I can't speak on other cruise lines since I have really only done Princes, but personally, I like ship sizes 3,000 passengers or less. Even the sold out Ruby seemed like a lot of people to me. My parents usually travel on HAL, but even they say it is an "old person's cruise".
My family (ranging from grandparents to 4 kids - ages 6 to 12) just did the Ruby Princess a couple of weeks ago. (I am just the aunt, so I don't have all the details memorized). It was the kids first cruise. They loved the kids zone, even though the youngest was originally sad he got put it the little kids room away from his big brothers, he ended up not caring. There were approximately 300 kids on the ship (per the kid zone sheet). The kids were always sad when they got picked up for dinner and couldn't wait to get back in the evening. And again sad if they got picked up before the evening entertainment was over. The kid zone hours were from 9am to 10pm - with mandatory pick-ups for lunch and dinner. Our kids loved the competitions - Foosball and video games. They also colored t-shirts, made lanyards to hold their key cards, watched movies, had themed dinners, and more. You might be able to find a picture of the kids activity sheet on a board. They give you a list of the week's activities when you first get on board or when you sign up at the kid zone.
They also enjoyed hanging out on the basketball court playing "football" with their British friends they met. Also, since it was really warm this year, they were out in the pool when they could be. I believe the kids zone was closed when we were in glacier bay (the morning) so the kids hung out with the family (also, there weren't many ship "adult" activities because they want you to enjoy the glacier) and then in the afternoon they had a ranger talk and activities. Bringing our own walkie talkies on board gave the kids some freedom to do stuff on their own or see what the different adults were doing.
We also took the kids to some "adult" activities - trivia, scavenger hunt, and some evening shows. Those that could stay awake at the 9:00 show thought the Magic To Do show in the theater was good. The kids are good at wearing themselves out.
The kids also enjoyed the food. We did anytime dining and were usually there between 4:30 and 5:00 (we are an early morning family) and they always had a table of 9 or 10 available for us. The dining room opened at 4:15 and usually by 6 or 6:30 it fills up and you would need to wait for a table. But the few times we went later, it was no problem. The kids menu was great for the younger ones (who ate fish and chips at almost every dinner) and the older ones mixed it up between the kids menu and the adult since they are all about seafood and loved shrimp cocktail, ceviche, lobster, mussels, crab, etc. Some of the waitstaff went above and beyond with the kids, stopping to make paper hats/boats/airplanes for the kids using the kids menu.
As for the rooms, we didn't realize when we booked, but conveniently had two adjoining rooms that had bunks - so a total of 8 people could be in the 2 rooms. This worked great. We also had another room a few doors down. (All inside rooms).
When we asked what was their favorite part of the trip, they had a hard time saying one thing. They did like the Lumberjack show (Ketchikan, the last port), where we coincidentally booked for the same time as bunch of their friends they met on the ship and could watch the show with them. They also love just hiking from the visitor center in Juneau to the glacier and waterfall.
This was my 3rd Alaska cruise on Princess, with my favorite being the one that stopped at Hubbard Glacier. But Seattle was an easier flight and less passport hassle for group.
NCL Bliss or Princess Ruby
in Alaska
Posted · Edited by <3 Cruises
I can't speak on other cruise lines since I have really only done Princes, but personally, I like ship sizes 3,000 passengers or less. Even the sold out Ruby seemed like a lot of people to me. My parents usually travel on HAL, but even they say it is an "old person's cruise".
My family (ranging from grandparents to 4 kids - ages 6 to 12) just did the Ruby Princess a couple of weeks ago. (I am just the aunt, so I don't have all the details memorized). It was the kids first cruise. They loved the kids zone, even though the youngest was originally sad he got put it the little kids room away from his big brothers, he ended up not caring. There were approximately 300 kids on the ship (per the kid zone sheet). The kids were always sad when they got picked up for dinner and couldn't wait to get back in the evening. And again sad if they got picked up before the evening entertainment was over. The kid zone hours were from 9am to 10pm - with mandatory pick-ups for lunch and dinner. Our kids loved the competitions - Foosball and video games. They also colored t-shirts, made lanyards to hold their key cards, watched movies, had themed dinners, and more. You might be able to find a picture of the kids activity sheet on a board. They give you a list of the week's activities when you first get on board or when you sign up at the kid zone.
They also enjoyed hanging out on the basketball court playing "football" with their British friends they met. Also, since it was really warm this year, they were out in the pool when they could be. I believe the kids zone was closed when we were in glacier bay (the morning) so the kids hung out with the family (also, there weren't many ship "adult" activities because they want you to enjoy the glacier) and then in the afternoon they had a ranger talk and activities. Bringing our own walkie talkies on board gave the kids some freedom to do stuff on their own or see what the different adults were doing.
We also took the kids to some "adult" activities - trivia, scavenger hunt, and some evening shows. Those that could stay awake at the 9:00 show thought the Magic To Do show in the theater was good. The kids are good at wearing themselves out.
The kids also enjoyed the food. We did anytime dining and were usually there between 4:30 and 5:00 (we are an early morning family) and they always had a table of 9 or 10 available for us. The dining room opened at 4:15 and usually by 6 or 6:30 it fills up and you would need to wait for a table. But the few times we went later, it was no problem. The kids menu was great for the younger ones (who ate fish and chips at almost every dinner) and the older ones mixed it up between the kids menu and the adult since they are all about seafood and loved shrimp cocktail, ceviche, lobster, mussels, crab, etc. Some of the waitstaff went above and beyond with the kids, stopping to make paper hats/boats/airplanes for the kids using the kids menu.
As for the rooms, we didn't realize when we booked, but conveniently had two adjoining rooms that had bunks - so a total of 8 people could be in the 2 rooms. This worked great. We also had another room a few doors down. (All inside rooms).
When we asked what was their favorite part of the trip, they had a hard time saying one thing. They did like the Lumberjack show (Ketchikan, the last port), where we coincidentally booked for the same time as bunch of their friends they met on the ship and could watch the show with them. They also love just hiking from the visitor center in Juneau to the glacier and waterfall.
This was my 3rd Alaska cruise on Princess, with my favorite being the one that stopped at Hubbard Glacier. But Seattle was an easier flight and less passport hassle for group.