Episode Details

Alaska cruise planning for families: what it costs, which cruise line to pick, best ports, shore excursions, and more with expert Kim Tate.

Expert guest Kim Tate of Stuffed Suitcase has been on roughly 10 Alaska cruises and just published a book on the subject. She joins host Melissa Conn to break down everything families need to know about planning an Alaska cruise with kids — from choosing the right ship to managing excursion logistics to setting realistic expectations about wildlife and weather.

In this episode:

• Cruise vs. land: what each format does better for families
• Roundtrip vs. one-way Alaska itineraries — and the Gulf of Alaska crossing
• Glacier Bay vs. other glacier experiences: is it worth planning around?
• Best Alaska cruise lines for kids programming
• What a realistic Alaska cruise actually costs for a family 
• Shore excursions: cruise line vs. independent booking, and one third-party resource Kim trusts
• Seattle vs. Vancouver embarkation - including the two Seattle piers most families don't know about
• How to use companion passes to offset flight costs
• Lightning round: Kim's favorite SEA lounge, best Alaska wildlife sighting,  what she always eats and more!

Already explored Alaska by land? Melissa has too — listen to Episode 32 for the land trip breakdown, then come back to this one for the cruise deep dive.

00:00 Welcome and Meet Kim Tate
04:14 Alaska Cruise Planning Preliminaries
06:01 Cruise vs Land Experiences
07:03 Alaska Cruise Itineraries
11:36 What's the Best Alaska Cruise for Families and Kids?
15:24 Weather and Cancellations
18:55 Realistic Alaska Cruise Trip Costs
22:26 Choosing Your Ideal Alaska Cruise
30:37 Alaska Shore Excursions
37:14 Embarkation: Seattle vs Vancouver
39:54 Why Use a Travel Advisor
42:39 Lightning Round
48:17 Wrap Up

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Alaska Cruises - The Ultimate Guide

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