We are in the planning stages of an Alaska Cruise in June '09. We are a family of 6 ranging in age of 12-21 (kids) and not to old (adult age). Would like any suggestions on ships, routes and excursions. We have done 2 Carribean cruises already and just loved it! Thanks for any and all information. Gennine

Sorry, you would think after 2 Cruises I would know how to spell Caribbean. Gennine

That's a very open ended question. There are interesting things for all those ages. You will need to narrow it down more if you want any meaningful responses. What does your family enjoy doing? They have snorkling 9yes even in Alaska) that my 13 year old really enjoyed. Theres whale watching, salomn fishing, hiking etc...

How many days are you planning on travelling for? 7, 14 etc...

I guess I was pretty open ended on my questions. Sorry. We would be doing a 7 day cruise and are open to any type of activities. Would like to hear about peoples favorite ones and then go from there. Also was thinking about leaving from Seattle. How much would that affect our cruise? Thanks again, Gennine

Leaving from Seattle is basically just a "different" cruise. To leave and return to Seattle the ships don't get as far north as the north bound cruises leaving from Vancover. But you would still see the common ports.

The favorite activities for us were the whale watching, snorkeling (they give you a full body wet suit to keep you warm), and then it is a toss up between the kayaking wildlife adventure and gold mining. One tour we were dissapointed in was the river rafting trip. It took most of the day up and we got to see some Eagles, but mostly we floated on a river (calmly) so it was a bust in our minds. We could have done something else with the time.

Just be prepared for the extra cost of Alaskan excursions versus the caribbean cruise excursions. The Alaska tours cost about 3 times what typical Caribbean ones do. If you want to take that helicopter ride, be prepared for several hundred dollars per person.