What is your advice on going on a cruise?

Question

I'm looking for tips for my Alaskan cruise in July. Also, I will be taking a 7 month old. Got any tips on cruising with a baby?

Answer 1

Keep the baby's hand clean and use plenty of disinfectant on your own hands.  Germs spread notoriously quick on a cruise boat, and infants put their hands and mouths on everything, so they are great at both spreading and catching illness.  Nobody wants a sick baby!

If he/she is eating solids, take advantage of all the fresh fruits that are free on the ship.

Enjoy!

Answer 2

be prepared for anything and have alot of fun u should also go place with a buddy just so u won't get lost, 'cause u never know who's on the ship

Answer 3

The Alaska cruise season is from May to Sept.  The weather is generally warmer in June, July and Aug, but it can also be pleasant in May and Sept. When we went a few years ago in May it was shirt sleeve weather (70's) in Anchorage and Fairbanks. The odd thing was, it was cooler further south in Juneau and Skagway than it was up north. It was rainy and cloudy in Ketchkan. It will be cold, like coat, hat and gloves weather, when you get close to the Glaciers.  When you pack, think layering of your clothes. A couple long sleeve shirts/tops, a sweater/sweatshirt, a light jacket, maybe with a hood.

If you have not booked yet, consider this.  The best Alaska cruise experience is the CRUISE-TOUR. Princess, Holland America, and Royal Caribbean all run cruise tours which take you by train all the way to Fairbanks, Alaska. Princess and RC have special domed train cars for this. Your best chance to see wild animals will be if you do a cruise-tour where you go further north after cruising the inside passage. The only animals you are likely to see in the inside passage is seals.  On these tours You can arrange to stop for a night or two in Taketna, or  Denali National Park. This will be your best opportunity to see Moose, Caribou, eagle, wolf, and bear. But you really need two days at Denali so that you have time to get one of the Park Service's busses that go deep into the park. Regular tour busses , cars and campers can only go about 3 or 4 miles into the park. The Park Service runs busses about 17 miles into the park, but you must get to the visitor center very early to reserve a spot on one of their busses. The train stops going north and south do not get you to Denali in time or allow enough time for the deep back country busses.  With Princess, Holland America, and RC you can do the tour part first and then go to Seward or Whittier to get on ship for the inside passage part.  I recommend doing the tour part first.

Alaska cruises and tours are mostly scenic and cultural.  The usual stops for the inside passage portion are Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway and College Fjords.  The scenic parts are the animals, mountains, glaciers, fjords, and waterfalls.  The cultural parts are the Alaska Native, gold rush, fishing industry, and historical sites.

Some cruise lines offer baby sitting service so ask if they do and give yourself a free night or two.  Otherwise the cruise ships will provide what you need for the baby.

Check out the web sites below.