jmoy

Hi! We are planning a trip to Alaska in early August - I'll be 27 weeks along. Planning to fly into Anchorage and starting to look through the forum archives for itinerary suggestions/trip advice.

I would like to do the glacier trips and whale watching tours - are these ok for pregnant travelers? I never got seasick pre-pregnancy but wondering how rough the seas are going to get. DH is concerned that the trip would be too rough on me.

We're looking into a 7-10 day trip, at a relatively relaxed pace (more sight-seeing than activity-based e.g. whitewater rafting, hiking).

Would appreciate trip advice and links to previous itineraries. Thank you!

dfrostnh

I went snowmobiling when I was 6 mos pregnant. My OB's advice was "the baby is well protected, you just don't want to break a leg".

DH never got sea sick until one deep sea trip so he was nervous about the cruise out of Seward. We lucked out with a very calm sea, one of the best all summer according to our captain who was able to take us thru a very narrow, rock inlet as a special treat. It wasn't any different than being on a lake. You might get lucky. You can check with the cruise people about sea conditions. We went mid-week and picked a day when we knew the weather was great and just reserved the day before. It was late June so maybe less busy than usual. Take what precautions you can being pregnant, i.e. sea band bracelets - whatever your ob says is ok. I'd take the chance myself because if I got sick, I'd do my best to get thru it without ruining DH's time.

Do a search here for trip reports. There's plenty to do for people who don't want a strenuous trip. The scenery between Anchorage and south to Seward is incredible. You might not want to do a long bus ride in Denali.

jmoy

That's great that you were still able to go snowmobiling. Really want to do the glacier tours so glad to know that this is still possible for me. Thanks, dfrostnh!

goldie5

We did a whale watching cruise on a larger catamaran out of Hoonah/Icy Strait Point when we were on our cruise and the seas were so easy. Plus, in a boat that is larger, as opposed to a 6-pack (6-person), you'll minimize your chance of getting sick since it handles the water motion better. In Juneau we took the local shuttle out to Mendenhall Glacier and enjoyed the visitors center and the easy hike out to the waterfalls just to the side of the glacier. We spent about 3 hours out there on the rocky beach looking at rocks and the glacier. The hike only took about 30 minutes but hanging out was the real highlight for us. There is a longer trail that takes about 2-3 hours to do, and I've seen a clip of it on YouTube, but its elevation climb wasn't something that my kids were willing to do that morning.

Try to spend a day in Anchorage because its museums and shops make for a fun introduction.

jmoy

Thanks goldie5! Not sure if we can make it to Juneau with our time, but I'll keep the Mendenhall Glacier in mind if we do.