Two days in Seattle, a week up the Inside Passage, and a self-drive into the Yukon. Six of us, ages 8 to 15 — adventurous, but in no hurry.
Land SEA Friday 9:25 AM, ship leaves Sunday 3:00 PM — so a full Friday afternoon, all of Saturday, and Sunday morning. Based downtown at the Crowne Plaza, walkable to the icons.
Scott & Nicole are on cruise tees — design, gather sizes, order, get them to the Crowne Plaza, and hand out Saturday so everyone wears them Sunday boarding (and for the Wed 10:30 AM group photo in Juneau). J&J cover it via Venmo.
The original public market — flying fish, the gum wall, stalls, and the first Starbucks. Easy, free, and the kids will love the chaos.
Market info →The revolving glass floor ("The Loupe") and tilting glass walls. The whole family tours together Saturday afternoon — tickets already booked. Monorail from Westlake.
About →Jaw-dropping blown-glass sculptures indoors and in the garden. The group does this straight after the Space Needle Saturday — tickets booked.
About →The rebuilt waterfront, the Seattle Aquarium's "Ocean Pavilion," and Argosy harbor cruises. Good Sunday-morning option before boarding.
Aquarium →Space Needle + Aquarium + 3 more of your choice. Valid 9 consecutive days, so it spans your whole pre-cruise window.
Keep it walkable/quick so you're at the Space Needle by 2:45. Any of these fit a relaxed morning.
The rebuilt waterfront and the Aquarium's new Ocean Pavilion — sea otters, octopus, jellies. Great with the kids and an easy walk from the hotel/Pike Place.
Aquarium →A one-hour narrated Elliott Bay cruise — skyline and a taste of Puget Sound before the big ship. Easy to do and back with time to spare. (A CityPASS option.)
Harbor tour →The Museum of Pop Culture (sci-fi, music, gaming) sits right at Seattle Center — do it in the late morning and you're already where the 2:45 meetup is.
MoPOP →If Friday felt rushed, a relaxed Saturday-morning market wander — breakfast, coffee, the lower levels, and the piroshky. Zero logistics.
Market →Waterfront + Aquarium in the late morning, grab lunch downtown, then monorail up to Seattle Center for the 2:45 Space Needle group meetup. Or pre-position at MoPOP so you're already there. Save Bainbridge/Rainier-type day trips for a future visit — they don't fit the 2:45 anchor.
Roundtrip from Seattle. Port order may vary — the line notes possible substitutions. Tap a port in the nav for excursion options.
Group lumberjack show is 9:15–10:45 AM (5–10 min walk off the ship). These are afternoon options afterward — adventurous or mellow — back aboard by ~2:30.
Harbor takeoff, flight over 3,000-ft granite walls and waterfalls, water landing on a remote fjord lake. 6-seat planes = a window for everyone.
Aboard the Aleutian Ballad from Deadliest Catch. Heated deck, crew hauls crab pots and brings up sea life. A huge kid hit.
Mellow afternoon: the boardwalk-on-stilts over the salmon creek, then Totem Bight totem poles. Easy after a busy morning.
Longest, latest port — the best weather buffer of the trip, which matters because flights cancel for fog more than anything. Pick one marquee experience.
Fly onto the icefield, land, and mush a real dog team on summer snow. Herbert is far less crowded than Mendenhall; the combo adds a guided glacier walkabout.
The flight plus ~25 min on the ice with a guide — blue ice, melt pools, crevasses. Shorter and a bit cheaper than the dog combo.
Most on-ice time of any Juneau heli tour. Crampon trek, or a 4.25-hr ice-climbing tour (min age 12) — gear provided. Best for the teens.
Fly over five glaciers, land on the Taku River at a 1923 lodge, salmon bake over alder, bears at the grill, easy forest walk. The thrill that's still laid-back.
Paddle two-person kayaks among icebergs to the glacier face — Nugget Falls and Mendenhall from the water. Limited Forest Service permit, small groups.
North Douglas Island salt water + Mendenhall Wetlands — seals, sea lions, eagles, maybe whales, glacier as backdrop. More wildlife, calm water.
Coastal (Herbert Glacier) is my pick for your crew — less crowded, heli + dog sled + walkabout, works for all ages. TEMSCO lands on the iconic Mendenhall. NorthStar has the most on-ice time and the only ice-climbing option (12+). All weather-sensitive: Juneau's late 9:15 PM departure is exactly why it's the right port to risk a flight.
Turo booked: a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter (fits all 6). The South Klondike Highway parallels the White Pass railroad — you see the train without riding it, and stop wherever you like.
Whatever you're doing, point the van back toward Skagway by 12:00 noon. That keeps a 2+ hour cushion before all-aboard even with a customs line. The ship will not wait.
Everything confirmed, in one place. Pulled from Gmail and current as of build — re-pull anytime to refresh.
GL8DJ99RWNGG9RWNHM57818423 · info due Jun 18 7:30aGL8DJ9Everyone — including all four kids — needs a valid passport. Victoria (Day 7) is in Canada, and the Skagway self-drive crosses into the Yukon. One requirement covers both.
This trip celebrates Jeff & Janet's 50th — 10 rooms across the family. Below: the things that touch us specifically.
Design, gather everyone's sizes, order, and get them to the Crowne Plaza. Hand out Saturday so all wear them Sunday boarding — and for the Wed 10:30 AM Juneau group photo. J&J reimburse via Venmo.
Sat 2:45p Space Needle · Sun 6p scavenger hunt + 7:30p dinner · Mon 6:30p formal photo + dinner · Tue 7:30p dinner · Wed 10:30a t-shirt photo · Thu 7:30p dinner · Fri 5–7p J&J tribute + dinner · Sat 11a sports court.
Wi-Fi (1 device/guest, MedallionNet Max), drinks to $15 + specialty coffee/juice, crew gratuities, 2 casual meals, 2 premium desserts/day, OceanNow delivery, unlimited room service, 2 fitness classes.
Scott 8552669865 · Nicole 8626942950 · August 8626942914 · Jensen 8626942913 · Olive 8626942952 · Truman 8626942951.
Each family checks in via the Princess app and notes any dietary needs. Complete it 14+ days before embarkation to get Medallions mailed to you. Checklist →
Port of Seattle's free luggage service — bags get tagged on the ship and checked straight through to your flight, so you skip carrying them to the airport. Airport transfer covered by J&J. How it works →
Southeast Alaska is a temperate rainforest: highs of 55–65°F, rain possible any day, and it's colder at sea and near glaciers (down to ~45°F). The game is layers + real waterproofing, not resort wear. Don't judge it by sunny Seattle.
Merino or synthetic next to skin — NOT cotton (cotton stays wet and cold). T-shirts, leggings/long underwear for the kids on glacier days.
Fleece or a light puffy. This is your warmth dial — easy to add or stash as the day swings from sunny deck to cold fjord.
A truly waterproof (not "water-resistant") breathable jacket — and rain pants for boat/kayak/glacier days. Ponchos tear in the wind.
Waterproof shoes or light hikers for everyone — port trails and docks are wet. Pack quick-dry socks (wool), and a second pair of shoes so a soaked pair has time to dry. Flip-flops only for the pool.
Tap to check off — saved on this device.
All three layers, warm hat + gloves, sunglasses. Wear the waterproof shoes — over-boots go on top. Everyone's weighed at check-in.
Base + fleece + waterproof shell and pants. Quick-dry everything, no cotton. Dry bag for your phone. It's colder on the water than on deck.
Casual layers — you're in and out of the van. Toss rain jackets in the back. Snacks + water for the kids; customs stop both ways.
Smart-casual most nights (collared shirt / nice top; clean dark jeans fine). Mon is formal — a jacket or dress for the 6:30p family photo.
Lumberjack show is outdoor bleachers — rain shell handy. 5–10 min walk off the ship; 9:15 showtime so head off early.
It can be warm and sunny — lighter layers, but keep a rain shell. Comfy walking shoes for Pike Place and the 2:45 Space Needle meetup.
Mid-June Alaska barely gets dark. Bring sleep masks — cabins have blackout curtains, but kids' bedtimes get weird. Use it: late-evening deck time is gorgeous.
Princess Plus = 1 device/guest on MedallionNet. The Medallion is your room key + payment + OceanNow food delivery anywhere on the ship. Download the app + this site before you sail.
Inside Passage is mostly calm, but the open stretch and small excursion boats can roll. Take meds before you feel it; midship lower cabins help. Ginger chews are kid-friendly.
On disembark day, the free Port of Seattle service tags your bags on the ship and checks them straight to your Delta flight — no lugging them through the airport.
Whales, eagles, bears, mountain goats — half the wildlife is a speck without them. One decent pair per couple beats the kids fighting over a phone zoom.
Cash for tips and small shops in port; Victoria + the Yukon drive are Canada (cards work, but a few CAD helps). Tell your bank you're traveling.
If bags lag at embarkation, keep swimsuits, meds, and a change of clothes in a carry-on so the kids can hit the pool while you settle in.
Cold drains batteries fast on the glacier and heli. Bring spares, keep them in an inside pocket, and clear space on phones the night before big days.
Fun facts, history, and conversation-starters for each stop on the Klondike Highway — read these aloud as you go. Stampeders, con men, dead horses, and the world's smallest desert. (Mileposts are "S" = miles from Skagway.)
In August 1896, gold was found in a Klondike creek near Dawson City. Word hit Seattle in July 1897 and ~40,000 "stampeders" stampeded north. Skagway was the gateway: from here they climbed the White Pass (or the Chilkoot) into Canada, where the Mounties forced every person to haul a full ton of supplies — a year's food — over the mountains in multiple trips before they'd let them in. Your drive today follows that brutal route, in heated comfort, in about two hours.
Before 1897, Skagway was one guy: Billy Moore, who'd staked a homestead and built a wharf, betting a gold rush would come. He was right — then got steamrolled as thousands of strangers swarmed his claim.
Just past US Customs, a ~2,000-ft ribbon of water tumbles off the cliff on your right, fed by Goat Lake up above (which also runs a small hydro plant for Skagway).
This pretty alpine pass has a grim nickname. In the winter of 1897–98, desperate stampeders drove pack horses up the narrow, icy White Pass Trail — and worked them to death.
Just over the border, the road crosses a windswept, high-elevation moonscape of stunted trees, scattered boulders, and little tarns (ponds). It looks otherworldly — and earns its name.
A genuine field of sand dunes, about one square mile, ringed by snowy peaks. Kids can run the dunes; it's surreal and very photogenic.
A tiny, colorful community (pop. ~300) of the Carcross/Tagish First Nation, who have lived here for thousands of years — 4,500-year-old tools have been found nearby. Great spot to stretch, grab a coffee/bakery treat, and use restrooms.
Your turnaround. A roadside pull-off looks down on water that glows turquoise and green — the most-photographed lake in the territory.
With time before all-aboard, the six-block historic district is a living museum — about 100 original 1898–1910 buildings still stand, many restored by the National Park Service.