Are you considering taking an Alaska Cruise with baby in tow and looking for tips and tricks to help make your sailing easier and more enjoyable. Well look no further! In this guide we will not only tell you some of our general cruising with a baby tips but tell you how to enjoy and what to do in Alaska Cruise ports with toddlers and of course what to pack for an Alaskan Cruise with toddlers.
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Alaska Cruise with baby tips and tricks
Princess cruise ship in Alaska – Taking an Alaska cruise with baby tips
Alaska has to be one of the top cruise destinations anywhere in the world. The reason for this is because it is hard to visit Alaska without a cruise and involves long journeys and difficult terrain. Certainly for those traveling with babies, a cruise is the easiest way to visit Alaska.
If you want to visit Alaska on a cruise with a baby then these tips will help ensure you book the right ship and line, pick the right excursions and make sure you don’t forget to pack anything important.
Can babies go on Alaska cruises?
Cruising with a baby – baby friendly cruises
So probably the first question you have about taking your first cruise to Alaska with babies is “Can babies go on Alaskan cruises?”. And the good news is for the most part the answer is absolutely yes but there are some caveats.
That is because babies under 1 year of age are not usually permitted on cruises where the itinerary contains two or more consecutive cruise sea days (i.e. days where you don’t dock in port). This is done for health and safety reasons.
If you would prefer to have an itinerary that has more cruise days then you may want to consider waiting until your little one turns 1 and do an Alaska cruise with a toddler instead.
The other thing to remember is some cruise lines are adults only i.e. Virgin Cruises and Viking so these aren’t possible to do a cruise with a baby with.
Is it safe to take a baby on a cruise to Alaska?
Probably the number one question we are asked by people considering their first cruise vacation with kids is “Is it safe to take kids on a cruises?”
In our opinion cruises are a safe vacation. In fact babies are in fact easier to cruise with than toddlers as they are not on the move.
However you should always keep your little ones well supervised particularly in open air areas.
What is the best cruise line for families with babies going to Alaska?
Norwegian cruise ship in Alaska – Taking an Alaska cruise with toddlers tips
When you are cruising with a toddler or older children to Alaska you really need to think about child friendly amenities. However you need to consider this less with babies as they have less opinions and entertainment needs.
However for parents of babies there may be some things that are important to you i.e.
- Babysitting on your cruise
- Laundry facilities on your ship
- Royal Caribbean Line,
- Carnival
- Norwegian
- Princess
- Holland America
Disney Cruises is also a line that cruises in Alaska however it comes with a premium price tag. I personally would wait to cruise Disney with preschoolers and toddlers and older children who will enjoy the meetings more. However Disney does provide a lot of baby friendly amenities so if your budget allows this too could be a great choice.
Note: going on a Disney Cruise check out these best Disney Cruise Instagram captions or these general cruise instagram captions for your family vacation photos.
Best Cabin on Alaska Cruises for Families
Cruising with infant tips – what stateroom should I book?
It is always a dilemma choosing the type of cabin on a cruise line but I think this dilemma is amplified when cruising with a baby and then add in a destination as scenic as Alaska it really becomes a minefield.
The three main factors when picking a cabin with kids are:
- safety i.e. do you want a balcony
- scenery – there is usual some scenic cruising on Alaska cruises.
- brightness – can your toddler sleep at night if it is still light as days are long in Alaska.
Personally for an Alaska cruise with a baby, especially if your baby is not yet mobile I would choose a balcony cabin. That way adults after bedtime can use the balcony for drinks and enjoy the scenic cruise in their own space.
For more information on room types check out our post here
And if you want to know more about cruise suites you can see our review here.
What to Pack for babies on a cruise to Alaska
Can you Cruise Holland America with kids
Clothing
The thing about Alaska is even if you are traveling in the summer it can be cold, especially for a baby in a stroller. Generally speaking it is recommend that babies have one extra layer to adults when in the cold.
We recommend packing for babies in Alaska:
- vests
- onesies
- fleeces
- jumpers
- thick socks
- booties
- hats
- gloves
that way you have plenty of layers to keep adding in the cold in dining rooms where there is air conditioning, on deck and when near glaciers or on boats such as when whale watching.
And don’t forget waterproofs as Alaska is very rainy and being soaked could really ruin your day in port and isn’t healthy for a little one.
Also don’t forget formal wear. Unless you are cruising on Norwegian Cruise Line, there will be a cruise formal night on your Alaska cruise. Therefore you may want to pack a cute outfit for your little for those important formal night photos.
Baby Essentials
Baby essentials that you should take on cruises are:
- diapers
- formula (if you use)
- pacifiers
- bottles
- blankie
We recommend taking enough of all of these with you on the ship to last your entire vacation as these aren’t readily available in towns or on the ship and if they are you will be paying a premium for them.
Important note: when you embark on a cruise your bags will be take away and returned to you at the end of the day (hopefully) in your stateroom.
It can take awhile to get your bags back so be sure you have all your essentials to last you through the day and overnight by packing your cruise embarkation daybag properly.
Toys
We usually go for low irritation toys that can be used outside the stateroom such as colouring, sticker books and jigsaws which can help keep your toddler entertained on cruises at dinner etc without having to use electronics and things that also work for when they are in a stroller.
Umbrella Stroller or compact stroller
Space is a premium on cruise ships so make sure your stroller is compact.
For a full guide on what the best stroller for cruise travel is click here!
Carrier
Whenever we are traveling with a baby we think about if we need a carrier, a stroller or both.
For Alaska we recommend taking both as carriers are needed on some port excursions such as hikes in the rainforest at Ketchikan.