I have made the decision to go on a cruise with my family up into Alaska next spring…I’m wondering if anyone has gone on any of the Alaska trips, and if so how likely is it that I might find some places to ride the unicycle for some of my day trips…(Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay Nat’l Park, Ketchikan, and Victoria) I have talked to 2 reps for the cruise line and have gotten 2 different answers to my question “can I bring a unicycle on board?” One said maybe, the other was sure it was permitted. Any experience taking a unicycle on a big ship?
Ketchikan and Juneau are hilly but definitely have relatively flat roads leading out of town that you can ride on. As I recall Ketchikan has about 10 miles of road in either direction. The “road” in Juneau is something like 30 miles so there is definitely places to ride. It sounds like a good way to get out and see some things than you wouldn’t see if you follow the ‘normal’ tourist agendas.
Jon McIntyre riding on the Tsawwassen BC to Sidney BC, Vancouver Island ferry in 2003. Take your unicycle.
I didn’t bring my own unicycle on a cruise ship but lend the unicycle of the ships clown to give a little show one evening. I think, as long as you don’t ride it on the ships floors it shall be fine.
But theres one other thing: to get the luggage on board they use belt conveyors that go over the water from the pier to the ship. And they just throw (yeah, really throw) all bags onto this belt and just how they land, they’ll go up. I’m always wondering how many bags fall into the basin. So you should pack your uni into a hard case or something like that.
I would think they have a jogging deck around the ship deck where you could uni …
I would at least be weary of this. At best you may get a few glares. I think they would probably consider this to be a safety hazard or something. You probably wouldn’t be allowed to skateboard or bicycle on a ship. I would think bringing it for any stops would be fine, but riding it on the actual ship would be frowned upon. Got in trouble in a subway for this… had 5 cops on me in 15 seconds. Ended fine, but they freaked. (edit: not ON top of me, but confronting me)
I’d be inclined to take it, planning to use it if possible, rather than risk getting told in advance that it isn’t allowed. It’s unlikely that they already have a ruling on this, so anyone you ask will be relying on rules about, for instance, bicycles or skateboards, and whatever risk factors their imagination makes up to fill the unknown void of a unicycle risk assessment. People always assume it is far more dangerous than it is. Whereas once on board, you are a paying customer whom they have an incentive to keep happy, and if you are also an uncrazy unthreatening looking female, and you can point out in person that it is really no faster than the joggers or whoever you are sharing the space with, it is much more likely that you will get a yes. Beforehand, the easiest answer for them is ‘no’, whereas on board, the situation is reversed. They might still say no, of course, but then all you have wasted is some luggage space and you might still get to use it on shore.
You can’t look uncrazy with a unicycle…
Maybe don’t actually ride it down the stairs to the Purser’s office to ask…
Maybe it depends on the size to will take. A 20" will not seem so “dangerous” as an 36" will do;)
This is a post about taking a Brompton folding bike, which is probably pretty relevant. http://justwander.in/folding-bikes-on-cruise-ships-who-allows-them/
Yep, it would probably be easier to get away idling in a corner on a freestyle 20" than trying to race around on a 26" with a 3" tire…
Probably good to be able to mention ‘non-marking tyres’ as well, and make it sound as much as possibly like a piece of gym equipment rather than a bike.
Not sure what the ship is like that you’ll be cruising on, but the cruise we took in October of 2015 had a nice jogging track on one of the top decks, and I would think it would be perfect for a 20". Most cruise ships have a jogging track now. If I’d had one with me, I would definitely have ridden it there, especially at night when there’s few people on it. I’m the kind of person that (within limits) follows the ideology that it’s easier to be forgiven than get permission. People don’t really know what to think of unicycles since they don’t fit into any mainstream category and they don’t show up that often, so most authorities don’t usually have any rules specifically about them. Most people I’ve run into just love to see people on unicycles, and of course, the kids will go nuts over it. If you can fit it in your luggage (they usually have very liberal rules about how much luggage you can bring on a cruise ship), just take it and see what happens. Worst case scenario is that they’ll ask you not to ride it.
I just got off a cruise ship on Saturday. In my reading of the literature (contract) for Carnival, they mention you can’t bring bikes (and most sporting equipment) onboard. That leaves unicycles as a gray area, but I’m pretty sure that if you asked the would say no. Liability, liability liability.
Better to ask forgiveness that permission. Expect not to be allowed to ride it on the ship, though if you are cruising with a company that’s not America-based, it might be more flexible.
I have also cruised Alaska’s Inside Passage once (Celebrity; highly recommended!). If you get off the boat with the uni I’m sure you can find interesting riding. Our cruise ended in Seward, the home of George Peck. But we went straight onto a bus at about sunrise; no chance to connect with him, let alone see the town…
Onboard, the most likely place you might be allowed to ride is on one of the ship’s stages, if they do any kind of talent show. Maybe. I highly doubt they would want you on the jogging track, even though I rarely see anyone jogging on one of those. On our most recent ship (Carnival Splendor), the track is painted onto the steel deck. Slippery when wet! and generally always at least a little wet when the ship is under way. And windy! More windy then Wellington, New Zealand when the ship is traveling at its cruising speed of about 22 knots!
I haven’t even been considering riding on the ship. I was considering taking my 26" and trying to find some nice riding at the ports. However, considering my previous experience of breaking a foot in the woods alone, I’m starting to think that maybe I’ll just consider this a unicycle free week. I appreciate all the info. It does make me want to plan a vacation that is all about the uni one day in the future! With that being said, I haven’t totally given up hope. I’ll do some more research, and post anything that I come up with. Thanks
26" would also bring up the question of storage. Sure it’ll fit in your stateroom, but it will be in the way of something! 
Actually, cruise ships tend to have tall spaces under the beds, intended for your empty suitcases or other bulky items. There you go.