To Cruise or Not To Cruise, That is the Question

Have you ever wanted to take a cruise but not sure if you were suited for that type of vacation? Those were my thoughts exactly as we embarked on our first ever cruise. Follow along with us as we had the adventure of a lifetime aboard our cruise ship!

Jessica Savic

What Type of Vacationer Am I?

I have come across people in my life who are fanatic about taking cruises. I am not one of them. In fact, until this past year, I had never been on a cruise ship. I have taken plenty of ferries and small boat rides, but the thought of being stuck on a giant floating vessel in the middle of the ocean for days at a time never really appealed to me.

Another hesitation I had to taking cruises has been the mildly absurd (or majorly absurd if you ask my husband) idea that my son would fall overboard. However, if you have ever met my daredevil of an offspring, this would make perfect sense to you.

In 2024, we celebrated a major milestone birthday for my mom. To celebrate that occasion, we decided to take our entire family of 15 (8 adults, 7 children) on a cruise to Alaska! As I’m not naturally inclined to lean towards cruising, I quickly delved into everything this ship had to offer. This of course included forcing myself to get past my prejudices against taking a cruise.

How Big a Ship is Too Big?

Living in San Diego, we often walk past the cruise ships docked at the harbor and are therefore not strangers to the size of these massive vessels. However, I was not quite prepared for the enormity of the floating city we embarked on for our Alaskan cruise. We sailed with Royal Caribbean out of Seattle aboard the Quantum of the Seas. To say this ship is massive is a massive understatement!

Measuring 1,141 feet long, 136 feet wide, 16 decks to explore, and 2,090 staterooms, the Quantum is always bustling. There are certainly smaller ships that navigate up to Alaska! However, we specifically chose a larger ship with broader activity options because of the number of kids in our group.

Of course, with a larger ship comes larger crowds, which is quite evident at mealtimes, popular activities and show times. One reason I enjoy non-cruise travel is the option to choose locations or activities that are not overrun with people. Being on a cruise ship, you are forced to be with hundreds of other cruisers. This can make it difficult to find a quiet area on board, outside of your stateroom, to relax.

Activities on Board

One of the huge advantages of the larger ships is the number of available activities. We specifically chose a ship that offered a good number of activities geared towards a younger crowd. With 7 children in our group, we wanted to ensure boredom was kept at a minimum! Of our 7-day itinerary, we had 2 full days sailing at sea and were very thankful for the variety of activities offered.

Besides your standard pools, hot-tubs, spa, and entertainment shows, Quantum of the Seas offered rotating sports tournaments for all ages, a climbing wall, a FlowRider surf simulator, and indoor Sky Diving. As with many cruise ships, they also offered kids clubs and teens clubs.

The major downside I found was that for kids under 13, a parent needed to be present for many of these activities. My son was obsessed with the FlowRider and the climbing wall, which meant either my husband or I spent a good portion of our free time chaperoning him during these activities.

Of course, the activities were not only for the children in our group. My husband and I participated in (and were slaughtered) in the pickleball tournament. Several adults and most kids in our group enjoyed the bumper car sessions. And we had a few mean games of ping pong throughout the week.

Excursions or No Excursions?

Certainly, one of the reasons to take a cruise is to explore the destinations at which the ship docks. However, an organized excursion, especially through the cruise line itself, can get very expensive. On our 7-day cruise, our ship docked in 4 cities – Juneau, Ketchikan, Sitka and Victoria, B.C.

We opted to book an excursion through the cruise line in Ketchikan and Juneau, book an excursion independently in Sitka and explored Victoria on our own without a booked excursion.

There are obvious plusses and minuses to booking your excursion through the cruise line. The major plus of booking through the ship is that you are pretty much guaranteed to make it back to the dock before the departure cut-off time. The downside to booking through the ship is that these excursions are often more expensive and may have more limited availability. Some of the excursions we were interested in filled up through the cruise line very early on.

Booking your excursion through an independent service provider may give you more flexibility in pricing. However, you need to be more proactive in ensuring your excursion will be complete and you have enough time to return to the dock prior to the departure time.

You may also find that not every town you dock at requires a paid excursion. Do some research prior to your cruise on the towns you will be going to. You will likely find that there are plenty of activities you can undertake on your own. Keep in mind that many of these larger ships are required to dock outside of the main area of town due to noise, traffic, pollution, etc, so transportation in/out of town should be taken into consideration.

Would We Cruise Again?

This is an interesting question. Although I had an amazing experience on our cruise to Alaska, a major reason was due to the unique scenery and the time I spent with family. I’m not sure I would have enjoyed a cruise to another destination such as the Caribbean quite as much. My kids however, loved every second of this cruise. They made friends on the cruise that they still keep in touch with almost a year later. My son has decided that if his first career choice of anesthesiologist falls through, his backup plan is to move to Ketchikan and become a lumberjack. I think the memories they made on this cruise will be something they cherish the rest of their lives. I would definitely give cruising another shot. However, I am not 100% sold that this type of vacation is superior to independent traveling. Time will tell!