Alsakan cruise with 3 and 4 year old?

[Vacation2010]

I am considering taking an Alaskan cruise on June 6 with a 3 year old and a 4 year old on the Amsterdam. Does anyone have any insight or experience as to how suited this cruise is for children of this age? What about the hours and programming for young children in Club HAL? I spoke to Holland America representative today, and she told me that the hours of HAL are dependant on the number of children on the cruise, but she was unable to tell me how many children in this age group (historically or currently) typically go on the Alaskan cruise in June. If Club HAL is open, is their programming for 3 and 4 year olds worthwhile? Do the care providers really engage the children, or is it more just a room where the children are left to their own devices? Also, I saw that there is one pool on the ship - is it really warm enough to swim in? Do they allow children? Is the pool filled with fresh water or salt water? Also, can anyone tell me what might be some good excursions for a 3 and 4 year old? We would be going to Sitka, Ketchikan, and Juneau. Does the ship have babysitters that will come to your room if the parents want to go out after the kids go to sleep? Thanks so much! I appreciate any insight and information anyone can give me!

[boulders]

I'm planning an Alaskan cruise on June 5 with a 3 year old, 10 year old and 13 year old. There is a wealth on information on the Alaska board. I'm cruising on RCCL's Radiance. I haven't cruised on HAL, but here are a few things I've learned about cruising with little ones in Alaska.

 

Don't count on being able to use the pool, especially if it's an outdoor pool. Temps in Alaska are typically in the 50's and the pools aren't heated. Good shore excursions for that age group are: Ketchikan lumberjack show, perhaps a visit to a Dog Sled camp (not the one with the helicopter tour), and gold panning. Instead of Sitka, our cruise goes to Skagway and Icy Strait. In Skagway, I'm planning on taking the kids on an excursion that includes the Klondike gold fields and a suspension bridge. We're going on a whale watching trip in Juneau. In Icy Strait, we're going on the nature tram and tribal dancing shore excursion. In Seward, I'm still choosing between the Sealife center and the Alaskan Wildlife Center.

 

Have fun with the planning!:D

[rebeccalouise]

Don't do the Amsterdam. Holland America does have youth programs but Amsterdam is not known for being kid friendly. I'd do the Veendam, Volendam, Zuiderdam or Noordam. I did Zuiderdam to Greece and Turkey this past summer and there were enough kids to make it enjoyable for my son. I am sure that given the right ship- there will be some kids June 6.

 

My first cruise to Alaska was in 1996. There were about 8 boys on that cruise in early June (interestingly enough- no girls). Things have changed and more young families go to Alaska.

 

I sailed twice on NCL (May 1998, July 2000) to Alaska and the outdoor pools were heated to 98 degrees. I also sailed on Princess (May 2005) and they had an indoor heated pool on Sapphire.

 

I had a nice time on all of these cruises but I would do Celebrity to Alaska. I didn't like Radiance of the Seas because there are very few good places to view scenery. RCL's newer ships are all about the interior- not the sea. If you do Alaska you want lots of unobstructed views of the sea.

[GlacierCity]

I would suggest holding off on an Alaska cruise until the kids are older. Alaska is a pricey place and the shore excursions are really pricey. They will appreciate the experience more if they have the stamina to walk distances under their own power and can go-go-go for a day without needing a nap. Mid-to-late elementary school is my guess. It's not like a Caribbean cruise where you can just hang out on the beach.

 

Yes, yes, yes. People DO take little ones on this cruise. Yes, there are things the little ones enjoy. But the best part of an Alaskan cruise is to really get out away from the ports on shore excursions to enjoy the real Alaska. Much harder to do, and probably not as enjoyable, with smaller children. You will get more bang for the buck if you wait.

[napls2]

My daughter was 3 1/2 when we went to Alaska for the first time and she really enjoyed it, but now when we ask her about it she doesn't really remember much. We went whale watching, but it was drizzly and cold so she didn't want to stay up on deck once she saw some whales. She got tired walking around and fell asleep in the stroller. We saw the dogs and heard a talk from an iditerod racer and she fell asleep as well, but loved the dogs. We were on Princess and she had fun in the kids room, but I'm sure it's probably the same on some cruises to Alaska that they combine the ages differently because of the amount of children. I don't know about other cruise lines kids programs. My daughter is 6 now and we are going to Alaska in August again and I expect her to get alot more out of it this time. I would wait if there's a possibility or go somewhere warm to do some swimming or snorkling.