Alaska with kids

[deb63]

I have been on the Alaska Port of Call, and figured out what ports, etc interest us. And I've been on the different cruise line boards. But I am still undecided between cruise lines.

 

I came to the Family Cruise board to do searches on the kids clubs, Alaska, etc. Hoping to get a better idea from people with children.

 

I was settled on NCL Pearl. It seemed to have a lot to do, etc. But I keep coming back to HAL.

 

NCL and HAl both have itineries I like. Both are in our price range. R/T Seattle. HAL is longer at Juneau, which I like. One goes to Skagway, the other Sitka - either i fine with me. But Hal seems to get a rep for not being as kid friendly as other cruise lines.

 

I've searched HAL Club here, and it seem to get good reviews.

 

Has anyone sailed on both cruise lines, and can share your insight as to which kid's club was more enjoyed by your children?

 

DH and I are late 40s. We aren't partiers, however we are hoping for some "dates" while the kids enjoy the kid's club. Our daughters will be 7 when we go.

 

I'm sure ya'll get these type questions a lot - and I hope you don't mind answering one more time.

 

Thank you for anything you may be able to share.

[Lessa11]

I went thru the same process as you, though my DD is 11. HAL seems like it caters to a more dressy, possibly older crowd. I have read some good reviews of the HAL kids club, but people often said things like the kids got more personal attention in the kids' club because there weren't that many kids on board. I also didn't like the formality of the dining so I went with NCL.

[CeleBrat]

We haven't sailed HAL, so I can't compare. But--we DID choose to sail NCL to Alaska because of their Freestyle Dining. We didn't want to have to take formal clothes, plus cold weather clothes. And with NCL formal dining is totally optional.

 

The kids had a great time in the Kids Club on the Norwegian Star on the Alaskan cruise. NCL also brought a naturalist on-board the ship as we were sailing through Glacier Bay. So, we had a live up-to-the-minute tour of the Bay because the naturalist was onboard.

 

CeleBrat

[deb63]

I went thru the same process as you, though my DD is 11. HAL seems like it caters to a more dressy, possibly older crowd. I have read some good reviews of the HAL kids club, but people often said things like the kids got more personal attention in the kids' club because there weren't that many kids on board. I also didn't like the formality of the dining so I went with NCL.

 

The Pearl was my first choice - then I started second guessing myself. Alaska is my DH's dream vacation.

 

Can I ask what made you choose the Pearl over the Star?

 

When you come back, will you be sharing about your experience?

[deb63]

We haven't sailed HAL, so I can't compare. But--we DID choose to sail NCL to Alaska because of their Freestyle Dining. We didn't want to have to take formal clothes, plus cold weather clothes. And with NCL formal dining is totally optional.

 

The kids had a great time in the Kids Club on the Norwegian Star on the Alaskan cruise. NCL also brought a naturalist on-board the ship as we were sailing through Glacier Bay. So, we had a live up-to-the-minute tour of the Bay because the naturalist was onboard.

 

CeleBrat

 

It looks for 2010 that the Star does not go through Glacier Bay - the Pearl does. That (Glacier Bay) seems to be "the" thing to see when I was reading on the Alaska port of call board.

 

I'm tickled to read your children liked the Kids Club. And like you, I don't see us wanting to dress up.

 

I like that the Pearl has bowling/rock wall climbing - but that the Star has a movie theater. Having seen Glacier Bay, would that be a deciding factor for you?

 

I can't tell you how grateful I am for you both sharing.

[harryfat1]

I have been on the Alaska Port of Call, and figured out what ports, etc interest us. And I've been on the different cruise line boards. But I am still undecided between cruise lines.

 

I came to the Family Cruise board to do searches on the kids clubs, Alaska, etc. Hoping to get a better idea from people with children.

 

I was settled on NCL Pearl. It seemed to have a lot to do, etc. But I keep coming back to HAL.

 

NCL and HAl both have itineries I like. Both are in our price range. R/T Seattle. HAL is longer at Juneau, which I like. One goes to Skagway, the other Sitka - either i fine with me. But Hal seems to get a rep for not being as kid friendly as other cruise lines.

 

I've searched HAL Club here, and it seem to get good reviews.

 

Has anyone sailed on both cruise lines, and can share your insight as to which kid's club was more enjoyed by your children?

 

DH and I are late 40s. We aren't partiers, however we are hoping for some "dates" while the kids enjoy the kid's club. Our daughters will be 7 when we go.

 

I'm sure ya'll get these type questions a lot - and I hope you don't mind answering one more time.

 

Thank you for anything you may be able to share.

 

Hi,

 

My boys (currently 6 and 8) have done kids club on both HAL and Carnival. We are not the free style folks, so can’t comment on the NCL kids club. We will be on the Celebrity Infinity out of Seattle next month to Alaska, so they will be exposed to a new kid’s club surroundings.

 

As for Club HAL, they both enjoyed the time they were there, as much as they enjoy the time on camp Carnival. Which HAL ship are you thinking about? Try to stick to the bigger Vista class HAL ship if you can since the vista ships have bigger kids club facilities. HAL does have its share of kids during the school break season, so if you travel during the spring/summer/winter school breaks, you will see multi generation families on HAL. That’s typically our cruise vacation as we always cruise as 3 generations group.

 

We typically opt for later dinner and what we do is take the kids up to the buffet area around 6 something to have them eat the casual dinner and then they go off to kids camp and the adults have some relax time for the late dinner in the main dining room and one of us go back to the kids club before 10 PM where they start charging a baby sitting fee if the kids stay after 10. We bring the boys back to the dining room to sit with us for family dessert time in the main dining room. This way, you can have family time as well as adult/kids separate time.

 

Depending in your personal preference, I don’t think the kids club by itself will have a big enough difference in picking between the two lines. One can be nit picky and say one club is marginally better than another for X or Y reasons, but having the entire family cruise hinge on that one aspect seems drastic to me.

 

Think the major decision making is what cruise style you prefer and do they visit the same glaciers since you have pretty much evened out the itinerary?

[deb63]

Hi,

 

My boys (currently 6 and 8) have done kids club on both HAL and Carnival. We are not the free style folks, so can’t comment on the NCL kids club. We will be on the Celebrity Infinity out of Seattle next month to Alaska, so they will be exposed to a new kid’s club surroundings.

 

As for Club HAL, they both enjoyed the time they were there, as much as they enjoy the time on camp Carnival. Which HAL ship are you thinking about? Try to stick to the bigger Vista class HAL ship if you can since the vista ships have bigger kids club facilities. HAL does have its share of kids during the school break season, so if you travel during the spring/summer/winter school breaks, you will see multi generation families on HAL. That’s typically our cruise vacation as we always cruise as 3 generations group.

 

We typically opt for later dinner and what we do is take the kids up to the buffet area around 6 something to have them eat the casual dinner and then they go off to kids camp and the adults have some relax time for the late dinner in the main dining room and one of us go back to the kids club before 10 PM where they start charging a baby sitting fee if the kids stay after 10. We bring the boys back to the dining room to sit with us for family dessert time in the main dining room. This way, you can have family time as well as adult/kids separate time.

 

Depending in your personal preference, I don’t think the kids club by itself will have a big enough difference in picking between the two lines. One can be nit picky and say one club is marginally better than another for X or Y reasons, but having the entire family cruise hinge on that one aspect seems drastic to me.

 

Think the major decision making is what cruise style you prefer and do they visit the same glaciers since you have pretty much evened out the itinerary?

 

I agree - I would not base the whole choice on the kids club. My hopes is only to be using it in the evening, so we can have some adult time. However, I did want to make sure whatever cruise line we picked had a kids club that was enjoyable. Making us all have a good vacation time.

 

The HAL ship I was looking at is a Vista class - it is the Oosterdam - thank you for the information, I didn't know there was a difference.

 

And they (the NCL Pearl and Hal Oosterdam) both go the Glacier Bay. Advantages I can see is that HAL docks at Juneau earlier (for excursion choices I liked this), however the NCL Star also docks earlier at Juneau. Hal goes to Sitka - which I've read is less crowded than Skagway.

 

I will give crusing style more choice. We haven't been on a cruise yet to know for sure what is "us". But the freestyle does appeal to me on paper. Also, will research Sitka vs Skagway more. Thank you for more ways to look at it.

[JoKen1]

I'm taking my niece who is 8 to Alaska tomorrow. We are going on NCL. I love HAL and if I were going alone or with another adult would most likely pick that line over NCL. However, being on HAL a few times I didn't think there was much for kids to do so I picked NCL.

 

Even if she decided to not go to the kids club I think she would have more fun on NCL with the bowling, rock climbing, slides in the pool area, large Wii games and so on. HAL doesn't really have anything like that.

 

Plus we don't want to dress up either so the anytime is the way we wanted to go.

 

I've been to Alaska before and loved Sitka but again, being with a child I think she would enjoy the train ride in Skagway much better then anything in Sitka.

 

I'm sure no matter which line you pick you will have a blast and so with the kids.

 

Joanne

[deb63]

I'm taking my niece who is 8 to Alaska tomorrow. We are going on NCL. I love HAL and if I were going alone or with another adult would most likely pick that line over NCL. However, being on HAL a few times I didn't think there was much for kids to do so I picked NCL.

 

Even if she decided to not go to the kids club I think she would have more fun on NCL with the bowling, rock climbing, slides in the pool area, large Wii games and so on. HAL doesn't really have anything like that.

 

Plus we don't want to dress up either so the anytime is the way we wanted to go.

 

I've been to Alaska before and loved Sitka but again, being with a child I think she would enjoy the train ride in Skagway much better then anything in Sitka.

 

I'm sure no matter which line you pick you will have a blast and so with the kids.

 

Joanne

 

Very helpful. Thank you.

[riggins]

We went to Alaska last month on the NCL Sun with our DDs who are 6 and 7, and also my 8 year old nephew. I put the link to my review of the cruise and the ports below if you're interested.

 

We also struggled to choose between HAL and NCL. In fact, we were booked on HAL before I changed my mind and booked NCL. We really dislike the structure and formality of having a set dinner time and I can't imagine having to lug a bunch of formal wear to Alaska. We were pleased with our choice. The cruise was very casual and the kids loved the club. Good luck with your decision.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1013845

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1014061

[deb63]

We went to Alaska last month on the NCL Sun with our DDs who are 6 and 7, and also my 8 year old nephew. I put the link to my review of the cruise and the ports below if you're interested.

 

We also struggled to choose between HAL and NCL. In fact, we were booked on HAL before I changed my mind and booked NCL. We really dislike the structure and formality of having a set dinner time and I can't imagine having to lug a bunch of formal wear to Alaska. We were pleased with our choice. The cruise was very casual and the kids loved the club. Good luck with your decision.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1013845

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1014061

 

Wow - thank you so much for the links. It does look like your family had a wonderful time.

 

What port did you find the snow? My DDs would love to see snow, we live in southern USA and it doesn't really snow here. I had been thinking we'd have to do the helicopter to the glacier to see it. I was shooting for going to Alaska around August. But the weather in your june pictures looks wonderful.

 

Can you explain the scavenger hunt? Were you looking for certain things to take photos of? Like someone eating a hot dog?

 

Did you find the Tracy Fjord wonderful? On the Alaska port of call board it seems most feel if you do not see Glacier Bay, you've missed out. When I look at the Star (goes to Sawyer Glacier) it has a theater for first run movies. . .however the Pearl (goes to Glacier Bay) has the rock wall & bowling. Star is cheaper and gets to Junea earlier (which I like if we try the helicopter/dog sledding excursion). I just wondered if we would truly be missing out by skipping Glacier Bay.

 

I doubt this would be our only trip to Alaska. If it is a hit, we'd certainly be back soon.

 

I hope you don't mind that I'm asking so much. I do appreciate what you have shared so far. Your pictures are breathtaking, and I love, love, love seeing the happy faces of the children. We have twin daughters who will be 7 when we go - so they are about the same ages.

[riggins]

We saw the snow in Juneau at Mt. Roberts. There was still a lot of it up there, but I would suspect that by August it would be gone. We hiked the short 1/2 mile trail at the top, but there is also a longer trail that goes further up the mountain. The guide at Mt. Roberts suggested we avoid that higher trail because there was too much snow up there. I guess there might still be snow up there in August if you're up for a little hike.

 

The scavenger hunt was a ton of fun! They gave us a list of 20-25 things we needed to get a picture of . . . like shaking hands with a crew member, someone eating a hot dog, a crew member from Romania, etc. We had about an hour to do it. We then returned back to the kids club and showed them our digital pictures. The kids each won an Alaskan activity book. We really enjoyed it.

 

We thought Tracy Arm and Sawyer Glacier were really awesome. I had also read that people thought Glacier Bay was a must, but when we sat down and looked at all the things we wanted out of our trip, none of the Glacier Bay itineraries seemed to work our best. Like you, we figure we'll be back, so maybe next time we'll get to Glacier Bay. Tracy Arm was truly breathtaking, so I don't feel like we missed anything.

 

Let me know if you need more info!

[deb63]

We'll just look at booking for June instead of August. :)

 

I appreciate your time, I feel much better about our NCL choice - but I will be looking at the Star instead of Pearl. I'd rather spend less on the cruise itself via Star, and use that $ difference for the excursions.

 

Thank you again, it really was helpful to hear/read about your experience.

[bbcruiser]

We've been on both the Star and Pearl, but did Glacier Bay itinerary, so can't help with that choice. My 6 y.o. (this year) had a great time in Kids Crew on the Pearl. He was 3 when we took the Star and also had a great time. The staff at Kids Crew seemed to work great with the kids on both cruises.

 

The Pearl is a newer than the Star. We liked the food better on the Star though. We sailed in May on the Star and June on the Pearl, but noticed the buffet seemed less congested on the Star. Blue Lagoon had more variety on the Star, but fish and chips were better on the Pearl (and was sit-down style instead of order-wait-find your own seat on the Star). I think both ships are great, but we favor the Star--we like the atmoshpere of their two main dining rooms and the buffet more and I think it's a little smaller ship (I think it was almost full capacity, but didn't feel nearly as crowded as the Pearl to us).

 

Hope this helps. If you plan to cruise Alaska more than once, why not try the Star if cost is a consideration? Next time, you can cruise Glacier Bay. We think for our next Alaska Cruise (we've done 3), we will probably choose something other than Glacier Bay on our itinerary.

[JoKen1]

Just got back from the NCL Pearl yesterday. We did the Alaska cruise and I had my 8 year old niece with me.

 

She LOVED the kids club as did all the kids I spoke to on the ship. In fact most of the kids did not want to leave there.

 

We also really enjoyed the free style dinning as you could eat when ever and what ever you felt like eating without having to dress up. So the kids could come right from Kids Club, eat and then go back if they wanted...which was in most cases.

 

The kids also loved the pool area, bowling, Wii game and the ports.

 

We went on a helicopter and a Glacier walk in Juneu which was the highlight of the trip for us.

 

Then we did the train ride in Skagway, which was way to long for my 8 year old. The other kids on board seemed to want to get off way before time also. Or they just fell asleep. I would not recommend the train for kids at all.

 

We went on a hike to the rain forest in Ketchikan which was a blast for both of us! It's very easy to do, got to see lots of eagles, feed reindeer, saw a bear den and where the bears had been walking near the trail but no bears to be seen. I also went on this same excursion two years ago and we did see a bear.

 

Then in Victoria BC we did a horse drawn troller ride around town, came back to the ship and took the shuttle to down town to shop and see the street entertainers then had one of the guys on a bike with the seats in back take us back to the ship. That was so fun and very pretty.

 

Any other questions you may have just let me know, I would love to answer them for you.

 

Joanne

[Lessa11]

Hi Joanne,

Thanks for the info. Any idea if 11 year olds were having as much fun as the younger ones in the kids clubs?

[JoKen1]

Hi Joanne,

Thanks for the info. Any idea if 11 year olds were having as much fun as the younger ones in the kids clubs?

 

 

They would sometimes but the older kids with the younger kids for different things and on those days when I would go to pick up my niece I would talk to other mothers/fathers and they all said their kids (of all ages) didn't want to leave the Kids Clubs.

 

They do have a teen group too and I did hear several of the teens saying they were bored and when out by the pool area they said they thought the teen group was to childish for them.

 

So I would say 11 or 12 may be the max age that most kids would enjoy the Kids Club. Also the real little ones would often cry or not want to stay that long. I'm talking like the 2 and 3 year olds.

[cantw8togo]

We got back a month ago from Alaska with our 5 and 8 yr old DS's sailing on HAL. Our kids enjoyed dressing up for dinner and our younger even insisted on wearing a tie during the casual night! The formal dress code is less dressy in Alaska than on other itineraries so we didn't feel compelled to pack lots of very dressy clothes.

 

The kids did enjoy Club HAL but I was more impressed by the Celebrity kids club from a couple of years ago.

 

We did the train ride in Skagway and the kids enjoyed it. I took along a couple of snacks but if you are concerned about bordom, then I would also take a couple of small toys. My eldest amused himself with our older p & s camera (with a large memory card!) and when we got back, he turned it into a short stop motion movie.

 

We read the book Gold rush fever : a story of the Klondike, 1898 / written by Barbara green wood before we went so that the kids could get a sense of the history of the area. Seeing sections of the original White Pass trail down steep embankments from the train makes you appreciate what the prospectors went through before the train was built.

 

Our youngest was interested in whales so we did some research about humpbacks and orcas.

 

No matter what you decide to do, you will have a great time in Alaska.

 

N.

[deb63]

Just got back from the NCL Pearl yesterday. We did the Alaska cruise and I had my 8 year old niece with me.

 

She LOVED the kids club as did all the kids I spoke to on the ship. In fact most of the kids did not want to leave there.

 

We also really enjoyed the free style dinning as you could eat when ever and what ever you felt like eating without having to dress up. So the kids could come right from Kids Club, eat and then go back if they wanted...which was in most cases.

 

The kids also loved the pool area, bowling, Wii game and the ports.

 

We went on a helicopter and a Glacier walk in Juneu which was the highlight of the trip for us.

 

Then we did the train ride in Skagway, which was way to long for my 8 year old. The other kids on board seemed to want to get off way before time also. Or they just fell asleep. I would not recommend the train for kids at all.

 

We went on a hike to the rain forest in Ketchikan which was a blast for both of us! It's very easy to do, got to see lots of eagles, feed reindeer, saw a bear den and where the bears had been walking near the trail but no bears to be seen. I also went on this same excursion two years ago and we did see a bear.

 

Then in Victoria BC we did a horse drawn troller ride around town, came back to the ship and took the shuttle to down town to shop and see the street entertainers then had one of the guys on a bike with the seats in back take us back to the ship. That was so fun and very pretty.

 

Any other questions you may have just let me know, I would love to answer them for you.

 

Joanne

 

I'm so glad to read your post. Thank you for sharing.

 

So it was warm enough during your trip for the kids to enjoy the pool area?

 

I was looking at the train ride in Skagway. How long of a trip on teh train did you take? Looking at pictures my DDs are excited at the idea of riding in a "real" train. I wonder if they would get bored. Hmmm, will have to think about that. I was leaning toward the train w/liarsville - as my DDs are begging to pan for gold. It's cute, with all the researching - they claim to both be dreaming of panning for gold, and wake up askign question on how to.

 

I did talk to DH again, explained about Glacier Bay - the cost difference in teh Star & the Pearl, and the kids club ratings, etc. He actually had an opinion, instead of his usual "tell me when/where". He said he preferred the Pearl. He thought bowling would be fun as well as seeing Glacier Bay.

[deb63]

We did the train ride in Skagway and the kids enjoyed it. I took along a couple of snacks but if you are concerned about bordom, then I would also take a couple of small toys. My eldest amused himself with our older p & s camera (with a large memory card!) and when we got back, he turned it into a short stop motion movie.

 

N.

 

That is a great idea. I'll have to put that in my notes, just in case they don't love the train as much as they think they would.

 

Thanks!!

[bbcruiser]

FYI that there is a charge for bowling on the Pearl (something like $10 I think). There are only 2 lanes, and are located in the Bliss Lounge (which is a little on the dark side). DH thought about bowling, but when he saw where it was located and that he had to pay a fee to bowl there, he decided shuffle board was a better option.

[ottawa_traveler]

We just finished our first cruise: Alaska on the Volendam (Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan) with our two boys (6 and 8). Our kids went to Club HAL for a few hours on each of the sea days. They thought it was okay, but they weren't crazy about it--too much emphasis on crafts for their liking, not enough active activities. There were a couple of Club HAL activities that were excellent: a bridge tour, a talk from a Glacier Bay park ranger, and a talk from a Huna elder (also during the Glacier Bay day). My sons were quite keen on getting Playstation time as we don't own a gaming system.

 

On our ship, there were only 47 passengers ages 17 and younger, so the groups were quite small. In the 3-7 year old group, my son was the oldest (finished grade 1 just before the cruise), and I felt the counsellors' style seemed more geared to pre-schoolers.

 

Dining on HAL was great--we had open seating, which meant we could go to the dining room whenever we wanted (one night we ate at 5:30 p.m., and I think our latest was 8:30 p.m. after a long excursion). We ate in the dining room every night but one, and did all of our breakfasts and lunches, and one dinner in the buffet restaurant.

 

We chose active excursions--glacier dog-sledding, sea kayaking, Glacier Point Wilderness Safari as we like to be on the move and experience things up close. We came back to the ship happy and exhausted each day, and enjoyed relaxing on the sea days.

 

Other than Club HAL being a bit disappointing, our cruise was excellent and the boys loved it. I would definitely cruise HAL again.

[jimswims]

I am glad that I found this thread. I was going nuts trying to decide which cruise we would take to Alaska. My kids will be older than others on this board, 15 and 12. They have been on several NCL and 1 Carnival. DW and I were on RCCL seems like ages ago now so I threw that into the mix as well.

 

We had almost convinced ourselves to go on the Star but then I found an Aft balcony cabin available on the Pearl. We are going on the Pearl and are looking forward (or Aft in this case) to Glacier Bay!

[rebeccalouise]

If prices are the same do HAL. The Oosterdam will be fantastic for you. First of all the pools are freshwater- not saltwater like on NCL.

 

The cabins are bigger on Holland and have bathtubs. The food on Holland is very good but the last time I was on NCL the food was good too.

 

There is definitely a younger vibe on NCL and you would have fun on their ships- I always have.

 

But there are really nice viewing spots for scenery on HAL and a good library/ coffee bar.

 

HAL is going to offer more service and there are going to be fewer passengers.

 

The youth program was not my child's absolute favorite but he always wanted to go and was the "star" of the talent show. So he had a great time- but also not such a great time that he didn't want to get off the ship.