Storygirl Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 (edited) DH and I are considering the idea of taking an Alaskan cruise sometime, but we would have to take our kids along -- ages 11 to 14. Does anyone have experience doing this? Any specific cruise line that would be especially good for families, or one to avoid? My kids would love Disney Cruise Line, but we'd likely consider others first, due to price. Edited February 3, 2016 by Storygirl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 Carnival is a great one for kids. Not my favorite for adults based on the tourist feedback I used to get, but quite affordable and fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ethel Mertz Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 We did a Holland America Alaska Cruise while on sabbatical and really enjoyed it. There is a Club Hal for Kids; unfortunately, our kid didn't want to go and hung out with us the.whole.time. One tip: If you are going to do a land cruise (to Denali) as well, do that first and then the cruise. We did it the other way around and were pretty tired out by the land part (which un-did some of the great relaxation from the water part of the journey). We went in the early part of July. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlmiraGulch Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 Norwegian has three ships in the Alaska market (I think), and they're great for both adults and kids. My favorite cruise line. I believe the Pearl, the Jewel, and Star (maybe) are all doing Alaska right now. I've been on Pearl and Jewel and love them both, as do my kids. Carnival is either really nice or really not, depending on the specific ship. I forget what ships Carnival has there now, but generally speaking they're always good for kids, and if it's not an old ship, for adults, too.] I have not been on Princess but I understand they have fine ships with fine offerings for adults and children. Carnival owns Princess, but Princess is generally considered a bit more upscale. Royal Caribbean is very good, but, for me cost prohibitive. Plus, the ships remind me of shopping malls, which is not to my personal taste. Many people adore RC, though. I would avoid Holland America and Celebrity. Neither is geared toward children, and my nieces and nephews did not have the best time on their Alaska cruise on Celebrity, nor the Caribbean cruise on Holland America. Frankly, the adults (except the grandparents) didn't love either of them, either. The whole ship (both lines) kind of rolled up and went to bed at 9:00, they said. They aren't party animals, but would have liked some more options. Hope that helps. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edelweiss Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 We took an Alaskan cruise with Disney when our girls were 12 and 9. It was fabulous! We've only cruised with Disney (7 times), so I can't help with any other cruise lines. Good luck! We loved Alaska! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pink and Green Mom Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 We did a Royal Caribbean cruise to Alaska pre kids. I loved that cruise. We have done a few Caribbean cruises with the boys this past year on Royal Caribbean - my boys are 14 and 11 as well. They find plenty to do (both with us and just them without us). My teen was just interested in food 24/7. And shuffle board. My kids could eat and play shuffle board 24/7. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plateau Mama Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 We did Disney when my kids were 4, 10, 12. It was awesome. 4 years later my kids are still talking about it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storygirl Posted February 3, 2016 Author Share Posted February 3, 2016 Thanks everyone! We'll look into your suggestions. Very helpful! We did take the kids on a very memorable Disney cruise three years ago. Loved it! It was a dream vacation. But since Disney is up to twice the cost of other companies, and since we have to pay for two cabins and six cross-country plane tickets, we're considering other choices this time. I think our kids will enjoy any ship we choose, but I figured some are better for children than others. DH and I did take a Carnival cruise a number of years ago and found the crowd to be very rowdy and the experience not family friendly. But it was a short cruise with a fabulous last-minute rate, which attracted a bunch of college students. Maybe their Alaska cruises don't have the same vibe??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livetoread Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 (edited) We are doing a Royal Caribbean Alaska cruise this June with our teens, ages 15 and 17. We have done four other RC cruises and loved them all. Our son will be aging out of the kid's program after this one, and he is really sad. Edited to say RC prices have really gone up in the last couple of years. While we love RC, I am looking into at least trying MSC if we do any more Caribbean or Europe cruises. Edited February 4, 2016 by livetoread Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theelfqueen Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 We did one in 2015. We were on Carnival Legend (we didn't choose it). The ship was clean and mostly nice. Our cabin (we got an Obstructed View cabin, so we could open up the door as though there were a balcony, for air but no balcony) was nice and our Porter was FANTASTIC. It wasn't particularly crowded or rowdy. (Definitely a more family vibe than most Carnival, according the BIL/SIL who are big Caribbean Cruisers on Carnival). I found the onboard Naturalist's presentations good :) My fourteen year old and fifteen year old nephew both spent a lot of time in the teen club and had a great time. My ten year old and ten year old nephew were considerably less interested in the Kids Club offerings. My ten year old refused to swim in the saline pool and the waterslide was closed most of our days since it was too cold/windy. My kids loved endless soft serve on the Lido deck, and ordering multiple meals in the Dining Room. I thought the entertainment offerings were so-so but other members of our party loved them. (The comedians were too raunchy for my tastes). The musicals were decent but not great. The bar trivia was fun :) I did not like almost any of the food on the ship. Everyone else in our party (9 other people) were mostly delighted with it... so perhaps something is wrong with me LOL but there were only a few things I liked in 7 days aboard. We did the usual Inside Passage loop and I loved our Ports and excursions! They were fantastic and I'd love to return to Alaska and spend more time there! My friends say that I should have drank more, and it would have been better LOL 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnMyOwn Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 (edited) I just booked an Alaskan cruise on Royal Caribbean's Radiance of the seas. My 16 and 14 yo kids will be going. Royal Carribean appealed to me because they have activities on the ship I think my kids will enjoy -- rock climbing wall, putt putt golf and something else I can't remember. I read some on a cruise message board and a lot of people said they like this particular ship because there are so many areas fully enclosed by glass. Others said they liked the size of the ship. Some commented that some of the ships are so large, they no longer feel like they are on a cruise, but at the mall. Based on advice I received here and elsewhere, I chose the route starting in Vancouver and ending in Seward, AK vs the one starting in Vancouver and ending in Seattle. That means one less day at sea and one more day at port. Oh, and everyone told me that a balcony is a must for an Alaskan cruise. Edited February 4, 2016 by OnMyOwn 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 We haven't done an Alaska cruise, but I've been on a couple Carnival cruises with my kids (when they were 5 and 7), and they were very family-friendly. Carnival is the only cruise line I've personally experienced. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlmiraGulch Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 DH and I did take a Carnival cruise a number of years ago and found the crowd to be very rowdy and the experience not family friendly. But it was a short cruise with a fabulous last-minute rate, which attracted a bunch of college students. Maybe their Alaska cruises don't have the same vibe??? I haven't read all the responses, so sorry if this has already been addressed. The shorter cruises (3 - 4 days) will always be rowdier, and will always have older, not-as-nice ships (except Disney), on every cruiseline. They're pretty much booze cruises, and Carnival just happens to have more of that type of ship and cruise than any other line. On Norwegian, it's the Sky. On Royal Caribbean, it's (I think) Majesty of the Seas, and one other. Longer cruises will always have a different vibe, and Alaska will, particularly, because of the destination itself. I've been on some amazing Carnival ships/cruises and some that I would never do again. With Carnival, the ship, length, and destination make all the difference. I wouldn't hesitate to take a Carnival cruise to Alaska if the price was right, but I'd do NCL over Carnival if prices and itineraries were about the same. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pink and Green Mom Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 (edited) Agreeing with the person who said a balcony is really a great idea on an Alaskan cruise. The scenery is absolutely gorgeous. We slept with the door open almost the entire trip. We also went the last weekend in August and it was quite warm. Edited February 4, 2016 by Pink and Green Mom 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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