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Traveling Alaska -- Now It's A Family Detail
Cruising Alaska - Now It's a Family ThingBy Mike Miller
If you happen to be thinking about a baby vacation to Alaska, and you're wondering if the kids would take a cruise to "The past Frontier," wonder get rid of. Young individuals from toddlers through teens possess a blast on big ships and small as their vessels sail through the protected waters of Alaska's Inside Passage. Aboard ship or ashore, there are lots of kid-friendly, parent-friendly, and grandparent-friendly areas to see and fun things to do.
It's true, only a short decade or two ago families with kids aboard best alaska cruises were as scarce as Alaskan Dall sheep lambs inside of a grizzly bear's lair. However the times have changed -- in a major way. Today you will see, beyond just the traditional hefty contingent of seniors and near-seniors aboard each ship, numerous families. Sometimes such groups are multi-generational, with gramps and grandmas, moms and dads, and children that can start from gangly teens to babes literally in arms.
The reason? Word is out that Alaska's attractions are sure-fire hits for travelers of little 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, there are prospects to mush within 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 can 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 for young as well as the young-at-heart is riding a zip-line from the upper canopies of towering spruce and hemlock forests in Ketchikan and Juneau -- hanging secure in a harness as they definitely "zip" along a steel cable some 130 feet or over above the forest floor.
Or, less daunting, while visiting museums up and down the coast families can absorb the totemic culture and the history of Alaska's Native peoples. They might discover the period when Alaska was "Russian America." And that they can view mementos of your tumultuous gold stampede into the Klondike during the late 1800s,
No question about it, Alaska has something exciting to offer every loved one, despite age.
But what about life aboard the cruiseships? Will young people choose the experience dullsville?
Hardly. The mid- to mega-sized ships particularly are actually resorts afloat with swimming pools, spas, snack shops, fillets 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 ensure that cruisers from tykes through teens enjoy their cruise as much as their parents and grandparents.
Although smallship cruiselines in Alaska tend not to staff their vessels with special counselors for young cruisers, the ships are not any 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 as well as spiffy powered Zodiacs, hike remote island beaches, maybe even stop for a natural hot springs dip in forested surroundings.
One smallship cruiseline even schedules three best alaska cruise every year especially geared for family travel.
Despite vessel size, leaving only a pair of exceptions, cruiselines by the Alaska trade actively court family cruisers. Few such travelers, young or old, find the experience anything save for "cool." And are generally not looking at the climate.
Cruiseline by cruiseline here's a rundown of infant care and family fun on an best alaska cruise. The knowledge was supplied by way of the cruiselines or taken from 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 various continuous supervised activities during the line's "Camp Carnival" program.
Included in the line's Alaska sailings absolutely are a number of "just for Alaska" projects where kids can create their own dream catchers and totem poles and discover 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 backyard play area, along with a computer lab.
With regards to dining, says Carnival, "Youngsters receive the full 'Fun Ship' treatment with expanded children's menus offering numerous kids' favorites as well as 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 groups include 2- through 5-year-olds, 6 through 8, 9 through 11, and with teens 15 through 17 a course 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 a 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 ice cream sundae making.
Many of these same activities are on your agenda for older children as well, but just are undertaken traveling on an older-age level.
Celebrity Cadets (for kids 7-9) may also include pool olympics, scavenger hunts, charades, an exercise 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, undertake basketball tournaments, enjoy pool parties, and help switch on talent shows.
Celebrity vessels incorporate a "Parents Night Out" program. On your two formal nights of the seven-night voyage, Celebrity treats parents to free babysitting when counselors eliminate the children to a pizza party for supper. (http://www.celebrity.com)
HOLLAND AMERICA LINE's "Club HAL" provides a type of kid-friendly facilities and age-appropriate activities. Programs for kids ages 3-12 can be found aboard 2006 Alaska-bound ships Ryndam, Statendam, Zaandam, Zuiderdam, Oosterdam, and Westerdam as well as for ages 5-12 aboard Volendam and Veendam. All eight ships possess a teen program for a long time 13-17. (http://www.hollandamerica.com)
Club HAL activities are applied to be age appropriate. For instance, every day activities planned for children ages 3 to 7 may include arts and crafts, face-painting, camp-out night, candy bar Bingo, outdoor fun, and 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 simply play ping-pong with a friend.
Teens 13-17 relish Loft built to resemble a whole new York artist's loft; there's also The Oasis, a private deck where teens can take up the rays then cool off within a one-of-a-kind waterfall. The Loft and Oasis are currently transferrable to 2006 Alaska-bound vessels Ryndam, Statendam, Veendam, Volendam, and Zaandam. Teens will especially relish 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 1 full-time Youth Program Director and a single or over youth staff members. The ratio of Club HAL staff to children on board is 1:30.
Additionally there's a large variety of kid-pleasing food, including special sandwiches, tacos, burgers, hot dogs and pizza. For the very young baby food, high chairs and booster seats might be requested in advance of boarding. Baby-sitting services are available to get a small surcharge and special birthday parties can be arranged.
NORWEGIAN CRUISE LINE notes on its websites the line's Kid's Crew and Teen's Crew programs are choked 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 teen disco, a video arcade, etc.
But don't, says NCL, imagine these programs as "babysitting." There's little or no "sitting" involved, notes the cruiseline. The programs are active, energetic, educational and, most importantly, fun. (http://www.ncl.com)
PRINCESS CRUISES' junior cruisers (ages 3 to 17) can savour 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 plan of age-specific activities each day. Group babysitting will come in the late evenings.
Among various programs for children is one specific to Alaska. Produced with the National Park Service, Princess' sub-teen "Junior Ranger" program is created to bring Glacier Bay along with the Alaska wilderness to life for a very large number children each summer. The program features interactive games, activity books, and presentation by rangers. The corresponding "Teen Explorer" program features similar learning activities geared for older youngsters.
Inside a cruise industry exclusive, the Los Angeles-based California Science Center provides entertaining interactive activities. Princess youth staff have undergone extensive training at the center, devised 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 ice cream parties, pizza parties, backstage and galley tours, pajama parties, and T-shirt coloring. Says Princess' website: "Our astounding teen centers are set with Nintendo, movies, karaoke, giant screen TVs, card and board games, ping-pong and juke boxes." The site 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) possess a Pirate Night, keep on a backstage tour, enjoy nutty nicknames, and have interaction in autograph hunts. Nine to 11-year-old Voyagers do karaoke singing, have got a Ga-Ga Ball, enjoy H20 Thunder Races, and do an art walk.
Navigators (12-14) play in sports tournaments, have pool parties, is content with college night, engage in computer games, and show up disco dancing sessions and also an official night. Older teens,15-17 and called Guests, also enjoy dancing, pool parties, DJ training, Battle of many Sexes, plus a formal night along with a Survivor Series.
RCI's Edu-tainment programming offers:
Adventure Science, a plan of hands-on experiments and wacky entertainment (example: Staggering Throughout the Stars, as well as a Wacky Water Workshop);
Adventure Art, the opportunity to workout creativity with crafts;
Sail Into Story Time and Adventure Family. This is a free, onboard program that allows children 3-11 and their parents to shell out quality time together doing projects that range from shipbuilding regattas to talent shows and scavenger hunts. (http://www.royalcaribbean.com)
Mid-Size Carrier
RADISSON SEVEN SEAS CRUISES' youth program, "Club Mariner," provides adults who need to share Alaska's wonders using their children or grandchildren a cost-free children's program. "The plan," says the firm, "offers the opportunity for every family and its members to get Alaska in a meaningful, enriching way." The cruiseline's youth program designed the following age ranges: 5-9, 10-13 and 14-17. Throughout each voyage, trained counselors offer young cruisers the opportunity to participate in many different interactive adventures focusing on Alaska. Children will exercise their creativity with crafts while gaining knowledge about Alaska's diverse wildlife, its unique geography, its indigenous crafts, and your rich artistic heritage.
Kids will gain details about about whales, salmon, glaciers and totem poles. They might draw and write about their adventures in his or her special Club Mariner scrapbook, bake chocolate "moose" cookies, go whale watching from deck or learn all about eagles, dolphins, bears and sea lions. Notes RSSC: "Club Mariner not only causes it to become easier for families to travel together, it will help kids broaden their cultural and valuable horizons. And they'll return home knowing how to Alaska than the remainder of the 49 states combined!" (http://www.rssc.com) SILVERSEA CRUISES advises that, as a result of sophisticated nature from the cruises and programs, the firm doesn't encourage travel with baby. (http://www.silverseacruises.com)
Smaller Ships
AMERICAN SAFARI CRUISES' Kids in Nature (KIN) cruises, list a luxury yacht because the schoolhouse, an Expedition Leader/Naturalist as 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 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 anyone: kayaking, hiking at the remote island utilized by a full-scale picnic, hopping shore-to-shore by Zodiac, viewing whales directly off of the bow or dolphins right below, collecting shells to check, and a lot more. Kids and adults alike are accompanied on an variety of personal-choice excursions while their yacht is at anchor.
In the end of your cruise each child receives a Kids in Nature backpack choked with mementos of their various explorations: accreditation of achievement signed because of the Captain and Expedition Leader, a tee shirt and cap, a number of binoculars, disposable camera along with a typed list of almost every plants observed in the course of the cruise. This system offers kid-size pricing -- two kids under 12 for starters adult fare.
Aboard other sailings throughout 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 small and offer specifically child-oriented services. (http://www.americansafaricruises.com)
AMERICAN WEST STEAMBOAT COMPANY advises, "We tend to address mature adults and for that reason offer no special programs to kids and youths." (http://www.americanweststeamboat.com)
THE BOAT COMPANY offers special rates for young cruisers traveling with parents: 50 percent off of the usual fare if occupying a stateroom with a parent, 20 percent off if occupying an independent cabin.
The company's two vessels don't have separate personnel specifically assigned to youngsters as part of the team, nonetheless the line does attempt to accommodate the desires of each one passenger including kayaking, fishing, beach hikes, and other kid-friendly activities. (http://www.theboatcompany.com)
CLIPPER CRUISELINE has no specific children's programs or staff for younger travelers, nonetheless the nature of those company's routes and cruising areas (including whale sightings, bears other wildlife, and shore excursions) allow it to be healthy for family groups. Cabins can accommodate countless as three guests; for larger groups two cabins could be necessary. (http://www.clippercruise.com)
CRUISE WEST supplies a children's travel special aboard the Sheltered Seas Daylight Yacht Tours. Travelers 12 and under sharing a cabin with adult save 50 percent on Family Adventure cruise fares. Youths 13 through 21 save 25 %.
While many of those company's other cruises are of considerable interest for families with children, activities aboard ship are not specifically geared for young travelers. Cruise West will be the largest of the smallship cruiselines serving Alaska discounts cruising alternatives for family interest from Southeast Alaska along with its totems, glaciers, national park lands and goldrush historical points of interest to Southcentral's Prince William Sound and beyond to Arctic waters or even Russia. (http://www.cruisewest.com)
DISCOVERY VOYAGES advises that cruises aboard the 12-passenger vessel Discovery are "definitely family friendly" and, the truth is, the firm offers a 25 percent discount for infants 12 and under. Notes a company spokeswoman: "As a result of 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 was raised on board the Discovery) is diverse in working on both young and old and also being naturalists and kayaking guides." The company 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 join a shipload of other Lindblad Expeditions travelers in the Inside Passage from Southeast Alaska to British Columbia. His mission: to create your second in his "Little Lin" cartoon book series of educational adventures for teenagers. (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 shall encounter glaciers, humpback whales, bald eagles, and all manner of other creatures so their habitats along Alaska's and British Columbia's Inside Passage. Soon years, the Alaska-inspired Little Lin books is going to be distributed to all 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 inbuilt 1904. The ship takes nine or ten 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 youths include sail training, fishing (with purchase of a fishing license), hikes, as well as a customizable itinerary. Accommodations are comfortable yet not luxurious. Because berths are limited to nine or ten passengers, it is possible for starters or even more families (two families of five, by way of example) to jointly reserve all the berths for one of many company's 11-night Alaska voyages. Parents with teen-age children may reserve berths which are not otherwise reserved 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. Depending on vessel youngsters will likely see onboard play areas for very young, casual meals and snack bars for any age, movies, and nature talks plus expansive glass-enclosed solariums. These are ideal for spotting orcas (killer whales), humpback whales, playful porpoises and sea lions inside the water plus mountain goats on towering cliffsides, and (of the fortunate observer) the sight of black and brown (grizzly) bears on passing beaches. Families following or absent vehicles may embark as far south as Bellingham, Washington or Prince Rupert, British Columbia.
Larger stateroom-equipped vessels of the fleet would be the Columbia (931 passengers), Matanuska (745), Malaspina (701), Taku (370), and Kennicott (748). Depending on the season, one or two ships sail on weekly schedules right to/from Bellingham while other people turn around at Prince Rupert. (http://www.FerryAlaska.com)
BC FERRIES demonstrates its kid-friendliness even before children boards ship. Computer-savvy children or their parents have only to surf the net 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 electronic coloring book, a "Match the Ferries" memory game, as well as a virtual bridge tour.
The 700-passenger provincial ferry vessel Queen of the North connects with Alaska state ferries at Prince Rupert for frequent entry to Southeast Alaska ports. (http://www.bcferries.com)
# # not any
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 considered to be a variety of books (Fodors, Sierra Club Books, Globe Pequot, The Milepost while others). He also writes for TravelAge West (a publication for tour operators) and for major newspapers and magazines.
Copyright (c) 2006 By Mike Miller -- All Rights Reserved
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