Alaskan Cruise with Kids

Written By Sherri F.

I'd been wanting to visit Alaska since college… I wrote a 40-page paper on Alaska (I majored in Tourism).  Alaska did not disappoint! We sailed on the Ruby Princess from Seattle to Juneau, then onto Skagway, Glacier Bay, Ketchikan, Victoria, and finished in Seattle.

Alaska is a fantastic destination if you’re traveling with kids. You can kayak, pan for gold, ride a steam train, go whale watching, zipline, mush husky dogs, or take a seaplane ride.

Alaskan Cruise Tips:

•Shop around for the best cruise deals.  We booked this cruise through Vacations To Go and got a great Interline discount (airline employee deal).  They also offer other types of discounts.

•I recommend cruising in July. We left on July 20th and had great weather with hardly any rain. 

•Book a room midship if you get seasick.  You'll feel less movement in the lower part of the ship towards the middle.

•We took the Link Light Rail from Sea-Tac airport to downtown Seattle.  It was so cheap and our girls enjoyed the ride.  After our cruise, we took Uber back to the airport.

•We had a late check-in time on this cruise and it was the easiest cruise check-in ever.  There were no lines!

•The Camp Discovery Kids Club staff on the Ruby Princess were excellent!  Make sure your children take advantage of the activities Princess offers. The girls came home with all kinds of souvenirs including crafts, t-shirts, hand-made jewelry, etc.

•Excursions on Alaskan cruises are pricey! You can spend more on the excursions than on the cruise.  We're used to cruising the Caribbean and Mexico where the excursions are more reasonably priced.  You can save money by booking excursions through private companies rather than booking excursions through the cruise ship.

•Dress in layers!  Bring binoculars, a raincoat, an umbrella, sunglasses, gloves, a swimsuit, and a beanie, We were able to pack all the layers and still only bring our carry-on roller bag for each of us.  

•If you bring your carry-on roller bag (the same size you take on an airplane) you can skip checking your bag when boarding the ship.  Another bonus is you won't have to wait for them to bring your bags to your room (Or have them misplaced... I've met people on past cruises whose bags were lost 😱).  

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Seattle

Before our cruise set sail, we spent two days in SEATTLE.  We stayed at the Westin downtown near the Westlake shopping center... my oldest loved all of the shopping!  We also like that it wasn't too far from Pikes Place Market.

Click here to see what we did with our girls in Seattle on a previous trip.

HAVING FUN IN SEATTLE

Day 1- on our Alaskan Cruise

Bon Voyage Seattle!

We took an Uber from our hotel to the cruise port. They also offer shuttles or you can take a taxi. Some hotels have a park-and-cruise offer that allows you to stay one night and leave your car while on your cruise.

The first thing we did after settling into our cabin was to scout out the ice cream machine. 😂 This is always one of our favorite spots on the cruise ship.  Next, we went for a swim, knowing it would be the warmest day.  It was, but that didn't stop our girls from swimming throughout the cruise.   The day ended with face painting in the kid’s club.

DAY 2- At Sea

We enjoyed the activities and guest speakers on our cruise.  One lady kayaked the Inside Passage from Seattle another lived in the Alaskan wilderness.  We learned so much going to the lectures.  Another great activity to not miss is Movies Under the Stars.

Our daughter’s favorite was meeting & holding sled dogs.

Day 3- JUNEAU

We woke up early to see humpback whales and found the best views in the front of the ship.

In JUNEAU we went to the Mendenhall Glacier. It's about 13 miles long and 12 miles from Juneau.  We took a trail along the lake that brought us to a viewing point for pictures then ended our hike at Nugget Creek Falls.  We also went to the visitor center and learned how the Alaskan Glaciers are vanishing. 😓 In Glacier Bay the ship gets close to the glaciers so you could skip this excursion.  In New Zealand, I was able to hike on the Franz Josef Glacier so seeing this in the distance was a little bit of a buzzkill. 

After visiting the glacier we took the tram up Mt. Roberts and hiked to Father Brown's Cross.  This was my favorite part of the day.  We passed totems and saw amazing views of Juneau and the surrounding area.  

These Views! 🙌

Don't forget to pack binoculars... We used them a lot! We saw so many eagles in Juneau!

Day 4- SKAGWAY

In SKAGWAY we took the White Pass & Yukon Route Railway.  We boarded the train where our ship was docked and the train dropped us off in town on the way back.  Sit on the left side on the way up and right on the way back for the best views, but my favorite spot was standing outside on the deck.

After our train ride, we stopped by Klondike Doughboy for Alaskan fried bread with cinnamon & sugar. 😋 It was hot, fresh and delicious!!

Day 5- Glacier Bay

Cruising Glacier Bay was the highlight of our cruise.  It's the reason I picked this cruise.  Seeing the glaciers and being so close was dreamy!! 

It was so peaceful in Glacier Bay! We saw seals, otters, and icebergs floating by and also heard and saw glaciers calving.  What an amazing sight to experience!

The highlight was having the park rangers on board while in Glacier Bay National Park. They narrated what we were seeing and gave a presentation about the history of the glaciers.

😍!!!

Day 6- KETCHIKAN

I loved KETCHIKAN... Such a quaint town! We took a navy seal boat through Alaska Travel Adventures to Betton Island then went on a nature walk.  Our guide was so great.  

Day 7- Victoria, Canada

We woke up to breakfast with Stanley! Our girls loved this! Don’t miss and sign up early!

Our last stop on the cruise was Victoria, Canada.  I was so excited to return to Butchart Gardens.  I've been once during the day but never at night.  It was so pretty to see everything lit up. In the summer they have live performances on the outdoor stage and a fireworks show on Saturday evenings.

I was impressed with the Victoria Butterfly Garden.  There was a lot more to see than just butterflies!  We just wish we had more time.  Our boat was running late and we only had a few hours planned here to begin with.  But gives me a reason to come back.  😁

Day 8- Back to Seattle

We took an Uber from the cruise port to SeaTac Airport (It cost about $60.00). You can also take a shuttle or a bus through your cruise line. If your flight departs later in the afternoon use the free Port Valet service. They’ll transport your luggage and check it in for your flight (on participating airlines for domestic travel). This will give you time to explore Seattle. When you’re ready to head back towards the airport hop on the light rail.

TOURS IN SEATTLE:

Sherri F.
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