If we were to do it again
Now that we’re almost at the end of our Alaska cruise, here’s my take on excursions with kids and what I would do differently if we did it again.
My biggest excursion regret is not doing the helicopter + dog sledding. I went back and forth on it because of the price, but looking back, Alaska is probably the place to splurge on something you can’t easily do anywhere else. If we came back, that would be at the top of my list.
Juneau: We rented a car and did Mendenhall Glacier and Nugget Falls. It was nice, but honestly, with kids I would skip it next time and put that time/money toward a bigger experience. I also really wish we had booked a dedicated whale-watching tour in one of the ports. We saw lots of whales from the ship throughout the cruise, but it’s mostly spotting them swimming by or seeing a blow/tail in the distance. I would have loved to get closer and actually spend time watching them.
Skagway: The town itself was much smaller than I expected and very touristy—lots of souvenir-type stores. I wouldn’t plan a ton of time just wandering around town. Definitely get some good crab though! We ate at Olivia’s and really enjoyed it.
We did the 3-hour White Pass train and that was absolutely worth doing. The scenery was beautiful and I’m glad we chose the longer ride. After the train, we were pretty much done and headed back to the ship.
Ketchikan: We did the ATV excursion. The kids had fun and overall it was a good activity, but because there had been basically no rain, it was SO dusty. We were covered in dust, and that definitely took away from it for me. In wetter weather I think I would have enjoyed it much more.
Glacier Bay: Hands down one of the best parts of the entire cruise. If Glacier Bay is an option when choosing an Alaska itinerary, I would absolutely choose a sailing that includes it. It was the part of Alaska that really felt like what I had imagined this trip would be.
And my biggest overall regret? I kind of wish we had done
Disney Cruise Line with the kids. Norwegian Encore is a beautiful ship and we’ve had a great trip, but traveling with kids, I think Disney may have been a better fit for us.
If I could redo the trip, I’d spend less time on the “we should see this because we’re here” stops and put more of the budget toward the big Alaska experiences: helicopter/dog sledding, whale watching, White Pass train and Glacier Bay.
Those are the things I think my kids—and I—would remember most.