Cruising Alaska - Now It's a Family Thing
By Mike Miller
If you're thinking about a family vacation to Alaska, and
you're wondering if your kids would enjoy a cruise to "The Last
Frontier," wonder no more. Young family members from toddlers
through teens have 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 places to see and fun
things to do.
It's true, only a short decade or two ago families with kids
aboard Alaska cruiseships were as scarce as Alaskan Dall sheep
lambs in a grizzly bear's lair. But the times have changed --
big time. Today you will find, in addition to the traditional
hefty contingent of seniors and near-seniors aboard each ship, a
growing number of families. Sometimes these groups are
multi-generational, with gramps and grandmas, moms and dads, and
kids that range from gangly teens to babes literally in arms.
The reason? Word is out that Alaska's attractions are sure-fire
hits for travelers of any age: attractions like humongous whales
breaching full length out of the water, grizzly bears chasing
salmon along forest creeks and rivers, icebergs (sometimes as
big as a tour bus) crashing, splashing, and thundering off the
faces of miles-long glaciers.
Too, there are opportunities to mush in a dog sled behind a
team of charging huskies - after helicoptering to a lofty
mountain-top glacier no less! Kids and parents 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 the young and the young-at-heart is riding a
zip-line through the upper canopies of towering spruce and
hemlock forests in Ketchikan and Juneau -- hanging safe and
secure in a harness as they "zip" along a steel cable some 130
feet or more 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 can learn about the period when
Alaska was "Russian America." And they can view mementos of the
tumultuous gold stampede to the Klondike during the late 1800s,
No question about it, Alaska has something exciting to offer
every family member, regardless of age.
But what about life aboard the cruiseships? Will young people
find the experience dullsville?
Hardly. The mid- to mega-sized ships in particular are
literally resorts afloat with swimming pools, spas, snack shops,
ice cream 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 generally see to it
that cruisers from tykes through teens enjoy their cruise as
much as their parents and grandparents.
Although smallship cruiselines in Alaska do not staff their
vessels with special counselors for young cruisers, the ships
are no 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 or in spiffy powered Zodiacs,
hike remote island beaches, perhaps even stop for a natural hot
springs dip in forested surroundings.
One smallship cruiseline even schedules three Alaska cruises
each year especially geared for family travel.
Regardless of vessel size, and with only a couple of
exceptions, cruiselines in the Alaska trade actively court
family cruisers. Few such travelers, young or old, find the
experience anything other than "cool." And they're not referring
to the weather.
To view a report about each of the 14 cruiselines and the 44
ships that encourage family travel (and the two companies and
their vessels that do not), visit
http//www.AlaskaCruisingReport.com. Click the tab called Ak
Cruising With Kids.
Copyright (c) 2006 By Mike Miller -- All Rights Reserved
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