Info on: Alaska cruise, Norwegian Jewel AND/OR Nick cruise

any and all info and the above would be helpful.


We are SOOOO not cruise people (DH especially after the Italy ship). Alaska is the only reason we would go on one (or Antarctica). We are in the deciding phase, would love any and all feedback, especially for non cruise lovers.

Re: Info on: Alaska cruise, Norwegian Jewel AND/OR Nick cruise

I read that the non-Disney kid's cruise stuff (Nick and dream works ones) are kind of bs as far as being extra special for kids. Not that they aren't great for their own reasons but don't expect a ton of activities pertaining to the movies/characters. Most of the trip advisor reviews say that it's a half assed attempt to just offer something Disney comparable.

Try and remind DH he's a million times more likely to die in a car crash. That's how I try and rationalize away my crazy fears of rogue tsunami waves, lol.

Re: Info on: Alaska cruise, Norwegian Jewel AND/OR Nick cruise

What about the Disney Alaska cruise? BOOM!

Actually Norweigian was one of the first Cruise lines to offer kids clubs and I know that they have enchanced them a LOT recently.

I still don't think any cruise line is going to be on par with Disney in terms of being designed completely with families in mind, characters everywhere, Disney shows every night, practically every Disney move ever on demand in the stateroom, not to mention at the pool and the movie theaters, but NCL has put a lot into trying to compete. They have bowling, rock climbing, huge screens with Wii games, etc depending on the ship.

I think you'll find plenty for the LOs to do, but the family/character aspect is MUCH more pervasive on Disney. Are you considering them?

If I were going to Alaska, I would definitely take a cruise. There's so much more you can see that way, so I think you're making a great decision.

I REALLY did NOT think I would like cruising and then I took a Disney cruise and I was 100% hooked. It's really a floating resort. I think you will love it! I would go with Disney (for the kids activities and just general awesomeness) or NCL (for freestyle cruising since you seem a little wary of the cruise experience in general. This will give you a lot of flexibility). I think both are great choices for first-time/unsure cruisers. All things being equal, I PERSONALLY would go for the Disney Cruise since I love the characters, the rotational dining, the restaurants (animator's palate!!!), and the extreme attention to detail. We also have little to no interest in an on-board casino, so we prefer the other entertainment. That having been said, everything I've read about NCL seems to indicate they are putting a real focus on families.

Re: Info on: Alaska cruise, Norwegian Jewel AND/OR Nick cruise

An Alaska cruise is the best! We went before DS so I cant speak about kids activities but I will caution you to carefully look into the excersions. It may be just because we did not have DS when we went but I dont remember seeing kids on the excersions at all. Excersions are a HUGE part of an Alaskan cruise. That being said I would guess that Disney would know how to put together age appropriate family excersions. An Alaskan cruise is definately on our redo list.

Re: Info on: Alaska cruise, Norwegian Jewel AND/OR Nick cruise

Re: Info on: Alaska cruise, Norwegian Jewel AND/OR Nick cruise

I have traveled on the Jewel but not that itinerary (though I have been to Alaska).
My thoughts on the ship:
1. There is only an out door pool and it does not get covered by a retractable roof or anything like that. The pool is way to small for the number of people on board. You are lined like sardiens standing up in the adult pool. It is SALT WATER.
2. The children's pool does have a fun large slide and there is a separate small pool for non potty trained children that is in a covered area but still exposed to the elements.
3. The kids club is really nice. They have a large movie room (no chairs), art area, and a big enclosed jungle gym mesh thing. For younger children they also have an unstaffed area with some toys.
4. The food has really gone down hill. DH and I got engaged on the Dawn so I have a really soft spot for NCL, but we are not crusing this year because of our really bad experience on this ship last year.
5. If you want to meet any of the characters you need to be at the event at least 10 minutes before it is scheduled because if you are even a minute late you run the real risk that they will have left and no, they will not bring the character back out even though the character should have been there at that time. We got to an event maybe 2 minutes after it started and the character person had left, they refused to get the character and my kids were left crying with us. They do have some crafts which are fun, and the rest of the Nick staff is nice. They were the best of the staff on board.
6. You have to look really closely at excursion requirements like the girls said.

For excellent cruise advice head over to the message boards on cruisecritic.

Now Alaska is lovely. I think you need to think about what you want to do. If you want whale watching you need to look at your time of year to see if they will be there. Where do you plan on going?

Re: Info on: Alaska cruise, Norwegian Jewel AND/OR Nick cruise

Thank you everyone. Disney is not on the table. We are not Disney people and when we were at Disneyland last year, DC only wanted to leave the park to go to the lego store.

This is actually something for DS. He is having a wish granted. He wants to go to Tokyo, but the woman who called me didn't sound like that would be possible. She kept pushing cruises , so I wanted to see if we could work it.

Re: Info on: Alaska cruise, Norwegian Jewel AND/OR Nick cruise

If this is a Wish program I would tell the coordinator that your DC wants to go to Tokyo. They might want a cruise b/c it is less expensive. Depending upon the response, I would ask if Tokyo is at all possible or is it out of the budget. I hope that your son is doing better. I am sending healing thoughts your way.

Since it is for your son, I would pick Hawaii.