Alaska cruise with land component; not Disney

[Anonymous]

I know variations of this question have been asked before, but looking for recommendations for a kid-friendly (ages 8 and 11) ship that either includes or allows a land tour (meaning not a round trip cruise). We're looking for a ship that has stuff to do (kids club, movies, etc) -- we're flexible on price.

[Anonymous]

Holland America

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Holland America

I can’t think of a line more likely to be filled with old people. If you don’t want Disney, OP, your next choice is Royal Caribbean.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Holland America

I can’t think of a line more likely to be filled with old people. If you don’t want Disney, OP, your next choice is Royal Caribbean.

And for the most land tour options also look at Princess (but again an older crowd).

[Anonymous]

Definitely DIY your land tour!!

[Anonymous]

NCL. Great for kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NCL. Great for kids.

Thanks. What makes it great?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NCL. Great for kids.

Thanks. What makes it great?

My kids loved the kids club. We liked the free style dining. We got a suite. The staff was very nice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NCL. Great for kids.

Thanks. What makes it great?

My kids loved the kids club. We liked the free style dining. We got a suite. The staff was very nice.

What ship did you sail on?

[Anonymous]

Ruby Princess to Alaska. Good for all ages, has teen club and kids club. Pools, movies and shows in the evenings, etc. Also does land tours, but you can do it on your own via the train or rent a car.

[Anonymous]

I disagree that Princess is for an older crowd. That maybe used to be true, but in the summer we cruised on Star Princess to Alaska and there were tons of families. My in laws (in their 70s) rarely cruise in the summer on Princess or Royal because there are a lot of kids. Princess has many land choices and their own lodges.

[Anonymous]

I’ve done this on both HAL and RCI. All of the cruises have some family friendly stuff (kids clubs, scavenger hunts, trivia contests) but none of them really have a ton of kid oriented stuff. The truth is that, with an Alaskan cruise, is doesn’t matter that much. You won’t have any real at sea days (usually two cruising days but they are the days you visit either glacier bay or Hubbard glacier plus the day you cruise the inside passage) and there’s a lot to see. For port days, the days are long due to Alaskan sun and ports that are not very far apart, so you’re often docking at 6 am and in port until 8 or 10 and you’ll be off the boat for almost all the day doing fun and active things on shore. When you get back on board, you’ll be ready for food and bed. It’s very different from a Carribean cruise, where you have a lot of time at sea going between islands and you’re looking for a lot of entertainment on the ships.
With that said, we liked RCI but I wished the food was better (I’m picky). The RCI ship for Alaska has a lot of open public space with massive windows, which is great for Alaska. It’s awesome to just sit with a latte and watch the glaciers go by.
Also, I believe any of the ships that go into the National Park now have a junior ranger program for kids ((the NPS sends rangers onboard while you are in the park and they typically provide educational programs).
You should check the cruise critic forums for Alaska-there are many extremely knowledgeable people on that forum who have been on multiple Alaska cruises.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Holland America

I can’t think of a line more likely to be filled with old people. If you don’t want Disney, OP, your next choice is Royal Caribbean.

At least as of last year, Disney ONLY did round-trip cruises to alaska, not one way. The issue is that, because of the antiquated Jones Act, foreign-flagged or foreign-built boats (which all cruise ships are) cannot start from one U.S. port and end up at another U.S. port (unless they are on opposite coasts, like Ft Lauderdale to San Diego through the Panama Canal). So the one-way boats all start from, or end in, Vancouver. All the Disney cruises are from Seattle.
I recommend the Vancouver one-way cruises because you can see more on a 7 day trip if you are only going one-way. Vancouver ends up getting a ton of American tourist business because of this dumb U.S. law. It's the same law that caused a ton of problems for Puerto Rico after the hurricane, because it complicated the shipping of relief supplies.
Anyway, Disney is not a good option for Alaska. I also wouldn't pay the Disney premium when you won't be spending that much time on the boat.
Princess, RCI, and HAL are all good choices for Alaska. (Smaller boats might be even better for people without kids, but I think kids need the amenities of a larger boat.). Just pick based on which boat has the kind of room you want for the week you want to go. Alaska cruises book up much earlier than other cruises, because there is less capacity and because people tend to save up and go for big occasions (milestone birthdays and anniversaries).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Holland America

I can’t think of a line more likely to be filled with old people. If you don’t want Disney, OP, your next choice is Royal Caribbean.

At least as of last year, Disney ONLY did round-trip cruises to alaska, not one way. The issue is that, because of the antiquated Jones Act, foreign-flagged or foreign-built boats (which all cruise ships are) cannot start from one U.S. port and end up at another U.S. port (unless they are on opposite coasts, like Ft Lauderdale to San Diego through the Panama Canal). So the one-way boats all start from, or end in, Vancouver. All the Disney cruises are from Seattle.
I recommend the Vancouver one-way cruises because you can see more on a 7 day trip if you are only going one-way. Vancouver ends up getting a ton of American tourist business because of this dumb U.S. law. It's the same law that caused a ton of problems for Puerto Rico after the hurricane, because it complicated the shipping of relief supplies.
Anyway, Disney is not a good option for Alaska. I also wouldn't pay the Disney premium when you won't be spending that much time on the boat.
Princess, RCI, and HAL are all good choices for Alaska. (Smaller boats might be even better for people without kids, but I think kids need the amenities of a larger boat.). Just pick based on which boat has the kind of room you want for the week you want to go. Alaska cruises book up much earlier than other cruises, because there is less capacity and because people tend to save up and go for big occasions (milestone birthdays and anniversaries).

Virtually all of Disney's Alaska cruises leave out of Vancouver. I just got back from one (but yes, it is round trip).

HAL is not a good choice for people with young kids. It just isn't.

[Anonymous]

Princess roundtrip from Seattle would be my suggestion. We did Princess last year to Alaska with a 4 year old and it was great. But it was too cold to be on deck much of the time or use the pools. I liked that our cruise only had 2 sea days, which is part of why I chose this destination, because I knew there wouldn't be that much on the ship for a 4 year old. The food was great, however, and my 4 year old found lots of things on the menu she could eat.