Teens on Alaska cruise???..??

[travel4life93]

Hello I am thinking about taking my wife and 2 teens (15 and 13 yr old boys) on an Alaskan cruise this summer. My question was are there typically alot of kids/teens on board or are there not so many due to its exotic destination. We are palnning to go between june 5 and the 10)

 

thanks

[KroozNut]

Although it's true that in general, an Alaskan itinerary tends to draw an older crowd; like any cruise, there will be folks of all ages on your cruise, including families with kids/teens.

 

June being peak season for cruising, with many kids out of school; you're sure to have a lot of kids vacationing with their families; although maybe not quite as many as a warmer destination like the Caribbean or Mexico..

[232271]

WE went to Alaska this summer, there were 800 kids onboard and it was mid-July. (but remember kids are infant - 17) OUr kids ages 13/15 had a blast however, they loved the view from the ship, which is almost constant.....so they didnt need alot of entertainment.

 

It was the most beautiful place and so uniuqe. IT is worth going at least once in your life. :)

[MuffyKismet]

I would say if your kids are very social and would be bored without other kids, then this is probably not the cruise for them, but if they are not social butterflies anyway and like hanging out with the parents then they probably would enjoy how beautiful this cruise is and unusual. You know your kids better then anyone.........I know I would have never been able to bring my two youngest now 18 and 19, they would have been bored sick but my other daughter would have loved it!

[lkva]

we took are 2 boys 3 years ago they were 16 and 10. there were not many kids my older sons age on board. my younger son found a few friends. we went mid july. we had a good time spending family time together and seeing such amazing sight they will never forget and not many people there age get to see.

 

 

lkva

[travel4life93]

232271:

 

Which cruise ship did you go on and what were your favorite ports???

[rzyjzq]

We went on the Carnival Spirit this past June with our 13 & 16 year olds. They didn't hang out at any of the kid clubs but still had a good time. It was a seven day cruise and Ithink 4 or 5 days were spent in ports so that kept them busy. They also hung out in the game/video room, went to game shows, etc. I think they would have preferred if it was a bit warmer.

[yogi2929]

A lot of schools are getting out before Memorial Day now.

 

We went on HAL this year and last year to Alaska. Both cruises in June. Last year just with our then 13 yr old DD, and this year with both DDs (14 and 16). They had a blast. This is what we did over the two cruises, I hope I got the ports right. We went to the top of Mt Roberts and flew to the top of the glacier to go dog sledding in Juneau. The girls and dad went snorkeling:eek: in Ketchikan, they said the only time they were cold was when they had to get out of the wet suits. I checked out the rainforest museum. Others saw the lumberjack show. Ate crab and went on a wildlife tour, saw the Bishop's House, Church and ordered seafood to be sent home (had the halibut tonight!) in Sitka. DD and DH flew down the zipline in Icy Straight and we saw bears on the wildlife walk. Went to the top of Grouse Mountain in Vancouver, the top of the Space Needle in Seattle. Found Pike Market and Nordstrom Rack in Seattle. We took the train from Seward to Anchorage.

 

We had ONLY two disappointments, one. was that in Victoria we had limited time in Butchart Gardens, and didn't get to see the fireworks:mad:. Two, our schedules didn't allow going to Denali.

 

Ben Franklin stores seemed to be the best place for inexpensive trinkets. In Juneau and Sitka. The one in Sitka is just down from the church.

 

Ketchikan has a Crab Fisherman's Tour on the Aleutian Ballad from Deadliest Catch.

 

We had an OV last year and spent lots of time on deck. This year we went with friends and had adjoining balconies. They were nice, but not necessary.

 

Also, dress in layers. We found that light gloves were appreciated viewing Glacier Bay.

[Yeldarb]

Alaska is scenery rich and port intensive. We were all in bed early most nights just to be ready for the next day's activities in port.

 

Kids say it was the best cruise of all.

 

Cheers!

[bmacri]

We have cruised the Seattle-Alaska cruise.

 

My husband and I really enjoyed the peace and serenity of the Alaska scenery. I honestly don't know if kids would enjoy that scenery. Maybe the icebergs would hold their interest for a while.

 

We went the end of August and were able to get up close to some of the glaciers. In June, I'm not sure how close you will be able to get to them.

 

Also, it probably depends on what cruise line you use as some are more kids friendly.

[travel4life93]

Greeting everyone thanks for all the responses. Just woundering if any one has gone on Royal Caribbeans alaskain cruise???? We have narrowed it down to either Royal Caribbean, carnival, or Princess.

 

thanks

[arpie05]

My son, age 12, and I went to Alaska in mid-may and there were about 10 kids ages 6-12. He had a great time and loved it. We were on NCL. I think most families pick Carnival or NCL Pearl (it's newer and has bowling).

We did not pick Princess because my parents like this line because it is geared more for older crowd, especially Alaska. You might try roll calls and see who is already posted. My friend went the same week (we didn't know we were each planning a trip) on HAL with her two kids (8 & 12) and they had a blast. They did B2B because HAL has great rates for 3rd &4th passenger. I don't know how many kids were on their trip.

 

I think the closer to summer you are, the more kids. We travel mid-May - the begining of summer vacation as most kids aren't out of school and there aren't a lot of summer programs (child care types) available. (it's a great time for Disney! That is where we usually go every 2 years)

 

the problem with NCL is their kids program groups ages 6-12 together and 12-17 together so I don't think we'll travel them again. Carnival's age catagories are much better! I would post the question on the different boards and see what answers you get. Depends ship to ship and line to line.

[lkva]

Greeting everyone thanks for all the responses. Just woundering if any one has gone on Royal Caribbeans alaskain cruise???? We have narrowed it down to either Royal Caribbean, carnival, or Princess.

 

thanks

 

we did princess. it was great, they had a person to narrate what you were seeing, etc... when you went thru the inside passage. saw a alot of icebergs and wildlife. when we went thru the inside passage in mid july it was snowing/sleeting at times. a balcony is a must for this trip. there is so much to see and with extended daylight in alaska in the summer there is alot to see most of the time.

 

i was surprised how much i enjoyed this cruise since i love the warm weather places this, cruise my husband picked since he has been a good sport on the tropical places.

 

 

lkva

[travel4life93]

we did princess. it was great, they had a person to narrate what you were seeing, etc... when you went thru the inside passage. saw a alot of icebergs and wildlife. when we went thru the inside passage in mid july it was snowing/sleeting at times. a balcony is a must for this trip. there is so much to see and with extended daylight in alaska in the summer there is alot to see most of the time.

 

i was surprised how much i enjoyed this cruise since i love the warm weather places this, cruise my husband picked since he has been a good sport on the tropical places.

 

 

lkva

 

 

what was the weather like approximatly???.:D

[VacationsRme]

We did Royal Caribbean's Serenade of the Sea. It was a beautiful ship with all the glass and the indoor pool. Our kids were 10 and 18. We went in July. The weather was perfect and our kids loved it. I don't think they really appreciated the beauty of Alaska, but they had a great time on the ship and they enjoyed the excursions (train ride, helicopter on a glacier, whale watching). I would get a balcony room. This is the one cruise that I was so thankful to have one. You can see beautiful landscape most of the way and it is fun to be on your own balcony when you sail through the glacier. GO!!

[lkva]

what was the weather like approximatly???.:D

 

mid july we brought jeans, sweaters and sweats. I needed a jacket and it sometimes felt damp. victoria had the nicest weather. the weather is alot like early december in northern va. you have some really nice days in the mid 50's and the colder damp days in the high 40's. there was not alot of sitting out n the open decks unless you were bundled up. it makes those yummy hot drinks taste that much better.

 

the hardest part is packing because those clothes are so big and hard to make small. since the airlines now charge when you go over the weight limit i think it would be harder to pack.

 

still was a great cruise and i am not a cold weather person.

 

 

hope this helps

 

lkva

[Chat Noir]

We sailed early June 2005 on Carnival Spirit with our teenage sons, and again late May, 2006 on Sapphire Princess. They had cousins/friends along, too.

 

I didn't see much difference at all between the two ships with regard to ages. Neither had many teens onboard other than our group. Later in the season there will be more, no doubt.

 

Our boys have very different personalities, however they both give their thumbs up to the Sapphire sailing... not so much to the Spirit sailing. I personally prefer the Sapphire of the two, mainly because our Spirit sailing skipped the glaciers. Since the boys didn't care one way or another about the glacier sailing being missed, they are much less biased than I am. They simply think there is more to do onboard the Sapphire... more entertainment, more food options. It is a larger ship.

 

We've also sailed Celebrity Mercury late May/early June without our teens. Very few youngsters were onboard. We loved it but I think our teens would still prefer the Sapphire.

 

Even without a bunch of other kids, Alaska is very worthwhile. There are so many spectacular excursions offered in every port. Flightseeing, glacier trekking, snorkeling, mountain climbing, ziplining, whale watching, dogsledding, fishing, bear viewing, kayaking... such a wide variety!

 

Your family will likely have a fabulous time regardless of which cruiseline you choose.

 

If you haven't already, try the Ports of Call Alaska section here. You will find it to be an amazing resource for planning an Alaskan cruise.:)