Alaska with non Disney cruise line

[AUTigerFan]

We are a family of 5 - kids will be 13, 10 & 5 in summer 2017. We want to cruise Alaska next summer but won't pay the Disney price difference. DW and I are DCL Gold but have never cruised other lines. Before I start researching options I wanted to ask opinions from this group as there is a lot of experience to be offered. What line or lines would you recommend for our young family?

A few caveats:
1) DS13 has autism and will not be in the clubs (if offered on the ship). We will be doing activities with him and he loves swimming, so a pool is a must.
2). DD10 is introverted. I'm basically saying that kids clubs are not a major draw for us. We do want a ship with lots of kids so that ours do not stand out.
3) We want a lot of family activities.

We would plan on lots of off ship time at the ports with a few "grand" excursions like helicoptering to a glacier and float plane sightseeing. The expense of those is a major reason we are not considering Disney. Also, a weekend departure makes it easier on vacation time and sailing out of Seattle will save money, too.

TIA

 

[PrincessShmoo]

We are a family of 5 - kids will be 13, 10 & 5 in summer 2017. We want to cruise Alaska next summer but won't pay the Disney price difference. DW and I are DCL Gold but have never cruised other lines. Before I start researching options I wanted to ask opinions from this group as there is a lot of experience to be offered. What line or lines would you recommend for our young family?

A few caveats:
1) DS13 has autism and will not be in the clubs (if offered on the ship). We will be doing activities with him and he loves swimming, so a pool is a must.
2). DD10 is introverted. I'm basically saying that kids clubs are not a major draw for us. We do want a ship with lots of kids so that ours do not stand out.
3) We want a lot of family activities.

We would plan on lots of off ship time at the ports with a few "grand" excursions like helicoptering to a glacier and float plane sightseeing. The expense of those is a major reason we are not considering Disney. Also, a weekend departure makes it easier on vacation time and sailing out of Seattle will save money, too.

TIA

I'd suggest you check into Princess. They have several sailings out of Seattle, and, from what I've read, the kid's clubs are pretty good. Yeah, I know you said you're not really interested in those, but having them usually would mean there will be kids onboard.

 

[GatorMomInNC]

We are a family of 5 - kids will be 13, 10 & 5 in summer 2017. We want to cruise Alaska next summer but won't pay the Disney price difference. DW and I are DCL Gold but have never cruised other lines. Before I start researching options I wanted to ask opinions from this group as there is a lot of experience to be offered. What line or lines would you recommend for our young family?

A few caveats:
1) DS13 has autism and will not be in the clubs (if offered on the ship). We will be doing activities with him and he loves swimming, so a pool is a must.
2). DD10 is introverted. I'm basically saying that kids clubs are not a major draw for us. We do want a ship with lots of kids so that ours do not stand out.
3) We want a lot of family activities.

We would plan on lots of off ship time at the ports with a few "grand" excursions like helicoptering to a glacier and float plane sightseeing. The expense of those is a major reason we are not considering Disney. Also, a weekend departure makes it easier on vacation time and sailing out of Seattle will save money, too.

TIA

Well, I would NOT recommend Celebrity then. We had a great Aalaska cruise with them. My kids loved the kids clubs, mainly because there were only a handful of kids and the counselors were like there own private babysitters. BUT based on your criteria, I would have to say not for you. There is a serious lack of family activities in the evening...the shows weren't really kid friendly. Basically in the evening my kids were in the clubs (we paid extra for them to stay "after hours") and my husband and I did adults only events in the lounges.

I will say, we had the BEST room ever- the family room that sleeps five on the Solstice was amazing.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Well, I would NOT recommend Celebrity then. We had a great Aalaska cruise with them. My kids loved the kids clubs, mainly because there were only a handful of kids and the counselors were like there own private babysitters. BUT based on your criteria, I would have to say not for you. There is a serious lack of family activities in the evening...the shows weren't really kid friendly. Basically in the evening my kids were in the clubs (we paid extra for them to stay "after hours") and my husband and I did adults only events in the lounges.

I will say, we had the BEST room ever- the family room that sleeps five on the Solstice was amazing.

But Celebrity doesn't go to Glacier Bay, does it?

 

[phinz]

We are cruising on the Crown Princess on June 4 out of Seattle. We couldn't justify the outrageous prices of Disney for a standard verandah when we were able to score a 600 sq. ft. aft suite and unlimited beverage package for me for less. The only thing we wish is that it left from Pier 66 instead of Pier 91, because we'd love to just walk across the street from our hotel and get on board.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

We are cruising on the Crown Princess on June 4 out of Seattle. We couldn't justify the outrageous prices of Disney for a standard verandah when we were able to score a 600 sq. ft. aft suite and unlimited beverage package for me for less. The only thing we wish is that it left from Pier 66 instead of Pier 91, because we'd love to just walk across the street from our hotel and get on board.

We were on the Crown Princess last April for a LA/Vancouver cruise. It was really nice. And she's had a dry dock since then.

 

[phinz]

We were on the Crown Princess last April for a LA/Vancouver cruise. It was really nice. And she's had a dry dock since then.

We're really looking forward to it. We got an Aft Vista suite and with what we saved vs. Disney, combined with rewards points from various places, we are staying at the Marriott Waterfront for two nights before the cruise, Renaissance Marriott two nights after, and flying Business Elite class to and from. I'm looking forward to seeing my family, who all live in Seattle, and fulfilling one of my wife's life-long dreams of cruising Alaska. Top it off with it being our 25th anniversary and I think we're in for a treat.

 

[GatorMomInNC]

But Celebrity doesn't go to Glacier Bay, does it?

No, which I know many consider a must, although we didn't.

 

[cccdisney]

We are a family of 5 - kids will be 13, 10 & 5 in summer 2017. We want to cruise Alaska next summer but won't pay the Disney price difference. DW and I are DCL Gold but have never cruised other lines. Before I start researching options I wanted to ask opinions from this group as there is a lot of experience to be offered. What line or lines would you recommend for our young family?

A few caveats:
1) DS13 has autism and will not be in the clubs (if offered on the ship). We will be doing activities with him and he loves swimming, so a pool is a must.
2). DD10 is introverted. I'm basically saying that kids clubs are not a major draw for us. We do want a ship with lots of kids so that ours do not stand out.
3) We want a lot of family activities.

We would plan on lots of off ship time at the ports with a few "grand" excursions like helicoptering to a glacier and float plane sightseeing. The expense of those is a major reason we are not considering Disney. Also, a weekend departure makes it easier on vacation time and sailing out of Seattle will save money, too.

TIA

Thank you for posting this! We are "shopping" for a cruise for the summer of 2018 for my husband and myself and our youngest who is currently 10 years. Some extended family will probably be joining us as well. We have two sons w/ autism, ages 12 and 10. The oldest is lower functioning and we will (more than likely) be leaving him at home with his two college aged siblings. The youngest is high functioning and we'd like to take him on a cruise that we can focus on just him.

He LOVES pools so he must be able to swim every day. His first cruise (on the Wonder) was last fall and he spent very little time in the kids clubs. He prefers to explore and do his own thing. He loved the foosball table and basketball court, as well as the Mickey slide and pool.

We live in the SF Bay Area and are leaning toward Princess. Anyone done the 10 day out of SF?

 

[ldo]

I will download my research of the past few days. Hope this helps someone. Seattle cruises go outside of Vancouver island via open sea, can have rough seas. This was a deal-breaker for us. Princess (like them a lot) only does RT from Seattle and not Vancouver. For V, you have HA and Celebrity. HA only goes to the entrance of TA, you need an excursion to go farther in. Celeb goes to Hubbard, but it can be fogged in and then you miss it and Icy Strait excursions are $$$. It would be $1200 for 6 of us to go on a 2 hr whale watching tour. We are just too cheap. I debated back and forth this weekend and then paid the deposit for the 5 day DCL. The 7 day DCL was just too much for us. Instead, we decided to add a week in the P NW prior to cruise to do hiking, etc. on our own. We still might change our minds, but without going out of S, there just seemed to be no good alternative from V. The 5 day DCL is about the same price as the 7 day other cruises out of V. Also, if you fly to S, there are flights to ANC for about $100PP (for this July) that gives you a lot more options of one way cruises and a few days in Alaska, as well. We really want to do the P NW and don't want to turn it into a 3 weeks trip, so opted not to do the S-ANC flight for a one way. But, even with the flight and a few days in ANC, cost would still be less than DCL. You don't even have to go far from ANC. My Mom found plenty to do for 2 days in ANC, with heritage center and she said the ANC zoo was amazing. Elaine

 

[PrincessShmoo]

HA only goes to the entrance of TA

That must be a change. We went all the way in.

 

[ldo]

It says TA is 10-10:30am and then to Juneau by 1pm. I read on cruisecritic that the TA is to drop off for excursion boats that then meet up in Juneau later. No personal experience, just some hours of research. We really wanted to just do a 7 day RT out of V, but all the options had various downsides for us. We typically DIY in most ports, taking an excursions only sometimes.

 

[phinz]

Princess has a Bon Voyage thing they do in some ports. Basically you schedule a tour, even if you aren't cruising. You might check it out when they are in SFO and see if they are doing it.

http://www.travelandleisure.com/blogs/the-bon-voyage-party-is-back

 

[phinz]

The Bon Voyage Experience is an innovative new program harkening back to the nostalgic tradition from the early days of cruising, allowing guests the opportunity to invite family and friends aboard your ship on embarkation day. The program's new twist also allows cruisers new to Princess to see the inside of a Princess ship and experience the excitement of cruising first-hand -- even if they're not affiliated with booked guests.

Guests will spend up to four hours onboard before the ship sets sail, where they'll enjoy a four-course dining room lunch (including wine), a guided ship tour, and a souvenir photo! Plus, the $39 per person cost of the program can be applied toward a future cruise with Princess. Only 50 guests are able to participate in the Bon Voyage Experience on any given embarkation day, so make sure you make your reservations soon!

To learn more about Bon Voyage Experience reservations and availability near you, please contact your Travel Consultant or call 1-800-PRINCESS (1-800-774-6237) as long as it is not within 7 days of sailing.

 

[jiminyC_fan]

I will download my research of the past few days. Hope this helps someone. Seattle cruises go outside of Vancouver island via open sea, can have rough seas. This was a deal-breaker for us. Princess (like them a lot) only does RT from Seattle and not Vancouver. For V, you have HA and Celebrity. HA only goes to the entrance of TA, you need an excursion to go farther in. Celeb goes to Hubbard, but it can be fogged in and then you miss it and Icy Strait excursions are $$$. It would be $1200 for 6 of us to go on a 2 hr whale watching tour. We are just too cheap. I debated back and forth this weekend and then paid the deposit for the 5 day DCL. The 7 day DCL was just too much for us. Instead, we decided to add a week in the P NW prior to cruise to do hiking, etc. on our own. We still might change our minds, but without going out of S, there just seemed to be no good alternative from V. The 5 day DCL is about the same price as the 7 day other cruises out of V. Also, if you fly to S, there are flights to ANC for about $100PP (for this July) that gives you a lot more options of one way cruises and a few days in Alaska, as well. We really want to do the P NW and don't want to turn it into a 3 weeks trip, so opted not to do the S-ANC flight for a one way. But, even with the flight and a few days in ANC, cost would still be less than DCL. You don't even have to go far from ANC. My Mom found plenty to do for 2 days in ANC, with heritage center and she said the ANC zoo was amazing. Elaine

We went all the way in for HAL. I would be surprised if they stopped doing it. HAL and Princess have been in Alaska longer than any cruise line. Both of them have several different itineraries.

 

[Hundredacre]

I heard ncl is good in alaska and good with kids.

 

[ShelleyTaylor]

oops, deleted.
Missed the main topic of thread.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

We did an Alaska cruise with NCL when DS (who has high functioning autism) was 5 years old and we had a very good experience. There was definitely a good balance of adult, kid and family activities and it's much better priced than DCL. There will be plenty of families on NCL.

 

[xlxo]

Check which NCL goes to Glacier Bay before committing....

 

[Danni75]

The Bon Voyage is a very smart initiative I think. It I'll allow people who were maybe not interested to want to know more and maybe book!

The security aspect is not so clear though - how do they expect to make sure all these people don't stay on the ship?