Alaska Land & Cruise Family of 5

[greatrefund]

In the past we have cruised w/ Disney in the Caribbean. We are looking for June 2023 cruise from Alaska southbound only. We plan to do a land tour of Alaska for a week on our own or through a cruise line first and then cruise back down to US/Canada/Vancouver. Kids are outdoorsy 13, 15 and 16yo boys. Here are questions:

1. Are there any cruise lines that could get us in one room?

2. Is it better do land and cruise through a cruise line or just book the land tour ourselves. 

3. If there is no way we could find a room to fit us all what tips are there to finding cabins available across the hall from each other?

4. Any other tips....thank you!

[1025cruise]

I can't imagine a single room with 2 adults, and 3 teenagers.

[North2Alaska10]

1 hour ago, greatrefund said:

In the past we have cruised w/ Disney in the Caribbean. We are looking for June 2023 cruise from Alaska southbound only. We plan to do a land tour of Alaska for a week on our own or through a cruise line first and then cruise back down to US/Canada/Vancouver. Kids are outdoorsy 13, 15 and 16yo boys. Here are questions:

1. Are there any cruise lines that could get us in one room?

2. Is it better do land and cruise through a cruise line or just book the land tour ourselves. 

3. If there is no way we could find a room to fit us all what tips are there to finding cabins available across the hall from each other?

4. Any other tips....thank you!

For #2-I read that large numbers of tourists doing the land portion of the cruise first were testing positive for Covid and could not board the ship. 
#3-Last year my family had 2 connecting cabins. The connecting doors were inside the cabins. It was very nice. Although our balconies could not be opened. This was on Serenade of the Seas. 
 

We also tried a balcony cabin and booked our daughters right across in an inside cabin on the Infinity. 
Our TA recommended at least 2 nights in Denali for the land tour. She said Holland has a newer lodging and is popular and that Celebrity is also popular. 

[AKStafford]

For the land portion: I would book a rental car or RV and do it yourself. The TripAdvisor Forum for Alaska travel has great help for planning the land portion: https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum-g28923-i349-Alaska.html

[greatrefund]

Thanks for those tips so far. 

[Pluto_fan]

We are also a family of 5.  When I have tried to find cruise cabins that would accommodate all of us, they have always been suites that were more expensive than getting two regular cabins.  The Norwegian Jewel is doing Alaska one-ways next summer and has a few different family-size cabin categories (both Haven and non-Haven), but even the non-Haven option is more expensive than the two balcony cabins I've booked on the Sapphire Princess for next June.

 

As another mom of three once said to me (jokingly of course), if we had realized how much we enjoyed cruising, we never would have had the third kid 😁

 

We are doing the land portion on our own, to give us the flexibility to do what interests us at our own pace.

[oaktreerb]

Get adjoining rooms with a door connecting the rooms..  Register one parent in each stateroom to meet age requirements and the kids will be able to sleep in one room and the parents in the other,  You can supervise because they are close, have the stewards open the divider between the balconies for a larger shared area, you each have your own bathroom.

 

Do your own land tour.  Rent a car and plan your itinerary.  There are lots of Alaska travel sites online to help you and the family plan.

[RussNJodi]

We are in the same situation and settled on the 2 bedroom suite on the Norwegian Jewel (Non-Haven) for next year. There were a lot of factors in our decision, but an overriding one was we wanted an itinerary that had both Glacier Bay and Hubbard Glacier so don't discount itinerary for sake of room choice. Other factors for us: the 2 bedroom had a connecting room for my parents who are joining us, has the extra dining and living space for us to gather as a family, and yes, it is pricey, but to be honest, not too far off what I saw on other lines, even downgrading to two connecting balconies (and FAR cheaper than a Family Veranda on the Disney  Wonder). Finally, we will also be able to enjoy the suite amenities, such as priority embarkation, butler, and from what I understand includes a private viewing deck during the glacier visits. 

[Northern Aurora]

Some random thoughts in no particular order of importance:

 

 

If our OP is using a travel agent the TA can sort out which cruise lines have family cabins, and can easily identify adjoining cabins if the particular cruise line doesn't offer family accommodations.  For example, at least on some of their ships, Celebrity has family verandas which could hold a family of 5.  

 

And if the OP is working with a TA ensure that that TA actually knows something about Alaska.  Whenever fellow passengers learn that we live in Alaska we hear about their trip to Alaska.  We have had folks tell us the darnedest things like their TA told them that you can see Denali from the hotels located in "glitter gulch" which is the area just outside the entrance to the only road into the national park; you can't.  Our poster in post #3 was told by their travel agent that Holland America has newer lodging, and as someone who lives about a two hour drive north of the NP entrance I don't know what that TA means.  So just a word to the wise.

 

Regarding a land tour my impression is that cruise line organized land tours are directed to an older clientele.  They tend to be a "one size fits all" proposition.  As @AKStafford frequently points out there is nothing offered on a cruise line organized land tour that you can't do on your own.  And with the age of the kids task them with some research so they can determine what they want to see and experience.

[disneyochem]

DIY land tour!  As mentioned previously, it’s easy to do and can be tailored to your family needs.

 

My one piece of advice is to book a car NOW for your dates.  Car rentals have been pricey, and in some cases, hard to find the last couple of summers.  Reserve (no money down) and then plan.

 

Another option might be renting a RV for the land portion.

Edited August 8, 2022 by disneyochem