jcn

My husband and I will be celebrating our 20th Anniversary next summer. Our children are teenagers and this could be the last BIG trip before one of them heads off to college so we are taking them with us. We have been to Hawaii before (Oahu and Kauai) but have wanted to visit Maui and the Bis island. We are torn between this trip OR taking an Alaskan Cruise. I know there will be tons of things for teenagers to do in Hawaii but am not sure kids their age will enjoy a week of admiring nature's beauty on a cruise. Is site-seeing in Alaska for a couple of weeks a good thing to take them on or should we go the more adventuresome route and head to Hawaii?

hpeabody

As much as I love Alaska, IMO teens would be happier in Hawaii. Maui and The Big Island are both great! I have been many times. Save the beauty of Alaska for when they are older and will have more appreciation for it.

jcn

My thoughts exactly, hpeabody. Now to convince the hubby! Thanks.

Accidental_Tourist

I think you have already made your decision - Hawaii. You KNOW the kids will like it! Go ahead, go to Hawaii and create memories that will last a lifetime. Your kids will love you for it.

Gardyloo

Would it have to be a cruise? You could fly to Alaska, get a car, and do some land-based touring instead. Of course it depends on your kids - would fishing, hiking, climbing on glaciers or seeing whales, bears, caribou, or moose impress them? Flightseeing or even a trip above the arctic circle?

Not to take anything away from Hawaii, especially the big island (for us, Maui is... meh) but there are indeed tons of things to do in Alaska for teens.

Anyway, the cruises are all one week, and if you have two weeks you'd have to fill the other 7 days with something. Most of the cruises have tons of excursions/activities for teens - ziplines, kayaking, fishing, glacier trekking. Most are pretty pricey, but then so are many activities in Hawaii.

But they're very different. Don't forget that Hawaii in the summer can be pretty hot, and wet in places too. Alaska + hot, not so much.

jcn

Gardyloo, my 16 year old son is addicted to fishing so that's the one thing he mentioned that he definitely wanted to do. Honestly, I didn't know another way to see as much of Alaska as possible without going on a cruise and doing some shore excursions. You make it sound so exciting and do-able with teenagers. I thought I was settled on a decision. Now, again, I'm not so sure. LOL...more research ahead. Thanks for your input.

montereybob

Alsaka cruises draw older crowds. Most people on the cruise ship will be decades older than your sons. So it would be a very boring environment for teens. There are so many more exciting things for teens to do in Maui than in Alaska. I highly recommend Maui for them. And Maui is also a very romantic place for an anniversary.

padams421

I have sons ages 14 and 16. They have been all over the US (including Hawaii) and Europe. They will tell you that the most memorable trip we have ever taken was Alaska. We toured by land, and did not do a cruise. Seeing bears and other wildlife close up, fishing, glacier treks, hiking, day cruises, dog sledding, kayaking and enjoying the incredibly spectacular scenery in almost constant daylight were some of their favorites.

Alaska would be a once in a lifetime trip that everyone will remember forever even if they are "beach kids". Another trip to Hawaii is not likely to stand out as much.

Gardyloo

Using a combination of a week's cruise and a land-based week, you could consider something like this: Leave Vancouver on a northbound one-way cruise to Seward so that you arrive in Seward in time for the end of Silver Salmon derby around August 18-19. It's some of the best salmon fishing to be had, and there are numerous fishing services in Seward who will take you out for a day. While you're in Seward, take a day to go on a tour of Kenai Fjords National Park - orcas, seals, spectacular scenery, the works.

Then get a car and drive to Denali Park via Anchorage. In late August Denali is arguably at its best - fewer mosquitoes, even some autumn color on the tundra, wildlife usually quite visible. Spend a couple of days at Denali, then back to Anchorage for a couple of days (local hikes or bike trails, museum and Native Heritage Center, some shopping and resting up) then home by air. Very doable and the kids won't be bored much if at all.

(Not to contradict Montereybob, but summer Alaska cruises are full of young people and kids, not just elders. How else could a zillion zipline, glacier trekking, and kayaking "excursion" operators make a living? The cruiselines don't make any money by having passengers sitting and staring at the view, so they provide plenty of distractions both on and off the boats. The problem is much more one of cost containment for families. However, the "base" cruise cost - transportation, cabin, food and ship's entertainment - is quite reasonable on a per-person-per-day basis, especially considering it's a great waterfront hotel room that moves.)

montereybob

I have read in Maui Revealed that these maps were formatted many, many years ago when some roads were bad but that now it is not an issue. However, the map company doesn't want to go thru the expense of revising their maps. So they just keep printing them.

montereybob

Sorry about the previous post. It got on the wrong thread.

FrankS

Even on our Holland America(known for older crowds) summer cruise to Alaska there were plenty of children and activities for them, I can only imagine how much more NCL would offer. We have taken our kids to Hawaii MANY times, but I would say we had the most quality time spent together in Alaska

FACS

We spent 2 weeks driving in Alaska and it was beautiful. We saw all of the typical Alaskan animals and the local folks were friendly and helpful. We began in Anchorage and went as far north as Denali. We took a flightseeing trip (with a Northern Lights coupon) around the summit of Denali which gave me goosebumps and I had to actually pinch myself to see if this incredible majestic beauty was real.
We spent time on the Kenai Peninsula and very much enjoyed fishing in Homer and the town itself. We also liked Seward and seeing the boat unload their giant halibut. We took an 8 hour cruise out of Seward and saw Orca, humpback, dozens of sea otters, sea lions, many birds including puffins and glacier calving which was spectacular.
We spent a couple hours at the wildlife rehab facility near the road to Whittier. We were too early (June)to see the Beluga's feeding in Cook inlet though.
We've been to Hawaii also,and had a good visit. I had never wanted to go to Alaska because after viewing photos from Alaskan cruises, I always thought the Canadian Rockies and the Alps looked better. My friends who cruised last year enjoyed our pictures and wished they had did a land portion. They were far from the glacier and never saw it calve. They were very far from 1 whale. They never saw any of the land animals like we did. Enjoy!

nancytwo

My vote for Maui. Our two Alaska cruises were fun, but a much older crowd.

sf7307

I have never done it, but I know two families who took Alaska cruises with their kids when the kids were early teens and they all had a blast -- both went in summer.