Cruising to Alaska with 3 year old Twins

[tommyjean]

I'm cruising on Holland to Alaska in early September. There are 6 adults in addition to my twins (who will be a little over three). Has anyone cruised with small kids to Alaska? Any advice on what to expect, take, and do will be greatly appreciated!! Thanks in advance!

[imsulin]

You really should check out the Holland America Board. Posters will give you lots of advice about taking 3 year old twins on an Alaska cruise!

 

BTW - Holland is my favorite cruise line!

[c-cruise]

Sure, have done lots of Holland America cruises with our kids (now 4 and 1) including to Alaska. We have found Alaska to be an easy itinerary to take our kids on, partially because we don't have to fly to the port, but also because the towns are small and easily to get around in with kids.

 

With your kids being 3 they will be able to participate in Club HAL. We have found it to be a great program, but our 4yr old would usually rather stay with us than be dropped off there. I would plan on trying to have them in Club HAL, but have a backup plan incase they don't do well with being left. Sometimes HAL will offer in-cabin babysitting (for a small fee), but we have found it depends on the ship if it is available. The Club HAL staff will know and tell you about it when you go to the "orientation" on the first day.

 

Sounds like you are traveling with a group of people - that is great! Hopefully there is a grandparent in their or other people who are willing to watch kids and give you a break. That is always my best advice for traveling with small kids - make sure you have help!

 

If we knew the ship and itinerary you were on we could give you some more specific information and recommendations.

 

If you have any specific questions let me know. We were on HAL last month with our kids so have pretty current information.

[boulders]

You really should check out the Holland America Board. Posters will give you lots of advice about taking 3 year old twins on an Alaska cruise!

 

BTW - Holland is my favorite cruise line!

 

 

Sure they'll give you lots of advice - like leave them at home - and be quite rude about it. DO NOT ask there! You can check out the Alaska board, but they'll tend to be not too welcoming either.

 

I took my 3 kids, including ds4 to Alaska 2 years ago. The excursions in Alaska are more kid-friendly than those in the Caribbean or even the Med. We went on a whale watch and sea kayaking. Both were with private tours. You can find recommendations for private tours on the Alaska board. I wish we'd done more excursions.

[tommyjean]

Thank you so much for the advice so far! We are sailing on the Westerdam. This will be my third cruise- the other two were Caribbean cruises on Carnival- and never with little kids! :)

We are going out of Seattle and our ports are Juneau, Sitka, Ketchikan and Victoria.

My mom(69), a niece(25), my younger brother (28) and his wife, as well as my husband and I (both mid- late 30's) will all be traveling together. I booked three cabins together with balconies. My mom has always wanted to go to Alaska, and my brother will most likely be overseas next year (Army Captain) so this seemed like a now or never vacation!!

I'm very excited and I'm also a planner. I was hoping for advice on what to pack for my twins, as well as to hear any advice on what to do at the ports.

Thank you all so much for any and all advice!!!

[lmg1230]

We cruised to Alaska when my youngest daughter was a couple weeks shy of her 4th birthday and had a fabulous time. Both of our daughters loved anything to do with wildlife or sled dogs. Our ports were Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway. In Ketchikan we walked around town and went to the lumberjack show. In Juneau we took an excursion that included a whale watching cruise and a trip to the Mendenhall Glacier. We also took the Mt. Roberts tram - my 4 year old was frightened on the way up but once we got to the top she had a great time. I think it was in Juneau that we met Iditarod champion Libby Riddles with her sled dogs. We saw sled dogs a few times and they were definitely a highlight.

 

Make sure you pack warm and waterproof outerwear and be prepared to dress in layers as the weather can be variable. We were there the end of June and the beginning of July and took a 5 day cruise tour to Fairbanks after the cruise. During that time we wore everything from fleeces to raincoats to shorts and tank tops.

 

We were on the Diamond Princess and my girls loved the kids club. They had a lot of crafts and activities that were related to Alaska and they even had a park ranger come in to talk to the kids while we were sailing in Glacier Bay. We have also sailed on Holland America in the Caribbean and my daughters loved their kids club as well.

 

Lisa

[c-cruise]

We were on the Westeram as well just a few weeks ago. You will love it! I kept the daily activity schedule from Club HAL so let me know if you are interested in those.

 

It will be nice having the three balcony cabins together. You can have them open the balcony divider doors so you can walk back and forth between the cabins on the balconies. We get rooms together as well with people we are traveling with so that in the evenings we can put the kids to sleep in one room and the adults can hang out in the other room or take turns going to the shows or whatever. We have even brought a baby monitor in the past so that we could hear what was going on in the other room. This last trip our cabins had a connecting interior door so didn't need the monitor.

 

I would second the recommendation to do the lumberjack show in Ketchikan. It is kind of cheesy, but fun for the kids and it is an very short walk from the ship. I would also wander over to Creek Street and check out the Salmon in the river.

 

In Juneau I would head out to Mendenhall Glacier. Lots of the ships tours will include a stop there. Easy to do with kids, there is a nice visitors center, trails and bathrooms! We saw bears last time we were there, but not sure how common that is. The kids might also like Glacier Gardens. You ride around the gardens in a golf cart with a guide. The tram in Juneau is also fun, but I would wait to see if you have a clear day before paying the $25pp or whatever to go up. Great views of the ships in the harbor and a nice hiking trail at the top. Another thing we have done is take a walk up to the capitol building and Governor's mansion and if you keep going down the hill past the governors mansion you end up at Cope Park which has a playground for the kids. Not too exciting, but you do what you can to keep the kids happy ;)

 

Sitka is a tender port which is always interesting with kids. We have only been there once and the water was glass smooth so no problem getting our daughter on and off the tenders. We just walked around town and passed the marina to the Sitka Historical Park. Beautiful Scenery just walking around in Sitka. I have also read good things about the Alaska Raptor Center in Sitka, but we haven't been there.

 

Victoria is another easy place to visit with kids. Unfortunately you are there in the evening so don't have a lot of time. I would either take them out to Butchart gardens or it is a nice well marked walk (15-20 min) from the ship into town. Wander around the Inner Harbor area and check out the Parliament Building, Empress hotel, Royal BC Museum, etc. Lots to see just wandering around in Victoria.

 

Let me know if you have any questions about Seattle. I live here so can probably help answer them.

[tommyjean]

Wow! Thank you all so much for the great information! I would love to see your club holland itinerary and would also be interested in things to do in Seattle. We are from Ohio and will be flying into Seattle the day before the cruise. None of us have ever been- I believe my brother and his wife are flying in a couple days ahead.

 

My mom is a hoticulturist and I have read the garden in Victoria is amazing. My travel agent mentioned a night tour with the gardens illuminated- is it still a worthwhile tour at night?

 

I plan on bringing my double stroller, especially for navigating through the airport, is it easy to navigate in the ports? Or should I leave it on the ship?

 

Thanks again for everyone's input!!

[c-cruise]

Ok, I will scan a couple of the Club HAL daily schedules and post them this week so you can take a look at them.

 

Yeah it is definitely still worth going to Butchart gardens in the evening. If you are there on a Saturday evening they even do a fireworks show. Since you are going in Sept. at the end of the cruise season you might want to check the gardens website for their hours etc.

 

Is your double stroller a side-by-side type or a front and back one? Juneau and Ketchikan can be really crowded with tourists which might make it challenging with a side-by-side. I would think that a front and back would be ok though. Either one is going to be awkward to use on the ship. We only have 1 in a stroller, but we bring a small Maclaren umbrella stroller for traveling and leave the big stroller at home.

 

One thing to know about Seattle is that there are two cruise terminals. Pier 66 is right downtown and walking distance from hotels and tourist stuff. The other, Terminal 91 where HAL docks is not so convenient to get to. It is in an industrial area about 2 miles North of downtown with no hotels in the immediate area. Anyway, just something to keep in mind when planning hotels and transportation (especially with kids)

 

Since you aren't going to have much time in Seattle I would recommend staying downtown where you would be walking distance or a short cab ride from the Pike Place Market, Waterfront, Space Needle, etc. The other main option is to stay out by the airport which is definitely less expensive, but not really convenient to anything - other than the airport. Airport is about 20 minutes South of downtown.

[Kerry's Girls]

I cruised with my huge Graco tandem stroller with my twins quite a few times until they were 4 (then we graduated to a Sit n' Stand). On some ships the Graco had to be folded to get through the cabin door, but I was always happy to have it for comfort for my girls and ease of use on board and in port. I used a MacLaren side-by-side for our New York visit and it was narrow enough to handle on the busy streets, but I wouldn't want to have any side-by-side on board.

 

Best,

Mia

[tommyjean]

Thanks! Mia, I have a Graco tandem but haven't used it in about a year. It is so heavy and cumbersome and whoever would sit in the back would cry! (or hit) I've used a side by side since then and love it. I didn't anticipate using it much on board, but definitely in port. I've traveled with it many times and have navigated highly trafficked cities with relative ease. My only other option would be to use two umbrella strollers- but they don't recline or have storage.

 

And thanks so much for the Seattle recommendations! I think we are just as excited to visit your city! Will definitely stay closer to the pier!

 

Thanks again!!! Very excited!!!!!!

[c-cruise]

Hi again, here is a link to a couple of Club HAL daily schedules from our Westerdam cruise in Feb. 11. Didn't keep them all, but these should give you a good idea of the activities.

 

http://gallery.me.com/seacruise#100152

[imsulin]

Sure they'll give you lots of advice - like leave them at home - and be quite rude about it. DO NOT ask there! You can check out the Alaska board, but they'll tend to be not too welcoming either.

 

I took my 3 kids, including ds4 to Alaska 2 years ago. The excursions in Alaska are more kid-friendly than those in the Caribbean or even the Med. We went on a whale watch and sea kayaking. Both were with private tours. You can find recommendations for private tours on the Alaska board. I wish we'd done more excursions.

 

Hmmmmm. I don't think that's necessarily true. I've checked out and posted on the HAL Board for many years and didn't see much of what you stated. Have you ever cruised HAL?

[tommyjean]

Thanks for posting your itinerary! I appreciate your help! It's funny, I had never even thought of going to Alaska before planning this trip, and now I can't stop thinking about it!!

[c-cruise]

Your welcome, glad I could help. Alaska is a great cruise with the family. Hope you enjoy your trip.