which room for toddler on Alaska cruise

[HarperSays]

Hello, we are booked on an Inside Passage Alaskan cruise in May 2013. Our daughter will be just shy of 2 years old. We booked an inside room because of price. We are flying to VC from east coast, staying in VC a couple days pre-cruise, and also staying a couple days in AK post-cruise, then flying back to NC. We are also big on excursions which are not exactly cheap in AK. Because of all of this, we didn't want to spring for a balcony room. Now I'm having second thoughts. Has anyone done this cruise? On the days at sea where we will be cruising through Glacier Bay, it would be nice to be able to sit on the balcony while DD naps, or when she goes to bed at night and it's still daylight in AK. But the additional cost for a balcony is significant. My hope is that she would nap on my husband up on deck. Thoughts?

[B_Mc]

My opinion is that a balcony is almost necessary with a LO who naps and goes to bed early! I would skimp on excursions to be able to afford the balcony.

[Onessa]

We LOVED our balconey on our AK cruises but we are from northern Wisconsin and what we find comfortable or bearable may be different from someone from NC.

 

We have cruised AK three times, twice with balconeys always in late-May (once so late it was into June). On a low wind day, glacier bay can be lovely from your balconey - but on a breezy day you may end up inside (I'm not certain how familiar you are with wind chill factors). Also sometimes even with lower temps, if you can be on-deck with the sun shining on you, it can be comfortable outside where as on a balconey shaded by other decks, it can be too cool.

 

When the ship is more actively sailing, in late May it will often be too cool to use the balconey at those times.

 

Hopefully your child will be like mine when she was that age, she'd eat lunch we'd take a couple of "laps" with her in the stroller and she'd doze off and sleep through anything :D! Otherwise find an Ocean View or Inside with relatively easy access to an outside deck and then you and DH can "tag team"

 

Good luck!

[HarperSays]

We LOVED our balconey on our AK cruises but we are from northern Wisconsin and what we find comfortable or bearable may be different from someone from NC.

 

We have cruised AK three times, twice with balconeys always in late-May (once so late it was into June). On a low wind day, glacier bay can be lovely from your balconey - but on a breezy day you may end up inside (I'm not certain how familiar you are with wind chill factors). Also sometimes even with lower temps, if you can be on-deck with the sun shining on you, it can be comfortable outside where as on a balconey shaded by other decks, it can be too cool.

 

When the ship is more actively sailing, in late May it will often be too cool to use the balconey at those times.

 

Hopefully your child will be like mine when she was that age, she'd eat lunch we'd take a couple of "laps" with her in the stroller and she'd doze off and sleep through anything :D! Otherwise find an Ocean View or Inside with relatively easy access to an outside deck and then you and DH can "tag team"

 

Good luck!

 

Thanks very much for this perspective. I never even thought about it being too cool or even rainy to be on the balcony and it be a waste of money. I think we will keep the inside cabin. We are with a group of 8 (my brother/SIL, my mom and SIL's parents). They are in rooms beside us and DH and I are planning to alternate who has to stay in room during naps. But we are bringing a comfy stroller, so I hope she will nap in the stroller and will go to bed later since there will be so much excitement. Plus we'll be up earlier for excursions and I'll probably be ready for bed when she is!! I definitely don't want to give up seeing a glacier up close on an excursion just to see it from afar on a balcony. Thanks for the responses - you've made me feel better about our decision.

[travelhound]

We just returned from a NYE cruise with our 22 month old and we were in an inside cabin. To go to a balcony on that cruise would have been another $600 pp and it wasn't worth it to us. You will be wall to wall beds with a pack and play next to the large bed, but it works. We had an inside room when we were in Alaska too (no baby then) and I agree with the person that said it may be rainy or too cold to be out there. I liked the view of Glacier Bay from a high deck where you could see it all around you, not just from one side of a balcony. Granted, the ship will turn so you'll eventually see it all from a balcony, but the 360 degree view was fantastic. There are so many things to spend money on. If you'd rather not spend it on a balcony, don't. You'll still have a great time.

[HarperSays]

We just returned from a NYE cruise with our 22 month old and we were in an inside cabin. To go to a balcony on that cruise would have been another $600 pp and it wasn't worth it to us. You will be wall to wall beds with a pack and play next to the large bed, but it works. We had an inside room when we were in Alaska too (no baby then) and I agree with the person that said it may be rainy or too cold to be out there. I liked the view of Glacier Bay from a high deck where you could see it all around you, not just from one side of a balcony. Granted, the ship will turn so you'll eventually see it all from a balcony, but the 360 degree view was fantastic. There are so many things to spend money on. If you'd rather not spend it on a balcony, don't. You'll still have a great time.

 

Thank you for this perspective. I agree I would much rather spend the money on excursions than a partial view from a balcony (that could be too cold). If it were a small upgrade, it would be a no brainer, but it's so much more a person. I think I'm overthinking everything since this is our first cruise with a child! Thanks again!

[laurasue]

Since you are traveling with others, is it possible to get adjoining staterooms? We did this for our cruise coming up in May with my mom. That way we have a balcony and another room to use while she naps or sleeps at night.