Which cruise line to Alaska?

[teacherme]

Which cruise line would you recommend for a family of 4 (DH, me, DD11 and DS 9). We are looking into a family vacation to Alaska in June '11. My husband and I have been to Alaska and loved it so much, we want to share our kids. My kids loved Carnival Camp when we travelled last time but really want to try another line. Any suggestions? We are looking something so the kids will enjoy themselves as well as ourselves.

[CeleBrat]

Alaska with the kids is fun! Check out the port-of-call board here on this site for some good excursions ideas.

 

We cruised Alaska several years ago with NCL, for the sole, specific reason of NOT needing to take dressy clothing with us. NCL features Freestyle Dining, which means eat anywhere, anytime, with any dress code. We are from Florida, so didn't want to have to "drag" out Alaskan winterwear PLUS the formal wear with us across the country on vacation.

 

We have sailed NCL several times since, and can vouch that their Kids Club is on-par with the others.

 

Whatever you do, have fun!

 

CeleBrat

[boulders]

There are tons of things for kids to do in port in Alaska. The ship really becomes a secondary consideration. Itinerary is first and foremost. Before our Alaska cruise this past summer, I had held reservations on Regent, Princess and Celebrity before finally deciding on RCCL. Any of the lines would have been a fine choice. The decision came down to pricing and RCCL having my favorite cabin type available.

[Travalerie]

I may get flamed for this :) but try HAL. Its not typically known as kid friendly, but we are booked in May. We got GREAT pricing. We did not pay cruise fare for the 3rd and 4th in the cabin. We are paying at least $500 less than we would on Princess or Celebrity. They are allowed in Glacier Bay so that is a plus as well. Our kids are younger, so Club HAL was not as much of a consideration. As the previous poster said, a lot is going on in port so activities onboard are not as important.

[Onessa]

I would definately consider the itinerary first and line second. We've done both Princess and RCCI to AK. DD was 7YO and 10YO -- she thought the kids club's were a toss up (had fun on both -- but her most vivid on-ship recollection of either of those cruises was dissecting a squid on Princess, she was NOT thrilled and still talks about it seven years later!).

 

I preferred the RCCI cruise just because of the RCCI ship -- Radiance of the Sea, which seems to be designed for the itinerary (lots of glass!)

 

The AK itineraries are a bit more laid back than others and we've discovered that formal nights are a bit looser, so if the "dress up" part is a consideration; you may want to consider that.

[teacherme]

We are probably going to do a round trip from Seattle due to cost of airplane fares. So I would think I need to do an Inside Passage Cruise. Thank you all for your input.

[2112]

We are probably going to do a round trip from Seattle due to cost of airplane fares. So I would think I need to do an Inside Passage Cruise. Thank you all for your input.

 

The Alaska trips from Seattle are not inside passage, they go west of Vancouver Island. If the Inside Passage is important, then you can always rent a car, take the train, or take a shuttle from Seattle to Vancouver. All of these options are much cheaper than flying to Vancouver.

 

Which line you take depends on your preference, but you might keep these in mind:

 

If you want to go to Glacier Bay, than you can't take RCCL or Celebrity as they are essentially banned from Glacier Bay.

 

I wouldn't recommend HAL - my 75 year old father thinks the crowd on that line is too old for him. I don't think you will find too many families.

 

So, if you want Glacier Bay, then NCL and Princess are really your choices. If you don't care about Glacier Bay, then RCCL certainly has some nice ships.

[yogi2929]

I may get flamed for this :) but try HAL. Its not typically known as kid friendly, but we are booked in May. We got GREAT pricing. We did not pay cruise fare for the 3rd and 4th in the cabin. We are paying at least $500 less than we would on Princess or Celebrity. They are allowed in Glacier Bay so that is a plus as well. Our kids are younger, so Club HAL was not as much of a consideration. As the previous poster said, a lot is going on in port so activities onboard are not as important.

 

 

My kids love HAL also. HAL Alaskan cruises have all ages onboard. The SplitPea soup is wonderful when viewing the glacier.

 

Here's a thread about the ClubHAL-

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1110060

[cantw8togo]

I wouldn't rule out HAL if they have the itinerary you want and the price is right. We sailed the Inside Passage out of Vancouver last June on the Volendam with our 2 DS's aged 5 and 8, MIL and SIL and everyone had a great time. While the demographic is on the older side, there was certainly people of all ages on board.

 

The kids had a tour of the bridge, cooking lessons and the park ranger came into the kids club and gave them a special presentation while in Glacier Bay. I was very glad that we saw Glacier Bay and I tried to explain to the kids that if they ever get back to Alaska that it would look very different with the glaciers receding.

 

 

While the kids club on HAL was good, we were more impressed by the kids club on Celebrity a couple of years ago. I wouldn't necessarily choose a cruise line to Alaska based on the kids club though, and the itinerary should have the most weight in the final decision. If your kids are introverts and don't mind occupying themselves if they don't like what is on offer at the kids club, then HAL could be a good match. If they are social butterflies who would make the trip miserable for everyone if they weren't kept constantly occupied at the kids club, then perhaps a different line would be a better fit. Princess also goes to Glacier Bay if that is a priority for you.

 

Hope this helps,

N.

[lovesublime]

The Alaska trips from Seattle are not inside passage, they go west of Vancouver Island. If the Inside Passage is important, then you can always rent a car, take the train, or take a shuttle from Seattle to Vancouver. All of these options are much cheaper than flying to Vancouver.

 

Which line you take depends on your preference, but you might keep these in mind:

 

If you want to go to Glacier Bay, than you can't take RCCL or Celebrity as they are essentially banned from Glacier Bay.

 

I wouldn't recommend HAL - my 75 year old father thinks the crowd on that line is too old for him. I don't think you will find too many families.

 

So, if you want Glacier Bay, then NCL and Princess are really your choices. If you don't care about Glacier Bay, then RCCL certainly has some nice ships.

 

 

You're wrong about the inside passage. All Alaska cruises do the inside passage. It makes no difference if you're sailing west or east of Vancouver Island. Once in Alaska it's inside passage-period. Even the one way cruises crossing the Gulf of Mexico do the inside passage once they get to that part of the state. I will say the interior side of Vancouver Island is more scenic (I've done both), but to say that sailing out of Seattle is not an inside passage cruise is wrong info.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inside_Passage

[5MNtravelbugs]

We took the round trip cruise from vancouver to seward and back. Great sights. We were on the HAL line and have an 11yo. She went to club hal and was very dissapointed- she had met some 12 and 13yo's and she couldn't join them at club hal bcause she was 11. The group she was with had 3-8yo's and @ 7- 3 and 4yo's was too big an age difference to get to be friends but she enjoyed playing with the little ones. She stuck with us most the time and she did enjoy the cruise. HAL definately caters to the older crowd. (Have prunes out as a dinner appetizer!:D) I would recommend a different line if they are going to the ports you want to see. Whatever line you choose it will be an experience you will never forget!