Considering Our First Alaska Cruise w/ 9 Year Old

[wolfie11]

On 10/18/2023 at 8:10 AM, 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?  

 

 

The top picture is not Sawyer Glacier.  It’s Dawes Glacier, and you look to be around 1.5 to 2 miles away.

 

In the lower picture you appear to be around 4-5 miles away from Hubbard with no ice to speak of between you and the glacier.  I certainly hope you got closer than that!  Were you there on the Spirit on August 8th?

 

I realize you are a diehard NCL fan, but I’ve been on Princess, HAL, NCL, Royal, and Hurtigruten in Alaska and NCL has mediocre itineraries and dreadful port times.  On the bigger ships it can be up to a two hour wait just to get on a bus to take you into town.

Edited October 22, 2023 by wolfie11

[MistyRo76]

On 10/18/2023 at 3:00 AM, donaldsc said:

 

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

Thanks for the input. I am in fact the parent of the 9 year old (will be almost 11 by the time we actually sail to Alaska as I think we're leaning toward 2025 at this point). But we are hoping her grandparents do join us as my mother in law is dying to go to Alaska! and it would be a special event to get to cruise with her grandparents at least once.

[MistyRo76]

On 10/16/2023 at 3:47 PM, Heidi13 said:

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.

Thank you so much for all of the insight! This is exactly the kind of info that I was looking for. I think given what you've shared, it makes most sense for us to look into one of the one-way cruises from/to Vancouver. We definitely want to maximize our time in ports and see as much of this beautiful area as we can. 

[MistyRo76]

On 10/16/2023 at 9:13 PM, roupa said:

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!

Thank you! it definitely sounds like a one-way is the way to go...and I've moved Princess up to the top of our list! 

[MistyRo76]

On 10/17/2023 at 6:20 AM, edinburgher said:

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.

Good to know about NCL! 

[MistyRo76]

On 10/18/2023 at 11:34 AM, Gardyloo said:

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!

Thank you so much for all of the insightful information! Cost is always a consideration for us, but certainly not the only consideration! And the more I think about it, the more certain I am that it will be 2025 before we do Alaska. Since this will be a bigger trip for us, I want to give us plenty of time to research, budget, etc. I don't mind spending a bit more for a better experience! 🙂

 

I am definitely leaning toward cruising from (or to or both) Vancouver. One way or R/T still TBD. My in-laws will likely be joining us and this will probably be their only trip to Alaska so we want to do it right to see as much as we can! 

 

Thanks also for the Alaska Airlines tip! I will definitely keep that one in mind as we get closer to booking airfare! 

[MistyRo76]

On 10/18/2023 at 11:43 AM, Coral said:

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.

That's the direction I'm leaning toward after all of the helpful info I've gotten on this post! Thank you for your feedback! 

[MistyRo76]

On 10/20/2023 at 4:28 AM, 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.

Sitka is high on my list of places I want to see...so I'll be keeping an eye out for itineraries that include a stop there! 

[wolfie11]

Princess does 10 and 11 day round trips from Vancouver that you might want to look at.  I went this summer and thought it was a great Alaska itinerary.  Because it is round trip Vancouver, more than half the passengers were friendly Canadians.  It was a younger crowd than usual, and hordes of kids for a Princess sailing, I think around 700 according to the CD.  Some of the sailings also go to Glacier Bay.

[jerseygirlinAZ]

It looks like most of your questions have been answered, but I'll chime in as well since we just cruised with our eight-year old this past May into June.

 

She personally loved seeing the sled dogs, which we did in Skagway.  Our tour was paired with gold panning (which she also enjoyed) and the White Pass train.  (Train ride was kinda long and she got bored on the way back).

 

In Juneau, we saw a ton of eagles just flying around.  We rented a car and went to Mendenhall glacier (she was not impressed), the salmon hatchery (which she liked), and Shrine of St. Therese.  We saw a baby bear running down the road on our way to the Shrine.  

 

We cruised on Carnival because we got an amazingly awesome casino offer.  We had a really good time though I'd be open to cruising another line on a future trip.