We just got back from this cruise. It was wonderful!
If you haven't booked already, get connecting rooms. We added the kids only about a month before we left (childcare fell through) so we were just happy that we could all get on the boat, but one room was on the 8th floor. The other on the 10th.
I recommend rooms close to Adventure Ocean, if you plan on sending your kids there. I wish both of our rooms had been near the 10th floor room, because it was just a short walk up the stairs to the nursery and the 3-5 yo club. Another flight of stairs took us up to the 6-9 yo club.
I got A LOT of steps in going between our rooms and back and forth to Adventure Ocean. The 2 year old had some rough times there, and the 5 year old had an accident once.
If you put your youngest in the nursery, then they will give you a phone to carry around. This was super helpful, because it meant we could give that number to other people to use room and hall phones to call. The internet barely worked, and the messaging sometimes got messages through hours after they were sent. This was only a big issue, because we were traveling with a large group, but I wish I would have figured out the phone thing earlier, because DH was often in the room, while I was somewhere else on the boat.
It was hard to coordinate everything. The AO hours weren't always convenient with the rest of the ship schedule. For example, they had the Puzzle Game (where you work with a group to solve a mystery) during the lunch break, but the "Are you Smarter than a...?" game during AO time. The kids were often bored during the entertainment that was available during the breaks. I started bringing coloring books and crayons. AO hours were 9-12, 2-5 & 7-10 on sea days, and not have breaks on port days, but they fudged this a bit, since the port times were a bit random. So if we weren't actually in port at the time of the break, then they'd still do the break. For example, we didn't make it to the glacier and arrived in Juneau at about 10:30am, but they still closed for lunch from noon to 2PM. We didn't have an excursion scheduled until 4PM, so the kids barely went to AO that day. We did get some time at the onboard activities then though.
We did do the pool a couple times, but again, the timing didn't coordinate well. Pack swimsuits for disembarkation day, because that might be the only day when the outdoor pool/splash area makes sense. They don't open it at all quite a bit. Although the hot tubs are open. Kids in diapers can only use a small part of the splash area. This made coordinating pool time difficult, because our 2 year old LOVES water. We had to do pool time when he was in the nursery (which meant the other kids wouldn't be using that time) or napping (which meant DH was in the room with the baby - he was fine with this, but it just meant less time as a whole family). The covered pool is deep. I think it's 5 feet. So if your kids don't swim, plan on them using life jackets.
Familiarize yourself with the rules for the various onboard activities. My 5 year old was too short or too young for a lot of the things his older siblings could do.
I recommend getting at least the refreshment package for one adult. My kids adored the Bionic Bar. You're not supposed to share packages, but there's actually no option for a child to order a drink from the Bionic Bar, and no option to pay for drinks for other people, which is a loophole they could close if they want. So, I didn't feel bad about letting my kids order drinks there. It can take up some time, especially if they need to refill bottles, but my 5 yo in particular requested going there every day.
If you can get a balcony, then do it, even if that means you give up the connecting room for an interior across the hall. The balcony was 100% worth it. So much beauty up there.
We did the Alaska Sled Dog Discovery in Juneau with the kids, and we all loved it. Since we added them late, I ended up booking through alaskashoreexcursions.com, instead of through the cruise line, which was a little cheaper.
We just walked around in Sitka. The Totem park is really cool, and we could have spent a lot more time there, if we hadn't booked Northstar. The kids would have preferred playing in the tide pools more on the way back. They thought Northstar was boring.
Skagway had the best shopping, IMO. If we had been planning to take the kids from the beginning, then I would have rented a car (they were hard to find big enough for 6, but I probably could have done it with more notice) and gotten the kids passports then driving up the highway. DH and I did a bike ride down, which was amazing, but the kids weren't old enough (and can't ride bikes)
I would have loved to spend more time in Victoria. I already had Tea at Abkhazi gardens scheduled with my mom and sister, so DH hung out with the kids. But, a carriage ride with the kids would have been fun. 5 hours just wasn't enough time.
I know that's a lot already. Let me know if you have any specific questions.
