Family Holidays: Alaska family cruise holidays
Take the Family holiday rating 
Why
The stunning scenery.
The utter gluttony.
The total tranquillity.
The grizzlies’ ferocity.
The pure electricity … when you first spot whales and realise you’re not talking about crossing the Severn Bridge.
The elegant eccentricity … of a cruise ship and the bizarre ways children find to entertain themselves – after the playroom, the talks by park rangers, the organised fun and games and the pool, they simply love being at sea and giving the ship a good old fashioned explore. Oh yeah and pushing the buttons to go constantly up and down in all the many different lifts!
- Top left: Mother and child enjoying the scenery
- Top middle: A new recruit
- Top right: Tea-time on board
- Bottom left: The Alaskan landscape
- Bottom right: Route map
When
Crystal Harmony sails round trip cruises from San Francisco to Alaska during summer from May 30 to September 15.
How
take the plane and then sail
Fly from London to San Francisco (ten hour flight plus jet lag!) then join the ship in port and set sail from one of the world’s most magical cities.
Stay
There are many cruise ships offering family friendly Alaska cruises. One of our recommendations is Crystal Harmony.
Do
As much or as little as you and your family like. Nothing’s compulsory. Although it would be a shame to miss the whales and grizzlies!
That said, if you have younger children all the wildlife can seem a long way away. They might prefer the close up of huge sea lions at an aquarium to the small dark blob on the beach – even if it is a grizzly bear prowling to and fro.
A cruise to Alaska is a strange mixture of settings: almost opulent comfort, from which you observe the most incredible wilderness. Of course daily life on board ship is a dizzying array of food, organised kids’ activities, more food, some swimming, entertainment and maybe a little more food.
But here’s a small flavour of some of the ports Crystal cruise ships dock at:
KetchikanAfter sailing from San Francisco under the Golden Gate Bridge, first stop is Ketchikan – ‘Salmon Capital of Alaska. You can book activities through the ship (quite pricey at around $100 per person) or just do your own thing.
Choices include: floatplanes, kayaks and mountain bikes or a horse drawn carriage tour of the town. Or just standing over the creek for free and watching the fish (salmon, of course) jumping up stream.
JuneauNext port, Juneau, capital of Alaska- a small town, squatting at the bottom of a vast, forested mountain. The only way in or out is by air or sea – no roads. Don’t miss the fabulous Mendenhall Glacier – $10 (£6) each for a rickety shuttle bus for the half hour trip to the point where a dazzling white glacier falls into an opaque, blue lake surrounded by rocks and forest.
SkagwayIn Skagway, a former gold rush town with a lot of twee tourist shops, watch old steam trains of the White Pass and Yukon Railway coming and going. The ride over the pass takes four hours. Or haggle with a pilot and get a deal for a scenic flight over nearby Glacier Bay.
Glacier BayOr just wait a couple of days when the ship sails into Glacier Bay itself. This is a highlight of any visit to Alaska as you drop anchor by the Margery Glacier, a great wall of ice, groaning, cracking and rumbling as chunks carve off and crash into the sea. Park rangers give talks in the children’s club on how glaciers are formed, to a roomful of enraptured children.
SitkaA Russian outpost before Alaska was sold to the United States in 1867. It’s a dreamy little town with forested islands dotted around the bay and quaint Russian architecture. Take a local shuttle bus to the Raptor Centre, a rehab hospital for injured eagles, which includes a huge indoor enclosure complete with stream and trees where the birds re-learn to fly. A great opportunity for children (and adults) to see bald and golden eagles close up. Or take a hike through the forest but beware of the ‘Beware of the Bears’ signs.
Eat
Your heart out. It’s all included in the price. So tuck in. Plus nothing is too much trouble. Food for young infants and big kids is available in the restaurants or via room service. It’s all high quality and best of all, there’s loads of it. Crepes suzettes, caviar, the lot.
Cost
A two-week cruise starts at £3,285 per person in an inside cabin and £3,465 in an outside cabin. This includes all food, entertainment, flights, gratuities on the ship and a night in a hotel in San Francisco. Crystal often run a ‘kids go free’ promotion where one child occupying a third berth sails free of charge.
Travel reading
by Paul Whitfield
Buy from Amazon.co.uk - Save 30%
Few who see this land of gargantuan icefields, sweeping tundra, glacially excavated valleys, lush rainforests, deep fjords and active volcanoes leave disappointed.
