Cruising Alaska with Families, Best Excursions and Activities

A cruise to Alaska can be a once in a lifetime opportunity for many families. Make the most of your Alaskan cruising experience with your family by doing your research. Pick activities and excursions your family will truly enjoy.

Jessica Savic

Selecting the Cruise Line

Cruising Alaska with your family can have different priorities depending on the ages of the family members. If you are traveling with younger children, you may consider a Disney cruise ship that affords plenty of entertainment options for youngsters. Older children/teens may appreciate a ship with activities geared towards sports or adventure. No matter what your crew is interested in, do your research to get the most bang for your buck!

Disney cruise ships can be a wonderful option for families with young children or families that love the Disney experience. However, these ships also tend to be among the most expensive to sail. The Disney Alaska adventures embark from Vancouver (as of 2025) and offer cruises ranging in length from 5-9 nights. With a Disney cruise, your entertainment options include many Disney-based productions, movies, character encounters, etc.

For families with older kids/teens or families who may not be as Disney-centric, other cruise lines such as Carnival or Royal Caribbean may be a better fit. These cruise lines offer the standard pools/hot tubs as well as daytime and evening shows and entertainment. However, they often have extras onboard geared towards older kids such as sports tournaments, climbing walls, mini-golf, bumper cars, and much more.

Activities Onboard

Alaska cruises typically run 5 nights on the shorter end and up to 13+ nights on the longer end. This means you and your family will have several days at sea with no docking. It is important to do your research before booking. Knowing what activities are available onboard your ship ensures they are a good fit for your family. Most Alaska cruises sail from early summer to early fall, which means there are many hours of sunlight for activities.

While the larger cruise ships have pools on their decks, you can’t always count on warm, sunny weather for swimming on an Alaskan cruise. If you are cruising early or late in the Alaska season, the weather may be more unpredictable. It is nice to have options for indoor activities onboard for sea days in case weather doesn’t permit outdoor activities.

Most larger ships will include multiple entertainment shows; however, you are not always guaranteed tickets to the shows. Some may cost additional money, others are on first come, first serve basis but may be difficult to obtain. Many ships also offer add-on passengers can take such as art classes, cooking or cupcake decorating classes, jewelry making classes, etc.

Some of our kids’ favorite indoor activities were in the sports hall, which was converted into various sports tournaments throughout the week. This area was also utilized for laser tag, open gym, and bumper cars during the week. Many ships also have ping pong tables and video game areas set up for guests to utilize. Offering a variety of activities kept our kids engaged and active throughout the day.

Outdoor activities onboard are a great way to enjoy the fresh air and take in amazing views as you cruise. Besides the pools, which are great for any age, many ships offer a range of activities on their top deck to keep guests engaged. Most ships offer evening movies by the pool, although this can be a very chilly activity on an Alaska cruise. Other activities offered might include mini golf, a climbing wall, surfing or indoor sky diving.

Port Excursions

As with any cruise, stopping in Alaskan destinations offers a multitude of excursion options. These can range from fairly affordable to nearly the cost of a down payment on a new car. Options for excursions include booking directly through your cruise line or booking through independent operators such as Viatour. You can also tour destinations on your own without booking an excursion. However, keep in mind for more popular activities, these may sell out early.

Each port your ship stops at in Alaska has unique opportunities and you should definitely do some research on those specific port offerings before booking. Keep in mind that sometimes weather does force ships to alter routes and change their port destinations during travel, which can change/cancel your booking. If you book a tour with an outside vendor, ensure you very carefully review their cancellation policies.

Traveling with kids to Alaska may limit some of the excursions you take as some of them have a minimum age limit. For example, we chose to go kayaking in Sitka, which was amazing, but all participants had to be at least 12 years old. Several ports have zip-line options, which have height and weight requirements for all guests. Many ports have bike tour options, which have a minimum age requirement. Be sure to check the requirements of the excursion before booking!

No matter what ages your children are, there are no shortage of exciting excursions to book for all ages. From lumberjack shows to whale watching to glacier hiking, you and your family will find excursions to fit both your family and your wallet!

Wondering if a cruise is right for you? Check out our post on cruising for your next vacation:

To Cruise or Not To Cruise, That is the Question – Roam with Adria and Jess