Julietsmom

We took our daughter on the Star Princess 3 years ago when she was 7 and she loved it.  They have an inside pool and several of their other ships do as well (but not all).  She made tons of friends. We’re going on Royal Caribbean Serenade of the Seas To Alaska this summer and it has an indoor pool and lots of activities so we’re excited about that.

Hi.

 

He loved the cruise ship and the itinerary. lots of things to do at each port for kids. a great learning experience as the uk, ireland and scotland have so much history. i can be more detailed if youd like but yes, i highly recommend for kids. in fact there were more kids on the ship that i expected. on our cruise, there were about 90 kids from age 8-12.

 

Thanks so much for the feedback! Wow - 90 kids from age 8 to 12. That's great. Definitely even more interested in this cruise now!

Thanks so much for your review. How did your 11 year old like the cruise and the ports? We're very interested in doing the British Isles cruise and we've been curious about how kids might like it. (We have an 8 year old).

I only remember the 2 outlets by the desk on the Star (I was on the ship 2 weeks ago). If you need something to charge the various devices that require a USB charger: iphones, ipads, ipods, etc. this multi-port USB charger worked well for us - it's not a power strip and did not get confiscated. You can find it on Amazon.

Anker 60W 6-Port USB Wall Charger, PowerPort 6 for iPhone 7 / 6s / Plus, iPad Pro / Air 2 / mini, Galaxy S7 / S6 / Edge / Plus, Note 5 / 4, LG, Nexus, HTC and More

There is an outlet in the bathroom but you can't plug anything into it other than a razor. Wouldn't fit a hair dryer for example.

Here is my cruise review: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=53644492#post53644492

Star Princess 7/15 to 7/22

Ketchikan - kayak trip with Southeast Sea Kayaks

Juneau - Princess excursion fishing trip for salmon

Skagway - DIY rented car and drove to Emerald Lake, Carcross, Carcross Desert

We had a fabulous time on our Star Princess Alaska cruise this month. I found other reviews very helpful so I wanted to leave mine. It was DH and I (both age 42) and our 8 year old daughter. We've only been on one cruise before which was Disney out of Galveston to Key West/Bahamas. I will say that the Princess crowd on average was older than the average on Disney, but there were a lot of families on our Alaska cruise and we all had a great time.

We flew into Vancouver on 7/12 and spent two days in Whistler at Glacier's Reach condo (loved it and definitely plan to go back to Whistler again), then Friday we drove back and rode around Stanley Park by bike (loved it), stayed at Delta by Marriott Suites (perfect for what we needed and were able to walk to Canada Place with luggage) and boarded Saturday around 12pm. Embarcation was not good because US CBP computers went down but that was not the fault of Princess or Canada Place as it was apparently a nationwide issue. We finally got on the ship around 2:30pm when computers came back up.

We were in an Aft balcony cabin (D734) and thought it was perfect. Balcony was large and we loved watching the wake. We saw around a dozen humpbacks and several orcas from just sitting out on our balcony. No issues with seasickness or too much movement or anything but we both wore the patch and our daughter wore seabands. The ship was in excellent and very clean condition, all the staff we met were very nice and friendly, loved the captain (Michele Tuvo) and I didn't notice anything about rust or worn out carpets or anything that I've seen others on this board complain about. I thought the beds were comfortable (not sure if they were the new ones or not). Our daughter went to the kids club once (to be fair she never likes kids clubs, hated Disney's, and this was no exception - only child syndrome) and spent most of her time playing in the covered pool with a variety of other kids she met which she really liked. Hot tubs were very warm which was good. We didn't make it to any of the princess shows at night. We had sip and sale and it was really nice not having to worry about how much our drink bill would be at the end of the cruise although I'm sure Princess made out on the deal better than we did because I just don't drink very much. I worked out at the gym once and it was fine - nothing special. As a working person, I really wish they offered unlimited internet to everyone - when will cruise ships get smart about this! I feel like more working people would cruise if they had regular internet which there is just no excuse for these days. That's my only gripe. I did buy an internet package so I could stay connected for work a little bit while gone and we also had great internet access at all the ports.

We had anytime dining and ate in the main dining room the first night and one other night, we ate in Crown Grill and Sabatinis once each, and the rest of the nights we ate in the buffet. We ate around 6:30 or 7 and never had a wait longer than 5 minutes. We ate at Crown Grill one night and Sabatini another night and really liked both - food at both was excellent. Food was consistently very good at all the restaurants and the buffet - better perhaps in the MDR (and definitely the best at Crown and Sabatinis) but the convenience made us like the buffet particularly with a kiddo.

In Ketchikan, we privately booked a 2 hour kayak tour around the city with Southeast Sea Kayaks and that worked out great and then we did a walking tour with a walking tour brochure we picked up as we exited the ship. Very fun although I worked muscles in my arms I didn't know I had while kayaking. In Juneau, we took the Fins and Grins fishing excursion through Princess and went salmon fishing. We were trolling for salmon and caught about 15 salmon and a dozen other fish. Saw a bunch of eagles which was very cool. We intended to go to Mendenhall but the kiddo got tired so we just walked around downtown and then went back to the ship. In Skagway, we rented a car from Avis (walking distance from ship) and drove to Emerald Lake, Carcross, and Carcross Desert. Loved the DIY car trip so it was perfect. Favorite day was the days cruising the glaciers. We did get cold both on those days and also in Skagway so I was happy to have the fleeces, raincoats, hats, and gloves and we used all of them.

Disembarcation was without issue. We took the Princess shuttle from Whitter to downtown and then rented a car at the Anchorage airport and stayed in Wasilla for the night. We did another DIY lake fishing trip with Alaska Lakes Guide Service LLC (veteran owned business) in Wasilla and caught a bunch of Northern Pike, which was fun. Then flew back on a red-eye Sunday night.

We loved Alaska and the scenery was just the most amazing aspect of the trip. I do wish I would have purchased the unlimited photo package prior to going. We ended up buying some photos right as we were leaving but we were limited to 5 with the package we bought (which was more than the offer I saw before we went) and I regretted not buying the photo package - that and not going to Mendenhall are my only regrets but they're pretty small ones. I can't wait to go back. Hope this review is helpful. Happy to answer any questions.

That is great news!!!

I would love to see the Shockwaves patters!

Thanks all. I'm definitely consulting with the doctor about it too. Appreciate all the advice! Hopefully it will not return.

We're taking our second ever cruise in July 2017 to Alaska. First first and only other time I cruised was on Disney in December 2015 from Galveston to Key West/Bahamas. I had never been seasick before that trip and I became very ill on the 5th day of the 7 day voyage. It was a bit rougher than the couple days prior but it was rocking and rolling on the 1st and 2nd day out and I was totally fine. I have been on various ferries and boats on the open ocean and been fine with no meds. I took no meds on the Disney cruise either and was fine until the 5th day. On the evening of the 5th day, I got sick throwing up, couldn't eat or drink anything for the entire next day, had chills/sweats, and basically just stayed in the cabin and slept until we got back. I did try to call the medical group a few times but it would just ring and I gave up as I didn't feel well enough to walk down there. My husband and daughter did not get sick. I'm trying to figure out if that was seasickness or something else. I'm planning to get the patch before we go this time but I'm a little nervous still and would like to avoid that feeling. How do you tell the difference? (Hope this is not a stupid question).

We're going this summer (first timers) and I got a lot of great replies to a similar post I did on this board (for DIY in Ketchikan, Skagway, and Juneau). Here it is in case you want to check it out. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2444404

Any chance you're on the Star northbound leaving July 15? We're on that one and have an 8 year old DD.

Don't expect to be doing much internet on your phone or computer while onboard (Facebook, etc). Internet is very expensive and generally doesn't work very well. This one is a bit tough for me since I usually check it for work pretty regularly so I make sure everyone at work is prepared not to reach me.

Thanks! I hadn't even thought of renting a car and it is much more economical than the shuttle so we're going to do that. Would love any tips for what you love in/around Whistler.

This board has been so helpful! We're going to spend a few days before our Alaska cruise in Whistler. Any recommendations for shuttle services from Vancouver airport to Whistler and back?

We're renting our car at the Juneau airport. Is it a big deal to get there? Can't we just take a cab or something over to the airport to pick it up?

You really should take one of the railroad trips on the White Pass RR in Skagway. Unless you have wilderness experience it's probably not a great idea to drive outside of Skagway by yourselves.

 

I'm definitely interested in staying safe and interested in your perspective. It looks like a main, 2-lane paved highway (the South Klondike Highway) the whole way there. Is there something unusual or dangerous about it?

We're going to Alaska for the first time on Princess in mid-July 2017. DH and I are 42 and DD will be 8. We decided to DIY on excursions since none of the cruise offerings really appealed to us, they are SO EXPENSIVE, we don't want to do flight seeing (DH is afraid to fly), and couldn't see DD sitting for multiple hours on a boat or train. We love wildlife and being outside and adventure, but would prefer not getting eaten by a bear or orca :).

I have done a lot of research but I would LOVE any tips or critique on our DIY adventure and places to add. I have Milepost and Murray's Skagway guide. We're renting a car in Skagway and Juneau. Here's the plan so far. Ketchikan day is 6:30am to 2pm: 2 hour kayak around Ketchikan with local outfit, go to totem bight, maybe lumberjack show and wander around creek street. Juneau day is 8am to 9pm: Rent car and drive to Mendenhall and do nugget trail, drive to Douglas Island and visit Sandy Beach and Eagle Beach, go to Dipac Salmon Hatchery and maybe Mt. Roberts tram if weather is clear ($30/pp seems a little steep for this - is it really worth it?); Skagway day is 7am to 8:30pm: rent car and drive to emerald lake and carcross, stop at sand dunes at carcross desert. Any other recommendations of things to see and do in these areas?

I'm so sorry for your loss. I haven't been to Alaska before - summer 2017 will be our first to Alaska. But I have cruised before. I think if you are going on a cruise that has a good nursery and kids club that would help you a lot. We did Disney last year and their kids clubs and nursery were fabulous. I think the big challenge you'll have is not with the cruise itself but around excursions in Alaska. Many of them involve nature and include sitting on a boat for hours (whale watching), sitting on a train for hours (viewing scenery), etc. You'll need to pick excursions that might be different than what the rest of your family has planned. I would go for it though.