Please Help me Decide on a cruise

[Reneetubbs]

The cruise from Barcelona or the Alaskan- both in May of 2020 Barcelona is roughly $1000 more expensive because of airfare. I have two young children that just like to explore. Which would you choose??? all advice/help is greatly appreciated. THANK YOU

 

[Ladybugx87]

How old are your kiddos?
Do you want more nature or cities?
We did Med when older daughter was 3 and did Alaska with 5 and under 1. We loved them both but I’d recommend you decide if you want cities and history or forests and nature.

 

[Quellman]

Exploring in a Alaska is easy, though do be wary of excursion age limits. You can rent the green jeep in skagway. You can do whale watching or nature hikes. You can see sled dogs or crabbing ships. Lumber jack shows.

Europe has it's own set of explorations that of course are dependent on your kids as well. Lots of cultural exchanges and what not.

 

[aggiedog]

Many of the ports are actually an hour plus to the cities they serve, so there's a lot of driving to see the main sites on a Med cruise. It can also be brutally hot. While I love traveling with my kids, I'm not sure the Med would be my first choice for very young kids. If you really want Europe, I'd be more inclined to do the Baltic. The ports are generally right there in the city, the weather is usually more tolerable. Or Norway, which is more about outdoor activities, and still with nice weather.

 

[Reneetubbs]

The kids will be 7 and 10. We probably lean more towards nature, I am just worried about being miserably cold. We did New York in November last year and barely survived LOL BUT the hour drive thing in Europe is a negative. Thank you so much so far!

 

[Cruising Engineer]

We've been to Alaska, on DCL, twice: opening cruise May/June and last cruise of the season: Sept. Neither were miserably cold. It rains there a lot, but not what I call cold (growing up in Michigan). Southeast Alaska has the world's largest temperate rain forest. It's sweatshirt and waterproof jacket weather. Probably much warmer in July.

 

[jtntx34]

ALASKA!!! It is amazing. Plus, you do get cell reception without international charges while in port, so it’s easy to send pics back home to folks.

 

[Reneetubbs]

So it looks like I should stick with my original plan. Did you book excursions through Disney or separate? If separate is there a company you love?
Also my husband drinks. He prefers canned beer but it looks like the only drink plan is draft beer. Are liquor drinks expensive? Can I use a Disney gift card to pay for them? His next choice will be rum and coke.

 

[Mainsail Minnie]

The cruise from Barcelona or the Alaskan- both in May of 2020 Barcelona is roughly $1000 more expensive because of airfare. I have two young children that just like to explore. Which would you choose??? all advice/help is greatly appreciated. THANK YOU

Alaska, definitely.

 

[fredandkell]

Either is fine. I’ve done both and they are both amazing. If you click on the link in my signature you can read about my Med cruise with kids age 8 and 11.

 

[Cruising Engineer]

Also my husband drinks. He prefers canned beer but it looks like the only drink plan is draft beer. Are liquor drinks expensive? Can I use a Disney gift card to pay for them? His next choice will be rum and coke.

A vacation is the ability to go to some place new, meet new people and try something new. Entice your DH to try something new. If not, they have Bud on the ship.

 

[Reneetubbs]

LOL, DH prefers to sit in his garage and drink...... My goal is only to get him somewhere and situated. The exploring and meeting people part is for the kids and I. Actually, it is why I am so determined to keep the kids traveling. I need them to know there's a great big world outside of the garage. LOL

 

[Reneetubbs]

How about Travel insurance? Do you use Disney or something else?

 

[MomOTwins]

So it looks like I should stick with my original plan. Did you book excursions through Disney or separate? If separate is there a company you love?
Also my husband drinks. He prefers canned beer but it looks like the only drink plan is draft beer. Are liquor drinks expensive? Can I use a Disney gift card to pay for them? His next choice will be rum and coke.

You and your DH can each carry on a six pack of beers if he prefers cans (can pick this up in the embarkation port). You can charge drinks to your stateroom account and pay them off with a gift card.

 

[Cruising Engineer]

LOL, DH prefers to sit in his garage and drink...... My goal is only to get him somewhere and situated. The exploring and meeting people part is for the kids and I. Actually, it is why I am so determined to keep the kids traveling. I need them to know there's a great big world outside of the garage. LOL

Oooh geez, mine too. It's his man cave: refridge, TV, got him an antique barber chair, he and the dog have beer and biscuits (just biscuits for the dog), like a ritual. But, yes as @MomOTwins stated, you each (as adults) can take one six pack (12 oz.) beer OR 2 bottles of wine/champagne. When you go to a destination, you can restock. Hope that works for him (it does for my DH).

 

[Kanga&TwoRoos]

As they say in Alaska there's no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong clothes! You'll have a great time. We used Beyond Skagway for a personalized tour into the Yukon and Harv and Marv for whale watching in Juneau. So much fun stuff to do. Also you can bring another six pack of beer onboard at each port so your husband should be able to re supply.

 

[scgustafson]

Alaska. Have done both twice, and the Med is way too port intensive, with long trips to get to the good stuff, all of which leads to burn out.

 

[Jay Kat]

Loved Alaska and all it had to offer. We did the train to the Dog Sled area, met the puppies, saw bear on the way back; whale watching, glacier hiking; totem poles. It is great to learn about the impact on the environment and see bald eagles, whales, beaver, bear, etc. Loved every second and it had something for everyone.

 

[Reneetubbs]

OK, so I think my son would love the train, but I was worried about doing that after he had been stuck on a ship??? Where did you find that excursion? It looks like one the kids would love!