Thinking about a cruise soon? If you’re planning on heading out on the seas, it turns out that Covid-19 isn’t the only virus you need to worry about catching these days on a cruise ship. But if we had to finally catch Covid and suffer through norovirus, at least it was as a result of a trip to Alaska. No regrets on that but I wish we would have picked a smaller ship. More on that later – I’ll stick with the good stuff first.
Traveling—it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.
– Ibn Battuta
Alaska was the 49th state on my husband’s #50statesbefore50 journey and I was so excited to be able to make this happen for him. Alaska is a postcard from every angle. It’s majestic, it’s mysterious, and if you visit in May, you could have amazing 75 degree weather like we did.
We arrived three days early so we could spend some time in Seattle. You can read more about our time in Seattle here. I highly recommend giving yourself at least two days to experience all that Seattle has to offer.
Our Royal Caribbean Quantum of the Seas ship had just been cleared to cruise again after the pandemic and we were the third Royal Caribbean cruise out in May 2022 to Alaska. We did all of the Covid precautions, testing, vaccination requirements, and we wore masks the whole time we were in public places because we didn’t want to Covid to ruin our vacation. If you test positive while on the ship, you must quarantine in a separate cabin so we took this very seriously.
The ship holds 4,180 passengers and it definitely felt like we were at max capacity. The crews seemed short staffed and later I learned that it was the result of crews coming down with Covid, too. On the bright side, there are some really fun things on board such as bumper cars and an iFly skydiving simulator that my girls loved and a surf simulator that always seemed too cold outside to try out.
After a day at sea exploring the game area and all of the food choices, our first Alaskan stop was at Icy Strait Point, a port owned by cruise lines featuring two gondola rides – we did both. I am not a fan of heights but I did enjoy the views from the top. My husband did the world’s longest zipline there and highly recommends it. We took the tram into the town of Hoonah and stopped at the Fisherman’s Daughter for milkshakes.
The second port-of-call was Skagway and this was my favorite port of the cruise. It’s a Gold Rush era town with a thriving downtown, White Pass & Yukon Route railroad running through, and a real road (yes, a road!) which I learned is a big deal for residents because it will take you to Canada for all of the essential shopping. The views in Skagway were magnificent but the Musher’s Sled Dog Camp excursion was a lot of fun for all of us. The experience concludes with cuddling puppies at the camp. This was the highlight of my two girls’ vacation!
Our stop in Alaska’s capital city Juneau was filled by a whale watching cruise excursion but we did make time for Tracy’s Crab Shack – a must do in Juneau! We saw so many humpback whales that I lost count and ate the most amazing Alaskan King Crab Legs. No reservations are needed at Tracy’s and despite the very long lines, they moved through the crowds quickly.
Our last day was spent in Victoria, Canada. This was our least favorite port but we still enjoyed it. By this day, I was starting to feel sick but my Covid test was negative so I kept on. That night, my oldest daughter, who was the only one who ate at the Windjammer buffet that day, came down with a violent bout of a stomach bug all night long. I strongly suspect she had norovirus but can’t confirm.
We didn’t test positive for Covid until the day after we came home, but I still think about the people we sat beside on the plane and unknowingly infected. My oldest daughter’s experience was scarred by her illness but since we were generally not feeling badly until the last day, I don’t regret our cruise to Alaska. I just wouldn’t cruise on a large cruise ship again or with a large line like Carnival or Royal Caribbean. There were just too many people every which way we turned and the crew didn’t seem to be able to keep up. We also weren’t too impressed with the food.
Or maybe we won’t cruise at all again – I’m not sure yet. But one thing is for sure, we definitely want to go back to Alaska.
7-Night Royal Caribbean Alaskan Cruise with Kids
| Day | Destination | Trip Notes |
|---|---|---|
| (1-3) | Seattle, WA | See blog post for our Seattle itinerary |
| 1 | Pier 91, Seattle | We booked Royal Caribbean’s Quantum of the Seas. The pier is not close to anything so we Uber’d from our hotel in Seattle. Lines moved seamlessly and we were impressed with the speed in which we were able to go through all of the checkpoints and get onboard. |
| 2 | At Sea | We spent a good portion of our first day at sea at the recreation complex which includes xBox gaming systems, ping pong, basketball, and bumper cars. We took a dance class and a napkin folding class – both proved to be memorable! |
| 3 | Icy Point Strait, Hoonah, AK | A must do – both gondola rides. My husband did the world’s longest zip line and highly recommends it for adventure seekers! We loved taking the tram into town and learning how the locals live. We walked through the Historic Cannery and watched the free tribal dance show. |
| 4 | Skagway, AK | We booked the Musher’s Camp Sled Dog excursion through Royal Caribbean while in Skagway. Our tour guide was fantastic on Alaska X Excursions – one of the best I’ve ever had anywhere. The Unimog ride was treacherous up the mountain but it was all part of the experience. Cuddling husky puppies at the end was icing on the cake. A good stop in Skagway for affordable souvenirs is Alaskan Shirt Co. Skagway has a ton of great shopping! A must do for brewery lovers is Skagway Brewing Company. |
| 5 | At Sea | By this day, we were a bit sick of the food options and in hindsight, we should have splurged for some of the additional fee restaurants like Jamie Oliver’s Italian Restaurant for added variety. We didn’t though and by the time we thought of it, all of the extra restaurants were booked so and just stuck to the main dining, pizza, and buffet options. |
| 6 | Endicott Arms/Dawes Glacier Juneau, AK | The glacier was still frozen so we couldn’t pass through it, but it was still amazing nonetheless. Its almost like driving through a freezer and it was the only time during the vacation that we needed winter clothing. We booked the whale watching cruise through Royal Caribbean while in Juneau. I lost count of all of the humpback whales we saw! A must stop in Juneau is Tracy’s Crab Shack. |
| 7 | Victoria, British Columbia | We had no planned excursions in Canada so we walked around, took a horse and carriage ride around the beautiful city, and had some Canadian poutine. |
| 8 | Sea-Tac Airport | This might be my least favorite airport in the U.S. Be sure to leave plenty of time for airport security at Sea-Tac. Yikes! |
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