ctmom88 Posted May 3, 2006 #1 Share Posted May 3, 2006 Hi Everyone, I posted this in the Family Cruising section but there is little traffic there, so I'm hoping you experienced Celebrity cruisers can help me out! My family is sailing on the Summit in July, preceeded by a landtour. The kids are ages 8 and 4. We're doing the less grueling itinerary where we have 3 nights in Fairbanks and open mornings in Denali, Talkeetna and Anchorage. So it's not get-up-and-go early everyday, or so I hope. My kids love animals, hiking and trains so this seemed like the way to go. Now as the trip approaches, I am getting a little apprehensive! :eek: I would appreciate any advice and tips for the landtour portion (cruise too!). For example, how long are the Wilderness Express rides? Will the kids be bored silly and if so what can I bring along to keep them busy without bothering other passengers (i.e. small DVD player, Gameboy, books, crayons)? How grueling is the included bus tour in Denali? Any packing tips for the land part? Are snacks provided along the way or should I bring my own (kids are hungry all the time it seems)? Our TA said the kids will be fine on the landtour but offered very little specific advice. We have a Family View corner aft cabin for the cruise portion. Between that and the Kids Program, I think we'll be okay there. But again, any tips would be appreciated. Lastly, is there enough time to do the day excursions and make the early dinner seating? I can't imagine there are young kids at the late seating, or am I wrong? And, will the 8 year old be comfortable on the dog-sled glacier tour our of Skagway? Many many thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaribbeanBound Posted May 4, 2006 #2 Share Posted May 4, 2006 Alaska, by far, has some of the most expensive excursions. Frankly all of them look worthwhile. However, given the size of our group, we could not afford any of them. So we made our own arrangements. Here is how to do Alaska on a budget and see more of Alaska than most of the passengers on the ship! Juneau: we rented a van for $65 from Rent-A-Wreck in advance and were met at the pier. We drove to Mendenhall Glacier Park where we took in the glacier and two self-guided trails: Photo Point and Nugget Falls (free). Toured the Macaulay Salmon Hatchery ($12 for our group of 6). Highly recommend both. Hit Safeway grocery store for an early afternoon snack and souvenirs. Upon returning the van we were given a gratis tour of downtown. We elected to be dropped off in town to shop. Red Dog Saloon was too crowded so we just checked out a few shops in route to the ship. Skagway: Rented a van for $75 from Avis which is located very close to the piers. We drove to Carcross, Yukon Territory, Canada (130 miles roundtrip). As it turned out, there’s really nothing in Carcross, but the trip was incredible. (It’s not the destination —– it’s the journey). There was almost no traffic at all. We saw but one bus, a truck, and maybe 2 dozen cars the entire trip. We saw bears, caribou, mountain goats and bald eagles. We saw snow capped mountains and crystal clear lakes, numerous water falls, sweeping valley and mountain views, raging rivers, the White Mountain Pass Train. The kids through snowballs. We got back into town about 2pm and shopped. Many interesting stores. The place was packed with 4 ships in port. Enjoyed an Alaska Amber Ale at the Red Onion Saloon and were driven back to the ship by the folks at Avis. Between 8pm and 10pm that night we saw numerous Humpback whales, including tail slaps, and a breach within 50 yards of the ship. Ketchikan: the skies were clear. Short-sleeved shirts were the dress of the day. We simply walked around town. They experienced an electrical power shortage for about 1 hour around 8am. Some shops closed temporarily. Not much time to do anything special in Ketchikan other than visit the National Park Service’s museum which was quite informative, and shop. The town had some really fun shopping opportunities. Three places to stop in... "Good God" and ask for a sample of his Special Reserve smoked salmon; "Sockeye Sams": a nice all-around store; check out the ancient whale bone carvings. Look for the awesome (and reasonably priced) fossils and gemstones at "Poker Creek Gold" , and ask for a taste of the Birch Syrup at “Sam McGees” on Creek Street. We enjoyed another Alaska Amber Ale in a 3rd floor pub overlooking the dock. We didn’t leave the bar until the lines, to get back on the ship, got short. Complete review: http://www.lavasurfer.com/info/alaska.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobbyK Posted May 4, 2006 #3 Share Posted May 4, 2006 You will have a great time with your kids on the Alaskan tour. My advice, would be to look at backpacks that they can easily carry and/or push. I would include the following just in cases: water bottle, a small pillow or throw that can act as a pillow, child binoculars that work and they they are comfortable in using, crayons and/or erasable markers, a good pad of drawing paper with a sturdy board, maybe a coloring book, maybe a Gameboy or something like that just in case, and of course emergency goodies. With the eight year old especially (I teach eight year olds) together keep a diary of each day (where you went, drawings, experiences, etc). This is something they will be thrilled to share with everyone for a long time. Have a great time. Robin :cool: P.S. Check out the Russian nesting dolls, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruisinDoug Posted May 4, 2006 #4 Share Posted May 4, 2006 We were on a pre-cruise land tour last August. Please, please, please bring enough snacks and water for the young ones. That seemed to be a major concern, especially on the trip into Denali. But you will have a wonderful time!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChoirMom Posted May 4, 2006 #5 Share Posted May 4, 2006 We did Celebrity's 5 night land tour prior to cruising on Summit at the end of last May. My two children were a little older than yours, 13 and 10, and since school is still in session for many, my two were the only children on the land tour. Everyone spoiled them, and my MIL received many comments on how lucky she was to share Alaska with her grands. My DD (the 10 year old) was a particular hit, as she traveled with both of her favorite dolls. Both kids had a great time! To prepare for the trip I borrowed videos on Alaska from our public library, so the kids knew something about what they would be seeing. The Wilderness Express is very, very comfortable with great viewing from the domed cars. The kids liked being able to walk around. After a while they did tire of the scenery a little, and my son's Gameboy and daughter's books, colored pencils and tablet came in handy. Each child traveled with a backpack which held that day's necessities - Gameboy for train/bus (but not excursions), small pillow, binoculars, etc. Each child had a water bottle and snacks, if needed. Snacks included small boxes of raisins, Skittles, apples, etc. I brought along some Ziploc bags in snack and sandwich sizes to keep things neat. My MIL and SIL did more excursions during the land tour portion that we did. We enjoyed walking around Talkeetna and checking out all the historical stuff related to Denali. Lunch was an excellent one at the pizza shop. In Fairbanks we took the riverboat tour/trip and it was much better than we anticipated. The kids had a great time with the dogs and talking to the college students who share information about Native Alaskan culture. In Denali, we took the Tundra Wilderness Tour and the kids loved it. It started out rather slow, as the animals don't hang around the first few miles into the national park, but then we began seeing caribou, eagles, ptermigans, bears, Dahl sheep. Our bus driver was so knowledgeable that the trip absolutely flew by (even though we were on the converted school bus for more than 6 hours!). The box lunch/snack provided was more than adequate for the kids and we took along some apples and cheese crackers from the convenience store. You will have a great time!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruisingChick Posted May 4, 2006 #6 Share Posted May 4, 2006 Definitely bring portable DVD player with head phones, game boys, etc. They have lots of mini-travel games on the market as well. Just getting from place to place, ie. Denali to Talkeetna is 4 hours is allot of traveling so make sure they are entertained. Also water, juice, and snacks are always a good thing to have on hand. Don't worry you will have a great time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hermang Posted May 4, 2006 #7 Share Posted May 4, 2006 Hi Everyone, I posted this in the Family Cruising section but there is little traffic there, so I'm hoping you experienced Celebrity cruisers can help me out! My family is sailing on the Summit in July, preceeded by a landtour. The kids are ages 8 and 4. We're doing the less grueling itinerary where we have 3 nights in Fairbanks and open mornings in Denali, Talkeetna and Anchorage. So it's not get-up-and-go early everyday, or so I hope. My kids love animals, hiking and trains so this seemed like the way to go. Now as the trip approaches, I am getting a little apprehensive! :eek: I would appreciate any advice and tips for the landtour portion (cruise too!). For example, how long are the Wilderness Express rides? Will the kids be bored silly and if so what can I bring along to keep them busy without bothering other passengers (i.e. small DVD player, Gameboy, books, crayons)? How grueling is the included bus tour in Denali? Any packing tips for the land part? Are snacks provided along the way or should I bring my own (kids are hungry all the time it seems)? Our TA said the kids will be fine on the landtour but offered very little specific advice. We have a Family View corner aft cabin for the cruise portion. Between that and the Kids Program, I think we'll be okay there. But again, any tips would be appreciated. Lastly, is there enough time to do the day excursions and make the early dinner seating? I can't imagine there are young kids at the late seating, or am I wrong? And, will the 8 year old be comfortable on the dog-sled glacier tour our of Skagway? Many many thanks! Did not do Fairbanks but as other posters indicated - land based stuff is not cheap. Wilderness Express - Not sure how long trip from Fairbanks to ??? is but Anchorage to Talketna which is what we did was 3 1/2 hrs. Very comfortable seats and the kids can usually spread out. Definitely take a DVD Player. TV is somewhat limited. Anchorage is a fun place to wander - Restaurants get crowded - We loved Glacier Brew House and Orso down town. Talketna is very small - If you stay at Talketna Alaska Lodge - restaurant there is very nice and lots of stuff the kids will like - it is 1 1/2 miles from town and they do have a shuttle. Great place for breakfast/lunch - I believe called the Roadhouse. In Denali - hope you get the Natural History Tour 4 hrs - while it is not as all encompassing - you are in schoolbuses and with the kids - 4 hrs is about all you are gonna get. BRING SNACKS. In Glitter Gulch - outside the park - there are some fast food places Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
naked Posted May 4, 2006 #8 Share Posted May 4, 2006 Advise: Regardless of behavior, never feed your kids to the bears. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PTCRUISER57 Posted May 4, 2006 #9 Share Posted May 4, 2006 Advise: Regardless of behavior, never feed your kids to the bears. Maybee I can use this to keep mine in line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ctmom88 Posted May 6, 2006 Author #10 Share Posted May 6, 2006 Hi All, Many many thanks for the very helpful replies. The land tour doesn't sound quite so intimidating now. Only 2 months to go! And I'll try to remember not to feed the kids to the bears... The bears are so cute though, and look so hungry, and the kids get whiny... :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.