Best Alaska excursions with a 3 year old and a 6 month old

[psmoove]

Hello, first post!:)

 

Going on NCL on August 22 on our very first cruise, and already very excited! As the title states I will be going with my family that consists of my 3 year old son and my 6 month old daughter. What excursions are family friendly in Alaska? Money isn't so much an issue here, looking more for an exciting yet comfortable experience for us (we especially to avoid an overtired toddler!)

 

Thank you!

[mjroseville]

The crab fisherman's tour in Ketchikan was our favorite of our entire trip on the NCL Pearl and one of the great things about it is that it's entertaining for all ages (although probably not a six month old). We saw all age groups on that excursion. Your three year old wouid probably find it fascinating (our son definitely would have at three). What's nice, too, is that if either kid gets fussy, you can easily walk around the ship while it's out in the water. In fact, they encourage you to walk around. In addition to bringing up a crab pot and showing off crabs, fish, octopus and eel, everyone gets a chance to hold a crab. The highlight of the trip, though, is when they throw fish over the side and attract a lot of bald eagles. They swoop down right next to the ship, so there's a lot to interest adults and kids with that. There isn't a lot of "down time" on the tour where kids can get bored. Always something new to look at.

 

I would skip any whale watching/wildlife viewing tours with young kids. We had one at the start of our cruise and thought our own young kids would have hated it. The whales and wildlife tend to be out in the distance, so it would be hard for a child to spot them. Often, we had a hard time spotting the wildlife.

 

Check out the excursion reviews on NCL's website. We found those to be quite helpful in planning our excursions and many people will note whether they're family-friendly.

 

Have a great time!

[Toddy709]

I would skip the train in Skagway, too. Other than beautiful scenery, there was nothing for a child to do and it was A LONG ride. We had about a nine month old on the train with us and I think I can speak for the entire train car when I say we were certainly glad when she finally fell asleep!

[rjm11]

we are on the Pearl right after you... we will be traveling with our 4 and 3 year olds. We have planned a private whale watch in Juneau with Harv and Marv, renting a car and driving ourselves to Emerald Lake in Skagway (though I am considering having my DH ride the train one way to Fraser with the kids, and meeting them there.... the 3 year old is really into trains). Then we are doing the Nature Sanctuary tour in Ketchikan through the cruise ship. Don't know how any of this is of course because we haven't done it yet.... but that's our itinerary, if it helps.

[psmoove]

The crab fisherman's tour in Ketchikan was our favorite of our entire trip on the NCL Pearl and one of the great things about it is that it's entertaining for all ages (although probably not a six month old). We saw all age groups on that excursion. Your three year old wouid probably find it fascinating (our son definitely would have at three). What's nice, too, is that if either kid gets fussy, you can easily walk around the ship while it's out in the water. In fact, they encourage you to walk around. In addition to bringing up a crab pot and showing off crabs, fish, octopus and eel, everyone gets a chance to hold a crab. The highlight of the trip, though, is when they throw fish over the side and attract a lot of bald eagles. They swoop down right next to the ship, so there's a lot to interest adults and kids with that. There isn't a lot of "down time" on the tour where kids can get bored. Always something new to look at.

 

I would skip any whale watching/wildlife viewing tours with young kids. We had one at the start of our cruise and thought our own young kids would have hated it. The whales and wildlife tend to be out in the distance, so it would be hard for a child to spot them. Often, we had a hard time spotting the wildlife.

 

Check out the excursion reviews on NCL's website. We found those to be quite helpful in planning our excursions and many people will note whether they're family-friendly.

 

Have a great time!

 

Thanks for the suggestion! I agree that whale and wildlife watching could get boring for a toddler. I will definitely look into the crab fisherman's tour. When the boat goes out is it "rocky?" Is there a chance of getting seasick? My son also loves trains so we may do that too. Thanks again!

[psmoove]

we are on the Pearl right after you... we will be traveling with our 4 and 3 year olds. We have planned a private whale watch in Juneau with Harv and Marv, renting a car and driving ourselves to Emerald Lake in Skagway (though I am considering having my DH ride the train one way to Fraser with the kids, and meeting them there.... the 3 year old is really into trains). Then we are doing the Nature Sanctuary tour in Ketchikan through the cruise ship. Don't know how any of this is of course because we haven't done it yet.... but that's our itinerary, if it helps.

 

That trip to Emerald Lake sounds fascinating and we may do the train ride since my son also loves trains. Hmm, will look into it now! Thanks!

[PennyAgain]

Thanks for the suggestion! I agree that whale and wildlife watching could get boring for a toddler. I will definitely look into the crab fisherman's tour. When the boat goes out is it "rocky?" Is there a chance of getting seasick? My son also loves trains so we may do that too. Thanks again!

 

Yes seasickness is a risk.

 

Look out also for the charges for infants and todlers as they don't ride free on many tours.

[vbmom87]

The family cruising forum on CC might be of help to you as your plan your vacation.

 

You can use the search feature on both this forum and the family forum to narrow down what you are looking for.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=49

[mjroseville]

Thanks for the suggestion! I agree that whale and wildlife watching could get boring for a toddler. I will definitely look into the crab fisherman's tour. When the boat goes out is it "rocky?" Is there a chance of getting seasick? My son also loves trains so we may do that too. Thanks again!

 

No risk for sea sickness. The guys said at the beginning that in all of the tours they've done over the years, no one has ever been sick. The water was very calm. You're in kind of a bay area, so it's pretty protected from high seas. We had worse conditions on the ship.

[Cheryl H]

We took our 3 1/2 year old on a New England/Canada cruise in 2008. He loved the tours with a motorcoach. He loved riding on the buses. I think most of the tours, he was free on.

 

We were glad we packed the portable DVD player. We brought new DVD's of Wonder Pets and Max & Ruby. He watched the DVD's in our room, plus in the airport when our flight was delayed. He had head phones so we didn't disturbed anyone.

 

For the dining room, we got him a Leapster and he played that with headphones on. The dining room staff was great. They brought him fresh fruit every night. I think he had grilled cheese, french fries, and ice cream every night, but who cares, it was vacation.

 

We brought a drawer full of toys for him to play with. He didn't play with them, in fact we lost one toy. He spent the week playing "making soup" with the ice bucket and lid. So in hindsight, we should have left the toys at home. We let him pick out a toy in a couple of the ports. I think he picked out a toy school bus at one.

 

Have fun!! We are preparing to take him on his second cruise next May (to Alaska). He'll be 6.