Originally Posted by
yukira
I am thinking of booking a cruise for me, my husband and 4 year old. My husband is a paraplegic and as a result not only are we on a major budget but due to some health issues he has we prefer to not have to be in an airplane for more than 2-3 hours. As we live in Oregon, a Disney cruise is not really an option. We are thinking an Alaska cruise and I am wondering if it is likely my 4 year old will enjoy any of the kids club offerings on non Disney cruise lines like Holland America or Princess. I would also love to do Beaches but again that will need to be a trip with just my daughter and me. Accessibility is always an issue so a cruise seemed like an ideal family vacation. I am not sure if I should wait until my daughter is a little older though. Any thoughts on this? Thanks.
I took my son, then age 8, on a Princess cruise to Alaska last fall, and he had a
fabulous time in the kid's room every day we weren't on shore. We went mid-September, so the total kid's room count was 12 kids, ages 3 to 8. For him, that was great, a couple kids to play with when he was in the mood, and no waiting for the PlayStation when he wanted to play by himself. The staff told me their mid-August sailing had over 100 kids in that age range: pick your dates carefully. The number of "teachers" in the kid's room was the same for both cruises, so kids on our sailing had a lot more attention and supervision, and really got to know and like the staff.
We made friends with a family with a 2 year old and a 4 year old. Their older child couldn't wait to head to the kid's room every day, and the younger was horribly frustrated she couldn't go, too, because there were so many toys and things to do. (I think the minimum age is 3 + must be potty trained)
For me, having my son enjoy the supervised kid's activities so much was a huge bonus. That meant that not only was he happy and well cared for, I had free time! Hours of it, everyday! Which truly made the cruise a vacation for both of us.
Right now Princess is offering some incredible discounts on Alaska cruises - just got another email from them today - and they do offer Seattle departures, which might be the easiest on your husband.
One personal point of preference: pick a sailing where your time in Victoria is mid-day if you can. Some trips arrive there at 7 pm and leave at midnight, which means you can't do many of the nicest things in Victoria. Victoria is very accessible for wheelchair users, too.
Oh, also, on the ship don't hesitate to have room service! We loved being lazy and eating breakfast in our pajamas a couple days of the trip.
Kids don't need Disney to really enjoy a cruise.