The Best Alaska Cruise for Families

Choosing a family Alaska cruise comes down to one question that does not apply in the Caribbean: what does a child do on this ship for six hours when it is cold and raining. Ships that answer that well transform an Alaska week for a family. Ships that do not leave you with bored children on a wet sea day.

Family cruise advice usually focuses on youth clubs and cabin size. In Alaska, one factor dominates everything else: what happens when it rains for two days.

Alaska port days are long, cold and frequently wet. Outdoor ship facilities that carry a Caribbean sailing, water slides, splash pads, pool decks, go largely unused. The ships that work for families in Alaska are the ships with genuine indoor activity.

The ranking

1. Royal Caribbean, Ovation of the Seas

The best value family option in Alaska by a clear margin, and the reason is hardware. Quantum class ships were designed for northern European and Asian itineraries, which means they carry things that are unusual at sea and perfectly suited to Alaska:

• SeaPlex, an indoor sports complex with bumper cars, a circus school and basketball
• An enclosed Solarium pool with a glass roof, warm and usable
• North Star, a glass observation capsule that rises 300 feet above the water
• A full theatre with licensed productions
• Adventure Ocean, covering ages six months to seventeen

The trade off is that Royal Caribbean has no Glacier Bay access, and a 4,900 guest ship makes port days slower.

2. Disney Wonder

The best family product at sea, in Alaska or anywhere. Youth clubs that children genuinely want to attend, split bathrooms that transform a family morning, cabins that sleep four or five properly, adult only dining and pool areas, and included soft drinks.

The costs are real: roughly double the per person fare, Vancouver only departures, a short season, older ships and no Glacier Bay on standard itineraries. See Disney Cruise Line in Alaska.

3. Norwegian

Flexible dining is a genuine family advantage, because a tired seven year old does not have to wait until 8:15 pm to eat. The Observation Lounge on Bliss, Encore and Joy is the best big ship viewing space in Alaska and is a good place for a child to watch for whales in the warm. Cabins are small, which is felt sharply by a family of four sharing.

4. Carnival

The budget option, and a legitimate one. Camp Ocean is well run, fares are the lowest in the market, and casual included dining suits children. Fewer indoor options than Royal Caribbean, and a louder ship culture that not every family enjoys. See Carnival Cruise Line in Alaska.

5. Princess

Better for multigenerational groups than for young children. Excellent for grandparents travelling with adult children and teenagers, with destination programming that genuinely interests a curious ten year old. Thin on wet weather activity for younger children.

Compare per family, not per person

This is the calculation that changes the answer.

Cruise fares are quoted per person based on two sharing. Third, fourth and fifth guests pay a reduced rate, and the discount varies substantially by line.

Disney looks roughly twice the price of Royal Caribbean per person. For a family of five in one cabin, with included soft drinks and long youth club hours, the real gap frequently falls to 30 to 50 percent. That is still a premium, but it is a different decision. Full numbers in family cruise costs.

Cabins for a family of four

Two connecting interior cabins usually cost about the same as one balcony and give you two bathrooms, two sets of beds and a door between the children and the adults. On an Alaska cruise where balcony use is limited anyway, that is the better trade almost every time.

Connecting cabins sell out first, often a year ahead on peak dates. Book as soon as your dates are fixed.

Excursions that work with children

The principle is motion and animals rather than scenery. A four hour coach tour of beautiful landscape is a hard sell to an eight year old; a boat that bounces is not.

The honest summary

If budget allows and your children are under twelve, Disney will deliver the best week. If you want the best combination of value and wet weather resilience, Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas. If your children are teenagers and the destination matters more than the ship, Princess or Norwegian will serve you well for considerably less.

Full planning guidance in Alaska cruises with children.