limu1

Hello! My family of 4 (children will be 10 and 12 yo) is sailing on the NCL Encore and stopping at Skagway in July 2024. We'll be in port from 7 am to 8:15 pm. I'm considering 2 shore excursions (both include a trip on the White Pass Railway). The first tour (5 hrs) also stops at Alaska 360 and the 2nd (6 hrs) stops at Liarsville (includes buffet at Liarsville and then a stop at the Red Onion Saloon). Does anyone have any insight/opinions on Liarsville vs. Alaska 360? Is one "better" than the other?

Yes, the land tour is through ncl. I need to learn more about this bus ride. For me it's not a deal breaker, but it may be for dh and the kids. The kids just did great on a road trip- but we had the freedom to stop for the bathroom when needed. I will have to find out the length of the bus ride and if there's a bathroom on board. Thank you for bringing this point up!

Such awesome information, thank you, everyone! Yes, I understand the Seattle confusion- and it is confusing. I love DH with all my heart but the man refuses to take a flight that includes a layover and we can't fly direct to Fairbanks. Our preferred local airport is Newark, NJ so I figured we can fly direct to Seattle and hang out there for a couple of days. The kids haven't been there so I'd love to show them the city and stay a couple of nights. From Seattle we would fly to Alaska... this way happy husband, happy wife, happy life, haha!

I need to double check Glacier Bay. We'd be flying into Seattle and spending a couple of days there and then flying to Fairbanks.

I'm in the early stages of planning a family (2 adults, 10 yo, 12 yo) cruise and tour to Alaska. Does anyone have any feedback regarding if one of these itineraries is better than the other, please? Or perhaps some pros/cons to share. Option A, NCL Bliss, AFT (pre cruisetour Fairbanks/Denali/Anchorage) Ports: Seattle, Sitka 11-6, Juneau 7-1:30, Endicott Arms/Dawes, Icy Strait Point 7-3, Ketchikan 6:30-1:15, Victoria 8p-11:59p), Depart Seattle Option B, NCL Jewel FWD (pre cruisetour Fairbanks/Denali/Talkeenta) Ports: Seward, Hubbard Glacier, Icy Strait Point 9-6, Juneau 7a-8p, Skagway 7-5, Ketchikan 1-8, Inside Passage, Depart Vancouver We are not going to do anything physically adventurous. A mild, long hike is doable, but nothing requiring strength/balance. I know the ships are night and day but would appreciate any feedback if one itinerary is "better" than the other. I'd love to hear others' feelings on these ports/land stops. (In terms of land tours, it'll be our first time exploring Alaska and I am choosing to be carted around/not think over freedom to explore. I'm the planner of the family and want to go with the flow and not do the herding of the children/husband). Thank you!

Thank you all for the helpful responses! Much appreciated!

Thank you, that is very helpful advice. I will definitely explain everything in detail and specifically mention the no cross issue. DS was diagnosed 9 years ago and never had an anaphylactic reaction but I always carry the epipen just in case and disclose his allergies b/c it's never worth the risk of not having it But, I was taken aback by the ice cream refusal for a nut allergy. It was DCL (we had across the board wonderful experiences there, not knocking the line at all) and I know that these policies stem from tragedies and I'm grateful that it's taken so seriously. I just want to be prepared so I know I can tell DS that when he goes to the main dining room that this is what he can expect.

Hello! We are sailing on the Gem this February and it will be our first time on NCL with a child who has food allergies. DS is allergic to a few nuts (not peanuts, nothing airborne, not touch sensitive). We previously sailed another cruise line and because of his nut allergy he was not allowed to order dessert in the main dining rooms. He was offered cookies from a box that were completely nut free and made in a dedicated nut/dairy/other allergen free facility. I asked that he be served ice cream and they refused because of cross contamination fears. Should I be prepared for this on NCL? I know how serious food allergies are, and I appreciate that they took his allergies so seriously. But, at home and school we just avoid the actual nuts and do not exclude food made on shared lines as per his allergist's recommendation. I'd rather be safe than sorry so I will be filling out the allergy form on the website. I'm going to reach out to NCL but I wanted to see what other allergy families experienced. Thank you!

Thank you so much, I appreciate your input!

The Damajagua Waterfall Full Experience (NCL Gem, February) looks amazing and is something my children (9, 11) would love to do. We're a family of 4 and I'm not concerned with fitness levels for the hike but one member of our family (me) has a nasty fear of heights. It's one of those uncontrollable ones where if I feel like I'm going to take a steep fall, I may freeze. I looked at pictures and watched some videos of this excursion and I think it's somethin I may be able to handle if I prepare myself. I know this post reads a little strange but if I can research this excursion well enough I may want to try and do it with my family. So, if you've done this excursion, how "bad" was it? At every jump is there an option for stairs if I can't jump?