The Best Alaskan Cruises For Families, According To Customer Reviews

An Alaskan cruise is a bucket-list trip for many of us. While far removed from the bright sunshine and warm seas of the Caribbean, a cruise to Alaska offers so much more. You'll float among glaciers, watch wildlife from the boat, and have the chance to experience some of the most interesting shore excursions around (think visiting a Husky Puppy Camp or taking a helicopter up onto a glacier).

However, Alaskan cruises have a reputation for catering to an older crowd, which can keep families with kids and teens away. But that's a huge shame, and the reputation is largely undeserved, with cruise lines increasingly catering to young and older guests alike. By choosing the right itinerary and ship, families of all ages can have a blast cruising in Alaska. As most cruise lines offer similar excursions when visiting the state, the onboard activities are what set the lines apart, especially when it comes to entertaining children. We've scoured customer reviews across multiple sites to find out which Alaskan cruises are best for families, from those with young kids to groups taking a multigenerational cruise.

Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) is our first pick for families wanting to explore Alaska. You're looking for the Bliss and the Encore, two very similar ships that sail out of Seattle on seven-day Alaskan cruises. These mega-ships have everything a family could want. In Reddit's r/Cruise subreddit, u/Beaglescout15 traveled on the Bliss with children aged 11 and 13 and wrote: "They absolutely loved it," citing laser tag, arcade, and the kids' club (called Splash Academy) as favorites, plus the fun shore excursions.

In the same subReddit, u/New-Wing5164 wrote: "If you want a ship the kids will love – go on the Encore. Sooo much for kids to do." Finally, on Tripadvisor, Mark H praised the entertainment and activities on the Bliss, particularly the water slide, and said that the "safe environment allowed the older kids some independence." There really is so much to do on the Bliss and the Encore that the chances of hearing the dreaded, "Mom! I'm BORED!" are close to zero.

NCL is one of the more reasonably priced options, and some of its itineraries include Glacier Bay, a must-visit where you can get up close and personal with incredible glaciers. Prices start around $980 per person with an offer for additional guests to get a discount. However, many cruisers warn that while the base fare on NCL can be low, the price really starts to creep up once you add all of the extras.

Our second pick for families heading to Alaska is Princess Cruise's 7-Day Inside Passage cruise out of Vancouver. Taking a round-trip cruise from the Canadian port has a couple of advantages over going from Seattle, one being a smaller chance of getting seasick (due to the calmer waters). The ships usually follow the gorgeous Inside Passage between Vancouver Island and the mainland, navigating calm waters and offering more views of the land rather than the Pacific Ocean. The Inside Passage is also one of the must-see places in Alaska. Another advantage of Princess is that many of the cruises go to Glacier Bay.

Princess is an excellent choice for older kids, teens, parents, and grandparents! In Reddit's r/Cruise forum, u/AdApprehensive8392 writes: "Princess is positioning itself as intergenerational ... I took my kids ages 5-15 ... and they loved it—particularly my 5 and 7 year old because the programming in the youngest kid club was so good." In the same forum, u/StillWaterDrinker wrote that there were few little kids on their Princess cruise, but lots of teenagers, allowing their teens to make friends.

One thing to bear in mind is that Princess ships lack the water slides, go-karts, and other big-ticket activities of ships like Norwegian's Encore and Bliss. However, there are dedicated areas for kids of different ages to hang out, and family suites are available, providing convenient accommodations. Prices for this cruise start around $935 per person.

Surprise! Disney sails to Alaska. If you're looking for a cruise line that goes all out to cater to children, you can't beat Disney. Disney cruises offer several itineraries sailing out of Vancouver aboard the Disney Wonder. And what a wonder the ship is! There are Disney characters galore (Captain Hook prowls the ship alongside other favorites), and there are many live shows, including "Frozen, A Musical Spectacular." Kids can join the Marvel Superhero Academy or go for a pampering session at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique.

But what do the reviews say? In Reddit's r/Cruise forum, u/TamiPeakTravelAgent writes, "Disney has EPIC kids clubs that are included in your cruise fare." Note that the nursery for kids aged six months to three years costs extra, as well as any services at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. Over on Cruise Critic, user Artemis595 loved the food, the onboard entertainment, and how friendly the crew was. The restaurants are themed, with outlets like Triton's (an "under-the-sea" dining experience) and Pinocchio's Pizza.

The itinerary is pretty typical for Alaska (read: awesome), though prices tend to run higher for Disney than other lines, with a seven-night cruise starting around $1,750 per person. But it's worth it for young children, as u/ggkimmiegal writes in the same Reddit forum: "My kid had the time of his life." Be warned: Your littles might never want to leave the ship.

If you fancy the idea of a big ship like Norwegian but are a loyal Royal Caribbean cruiser, check out the line's sailings from Seattle. Many family cruisers recommend the Quantum of the Seas, an enormous ship with a gigantic amount of entertainment, including skydiving and surf simulators, bumper cars, rock climbing, and an arcade.

In the r/Cruise forum, Reddit's u/So_angry_right_now writes, "We did Quantum ... with my 6 and 4 year old this summer. It was fantastic! They had plenty to do." In the same forum, u/Available-Anteater48 responded to a question asking which line to take kids aged four to eight on: "Quantum all the way ... I took my kids (5,7,11) on it last summer and they loved it."

A seven-night Alaska cruise from Seattle on the Quantum of the Seas costs around $900 per person. Note that Royal Caribbean has a "Kids Sail Free" promotion, allowing children under 12 to sail for free on certain dates. However, one thing to bear in mind is that certain activities onboard are not included in the fare, including the surf and skydiving simulators. If your kids want to do it all, things can really start to add up. 

Our final pick is a lesser-known line, but it's perfect if you and your kids are the outdoorsy types (and you're ready to splurge). UnCruise offers all-inclusive, small ship cruises that take you where the larger ships can't go, along with decidedly adventurous excursions. In Reddit's r/Cruise forum, u/3664shaken writes that they have taken their grandchildren on several cruises, but "[the kids'] favorite cruise of all time was on UnCruise. They got to kayak, hike and even do the polar plunge in Glacier Bay." Brrr! With kids, you should consider visiting Alaska during the high tourist summer season, because that means better weather, longer days, and more time to explore. Not a bad thing with UnCruise, where the activities seem limitless. 

Bloggers 2TravelDads took their children on UnCruise's special Kids in Nature, Wild Woolly & Wow sailing, which they loved. There are kid-friendly food menus, organized games, and an onboard naturalist to give your children an insight into the local wildlife and nature. With an itinerary and activities curated for kids, the experience really can't be beat. You can paddleboard and snorkel (yes, in Alaska!), head out on a skiff to get up close to the glacier, and go bushwhacking. Taking an UnCruise is fantastic for active families. The Kids in Nature, Wild Woolly & Wow cruise costs upwards of $6,300 plus taxes per person based on double occupancy.

Cruising as a family entails different requirements from cruising in an adult-only group. The onboard activities are paramount for keeping children entertained. We explored the market to find the cruises that travelers said were best for kids specifically. We relied on independent sites rather than the cruise lines' own websites to ensure the reviews were unbiased.

We looked at Reddit's r/Cruise subreddit, an increasingly popular place for real travelers to post reviews and advice, looking for cruise lines and ships that were mentioned many times. Along with this, we also took into account any upvotes or comments that supported these recommendations. We also looked at reviews on TripAdvisor and CruiseCritic, two other independent sites, searching for reviews that mentioned keywords like "family" and "children."