Alaskan cruise with 6 yr old girl?

[wls23]

What are your thoughts on doing an august 2012 Alaskan cruise with a 6 yr old girl? What can you tell me about temps and more importantly shore excursions? Dh and I have been going back and forth whether this is a good option for us. We (including our little one) have been on two Disney cruises before - both to Caribbean but we want to try something different. Just not sure if there will be enough for our daughter. We have looked at the shore excursion options but we'd like to hear from those OD you who might have already done this cruise

thanks
Wendy

 

[momtoejanda]

I would like to know too. I really want to go next aug also with kids (then) 9,6,6. My dh is very against it because of their ages. I need some ammo to convince him to go!!

 

[Heard02]

We went in May and my daughter was 1 month shy of turning 6. She loved it! Then again, we love Disney Cruiseline and that was her 6th Disney Cruise.
We did the Whitepass Rail, whale watching & glacier and the lumberjack show. She really enjoyed each excursion.
Your daughter will LOVE it!

 

[OC_stacylace]

We will be on the Aug 2012 Alaska sailing with our then 7 year old son. From what I've read and seen on the cruise, there is so much to do for kids his age. Just to give you examples, there is gold panning, salmon bakes, visits with sled dogs, and a junior ranger program onboard for the Tracy Arm at sea day. The characters are dressed up differently, which is great for pictures. I have found so much I think he will like, I'm having a hard time narrowing it down. There was a link a while back posted on another Alaska thread that listed a bunch of you tube videos down on the Alaska cruise addressing familiy activites.

We were on the MR cruise this past April, and our son was 6 then. We only got off the ship in Cabo and that was to do some shopping. With the activities onboard, he still says it was the best vacation we ever had. I think you will have no problem finding things for your daughter to do!

 

[Heard02]

Oh and them temps were PERFECT when we went! Upper 60's each day and we did not have one day of rain which I hear is really rare.

 

[nbrmommy2005]

In July we went to Alaska and it was our first Disney cruise. My DS was 6. He said it was the best vacation ever.

There was a lot for him to do on the ship and he really enjoyed the excursions. Some of his favorite excursions were the train ride, whale watching (we did a private tour) and the lumberjack show.

Tonight I told him I was looking at our vacations for next summer and he told me that it better be a cruise with Disney

 

[jilljill]

Read over the AK excursion review thread for some valuable info.

 

[kiddisney]

we (mom, dad, older brother (19) and sister (21) went on the july 12 alaska cruise with our 6 year old - we had a great time - and so did our son - we only took one excursion because we wanted him to be with us - and the older kids wanted to watch the world cup - we let him choose when he wanted to go to the club and that gave us some freedom to do adult things like the spa - my recommendation would be to have something to occupy them if you do a tour - we also had one cabin with a window so that he could watch a movie & have room service while we watch the ship approach the glacier - keeping him rested allowed us to have him outside for the better parts - we also brought his toy story snuggie so that when we were outside on the deck he knew we wanted him with us -- next year we'll do more excursions (the nova scotia cruise) because we're more comfortable leaving him in the club is he wants to stay - it was his first cruise but your's will already be familiar with the club so it should be easier

 

[catislander]

We did the May 31 Alaskan and our dd6 had The Best Time Ever. We spend a lot of time at Disneyland, but this was our first Disney cruise.
We had a balcony, which worked out well. The day cruising Tracy Arm was the only day she wasn't interested in the clubs, she spent the day watching movies, playing with the girl in the next cabin and being called to the balcony for Mandatory Waterfall Viewing. In Skagway we rented a car and drove into the Yukon. We saw several bears up close and visited Caribou Crossing, where riding in the dog cart and holding husky puppies was an absolute highlight for her. We headed out on our own in Juneau as well; we took a cab to the salmon hatchery and then to Mendenhall Glacier. Both places had great activities for kids, including a touch tank and a scavenger hunt at the hatchery and a junior ranger program at the glacier. In Ketchikan we kayaked, which was fun but I'm not sure I'd recommend it for smaller kids. We also walked around town and did some shopping.
Our cruise was an absolutely perfect time. Temperatures were cooler than I'm used to, but nothing extreme.

 

[bibbidibobbidibecky]

What are your thoughts on doing an august 2012 Alaskan cruise with a 6 yr old girl? What can you tell me about temps and more importantly shore excursions? Dh and I have been going back and forth whether this is a good option for us. We (including our little one) have been on two Disney cruises before - both to Caribbean but we want to try something different. Just not sure if there will be enough for our daughter. We have looked at the shore excursion options but we'd like to hear from those OD you who might have already done this cruise

thanks
Wendy

While I haven't done it, I plan to bring my kids next summer who will be 4, 7 and 8 at the time. We brought them on the Med this summer and my 6-year-old had the time of her life! I think there will be plenty to do...I've been researching and reading trip reports and I think it will be a great trip for the kids.

 

[Jackson's grammie]

we are going on the Aug 13 Alaska trip with a 3 yr old. Between the clubs, lumberjack show, whale watching and just the scenery off the veranda I know he will have a blast. Plus very special time with Mommy and Grammie.