Family Travel: Try an Alaska Coastline Cruise

by Melanie Clatfelter on July 12th, 2017 | No Comments »

Families looking for a fabulous experience need look no further than the beautiful landscapes and scenery of an Alaska coastline cruise. With the Alaskan cruise season about to open in just a few weeks, I want to share a few insights and experiences from my family’s Alaskan adventure last summer.

Alaska Coastline Cruise

Many of the large cruise lines travel to Alaska during the high season which runs from late May through early September. My family cruised on Disney Wonder to Alaska. We experienced life aboard the ship, and we were thrilled to take advantage of the port adventures.

Life on Board

We were greeted with, what else, a grand lunch buffet and a deck party. In fact, I think we enjoyed the dining a bit too much, if that is possible. One of our favorite things about an Alaskan cruise is that at many meals, including breakfast, you can order salmon prepared all sorts of ways.

After you have had your fill of good eats, we loved the Broadway-style shows. My kids loved the kids’ clubs. I think our daughter spent more time in the Oceaneer Club and Lab than anywhere else. We had to pull her out for family meals. After dinner, she would run back to her new friends and the fabulous on-board counselors.

One special feature of an Alaskan cruise is that we attended special lectures from experts in Alaska’s beautiful glaciers and wildlife. This was especially wonderful as we traveled through Tracy Arm Fiord, with its waterfalls, icebergs, and glaciers. The day was capped by the awesome sight of the South Sawyer Glacier as it calved, or caved in, before our eyes.

Port Adventures

When looking at which excursions you want to experience, carefully consider each child’s age and physical strength. We booked what was billed to be a gentle kayak trip on Glacier Lake suitable for ages eight and older. When we got to the lake, the winds had kicked into high gear. Our kids had trouble not only with the coordination needed to power their boats, but the winds made rowing nearly impossible. Our guides took care of us though, so we made it to our destination and back, but it was certainly not a leisurely trip across the lake.

Our favorite excursion was to a dog mushing camp. Picture, if you will, a summer camp for real Iditerod dogs. The dogs were fun, and the leaders of our tour were so knowledgeable. The kids got to pet puppies, and we even took off on a full-speed summer cart ride pulled by the dogs. There are lots of great sights to see and adventures to be had, so choose wisely.

This post merely scratches the surface of our fabulous Alaskan adventure. I highly recommend the experience to any family looking to explore new and unique ports of call. If you have any comments or questions, I would love to help you plan your own Alaskan adventure.

For more of my family's hijinks and fun on our Alaskan getaway, check out these posts:

Wandering on the Disney Wonder, Door Decor, The Tooth Fairy's Visit and Our Alaskan Cruise.

What have been some of your favorite family cruises?

Hi, I'm Melanie. I grew up in Florida, so theme parks and family fun have been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. Now that I live further away from it all, I love planning my family's vacations to Florida and beyond. My new blog Plus Size Pixie is in development and under heavy construction, but I'd still love you to come by and see it. You can also check out archives of my last blog, The Disney Lifestyle Blog.

When I am not planning fabulous family vacations, I am a nurse-back-in-nursing-school and a baseball/softball/band mom who loves chocolate, wine, and a good book.