, the OP has booked the Royal!  I do really like the Royal Class (in fact, we are still booked on the Regal in October) but we prefer that class in warm weather climates.   But when we go out on our balcony on the Royal or Regal, DW and I have enough room (as long as we sit sideways or at an angle).   A large family could not fit on one of those balconies.  When we cruise on the Grand Class ships and have a Caribe Deck balcony cabin we will often invite friends to join us for cocktails.  On the Regal (we have cruised 4 times on that ship) we would not even think about inviting anyone to join us on the postage stamp balcony.    Hence my recommendation that at least one of the families (we are talking about the OP) think about booking a suite so they have the space to get together as a group.

 

Hank

[Coral]

24 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

True, Coral and Island both have indoor pools although neither of those ships is high on my list for other reasons..  On the other hand, the OP has booked the Royal! 

I love the Coral Princess. Not sure if I would like the Island Princess. I think the Coral Princess is great in Alaska - no complaints.

 

I would not book the Royal Princess in Alaska.

 

I agree with you about the suite.

Edited June 9, 2020 by Coral

[Roberto256]

13 hours ago, Coral said:

Coral Princess has an indoor pool.

Isn't that part of the sanctuary now, and not available to all guests?

 

So many ships,  I can't remember...

[Coral]

13 minutes ago, Roberto256 said:

Isn't that part of the sanctuary now, and not available to all guests?

 

So many ships,  I can't remember...

It is available to all guests (pool).

[Roberto256]

1 minute ago, Coral said:

It is available to all guests (pool).

Thank you.

 

[cruisequeen4ever]

21 hours ago, spjon27 said:

Thanks for all the advice. We decided on the Royal. We are going to be part of a large group and the deciding factor for us was the dining. We have a few who would love the buffet and then others want the anytime with the main dining room. I do appreciate the help and took all your comments into consideration.

The Royal will give you the best dining variety for sure. We have started eating in the buffet on Royal class ships most nights because we actually prefer its selections. 

[wolfie11]

I was on the Royal last summer.  I would not sail the Royal in Alaska again.  The ship can't do the inside passage of Vancouver Island, resulting in a less than scenic sea day and an increased chance of rough seas.  She also can't get into Ketchikan if the winds are blowing.  We never got really close to the glaciers as some other ships did because of her size.  Outside viewing areas are poor and were very crowded at Glacier Bay.  The food was good, and the ship is beautiful and would be fine for another itinerary, but just not for Alaska.  My favorite ship for Alaska is Pacific Princess, and the Coral would be 2nd on my list.

[Potstech]

On 6/8/2020 at 6:45 PM, Coral said:

Coral Princess has an indoor pool.

They have covered pools which can be opened if desired by the ship.

[Coral]

5 minutes ago, Potstech said:

They have covered pools which can be opened if desired by the ship.

In all of my cruises - I have seen them open 1x. You are right, they are covered.

[Treasure Hunter]

Any Princess ship in Alaska is great. Princess does a wonderful job bringing on Park Rangers and other treats. The excursions are super. The weather can be iffy. One time we had 75 degrees and  sunny days , one time we had 50 degree cloudy days. Alaska is so beautiful you won't want to miss a minute. You won't want to waste time swimming for sure. Most people go up on deck because even with a balcony you don't get the sweeping view. And your room  might be on the wrong side when the Captain yells Whales!