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Cruising Alaska — Now It’s Kids Thing
Cruising Alaska – Now It’s a Family Thing
By Mike Miller
If you are truly considering a family vacation to Alaska, and you’re wondering should your kids would enjoy a cruise to “The very last Frontier,” wonder get rid of. Young family members from toddlers through teens have got a blast on big ships and small as their vessels sail in the protected waters of Alaska’s Inside Passage. Aboard ship or ashore, there are several kid-friendly, parent-friendly, and grandparent-friendly places to see and fun things to do.
It’s a fact, merely a short decade or two ago families with kids aboard best alaska cruises were as scarce as Alaskan Dall sheep lambs in a grizzly bear’s lair. However the times have changed — big. Today you will discover, in addition to the traditional hefty contingent of seniors and near-seniors aboard each ship, a growing number of families. Sometimes these groups are multi-generational, with gramps and grandmas, mums and dads, and children that can start from gangly teens to babes literally in arms.
The rationale? Word is out that Alaska’s attractions are sure-fire hits for travelers of any age: attractions like humongous whales breaching full size mirror from the water, grizzly bears chasing salmon along forest creeks and rivers, icebergs (sometimes as big as a tour bus) crashing, splashing, and thundering from the faces of miles-long glaciers.
Too, you will find chances to mush in a dog sled behind a team of charging huskies – after helicoptering with a lofty mountain-top glacier no less! Kids and oldsters can ride bikes through towering forests or down mountain paths and trails. They will be able to also kayak among whales and sea lions. Whole families can fish for lunker king salmon. Or try their luck at gold-panning in creeks and streams.
Newest craze of the young as well as the young-at-heart is riding a zip-line throughout the upper canopies of towering spruce and hemlock forests in Ketchikan and Juneau — hanging secure within a harness simply because they “zip” along a steel cable some 130 feet or even more above the forest floor.
Or, less daunting, while visiting museums up and down the coast families can absorb the totemic culture and the roots or history of Alaska’s Native peoples. They might discover the period when Alaska was “Russian America.” They can view mementos of those tumultuous gold stampede to the Klondike throughout the late 1800s,
Absolute confidence about this, Alaska has something exciting to supply every member of the family, no matter age.
But what about life aboard the cruiseships? Will young people discover the experience dullsville?
Hardly. The mid- to mega-sized ships in particular are actually resorts afloat with swimming pools, spas, snack shops, chips parlors, outdoor game courts, video arcades, and movie theaters. Special staff members aboard these vessels — with one exception — include trained youth counselors. These crew members arrange age-appropriate social activities, organize games and sports events, supervise arts and crafts, take youngsters on shipwide treasure hunts, and customarily confirm that cruisers from tykes through teens enjoy their cruise to the extent that their parents and grandparents.
Although smallship cruiselines in Alaska tend not to staff their vessels with special counselors for young cruisers, the ships are no less family-welcoming. These vessels can enter small bays and inlets where guests can view wildlife on close-by forest shores, explore waterways by kayak or in spiffy powered Zodiacs, hike remote island beaches, possibly even stop for a natural hot springs dip in forested surroundings.
One smallship cruiseline even schedules three best alaska cruise annually especially geared for family travel.
Notwithstanding vessel size, and there was a couple of exceptions, cruiselines inside the Alaska trade actively court family cruisers. Few such travelers, young or old, choose the experience anything then again “cool.” And they’re also not indicating to the weather.
Cruiseline by cruiseline here’s a rundown of little one care and family fun traveling on an best alaska cruise. The details was supplied because of the cruiselines or assisted by company websites.
Large and Mega Size Cruiseships
Carnival Cruise LINE’s 2006 Alaska voyages aboard the 2,124-passenger Carnival Spirit offer youngsters age 2 through 17 numerous continuous supervised activities throughout the line’s “Camp Carnival” program.
Included in the line’s Alaska sailings absolutely are a quantity of “simply for Alaska” projects where kids will make their own personal dream catchers and totem poles and learn concerning the region’s fascinating Native Alaskan cultures.
The Carnival Spirit offers other kid- and family-friendly amenities as well, including a spacious indoor play room featuring an arts and crafts center, a 16-monitor video wall, climbing mazes, a patio play area, along with a computer lab.
In terms of dining, says Carnival, “Youngsters have the full ‘Fun Ship’ treatment with expanded children’s menus offering many different kids’ favorites and also every junior special.” The menus are included on the back of a coloring and activity book featuring word finds, mazes, tic-tac-toe, crossword puzzles, connect-the-dots, and also other games.
Young cruiser age brackets include 2- through 5-year-olds, 6 through 8, 9 through 11, and then for teens 15 through 17 a software program called “Club 02.” (http://www.carnival.com)
CELEBRITY CRUISES’ “Family Cruising Program” offers young peoples’ activities in four age ranges:
On any given day Ship Mates (for 3- through 6-year-olds) may take part in clown party, treasure hunt, T-shirt painting, Legos, talent time, finger painting, dancing games, summer stock theater, cartoon time, computers, play stations, musical games, movies, ship tours, and fillets sundae making.
Many of these same activities are around the agenda for older children as well, but just are undertaken traveling on an older-age level.
Celebrity Cadets (for children 7-9) can also include pool olympics, scavenger hunts, charades, a workout program, board games, relays, and team trivia. Ensigns (for pre-teens 10-12) additionally enjoy karaoke, relay races, ship tours, and pizza parties.
Admiral T’s takes in two classes of teenagers, 13-15 and 16-17. Members can frequent the Teen Club, engage in basketball tournaments, enjoy pool parties, and help placed on talent shows.
Celebrity vessels include a “Parents Fun evening” program. Around the two formal nights of your seven-night voyage, Celebrity treats parents to free babysitting when counselors take the children to some pizza party for dinner. (http://www.celebrity.com)
HOLLAND AMERICA LINE’s “Club HAL” offers a type of kid-friendly facilities and age-appropriate activities. Programs for kids ages 3-12 may be found aboard 2006 Alaska-bound ships Ryndam, Statendam, Zaandam, Zuiderdam, Oosterdam, and Westerdam and with ages 5-12 aboard Volendam and Veendam. All eight ships have a teen program for ages 13-17. (http://www.hollandamerica.com)
Club HAL activities are designed to be age appropriate. For example, every day activities planned for kids ages 3 to 7 may include arts and crafts, face-painting, camp-out night, candy bar Bingo, outdoor fun, as well as a pajama party.
“Tweens,” the in-between travelers 8 through 12, may learn golf putting, attend dance parties and theme nights, compete in on-deck sports events and scavenger hunts, play arcade games, tie-dye t-shirts, or just simply play ping-pong which has a friend.
Teens 13-17 relish Loft created to resemble a New York artist’s loft; there’s also The Oasis, a personal deck where teens can take up the rays then cool off inside of a one-of-a-kind waterfall. The Loft and Oasis are currently found at 2006 Alaska-bound vessels Ryndam, Statendam, Veendam, Volendam, and Zaandam. Teens will especially enjoy the teen disco, dance lessons, arcade games, teen sports tournaments, karaoke, trivia contests, bingo, play stations, movies and jacuzzi parties.
On most itineraries, Holland America provides at least one full-time Youth Program Director one or higher youth staff members. The ratio of Club HAL staff to children as part of the team is 1:30.
Additionally there are a large variety of kid-pleasing food, including special sandwiches, tacos, burgers, hot dogs and pizza. For your very young baby food, high chairs and booster seats could be requested beforehand of boarding. Baby-sitting services may be obtained to get a small surcharge and special bday parties can be arranged.
NORWEGIAN CRUISE LINE notes on its websites the fact that line’s Kid’s Crew and Teen’s Crew programs are filled with age-appropriate activities for youths 2 through 17. For Kid’s Crew members aged 2-12, NCL offers from arts and crafts to pajama parties. Teens Crew, for cruisers 13-17 provides options like pool parties, a teenager disco, a video arcade, etc.
But don’t, says NCL, give thought to these programs as “babysitting.” There’s hardly any “sitting” involved, notes the cruiseline. The programs are active, energetic, educational and, most especially, fun. (http://www.ncl.com)
Princess Cruises‘ junior cruisers (ages 3 to 17) can enjoy a boatload of exciting onboard activities. Almost every line’s Alaska-bound ships have special kids and youth centers staffed by counselors who put on a course of age-specific activities everyday. Group babysitting is available in the late evenings.
Among a variety of programs for youngsters is one of the specific to Alaska. Produced with the National Park Service, Princess’ sub-teen “Junior Ranger” program is designed to bring Glacier Bay as well as the Alaska wilderness to life for many thousands of children each summer. This system features interactive games, activity books, and presentation by rangers. The corresponding “Teen Explorer” program features similar learning activities geared for older youngsters.
Inside of a cruise industry exclusive, the Los Angeles-based California Science Center provides entertaining interactive activities. Princess youth staff have undergone extensive training with the center, designed to enthrall young passengers with award-winning science projects. Whale watching, building and racing sailboats, marine biology studies and squid dissection certainly are a several of the activities available.
The line’s website notes that preteens are divided into two groups: Princess Pelicans ages 3-7 and Princess Pirateers, 8-12. Both groups are entertained with age-rated arts and crafts, discos, movies and cartoons, exclusive kids-only dining, hunts, karaoke and lip-sync shows, afternoon fillets parties, pizza parties, backstage and galley tours, pajama parties, and T-shirt coloring. Says Princess’ website: “Our astounding teen centers are loaded with Nintendo, movies, karaoke, giant screen TVs, card and board games, ping-pong and juke boxes.” The positioning also notes the fact that Alaska-bound Sun, Dawn, Coral, Island, and Diamond Princess ships include a toddler’s play area. (http://www.princess.com)
ROYAL CARIBBEAN INTERNATIONAL provides a young peoples’ program called “Adventure Ocean” serving and entertaining travelers 3 to 17 in five different categories.
Youngest group (ages 3 through 5) are called Aquanauts and do finger painting, building blocks, play dough, music activities, dot dancing, and “shape Bingo.” Explorers (6-8) have a Pirate Night, look a backstage tour, enjoy nutty nicknames, and engage in autograph hunts. Nine to 11-year-old Voyagers do karaoke singing, possess a Ga-Ga Ball, enjoy H20 Thunder Races, and do a style walk.
Navigators (12-14) play in sports tournaments, have pool parties, take part in college night, pursue computer games, and show up disco dancing sessions in addition to a proper night. Older teens,15-17 and called Guests, also enjoy dancing, pool parties, DJ training, Battle of many Sexes, plus a formal night as well as a Survivor Series.
RCI’s Edu-tainment programming offers:
Adventure Science, a blend of hands-on experiments and wacky entertainment (example: Staggering In the Stars, as well as a Wacky Water Workshop);
Adventure Art, the opportunity to workout creativity with crafts;
Sail Into Story Period and Adventure Family. The second is really a free, onboard program that lets children 3-11 so their parents to waste quality time together doing projects that can start from shipbuilding regattas to talent shows and scavenger hunts. (http://www.royalcaribbean.com)
Mid-Size Veins
RADISSON SEVEN SEAS CRUISES’ youth program, “Club Mariner,” provides adults who desire to share Alaska’s wonders using their children or grandchildren a free of charge children’s program. “This system,” says the firm, “offers the opportunity for families of all types of lifestyle to get Alaska inside of a meaningful, enriching way.” The cruiseline’s youth program is created the subsequent age groups: 5-9, 10-13 and 14-17. Throughout each voyage, trained counselors offer young cruisers the opportunity to participate in a variety of interactive adventures that focuses Alaska. Children will exercise their creativity with crafts while gaining knowledge about Alaska’s diverse wildlife, its unique geography, its indigenous crafts, as well as rich artistic heritage.
Kids will gain details about about whales, salmon, glaciers and totem poles. They could draw and write about their adventures in the special Club Mariner scrapbook, bake chocolate “moose” cookies, go whale watching out on deck or learn all about eagles, dolphins, bears and sea lions. Notes RSSC: “Club Mariner not only makes it easier for families to travel together, it can help kids broaden their cultural and valuable horizons. And they’ll return home knowing how to Alaska than all the other 49 states combined!” (http://www.rssc.com) SILVERSEA CRUISES advises that, because of the sophisticated nature of its cruises and programs, the corporation will not encourage travel with small. (http://www.silverseacruises.com)
Smaller Ships
AMERICAN SAFARI CRUISES’ Kids in the wild (KIN) cruises, include a luxury yacht because the schoolhouse, an Expedition Leader/Naturalist since the teacher, as well as the wildlife-rich waters of Alaska’s Inside Passage when the laboratory. KIN convenes in Alaska aboard the upscale 22-passenger yacht Safari Quest with all the first of two seven-night cruises from Sitka June 17. The voyage takes in various wilderness sites and communities throughout Southeast Alaska. and ends in Juneau June 17. Another seven-night Safari Quest sailing commences July 29 while an eight-night voyage from Prince Rupert, B.C. to Juneau embarks June 26 aboard the equally luxurious 12-guest Safari Escape.
Activities abound for everybody: kayaking, hiking for the remote island followed by a full-scale picnic, hopping shore-to-shore by Zodiac, viewing whales directly from the bow or dolphins right below, collecting shells to learn, and more. Kids and adults alike are accompanied on an style of personal-choice excursions while their yacht is at anchor.
By the end of any cruise each child receives a Kids easily backpack packed with mementos with their various explorations: accreditation of accomplishment signed because of the Captain and Expedition Leader, a tee shirt and cap, a number of binoculars, disposable camera and a typed collection of almost every flora and fauna observed while in the cruise. This program offers kid-size pricing — two kids under 12 for example adult fare.
Aboard other sailings in the course of the season American Safaris Cruises’ three yachts offer very upscale amenities and cuisine best appreciated by sophisticated adults. Them cruises the boundary normally discourages guests from bringing little ones and doesn t offer specifically child-oriented services. (http://www.americansafaricruises.com)
AMERICAN WEST STEAMBOAT COMPANY advises, “We tend to satisfy mature adults and as such offer no special programs to kids and teens.” (http://www.americanweststeamboat.com)
THE BOAT COMPANY offers special rates for young cruisers traveling with parents: 50 percent off the usual fare if occupying a stateroom which includes a parent, 20 % off if occupying an independent cabin.
The company’s two vessels lack separate personnel specifically assigned to youngsters as part of the team, nonetheless the line does seek to accommodate the desires just about every one of them passenger including kayaking, fishing, beach hikes, and also other kid-friendly activities. (http://www.theboatcompany.com)
CLIPPER CRUISELINE does not have any specific children’s programs or staff for younger travelers, but the nature of the company’s routes and cruising areas (including whale sightings, bears other wildlife, and shore excursions) ensure it is healthy for family groups. Cabins can accommodate as many as three guests; for larger groups two cabins might possibly be necessary. (http://www.clippercruise.com)
CRUISE WEST gives a children’s travel special aboard the Sheltered Seas Daylight Yacht Tours. Travelers 12 and under sharing a cabin with an adult save 50 percent on Family Adventure cruise fares. Youths 13 through 21 save 25 %.
While many of the company’s other cruises are of considerable interest for families with children, activities aboard ship are certainly not specifically geared for young travelers. Cruise West is the largest of your smallship cruiselines serving Alaska discounts cruising options of family interest from Southeast Alaska having its totems, glaciers, national park lands and goldrush historical neat places to see to Southcentral’s Prince William Sound and beyond to Arctic waters and even Russia. (http://www.cruisewest.com)
DISCOVERY VOYAGES advises that cruises aboard the 12-passenger vessel Discovery are “definitely family friendly” and, in fact, the company offers a 25 percent discount for infants 12 and under. Notes an organization spokeswoman: “Due to the intimate size of our vessel we don’t have specific youth directors but our staff (including Captain Dean Rand’s daughters Hannah and Heather, who grew up as part of the team the invention) is diverse in engaged on the entire family as well as being naturalists and kayaking guides.” The firm often works with agencies and outfitters who specialize in family trips. (http://www.discoveryvoyages.com)
LINDBLAD EXPEDITIONS welcomes voyagers young and old. And arrive September, Archie Comics illustrator Stan Goldberg will enter a shipload of other Lindblad Expeditions travelers throughout the Inside Passage from Southeast Alaska to British Columbia. His mission: to bring about the next in his “Little Lin” cartoon book sequence of educational adventures for youngsters. (In his first book, Fun and Games With Little Lin, released in 2005, child explorer Little Lin discovers Peru’s Galapagos Islands.)
ßIn his second work Goldberg’s young adventurer will sail to Alaska and will encounter glaciers, humpback whales, bald eagles, and all manner of other creatures and their habitats along Alaska’s and British Columbia’s Inside Passage. Quickly years, the Alaska-inspired Little Lin books will probably be distributed to every one families traveling aboard Lindblad Inside Passage cruises. (http://www.expeditions.com) MAPLE LEAF ADVENTURES offers families the opportunity to view Alaska’s glaciers, whales, islands, bear hot spots, beaches, hot springs and towns aboard the classic tall-ship sailing vessel Maple Leaf, a beautifully restored 92-foot sailing schooner in-built 1904. The ship takes 8 to 10 guests. The vessel’s on-board naturalist, chef and experienced crew can customize the trip’s itinerary, menu and activities to suit family interests. Typical highlights include unparalleled proximity to ice bergs, glaciers and wildlife, sailing a tall ship, and great camaraderie between guests and crew. Special activities for teens include sail training, fishing (with purchase of a fisherman’s license), hikes, as well as a customizable itinerary. Accommodations are comfortable but not luxurious. Because berths are limited to nine or ten passengers, it is possible for example or even more families (two families of 5, by way of example) to jointly reserve every one of the berths for starters of the company’s 11-night Alaska voyages. Parents with teen-age children may reserve berths which are not otherwise reserved together with the concurrence of prior-booked adult passengers. (http://www.mapleleafadventures.com)
State and Provincial Ferries
ALASKA MARINE HIGHWAY SYSTEM (Alaska ferries) is made-to-order for family travel along Alaska’s coast. Counting on vessel youngsters will find onboard play areas of the very young, casual meals and snack bars for any age, movies, and nature talks plus expansive glass-enclosed solariums. These would be ideal for spotting orcas (killer whales), humpback whales, playful porpoises and sea lions within the water plus mountain goats on towering cliffsides, and (for fortunate observer) the sight of black and brown (grizzly) bears on passing beaches. Families with or without vehicles may embark as far south as Bellingham, Washington or Prince Rupert, British Columbia.
Larger stateroom-equipped vessels of many fleet would be the Columbia (931 passengers), Matanuska (745), Malaspina (701), Taku (370), and Kennicott (748). Based on the season, one or two ships sail on weekly schedules completely to/from Bellingham while other people turn around at Prince Rupert. (http://www.FerryAlaska.com)
BC FERRIES demonstrates its kid-friendliness even before a baby boards ship. Computer-savvy children or their parents have only to surf usually the internet server to http://www.bcferries.bc.ca/kidzone/establishing_shot.html and they’re going to meet cartoon characters Samantha (“Call me Sam”) and Cal, two seagoing doggy characters who introduce young viewers to three online activities – an electrical coloring book, a “When compared to Ferries” memory game, and a virtual bridge tour.
The 700-passenger provincial ferry vessel Queen of the North encompasses Alaska state ferries at Prince Rupert for frequent usage of Southeast Alaska ports. (http://www.bcferries.com)
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Alaskan travel writer Mike Miller lives in Juneau where his current passion is publishing an informational website about Alaska cruising: http://www.AlaskaCruisingReport.com. Miller has authored or contributed to a number of books (Fodors, Sierra Club Books, Globe Pequot, The Milepost while others). He also writes for TravelAge West (a magazine for travel companies) and then for major newspapers and magazines.
Copyright (c) 2006 By Mike Miller — All Rights Reserved
