Taking the Kids: To Alaska this summer without cruise ships

While this is a devastating blow to the Alaska economy, families who don’t want to wait until 2022 have the opportunity to see Alaska a different way, and spend more time in and around Denali National Park, as well as elsewhere.

The largest players in the region — Holland America Line and Princess Cruises — have committed to operating their Alaska-based lodges this year while adventure companies like ROAM adventures are adding new very small, remote Alaskan Lodge & Flying adventures.

Small ships, like those operated by UnCruise Adventures will be able to sail as scheduled as the company’s vessels have fewer than 100 passengers and crew and have already implemented a COVID safety framework, including multiple required tests. Vaccines are strongly encouraged but, thus far, aren’t required. (UnCruise Adventures will offer a special deal of $500 off their current bookings for cruisers who have had their 2021 cruise canceled on larger ships, with proof of their cruise cancellation.)

Adventure Smith Explorations also offers small-ship and other Alaska adventures, including yachts potentially available just for your group. (There are 33 cruises and 11 land tours to choose from.) Adventure Smith Explorations founder Todd Smith notes that the regulations are confusing and many people do not realize that Alaska small-ship cruises will be able to operate as planned.

Also, while some of these trips may seem more expensive than a big ship, the price evens out, because they are all-inclusive.

“We have been fielding quite a few inquiries the past month or so from travelers seeking shorter, more independent lodge-based stays,” said Amy LaHaie of Alaska Wildland Adventures, which operates three wilderness lodges and trips that go from the Kenai Peninsula to Denali. “It seems travelers are less eager to travel as part of a group with other travelers outside their family bubbles but are still interested in shorter vacation packages with at least a partially guided aspect,” she observed.

The summer of 2019, we spent a few magical days kayaking, canoeing and just taking in the views and wildlife at the small (just 18 cabins and 40 guests) Kenai Fjords Glacier Lodge within the national park and accessible only by boat from Seward. We watched whales and puffins on the way!

The lodge is set on the 1,700-acre Pedersen Lagoon Wildlife Sanctuary on three miles of beachfront with views of the Pedersen Glacier. Our fellow guests were families seeking an alternative to the traditional big-cruise experience. (Mention Taking the Kids for a special discount, if you book before the end of March by calling (800) 334-8730 or visit info@alaska-wildland.com).

These trips aren’t for everyone. We walked on a trail to the Kenai Lodge while our bags were transported, kayaked right by a bear and up to a glacier in rainy Southeast Alaska and hiked through a hailstorm across spongy tundra in Denali. Some of our relatives opted out of our Denali trip because of the outhouses (the nicest outhouses I’ve ever experienced, complete with views of the Alaska Range!)

I’m all for creature comforts and have certainly enjoyed the amenities on big-ship cruises to Alaska, but there’s also something to be said for giving your family the gift of stepping out of their comfort zone (you may not have cell service or electricity!) for a once-in-a-lifetime experience, especially in a place like Alaska.

We were lucky that the weather enabled us to fly out of Denali National Park, circling around the peaks, flying right over the Thoroughfare River where we hiked the day before in the moose tracks, a trip we will never forget. Seeing the terrain from the air makes the area we hiked even more impressive.

Not for the moose, of course.

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(For more Taking the Kids, visit www.takingthekids.com and also follow TakingTheKids on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram where Eileen Ogintz welcomes your questions and comments. The Kid’s Guide to Philadelphia, the 13th in the kid’s guide series, was published in 2020, with The Kid’s Guide to Camping coming in 2021.)