Alaska cruise lines to avoid with kids?

We are planning on our first Alaska cruise later this summer with our 3
kids (ages 4,7,9). As I've lurked in this group, I've noticed several
people mention that many of the Alaska cruise lines have good kids
programs.

My question is, are there any of the cruise lines that have
fair-to-poor kids programs? Any cruise lines we should try to avoid
altogether? I'd hate to go on the premise that they're all "pretty
good" only to find we picked a cruise line with a program that's
pathetic.

Cheers!

Steve

Thus spake "Mark" :

Why would you want to subject your children to people that are trying to be
on a nice vacation? Leave them home! Disneyland is for kids!

Why would you want to subject yourself on people who are trying to be
on a nice vacation?

Mark
"steve" wrote in message
roups.com...
We are planning on our first Alaska cruise later this summer with our 3
kids (ages 4,7,9). As I've lurked in this group, I've noticed several
people mention that many of the Alaska cruise lines have good kids
programs.

My question is, are there any of the cruise lines that have
fair-to-poor kids programs? Any cruise lines we should try to avoid
altogether? I'd hate to go on the premise that they're all "pretty
good" only to find we picked a cruise line with a program that's
pathetic.

Cheers!

Steve


--
dillon

Could have been is in the past
Could be is in the future
There is only the now

"Mark" wrote in message
...
Why would you want to subject your children to people that are trying to
be
on a nice vacation? Leave them home! Disneyland is for kids!
Mark

Mark, I'm afraid if you are cruising the mainstream lines that have lots of
good kids activities, and advertise for families, there will be kids on
them. Their target market happens to overlap wth Disneyland big time.

As for good kids programs, I found the HAL one okay, but I have heard better
things about the other mainstream lines when it comes to kids programs. I
vaguely remember the minimum age on HAL for the kids program might be 5
also.


"steve" wrote in message
oups.com...
We are planning on our first Alaska cruise later this summer with our 3
kids (ages 4,7,9). As I've lurked in this group, I've noticed several
people mention that many of the Alaska cruise lines have good kids
programs.

My question is, are there any of the cruise lines that have
fair-to-poor kids programs? Any cruise lines we should try to avoid
altogether? I'd hate to go on the premise that they're all "pretty
good" only to find we picked a cruise line with a program that's
pathetic.

Cheers!

Steve

Steve,

We've been cruising with our kids for years and tried all of the mainstream
lines except Disney. Alaska remains their #1 cruise trip highlight!

For kids only, I'd look hard at Princess, RCI, NCL and Carnival.

For kids and parents, I'd narrow the list to any ship that does Glacier Bay
but not out of Seattle. This eliminates RCI, NCL and makes Carnival
doubtful, as I see only two sailings 9/6 and 9/13, which likely conflict
with school (and mid-Sept. weather starts getting iffy).

So, drum roll, my vote goes to Princess. Check out their Voyage of the
Glaciers one-way sailings.

Happy researching!

Diana Ball
near Houston, TX

"D Ball" wrote in message
...
Steve,

We've been cruising with our kids for years and tried all of the
mainstream lines except Disney. Alaska remains their #1 cruise trip
highlight!

For kids only, I'd look hard at Princess, RCI, NCL and Carnival.

For kids and parents, I'd narrow the list to any ship that does Glacier
Bay but not out of Seattle. This eliminates RCI, NCL and makes Carnival
doubtful, as I see only two sailings 9/6 and 9/13, which likely conflict
with school (and mid-Sept. weather starts getting iffy).

So, drum roll, my vote goes to Princess. Check out their Voyage of the
Glaciers one-way sailings.

Happy researching!

Diana Ball
near Houston, TX

I'll second that. We did this cruise in 2001 with our 4 kids, then aged:
18,15,13,8. We were on the Sun Princess and the kids absolutely loved the
ship. They have also done NCL but they all vote Princess better. Hubby and
I have been on Carnival, Princess, NCL, and RCI, and of them, the only one
we are not in a rush to repeat is NCL.
Momma

D Ball wrote:

For kids and parents, I'd narrow the list to any ship that does Glacier Bay
but not out of Seattle.

Diana, why do you say "not" out of Seattle?

thanks,
sue

D Ball wrote:

For kids and parents, I'd narrow the list to any ship that does Glacier
Bay but not out of Seattle.

Diana, why do you say "not" out of Seattle?

thanks,
sue

Hi, Sue,

Sneaking away from the washer/dryer?!

I'm a one-way itinerary snob, for one thing! My rationale is simple: Alaska
is a very expensive and time-consuming proposition no matter how you look at
it. Many of us go and actually say out loud more than once in the process,
"I may never go again." So, on the theory that this may be your
once-in-a-lifetime visit, don't you think you ought to blow it out and do it
right??! That's the way my mind works.

Another feature of one-ways that is often missing from roundtrips is Glacier
Bay National Park and also College Fjords. If you look at a map, both are
nearer to Anchorage, Seward & Whittier -- the northern end of a one-way --
than they are to Vancouver or Seattle. For that reason, fewer roundtrips
include GBNP and/or College Fjords. I think the greater weight of opinion is
that GBNP is *the* place to see, and I thought our day of cruising there
(and in the fjords) was absolutely spectacular and "unmissable." In
fairness, though, others make the perfectly reasonable argument that if
you've never seen tidal glaciers, then any of the others (Hubbard, Sawyer,
etc.) that are featured on the roundtrip and more "southern" itineraries are
going to knock your socks off. They are probably right. No one should think
their itinerary is inferior--it's all a matter of subjective assessment and
shades/degrees of incredible things we sure don't have back home!

lines that do GBNP, the park service limits cruise ship permits, so not
all lines go there, and within lines, only some ships may go to GBNP. RCI
lost their permit to do GBNP (pollution penalty).

Now, practical realities, I know those pesky work schedules can get in the
way. So, roundtrips may be better for folks who can't take advantage of a
one-way itinerary, which exists for folks to do incredible pre- and
post-cruise land stuff in Alaska and British Columbia. (We had a ball doing
both--I highly recommend it.)

Let's talk about roundtrips, then. You've got your roundtrips from Vancouver
and those from Seattle. I would shoot for Vancouver if at all possible
because you get a more northern jump on the trip. Look hard at any Seattle
roundtrip to make sure it doesn't fall short/south of a key port stop you
want to see. But what I specifically seek to avoid in a Seattle roundtrip
(and maybe some Vancouvers??) is a transit outside, or to the west/Pacific
side of Vancouver Island. This is a rougher trip and far less scenic than
cruising straight up from Vancouver in the Inside Passage, which is lovely
and as smooth as glass, you have never cruised like that before, it is
incredible (balcony required for this trip!)--and important for some people
greatly affected by motion sickness.

However, again, the Seattle thing is not a deal breaker. I am such a huge
fan of doing Alaska, I think ANY Alaskan cruise is better than none at all!
As I recall, you and Kevin have (amazingly) not done Alaska and will be
seriously looking at the SGC 2007 (?) as it evolves. I hope it works out for
you. I will be candid, I never had a strong interest in going up there. But
we went, and I loved every minute, I could actually return in a heartbeat
(and that's weird, I am not an enthusiastic repeater when it comes to
travel). I felt this amazing spiritual connection with the natural
wonders...it was an earthy, primeval sort of thing. I know that sounds
hokey, and I'm not explaining it very well...but it was "awesome" in every
sense of that word before it became everyday parlance.

Of course, I know you won't let my ramblings influence you, Sue. Y'all will
need to do your Alaska cruise research when you get ready. I think you've
collected my other tip weekday sailings vs. crowded weekends. Also, I'm
still trying to finish my Christmas Sun Princess review (ha!) and noticed in
talking about those balconies that I loved that old "inset" kind for
Alaska--offered great protection from the elements vs. the "hanging off the
side" kind. (Tom K. can come along and straighten me out on the proper
engineering terms, LOL.)

More than you wanted to know.

Can't wait to hear your take on the MOAGC!

Diana

D Ball wrote:

Hi, Sue,

Sneaking away from the washer/dryer?!

Yes and from bills, a weeks worth of newspapers, the last unpacking
and geting ready for a medical appointment tomorrow. I needed a little
escape(grin)!!

I'm a one-way itinerary snob, for one thing! My rationale is simple: Alaska
is a very expensive and time-consuming proposition no matter how you look at
it. Many of us go and actually say out loud more than once in the process,
"I may never go again." So, on the theory that this may be your
once-in-a-lifetime visit, don't you think you ought to blow it out and do it
right??! That's the way my mind works.

I thought that this might be what you had in mind. My thinking right
now and that might change with time, is that if we do a round trip, we
can go sooner then if we had the added expense of open jaw tickets.

Another feature of one-ways that is often missing from roundtrips is Glacier
Bay National Park and also College Fjords.

From what everyone who "knows" Alaska has said, I would only take a
cruise if it goes to Glacier Bay, at least for my first Alaska cruise.
We will probably be going in 2007 or 2008 and hope to go back again
after Kevin retires and we have more time to spend there.

However, again, the Seattle thing is not a deal breaker. I am such a huge
fan of doing Alaska, I think ANY Alaskan cruise is better than none at all!
As I recall, you and Kevin have (amazingly) not done Alaska and will be
seriously looking at the SGC 2007 (?) as it evolves. I hope it works out for
you. I will be candid, I never had a strong interest in going up there. But
we went, and I loved every minute, I could actually return in a heartbeat

From what I hear, once we go, we will want to go back. Also no matter
how we do it the first time, there is always more amazing things to
see. We were looking at the SGC2007, but we might not be able to go
that summer and when things settle down a bit, I intend to see if
people want to postpone it to 2008. We have a family gathering in St
Thomas in the works for July 2007. My nephew lives there and would be
thrilled if alot of us could visit him, other then for a day when we
are in port there.

Of course, I know you won't let my ramblings influence you, Sue. Y'all will
need to do your Alaska cruise research when you get ready. I think you've
collected my other tip weekday sailings vs. crowded weekends. Also, I'm
still trying to finish my Christmas Sun Princess review (ha!) and noticed in
talking about those balconies that I loved that old "inset" kind for
Alaska--offered great protection from the elements vs. the "hanging off the
side" kind. (Tom K. can come along and straighten me out on the proper
engineering terms, LOL.)

I think your ramblings "will" influence me and I have already told
Kevin about sailing other then on a weekend. Unless a balcony is
protected from the wind/cold, it would be useless in Alaska. I
wouldn't mind an aft cabin like we just had on the Infinity(grin).

More than you wanted to know.

Not at all, I am filing this post to study when we start doing our
research. Who is kidding who here, when "I" start doing research,
Kevin will leave most of it to me.LOL

Can't wait to hear your take on the MOAGC!

I loved Celebrity and the Infinity and want to sail the Infinity
again. It was also wonderful sailing with 150 friends, plus the
friends from cruise critic. This is a very busy week for us, not only
the normal post-cruise stuff, but we both have medical appointments. I
hope that by this time next week we will have a review and pictures
posted.

Thanks for another very informative post!!

sue

Hi, Bill,

It is a common misconception (IMO) that open-jaws are always more expensive
or are a lot more expensive than RT's. I tracked my desired open jaw
Houston-Vancouver, Anchorage-Houston, for a long time, as well as various
alternatives involving RT's with added extendor flights, and one day, the
price break came! It just takes learning the market & following it.

The Coral cruise you are watching sounds very nice. In the category of more
useless tidbits, I have heard some argue that doing your Alaska land first
gets the hard part out of the way, then you can cruise south and relax. We,
too, cruised from Vancouver north to Anchorage (same itinerary you are
considering, although I think Princess is now using Whittier as its final
destination?), and I liked the way we started in familiar territory and the
landscape/seascape evolved before our eyes...the anticipation just kept
building. Something I read favoring a northbound trip was that food
provisioning is better in Vancouver vs. Anchorage--that makes some sense
because, of course, Alaska depends on "imported" stuff, including much of
its fresh food and meat. So, if a cruise ship is provisioning in Alaska, a
lot of what's going on board has already made one trip.

Our flightsee of Denali was the climax of the trip. The majority of air
service to the mt. is out of Talkeetna, a small town southeast of Denali
Nat'l Park.

Bill, you've got the right spirit. I'd say tighten the proverbial belt if
you have to, but develop a comfortable budget to see and do everything you
want. It will be worth every last penny.

Good job on your research! Nice website, BTW. I see you are a Cruise Critic.
I guess you've followed BQ's posts...she has a lot of experienced advise to
offer.

Regards,

Diana

D Ball wrote:
Hi, Bill,

It is a common misconception (IMO) that open-jaws are always more expensive
or are a lot more expensive than RT's. I tracked my desired open jaw
Houston-Vancouver, Anchorage-Houston, for a long time, as well as various
alternatives involving RT's with added extendor flights, and one day, the
price break came! It just takes learning the market & following it.

The Coral cruise you are watching sounds very nice. In the category of more
useless tidbits, I have heard some argue that doing your Alaska land first
gets the hard part out of the way, then you can cruise south and relax. We,
too, cruised from Vancouver north to Anchorage (same itinerary you are
considering, although I think Princess is now using Whittier as its final
destination?), and I liked the way we started in familiar territory and the
landscape/seascape evolved before our eyes...the anticipation just kept
building. Something I read favoring a northbound trip was that food
provisioning is better in Vancouver vs. Anchorage--that makes some sense
because, of course, Alaska depends on "imported" stuff, including much of
its fresh food and meat. So, if a cruise ship is provisioning in Alaska, a
lot of what's going on board has already made one trip.

Our flightsee of Denali was the climax of the trip. The majority of air
service to the mt. is out of Talkeetna, a small town southeast of Denali
Nat'l Park.

Bill, you've got the right spirit. I'd say tighten the proverbial belt if
you have to, but develop a comfortable budget to see and do everything you
want. It will be worth every last penny.

Good job on your research! Nice website, BTW. I see you are a Cruise Critic.
I guess you've followed BQ's posts...she has a lot of experienced advise to
offer.

Regards,

Diana


Diana,
Certainly more things to think about in regards to which direction to
cruise.
I didn't give the provisioning much thought but you make a good point.
Since I love my food I'd lean more towards the northbound route. ;-)

Yes I've run into BQ on CC. From the sound of her post she sounded very
familiar.
Turns out it's JLeary who used to post here all the time.

I've only been checking into the Alaska cruise for about 2 weeks and
already have 3 pages of notes, many bookmarks, etc.
I'm already more excited about going on this cruise in 2007 then the 2 I
have booked for this year and I never really thought I'd want to go to
Alaska. lol

Thanks for your post. Appreciate every bit of info and suggestions I can
get. :-)

Bill

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