Considering Our First Alaska Cruise w/ 9 Year Old

[MistyRo76]

Our family is just back from a wonderful fall break cruise on the Carnival Sunshine to the Bahamas. I am an experienced cruiser, but completely new to Alaska cruises. We are thinking of booking an Alaska cruise for either next summer or summer of 2025. I know it's a limited cruising season and we would be taking our 9 year old so would need to do it during her summer break. She usually starts school in late August. 

 

A few initial questions: 

What month(s) would be best for cruising to Alaska? Not only considering weather, but also are there months wildlife is more active (our kiddo would love to see whales or eagles or any other animal!)?

 

We have only cruised Carnival up to this point. But willing to consider other cruise lines for this cruise. Initial thought was to look at NCL with the included airfare, drinks, excursions, wifi and specialty dining, it may be cheaper or at least we'd know exactly what we are paying ahead of time vs. having to wait for airline schedules to come out a year from now if we book for 2025. I thought I'd also look at Princess and I'll price out Carnival as well. I want to make sure the ship has activities for the kiddo as well. Any recommendations? 

 

Any suggestions for ports that are not to be missed? We would probably prefer to fly in/out of Seattle, but would be open to other embarkation ports if it is advantageous. 

thanks for the early help! I feel like a fish out of my normally warm Caribbean waters! 🙂

[Heidi13]

The most experienced cruise lines in Alaska are Princess & HAL, while NCL probably have the least experience. With a child, Princess are probably your best bet.

 

Time of Year - Overall, May is generally the driest month and you will still have some snow atop the mountains. May is the beginning of the peak whale season. Salmon can start showing up in May and run through Sept.

 

Having worked a couple of Alaska seasons, my personal preference is early/mid June - lots of daylight and good chance of seeing whales and salmon running.

 

Seattle - ships departing this port must operate R/T cruises, so you normally don't get up to College Fjord. They also steam up and down the Pacific Ocean, west of Vancouver Island, so you spend most of the week in open ocean. You also have greater potential for rougher seas. Seattle is also about 100 miles further from Alaska than Vancouver and those ships must also stop in a Canadian Port, normally a few hours late evening in Victoria. Therefore, the Seattle ships normally spend less time in the Alaskan ports than Vancouver based ships.

 

Vancouver - ships departing Vancouver can operate R/T cruises, or alternating 1-way cruises to Seward/Whittier, which cruise through the spectacular Prince William Sound. You will spend more time in the Inside Passage and normally have longer times in port.

[roupa]

Princess✔️

May-August (May might be less $$ )✔️

Vancouver one way✔️

If time and a budget allows, do a “one way” and try to include some time before or after your cruise to see more of Alaska since you’re “in the area”.  
If not, then take advantage of as much time as possible at each port . You can do the ship’s excursions or book your own without much difficulty.  The ports are generally easy to explore on your own as they are small, interesting towns.  Your little guy might get the most out of any stop in Alaska if he learns a little about them ahead of time!

[oaktreerb]

Princess would be a good choice.  HAL and Princess have the best docking locations in town.  NCL time in port is more limited due to need to bus to town center (like in Ketchikan and Juneau).  Most ships go to Juneau, Ketchikan, and Skagway or Sitka.  If you go to Sitka there is an excursion like a Sea Otter and Wildlife Quest.  Also Fortress of the Bears and a Raptor Center.  Skagway is more focused on the Gold Rush history.  Juneau is a good whale watching area for excursions.  Princess may bring Iditarod puppies onboard.

Edited October 17, 2023 by oaktreerb

[roupa]

….and with a youngster, you can probably get away without spending extra for specialty dining.  Maybe not even extra for a drink package since milk,juice,and water are “free” and plentiful.  Economize where you can if you’d rather budget for shore excursions. 

[edinburgher]

16 hours ago, MistyRo76 said:

Initial thought was to look at NCL

NCL have had a number of poor reviews this year for Alaska sailings.  Most have been about poor docking locations or having to tender when other lines dock, also shorter times in port compared to others, and they appear to have fewer permits for Glacier Bay.

 

Princess and Hal have many years of experience in Alaska, usually dock centrally and many of their itineraries include Glacier Bay. If sailing one of these two doesn't bust your budget too much, do at least consider them if the overall experience is important to you.

[surgie]

Yes to one way from Vancouver. We sailed that route on Celebrity 8 years ago - end of May/early June. Great weather but did not see bears. Too early for salmon to run. Magnificent day at Hubbard Glacier. In July 2024 we are taking our adults kids and grandkids (ages 5-11) from Vancouver to Seward. We chose RCCL. It definitely doesn't get the love here that Princess and HAL do but we love the Radiance class ships. Not so many bells and whistles for the kids but Alaska is the star attraction of an Alaskan cruise! And it was most cost-effective for 4 balcony cabins than other cruise lines at the time we booked. Have a great trip! 

[SomewhereGirl]

My very first cruise was to Alaska on NCL 20 years ago so they aren't exactly new to the region.  Bliss and Encore are big, flashy new ships that might appeal to a 9 year old. But do check port times and what your priorities are.

[Heidi13]

3 hours ago, SomewhereGirl said:

My very first cruise was to Alaska on NCL 20 years ago so they aren't exactly new to the region.  Bliss and Encore are big, flashy new ships that might appeal to a 9 year old. But do check port times and what your priorities are.

 

NCL only started in Alaska this century and I'll suggest having a ship damaged by a bergy bit, operating cruises in October and developing distant berthing locations means they are slow learners and/or have limited experience. Since their ship was damaged, I have read they now do not get as close to glaciers, as the more experienced cruise lines and Masters.

 

I did my first Alaska cruise almost 45 years ago with Princess, who already had 10 yrs experience by then. Since HAL & Princess have 75 & 55 yrs experience respectively, I am justified referring to NCL as the newcomers.

[SomewhereGirl]

I was actually shocked at how close we did get to Sawyer Glacier on the Jewel last month.  We just kept inching closer.  And then a nice clear view of Hubbard Glacier, which I believe is where the "bergy bit" hit the Sun.  As for Glacier Bay, it's the same Glacier Bay on any ship.  And NCL has the park rangers too.

Port times are important.

I've sailed NCL and Princess with one HAL.  If I was bored on HAL in my 20s, I can't imagine being a 9 year old.

 

 

 

 

[edinburgher]

2 hours ago, SomewhereGirl said:

As for Glacier Bay, it's the same Glacier Bay on any ship.  And NCL has the park rangers too.

The point being made was not so much that NCL don't go to GB, it is that they appear to have fewer permits, so if GB is on a "to-do" list, best check which NCL itineraries actually include it as there may be fewer compared to oher lines.

 

2 hours ago, SomewhereGirl said:

and NCL has the park rangers too

My understanding is that ships cannot enter GB without the rangers onboard as  having them is mandatory.

Edited October 17, 2023 by edinburgher

[edinburgher]

2 hours ago, SomewhereGirl said:

I was actually shocked at how close we did get to Sawyer Glacier on the Jewel last month.  We just kept inching closer.

Perhaps another accident waiting to happen?

[oaktreerb]

4 hours ago, SomewhereGirl said:

I was actually shocked at how close we did get to Sawyer Glacier on the Jewel last month.  We just kept inching closer.  And then a nice clear view of Hubbard Glacier, which I believe is where the "bergy bit" hit the Sun.  As for Glacier Bay, it's the same Glacier Bay on any ship.  And NCL has the park rangers too.

Port times are important.

I've sailed NCL and Princess with one HAL.  If I was bored on HAL in my 20s, I can't imagine being a 9 year old.

 

 

 

 

HAL does have a kids program, and the Junior Ranger program for Glacier Bay.  There are quite a few multigenerational families on HAL ships in Alaska.  I still think Princess would be a better fit for OP.

[Heidi13]

8 hours ago, SomewhereGirl said:

I was actually shocked at how close we did get to Sawyer Glacier on the Jewel last month.  We just kept inching closer.  And then a nice clear view of Hubbard Glacier, which I believe is where the "bergy bit" hit the Sun.  As for Glacier Bay, it's the same Glacier Bay on any ship.  And NCL has the park rangers too.

Port times are important.

I've sailed NCL and Princess with one HAL.  If I was bored on HAL in my 20s, I can't imagine being a 9 year old.

 

 

There are only a few people on the ship who know how close the ship gets and they have access to radars. Distance is very deceptive, especially at sea. Back in the 1970's we were much closer than today's ships, but were still about 3 cables (1/3 ml) off and it looked like you could reach out and touch.

 

BTW - inching closer is not prudent navigation, as the Master and pilot normally agree a safe distance, steam to that point and stop.

 

From what I recall of the Norwegian Sun incident, it wasn't the bergy bit that hit the ship, the ship steamed directly into the ice, hitting it with the bulbous bow. I believe it was also navigating in fog, which is a risk many Masters would not accept. Since they hit the ice, they were clearly not steaming at a safe speed, as required by the Collision Regulations.

[donaldsc]

11 hours ago, SomewhereGirl said:

I was actually shocked at how close we did get to Sawyer Glacier on the Jewel last month.  We just kept inching closer.  And then a nice clear view of Hubbard Glacier, which I believe is where the "bergy bit" hit the Sun.  As for Glacier Bay, it's the same Glacier Bay on any ship.  And NCL has the park rangers too.

Port times are important.

I've sailed NCL and Princess with one HAL.  If I was bored on HAL in my 20s, I can't imagine being a 9 year old.

 

 

 

 

 

I realize that kids vary and I also realize that being 9 years old is significantly different from being 10 or 11 years old.  However we take our grandkids on an AK trip when they turn 10 w/o their parents as a rite of passage.  We said that they could do anything that they wanted including going to the kids club if they wished.  Both the 10 and 11 year old gave us the unsolicited by their grandparents comment that they were in AK so why would they want to do the boring activities in the kids club.  MistyRo might be surprised at what her 9 year old will want to do on the ship.  Also if Misty is a grandparent and not a parent (it wasn't clear from the post) you might try doing what we do.  We have done 3 grandchild cruises to AK and every one of them was a total joy for both the grandkid and the grandparent.

 

DON

[SomewhereGirl]

As someone who is not of advanced age, and has actually sailed on both NCL and Princess, if I was 9 years old I would prefer the big NCL ships like Encore or Bliss.  OP, don't discount NCL because old people prefer Princess.  Wildlife doesn't only come out when it sees a Princess ship.  🤣  Again, consider port times.  You're more likely to see wildlife on excursions.

 

And does this really look unsafe to any of you?  

 

 

[Coral]

2 minutes ago, SomewhereGirl said:

As someone who is not of advanced age, and has actually sailed on both NCL and Princess, if I was 9 years old I would prefer the big NCL ships like Encore or Bliss.  OP, don't discount NCL because old people prefer Princess.  Wildlife doesn't only come out when it sees a Princess ship.  🤣  Again, consider port times.  You're more likely to see wildlife on excursions.

 

And does this really look unsafe to any of you?  

 

 

It doesn't look that close to the glaciers IMO.

 

Is that the closest you got?

[Heidi13]

1 hour ago, SomewhereGirl said:

As someone who is not of advanced age, and has actually sailed on both NCL and Princess, if I was 9 years old I would prefer the big NCL ships like Encore or Bliss.  OP, don't discount NCL because old people prefer Princess.  Wildlife doesn't only come out when it sees a Princess ship.  🤣  Again, consider port times.  You're more likely to see wildlife on excursions.

 

And does this really look unsafe to any of you?  

 

 

Probably not unsafe as you are so far from the glaciers, especially the 2nd photo. If that is as close as you got, it confirms what i have read about the NCL ships staying further back.

 

Here are some examples of cruising to glaciers in Glacier Bay - Sun Princess 1980 Alaska Season

 

This is still safe, as we were about 3 cables, or 1/3 ml from the glaciers. Back in those days, we lowered a boat to bring a chunk of glacial ice back aboard. Since I took the boat away every week, I have an even better perspective how far from the face of the glacier the ship was.

 

BTW - I might be old, but personally will never sail with Princess again and I used to work for them.

[Gardyloo]

A few connected or unconnected thoughts...

 

When - June.  It looks like schools in your district let out the week before Memorial Day, so cruising in June (early- or mid-month) is probably the best.  While there are no guarantees, generally glacier viewing from the ships is easier later in the summer compared to earlier, owing to less sea ice and icebergs/floes hampering access into the bay(s.)  Also see below in "ports of call" regarding a possible bear-viewing opportunity in Haines.

 

One way/round trip.  Since it sounds (rightly) that budget is a concern, I'd advocate a round trip cruise rather than a one-way that starts or ends in Seward or Whittier.  Adding a land portion will cause the cost to spike, would require more time away, cost more in airfare, and, until the internal park road at Denali National Park is repaired (probably 2026) that excursion would be less than optimal.

 

Departure/arrival point.  Vancouver, hands down, and I say that as a Seattleite.  The Seattle boats travel on open ocean west of Vancouver Island, on rougher seas and far from any coastal views, while the Vancouver boats stay on protected "Inside Passage" waters for more of the time - lots more.  PLUS - and this is a big plus in my mind - there are few places more enjoyable for kids than Vancouver.  Google these places/activities - Grouse Mountain, Lynn Canyon suspension bridge, Bloedel Conservatory, Stanley Park, Granville Island market, Vancouver Aquarium, Bard on the Beach, Richmond Night Market... on and on.  You could even rent a car and drive up to Whistler for an overnight - the "Sea to Sky" highway to Whistler is one of the most beautiful drives in North America.

 

Cruise line.  If you sort for round trips and Vancouver start/end, you'll also be reducing the eligible cruise lines; only a few (Royal Caribbean, HAL, a couple of Princess itineraries, maybe Celebrity) operate those routes.  Alaska cruises tend to be port-intensive and the differences between cruise lines might not be as important as in other regions.

 

Ports of call.  I'd strongly urge you to consider an itinerary that includes Sitka.  In my view Sitka has so much going for it in terms of history, beauty, wildlife... that not including it would be a mistake.  Google "St. Lazaria Island" to see what I mean.  Another priority might be to look for a cruise that stops in Haines, which not only is (by its own telling) the "bald eagle capital" of Alaska, but which also offers views of brown bears going after salmon in the Chilkoot River a couple of miles from town.  The bears won't turn up in numbers until the salmon arrive, usually in mid-June, so if that's a priority, cruising later in the month rather than earlier might improve the chances of seeing the bears.  

 

Cost-savings on airfare.  You might want to look at an Alaska Airlines-branded Visa card, which not only comes with a bunch of Alaska miles (very useful - many partners) at signup, but which also provides you with an annual "companion certificate" where one passenger pays the going rate and the second pays a flat $99 plus taxes (usually $122 all in) to fly the same flights - round trip, one-way, open-jaw, etc.   So say you want to cruise out of Vancouver, and let's imagine the round trip airfare on Alaska Airlines (plane change in Seattle) is $700.  (I'm just making things up, mind you.)  The first person pays $700, the companion pays $122, and the third (your son) uses some of the miles you got from signing up for the credit card) and pays $20 in taxes.  Total for 3 = $842, or an average of $280 each.  Alaska flies nonstop from CVG to SEA, so it would be hard for things to be any easier.

 

I'll stop here, sorry for blathering on and on.  Happy planning!

[Coral]

I like the one way cruises over the round-trip Seattle or Vancouver cruises. The round-trip Seattle and Vancouver cruises are more expensive but the air is cheaper. If you go with the one way the cruises, the cruises are cheaper but the air is more expensive. It's sort of a wash.

 

The one-way cruises you often get two glacier days and longer times in port. More time in Alaska.

 

I have done round-trip Vancouver, round-trip Seattle, one way Vancouver to Whittier and one way Vancouver to Seward and the opposite directions.

[edinburgher]

On 10/18/2023 at 4:43 PM, Coral said:

like the one way cruises over the round-trip Seattle or Vancouver cruises.

Another option to consider.

 

Our first Alaska sailings were out of Vancouver, and although it was round trip it was booked as two one-ways. Vancouver to Seward northbound followed by Seward to Vancouver southbound departing Seward the same day we arrived.

 

It wasn't intended to be so, but going one way and ending in Seward meant a logistically  trickier and more costly return to Vancouver where we were staying for a few days before flying home on our International flight.Once we looked at the logistics of returning to Vancouver from Seward, we decided it was far simpler and, as it happened, cheaper, to simply re-board and sail back.  Although it meant an almost exact repeat of the same ports, we simply continued our sightseeing from where we left off a few days previously. and as a bonus, the weather in Glacier Bay was very different the second time giving us  entirely different views.

 

Our next Alaska was a 14 night r/t Seattle as it gave us almost entirely new ports, of which Sitka was one.  It has a lovely setting and the sail-in and out were more scenic than several of the others.

Edited October 20, 2023 by edinburgher

[Coral]

4 hours ago, edinburgher said:

 

 

It wasn't intended to be so, but going one way and ending in Seward meant a logistically  trickier and more costly return to Vancouver where we were staying for a few days before flying home on our International flight.Once we looked at the logistics of returning to Vancouver from Seward, we decided it was far simpler and, as it happened, cheaper, to simply re-board and sail back.  Although it meant an almost exact repeat of the same ports, we simply continued our sightseeing from where we left off a few days previously. and as a bonus, the weather in Glacier Bay was very different the second time giving us  entirely different views.

 

I agree back to back are great options.  I have done this several times though I love Alaska.

 

I also think it is more difficult to fly from Anchorage for those that live in Europe.

[edinburgher]

1 hour ago, Coral said:

I also think it is more difficult to fly from Anchorage for those that live in Europe.

Our flights were r/t Vancouver, but even getting from Seward to Vancouver -with luggage- would have been a challenge, so reboarding was a nobrainer for us. 

 

We had initially only booked Vancouver to Seward, but after checking the logistics  booked the Seward  to Vancouver leg a couple of days later.

[Coral]

44 minutes ago, edinburgher said:

Our flights were r/t Vancouver, but even getting from Seward to Vancouver -with luggage- would have been a challenge, so reboarding was a nobrainer for us. 

 

We had initially only booked Vancouver to Seward, but after checking the logistics  booked the Seward  to Vancouver leg a couple of days later.

There are plenty of flights from Anchorage to the airline hubs in the US states. Luggage from Seward to Anchorage is easy.

 

After saying this, I have actually done several back-to-back because I love Alaska and it is easy to do. Though you lose out on seeing the interior part of Alaska.

Edited October 20, 2023 by Coral

[Heidi13]

7 hours ago, edinburgher said:

Another option to consider.

 

Our first Alaska sailings were out of Vancouver, and although it was round trip it was booked as two one-ways. Vancouver to Seward northbound followed by Seward to Vancouver southbound departing Seward the same day we arrived.

 

It wasn't intended to be so, but going one way and ending in Seward meant a logistically  trickier and more costly return to Vancouver where we were staying for a few days before flying home on our International flight.Once we looked at the logistics of returning to Vancouver from Seward, we decided it was far simpler and, as it happened, cheaper, to simply re-board and sail back.  Although it meant an almost exact repeat of the same ports, we simply continued our sightseeing from where we left off a few days previously. and as a bonus, the weather in Glacier Bay was very different the second time giving us  entirely different views.

 

Our next Alaska was a 14 night r/t Seattle as it gave us almost entirely new ports, of which Sitka was one.  It has a lovely setting and the sail-in and out were more scenic than several of the others.

 

Totally agree, a B2B is a great option out of Vancouver.

 

Having worked entire seasons in Alaska, I can attest to the fact that the weather most often changes every week. Now as a pax, since we are only 30 miles from Canada Place, we don't have to bother with flights, going through the tunnel in Whittier, etc.