Best Alaska cruise for a high energy and super out going 10 year old

[Allie444]

"It's all about the ports"

"It's all about the excursions"

"It's all about Alaska"

 

I get it and I 100% agree but when you are 10 years old it's about the ship too.

 

Our last cruise was about 6 months ago (Disney Fantasy) and we were seriously the first people off the ship and the last people back on on the ship at every port. But - we literally sleep 6 hours a night and want to do it all. We splurge on vacations and don't miss a thing so the shipboard activities, a great room, food, it's all important.

 

My son literally talks about the Disney Tween club vibe at least twice a week and it was the highlight of his life. A balcony room on Disney is $10,000 and I really want to see Glacier Bay. On the other hand my son is an only child and super social and wants to play with other kids. We are off the boat for 40 hours and on the boat for well over 100 hours so I want to make the right choice.

 

I feel like there are great excursions at every port and honestly other than Glacier BAy most ships go to the same ports….

 

So keeping in mind I will book super awesome all day excursions no matter what ship I am on. Which is the best ship for my super active 11 year old to socialize and feel comfortable on?

[wolfie11]

Disney. For a ten year old, I doubt the other lines come even close.

[zqvol]

You answered your own question. In your case the ship is the most important thing, because truthfully all of the lines go to pretty much the same ports, and have the same excursions, and they all have the same scenery so for you the difference is the ship and with a 10 year old that says Disney.

Edited April 21, 2016 by zqvol

[sherryf]

I don't agree that they should do Disney just because the kids wants to. If mom really wants to see Glacier Bay, that should be a consideration too. If they can save enough money to take some really great excursions, then they should consider taking another line. All cruise lines have kids clubs. Princess has great pools, and yes, kids do use them a lot in Alaska. Sometimes compromises need to be made to keep the whole family happy.

[Coral]

For the difference in price, you can book a less expensive line and then book the most expensive, coolest excursions possible for the 10 year old and still have money to spare. Most people probably wouldn't do both. Examples would be dog sledding on a glacier - wouldn't that be cool and memorable compared to how he spent the few hours in kids club? Or deadliest crab, ice trekking or canoeing to a glacier?

 

If it was a difference of booking Disney and doing the cheaper excursions in port (bus to Summit, lumberjack shows) or doing really cool excursions on another line - hook me up with the cool excursions! And remember the shore excursions in Alaska are more expensive then Caribbean or Mexico. So if going Disney, make sure you fully budget for shore excursions.

 

Kids on other lines seem to enjoy their kids club also, that is until they become teenagers and it becomes lame as everything is lame with teenagers :)

 

Here is an example of what Princess is doing in Alaska:

 

http://www.princess.com/learn/cruise-destinations/alaska-cruises/north-to-alaska/

 

It would be cool if your son came back and talked about more then the kids club but also the destination. And maybe also learned about Alaska also.

 

Good luck planning!

Edited April 21, 2016 by Coral

[K.T.B.]

I think a good compromise is Carnival. It's reasonably priced, they generally have excellent kid-centric things to do on board, and they do offer decent itineraries.

[TMC]

NCL Pearl visits Glacier Bay, has a bowling alley and rock climbing wall. Also "freestyle" dining means no dressy clothing required.

 

T

[CowPrincess]

You might want to post this on the Family Cruising forum as well:

 

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

[Bookworm1985]

When I went to Alaska back in 2006, there were only like 10 kids on board. Alaska is not really a popping scene for children (granted this was almost nine years ago, so times could have changed). I think you would have better luck on Disney, as they are geared more for children and will probably have more children on board then the other lines.

[alwaysfrantic]

At that age my kids loved DCL but actually like Royal Caribbean a little better. But to see Alaska, I'm not sure either of them do as good a job as other lines (as far as I have read)

 

I think Disney is a RT? You'd see more leaving and arriving to different ports. Once you're on land you can see the same things. I am a Disney lover, but not sure it is who I'd do Alaska with.

 

I have seen virtually no children on HAL. But have cruised longer trips in Caribbean in February...no school breaks. I saw a baby once and some officer's kids once. I have to guess it will be different in Alaska in summer. Actually I hope someone answers that. My husband is convinced it will be a VERY old group onboard. I am guessing ore mixed than previous February sailings.

[txwriter]

Maybe I missed it, but when are you planning to go? How many days do you have?

 

Disney is offering a new route in 2017 which includes Hubbard Glacier. It's not Glacier Bay; it is a very different experience but well liked by many. Perhaps that route would satisfy you.

 

Several people have raved about Club Hal on Holland America as a great place for kids, others love Princess' Junior Ranger program, and still others prefer the high activity levels of Carnival and Royal Carribean. If you need more information about the specific types of activities/shows/kids programs, I suggest asking this question on the various cruise line boards. You will have a bigger pool of people with more varied experiences.

 

Also, you can search previous trip reports to see what people with kids liked/did not like about the cruises they took.

[laughing husky]

Princess has the biggest presence in Alaska...If you are just going for a cruise, and not for any land excursions...like Denali, or the Kenai.....I would think hard about spending money on some of the top excursions such as dog sledding which can be close to $500./pp with good reasons..Zip lining, fishing, and hiking...My kids would prefer those kinds of things (not sure about yours) rather than being on the boat...In fact one of my kids was so exhausted after paddling and flying and catching fish, when he got back on the boat all he wanted to do was sleep and think about the next day. However, you know your child and you are the one to make a decision...

[sherryf]

When I went to Alaska back in 2006, there were only like 10 kids on board. Alaska is not really a popping scene for children (granted this was almost nine years ago, so times could have changed).

 

According your your past cruise list, you went in MAY. Most kids are still in school then, so fewer kids are expected. I usually go at the end of July and there are always lots of kids. Once, there were nearly 500, and it felt like we were overrun by them. :eek:

[Coral]

According your your past cruise list, you went in MAY. Most kids are still in school then, so fewer kids are expected. I usually go at the end of July and there are always lots of kids. Once, there were nearly 500, and it felt like we were overrun by them. :eek:

 

We have gone 2x in July and there were tons of kids.