When we went on an Alaskan family cruise a few years ago it wasn’t the glaciers, or the whales or even seeing a moose that made the biggest impression on our kids. The one thing that they couldn’t get enough of was the sled dogs.
It started in Juneau where we met Iditarod Champion Libby Riddles and her sled dogs.
We found more sled dogs when we went on a shore excursion from Skagway into the Yukon Territory.
We even went on a go-kart pulled by sled dogs.
But by and far the most exciting experience was our visit to Husky Homestead in Denali Park which is the home of another Iditarod champion, Jeff King. Here we were able to hold the sled dog puppies who are introduced to visitors in order to socialize them and make them better sled dogs.
The girls were in heaven cuddling these adorable puppies.
Could there be anything cuter?
Anyone heading to Alaska with kids needs to plan on spending some time learning about the sled dogs which are a central part of Alaskan culture because once the children have spotted their first sled dog they will almost certainly be smitten.
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Tracy Burns
Those puppies are adorable. Seeing your photos I can definitely understand why it was the puppies that made the biggest impression. Thanks for sharing this, I would have never of thought of this activity but I’m sure my children would love learning more about sled dogs as much as your kids (and patting the puppies of course!)
Stephanie
We are hoping to get to Alaska within the next few years. We will definitely check out the sled dogs. Thanks for the tip!
Debbie Dubrow
Those puppies made me grin 😉 Thanks for sharing!
Becca@R We There Yet Mom?
This is fantastic! I love the adorable puppies at the end!!
I host a link up on Fridays called “Friday Daydreamin'” that this would be a perfect post – travel photos and memories that get you daydreaming! I’d love it if you’d like to link up! http://www.rwethereyetmom.com
Thanks!
~Becca
Bridget Smith
What amazing pictures! Alaska is such a kid friendly destination. Hoping to make it up there with my young people some day!
Becca@R We There Yet Mom?
Thanks for linking up and the shout out!!
Have a great weekend!
~Becca
Amy
Alaska looks amazing! It is such a fascinating place!
Impulsive Addict
OMG! Those puppies are adorable!! I want one!!
Great pics and memories from a great vacation!
Stopping by via Becca’s place~
Sophie
I think I would have considered the huskies a highlight as well 🙂
walkingon travels
I can not believe my in-laws went all the way to Denali and didn’t bring me one of those puppies. They are WAY too cute. I would trade the cat for one any day. I can certainly see my little guy loving the dogs more than any other animal too. Whales as toys or on TV are one thing, but a whale up close might scare the bejezus out of him 😉
Bella
Thank you so much for all the information you have on your website! I am taking my two girls to the Disney Alaska cruise in a couple weeks. They are 9 and 4 – I have been looking at all the port activities and am really puzzled. I have heard the railway is too long and boring for young children. My older one is so scared of the helicopter ….I am not sure what else to do! Would you have any suggestion? Thank you so much!
Lisa Goodmurphy
Hi Bella,
I’ll just start by saying that I would love to go on that Disney Alaska cruise! I have seen photos of the characters in their Alaska outfits and they are just too cute! Your daughters will love it!
My daughters were almost the exact same age when we went to Alaska – my older one was 10 and the younger had just turned 4 – and I think Disney has the same ports of call as we did on Princess – Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway.
Ketchikan is a small town and easy to walk around which is mostly what we did. We took some photos of totem pools, stopped into an eagle rescue centre, and checked out the shops on Creek Street. We pre-booked tickets to the Lumberjack Show and my girls loved it. The 4 year old had to get her picture taken with the lumberjacks after. 🙂 My friend Mary at The World is a Book wrote this post on 5 Free Things to do in Ketchikan which you might find helpful. http://www.theworldisabook.com/15638/free-things-to-do-in-ketchikan-alaska-with-kids/
In Juneau, we booked an excursion that included a whale watching cruise and a stop at the Mendenhall Glacier. My 4 year old lost interest in the whale watching but they had smoked salmon on board which she loved! 😉 At the glacier we just took some photos before heading back into town. We also took the Mt. Roberts Tramway – Emma was terrified on the way up but had fun at the top and was fine on the way down.
In Skagway we booked an excursion that was a bus trip in one direction and the White Pass Yukon train back to Skagway. I know a lot of people say the train is boring but I think that it really depends on your kids. We really wanted to do this excursion because it included a stop in the Yukon Territory and my kids are pretty good travelers so I wasn’t too worried about it. There were several stops on the bus trip – including one where there were sled dogs to pet so that broke up the trip. They weren’t particularly interested in the scenery on the train ride but I had books, stickers, colouring books and grandma and grandpa with me so that kept them entertained. The scenery is really incredible so if you want to do it and if your kids are likely to behave for the duration then I would say go for it – particularly if you think an Alaskan cruise is a one-time trip. (We also did a 5 day cruise tour that went as far as Fairbanks post-cruise that involved hours of train riding and the girls were fine – you just have to be prepared to entertain them.)
Hope that helps. I’ll try emailing you too in case you don’t see this reply comment. 🙂
Bella
Thank you so much for your suggestion – Disney cruise to Alaska was fun. I did book the whitepine train and the sled dog tour with my family after looking at your trip and we had a great time! Thank you so much!
Lisa Goodmurphy
I’m so happy to hear that your family enjoyed the Alaskan cruise, Bella! It’s a trip that I hope to repeat!!
twitter.com/tgruber
My daughter would go crazy for a chance to do this. Every year she begs to go to Alaska for the Iditarod but Alaska in March? Not my preference. We are trying to plan a multi-generational trip to Alaska in 2016 so maybe she will get her chance!
Lisa Goodmurphy
My older daughter returned from Alaska obsessed with the Iditarod and did her school speech on it the following year. Fortunately she never asked to go back for the race – I’m fairly certain that I couldn’t handle Alaska in March!