Alaska cruise - kids footwear

[AAAG]

For those of you who have done the Alaskan cruise with young kids - did you bring rain boots for your kids? if you didn't, did you wish you had?
There's nothing but rain and more rain in the forecast for next week.... I'm wondering if things will be muddy? Such as the trails at Mendenhall, etc.

 

[Naomi Collison]

I havent done the cruise but I live in Alaska. I can tell you August is a super rainy time and rain boots with traction are a great thing to bring. Make sure they fit well if your excursions have a lot of walking or everyone will have blisters. The trails will be muddy with puddles and some of them may even have a small amount of moving water flowing over them depending on the trail you take.

 

[snoopy5386]

We were in Alaska last month and like you we had rain in the forecast and it in fact did rain just about every day. Luckily it was a very light misting kind of rain and not a downpour. My kids just had sneakers that I had sprayed with waterproofing spray and they were 100% fine for our needs. We hiked Mendenhall and the trails were not muddy. No need for rain boots. You will be doing a lot of walking and IME rain boots aren't really comfortable for that unless your kids are used to wearing them day in and day out.

 

[Karlzmom]

We have only taken sneakers. Never been unhappy. Our single excursion where it could have been an issue they provided the boots to everyone.

 

[Dug720]

I havent done the cruise but I live in Alaska. I can tell you August is a super rainy time and rain boots with traction are a great thing to bring. Make sure they fit well if your excursions have a lot of walking or everyone will have blisters. The trails will be muddy with puddles and some of them may even have a small amount of moving water flowing over them depending on the trail you take.

I have to laugh every time I see "a small amount of moving water" when it relates to trails in Alaska. Two summers ago I was on the Great Alaskan Running Cruise, and our run in Juneau was a trail run (either 5K or Half Marathon - we got to choose). We were advised that there "might be a small water crossing" on the Half course. I opted to do the 5K, but my friends who did the Half have pictures of the "small water crossing"...

Anywhere else in the Lower 48 we call that "small water crossing" a RIVER. The running club that helped organize the run actually put a rope across the "small water crossing" so that people had something to hang on to.

 

[Naomi Collison]

Too True. A small amount of running water can be anywhere from a creek to a river depending on the trail.

We don't typically get heavy rains, more of constant mists. However this year has been different and we have gotten significant amounts of rain. (not heavy rain still, you wont be swimming through it but enough to get you damp in a few minutes)

 

[ArmyWife7]

We just returned from the July 25th cruise. We had some drizzling rain on some of our excursions and all of us were just fine in sneakers. (I even forgot to spray them with waterproofing spray.) I saw one child in rain boots. Most had sneakers or Merrell-type of boots.

 

[xavier2001]

We schleped our rain boots all across the country and they sat in the suitcase under our bed, didn't use them once. I think that most of the 'wet' port adventures provide rain boots and for just being at port and doing hiking type stuff we didn't need them at all. Got the eyeroll from the hubby when we were trying to stuff them back in the very full suitcase the last night

 

[AAAG]

Thanks everyone! Maybe I'll wait to see how much room I have in the luggage, and then decide whether to bring them or not.
I've still got my fingers crossed that it's not going to be a total washout, but it's not looking promising...

 

[phinz]

I guess we got lucky in late May/early June. We had rain in Juneau and a smidgen in Ketchikan. The rest of the trip, including Glacier Bay (we were on Princess) was gloriously partly cloudy and in the '70s. It was the best I could have expected. I'm actually afraid to schedule another Alaska trip because I think we got spoiled.

 

[Naomi Collison]

I guess we got lucky in late May/early June. We had rain in Juneau and a smidgen in Ketchikan. The rest of the trip, including Glacier Bay (we were on Princess) was gloriously partly cloudy and in the '70s. It was the best I could have expected. I'm actually afraid to schedule another Alaska trip because I think we got spoiled.

May can be a bit chilly but this year was amazing. Typically June and July are absolutely beautiful. August is wet.

 

[MMR]

I fretted about this exact thing. I ended up not taking boots of any kind for my 7 and 9 year old. I did take 2 pair of sneakers for both. There was only 1 day in Ketchikan that shies got wet. It was bc my 7yo stepped into the water instead of the boat during a fishing trip. I didn't regret not having boots at all.