Last summer we ventured on a once in a lifetime family vacation: an Alaskan Cruise. I was a little hesitant at first about taking my boys to the 49th state, but it turned out to be an awesome experience. We learned about Alaska’s rich history and enjoyed breathtaking scenery. We cruised 7 days with Holland America, leaving out of Seattle with stops in Juneau, Sitka, Ketichikan and Victoria, BC. We traveled with our extended family, 11 of us total, and everyone from my 80 year old grandma to my 3 year old son had a blast. There were not a lot of kids on the boat, but the staff was extremely accommodating of children. While we had enough family on board that we never used the kids camp area, it appeared well staffed and maintained.
Packing
Four people traveling for 10 days with weather oscillating between 80 and 20 degrees created quite the packing challenge. I brought everyone 3-4 pair of jeans that we wore twice and then 8 long sleeve knit shirts or t-shirts. Luckily, we did have the ability to do laundry. I got extra inexpensive t-shirts for the boys at Target. For me, my long sleeve running shirts worked well for everyday wear. I packed the boys each 2 nicer shirts for dinner and then one dress shirt and tie for formal night. Layers were helpful. The boys wore light jackets or fleeces, and I wore my Lulu Lemon running jacket, which was warm but lightweight. We used fold up back packs to carry our bug spray, camera and extra equipment, then we could throw our jackets in them when we got toasty. We luckily avoided rain on our trip, but had inexpensive ponchos with us just in case.
A light jacket was usually all we needed
We actually forgot to bring winter hats and gloves and had to buy them from the ship’s gift shop for a small fortune. While we didn’t need a heavy coat, we did need gloves and hats for for hiking on glaciers. Tennis shoes and or hiking boots may be needed depending on the excursion. I was able to borrow some hiking boots from a friend. For the kids, tennis shoes were fine. Don’t forget swim wear as well. My kids enjoyed swimming in the ship’s {heated} pool on days at sea. A retractable sunroof over the pool kept the chilly breeze to a minimum when the ship was moving. In addition to the usual toiletries, sunscreen and bug spray are a must. You can add in a stain stick and some Woolite for hand washing clothes in the sink if needed. Any travel should also include medications. To be prepared for possible motion sickness and bug bites we brought:
- Tylenol
- Benedryl
- Dramamine
- Immodium
- Hydrocortisone cream
Excursions
Glaciers. When in Alaska you must see the glaciers. We cruised near a glacier and watched the active calving of the icebergs. The most memorable part of our trip was taking a helicopter to the top of the Mendenhall Glacier. We took our 9 year old with us and he loved it. It was truly a mesmerizing experience.
The glacier ice was a uniquely beautiful shade of blue
Rafting. We went rafting with our older son twice. We went white water rafting down the Mendenhall river seeing the glacier from its base and enjoying the wild life along the way. The rapids were very mild. At a later stop, we took a power raft to go whale watching, which was also fantastic.
Power rafting to see whales (gear was included)
White water rafting
Crabbing. As a family, we went on a crab boat and learned how they catch the delicious Alaskan crab. Later, we went back to the lodge and had a crab feast, where I proceeded to eat my body weight in crab. Both boys enjoyed this, though they wouldn’t eat crab. It was not at all like “The Deadliest Catch”.
Crabbing was a blast
Trains. While we did not visit Skagway on our cruise, almost everyone I talked to recommended taking kids on the train ride there.
Panning for Gold. My little one {3} went panning for gold with my parents while we were on the helicopter. They all had fun learning about Alaska’s rich mining history. They chose an excursion that was combined with a salmon feast.
Eagles. Eagles are everywhere in Alaska. Our kids went to the Raptor Center in Sitka to see where they rehabilitate injured birds. The boys found this fun and educational.
Learning about eagles
General Tips
Pace yourself. It’s so tempting to try to do it all, but with a little one, don’t forget to plan for naps. There are no tender boats or customs, so you can easily go back on the boat for a nap if needed.
Somebody was having too much fun on his excursions
Request early dinner. We did eat with our kids in the formal dining room each night, but there is no way my kids could have made it till 8 pm for dinner, so the early dinning option was a must. My 3 year old didn’t tolerate the 4 course meal and fancy dinner wear, so I would take him for short walks in between courses “to get his energy out.” It would have probably been easier to eat with the kids in the buffet area, but we wanted to eat with our family.
What’s a cruise without an awkward family photo?
Get a Balcony Room. Unlike a Caribbean cruise, in Alaska there is always something to see. Whether it’s mountains, glaciers or ice bergs, you want to be looking outside as much as possible.
Binoculars came in handy to get a better view of the seals and birds on the icebergs.
Make Sure it’s a Nonsmoking Boat. I had no idea that there even were smoking boats these days, but evidently there are and we booked one. People were allowed to smoke on the balconies and the people beside us like to smoke on theirs a lot, so that was rather disappointing.
The Alaskan cruise was a wonderful experience. The entire family had fun and learned a lot. Ideally it would have been better if both kids were older than 8 to be able to do more of the excursions and to better remember the experience, but the younger one still had a great time.
Sadly, this was not a sponsored post, but if any other cruise lines want to send our family cruising again, I’m sure we could come to an agreement.
Have you taken your family on an Alaskan Cruise? What do you think is the optimal age to take your kids on a cruise?
These are really nice tips. Schedule a visit with the family doctor about 6 weeks prior to the holiday to discuss your travel plans; your family doctor may want to adjust your children’s routine vaccine schedule and may be able to offer guidance on how to best handle jet lag, motion sickness or other common ailments that affect children while travelling.