What worked on your Alaska Land Tour?

[ctmom88]

Hi all,

 

My family is taking a five day landtour prior to our southbound cruise on Celebrity. The kids are ages 8 and 4. The itinerary looks both fascinating yet potenially grueling. It includes Fairbanks, Denali, Talkeetna and Anchorage. A couple of the days include train passage on the Wilderness Express. The landtour is via Celebrity if that makes a difference.

 

I would love to hear from other families who have gone on an Alaska cruisetour. What advice and recommendations do you have to make the land portion enjoyable for both kids, Mom and Dad, and fellow passengers?! Anything you'd do differently? What should I expect? :eek:

 

Thanks!

[lisiamc]

We did this last year, and there were few if any kids the same age as your children in our group - I only remember seeing a few teens. So your children may not meet any compatible kids until you board the ship.

 

The other thing I remember is a lot of getting up early, followed by a lot of sitting. On trains and coaches, mostly, with a memorable eight hours of sitting on a former school bus going round Denali on dirt roads looking for wildlife.

 

If you can bring things that will entertain a child who is fed up with sitting in a limited space, I think it would be a good thing.

 

The tour was pretty grueling, but definitely worth it, from an adult point of view. Hopefully, kids will think it's great too.

 

I think you're doing it in the right order, because the cruise portion gives you a little more chance to catch your breath.

 

Hope you have a great trip.

 

Lisa

[ctmom88]

Hi Lisa,

 

Thanks for the input. I hope this tour is doable with younger ones. We chose an itinerary that is not quite as hectic as some others offered. But we'll take it a day at a time and hope for the best! :rolleyes:

 

If anyone else has some input or advice, I (and others) would surely appreciate it!

 

Many thanks.