Alaska in July with a 9 year old

[Jenniell]

My daughter is going crazy on her count down until we sail this summer. She is wanting to whale watch and take pictures. My question is what else is there to do on the ship. She had a wonderful time on our last cruise with Camp Carnival and the waterslides, however I fear since it is to Alaska the slides won't be open and there won't be as many kids to play with. What has been your experience?

[MCFTJCH2V]

My daughter is going crazy on her count down until we sail this summer. She is wanting to whale watch and take pictures. My question is what else is there to do on the ship. She had a wonderful time on our last cruise with Camp Carnival and the waterslides, however I fear since it is to Alaska the slides won't be open and there won't be as many kids to play with. What has been your experience?

 

All she needs is one. And they'll be enough kids on board to meet and make friends. My kid has never been board on a ship, and she's been cruising since she was 4.

[tamirpr]

Any chance you're on the July 14th sailing? We are sailing with our three kids then.

 

As far as things to do, I've already prepared my kids that this won't be like other cruises they've been on. You are in port almost every day all day. It isn't as much as a "stay up late and have fun" cruise.

 

My kids always make some new friends the first night and make ice cream and pizza runs with them. :) They enjoy the arcade, family karaoke, some of the shows, Dive In movies, etc.

[Jenniell]

We haven't booked it yet. I won't book anything until we can pay it in full, in cash and we aren't quite there yet. This is our Honeymoon Cruise :) taken after only 10 years of marriage. :rolleyes: But it would be great to have some people to meet up with on our journey.

Edited March 10, 2015 by Jenniell

[tamirpr]

We haven't booked it yet. I won't book anything until we can pay it in full, in cash and we aren't quite there yet. This is our Honeymoon Cruise :) taken after only 10 years of marriage. :rolleyes: But it would be great to have some people to meet up with on our journey.

 

Glad you're finally getting to go! We are very excited, having never done the Alaskan cruise before.

 

I will say don't sell your kid short. We did a cross-country road trip three years ago to the Grand Canyon from Florida. I loaded the car up with stuff for them to do, thinking they would be bored in the car. I was pleasantly surprised how much they all enjoyed just staring out the window at the scenery. We have a big balcony for the Alaskan cruise and plan to spend a lot of time on the balcony searching for sea life. I've read that it's almost guaranteed you can see whales from the ship. That should keep a 9yo occupied for a while! :D Get her a pair of binoculars and get searching!

 

As far as not as many kids being on the ship, one of the reasons we chose Carnival over the other brands is because of the kids' activities. From my research, I've gathered the Alaskan cruises, even on Carnival, are more laid back and a lot of generational families sailing together. I know that's what we are doing. So don't fret. I'm sure she will have a GREAT time!

[Budget Queen]

Demographics on Alaska cruises is similar on all lines, with fewer kids sailing compared to the Caribbean.

 

You don't mention- but it's essential you have a whale watching tour as, you can't see much and would be lucky to get a "dot" with a photograph from a cruise ship. The port would be Juneau. I always whale watch from a cruise ship, but, I know the areas, and know where the location, even with this knowledge, a large amount of time needs to be invested, and I'm referring to several hours, for a less than a minute view. I am ALWAYS out on whale watches,every trip.

 

You do have the benefit of have some top ship naturalists. If you happen to have Michelle on board, who has worked for Carnival over 15 years- keep track of her programs perhaps.

 

I have never seen the slides open in Alaska, but there may be a few people in the pools and the hot tubs are open. Some kids don't seem to know it's cold. :) :) I always smile as I walk by, me with my sweatshirt and jacket, hat and gloves on.

[singsong]

We took 3 kids 13, 9 and 6 on an Alaskan cruise a few years back, and while they prefer the Caribbean sailings more, they did have a great time in Alaska. There were plenty of kids on board. The activities were great. They all loved the whale watching tour. The youngest still talks about the Deadliest Catch tour in Ketchikan. They did an amazing job with the little ones on that tour. They all also loved the sled dogs.