Alaska cruise guide: Best itineraries, planning tips and things to do

Table Of Content

• Best Vacation Spots in Alaska in the Summer
• Enjoy the Views
• Alaska Cruise With The Most Adventurous Excursions: UnCruise Adventures
• Things I Loved About Celebrity’s Sky Suite & What You Should Know
• Bug Spray Is a Must for Anyone on a Cruise to Alaska
• ALASKA CRUISES
• Best for families: Ovation of the Seas
• Sleeping on Seven Seas Explorer

You'll find magnificent mountains (often snowcapped, even in the summertime), lush forests, waterfalls, fjords and calving glaciers. If it's marine life you've come to see, you'll find it in abundance, from whales and dolphins to sea lions and harbor seals. On land, you'll likely spy bears and Dall sheep while eagles, puffins and a host of seabirds circle above.

Best Vacation Spots in Alaska in the Summer

While some travelers dream of lounging on a beach in the Caribbean, others might be itching to put on hiking shoes and explore the great outdoors. If glaciers, wildlife and picturesque coastline have long been on your bucket list, consider booking a cruise to Alaska. The northernmost American state offers an activity for everyone's interest and level of adventure. You can take a thrilling helicopter flight to explore a glacier on foot or observe miles of Alaska’s lush scenery and spy whales from a comfortable seat on a boat. There are several options when it comes to the larger cruise lines, with departures from major west coast homeports in British Columbia, Washington State, and California. As the major cruise lines operate many vessels in Alaska on a seasonal basis, there are also options for repositioning sailings, often including the Panama Canal or a transpacific crossing.

Enjoy the Views

Adults can linger in the glass-walled Solarium, relaxing in the indoor pools and whirlpools, while their kids zoom around the SeaPlex in bumper cars. Nearly a dozen major cruise ships operate Alaska cruises out of Seattle during the summer months, giving cruisers plenty of choice. Unlike the Royal Caribbean and Norwegian ships mentioned above, the two Princess ships sailing from Seattle don't have top decks heavily skewed to family fun. Instead, their top decks offer lots of quiet and relaxing pool and lounge areas where you can enjoy the experience of being at sea without much hustle and bustle. Princess has long been heralded as one of the best cruise lines for multigenerational travel, in part because its ships offer a little something for travelers of all ages. Notably, both Norwegian Bliss and Norwegian Encore boast large private zones for solo travelers — something you won't find on any other cruise ship sailing out of Seattle.

Alaska Cruise With The Most Adventurous Excursions: UnCruise Adventures

Disney lovers will have the time of their lives sailing roundtrip from Vancouver to Alaska aboard the Disney Wonder. "It was the best experience ever," said a mom of two young adults who sailed on the ship in May 2023. It will come as no surprise that one of the top-rated cruise lines for families is…wait for it…Disney! Options include Denali (the tallest peak in North America), Glacier Bay (3.3 million acres of mountain, rainforests…and, and glaciers!), Kenai Fjords (home to 40 glaciers), and Wrangell-St. Guests can also book landtours before or after their voyage, where they can experience the vast wilderness of Alaska.

7 Best Cruises to Alaska, According to Travel Experts - Good Housekeeping

7 Best Cruises to Alaska, According to Travel Experts.

Posted: Fri, 29 Mar 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]

There are several options for onboard dining (aside from complimentary in-suite dining), including a fine dining option, The Grill by world-renowned chef Thomas Keller, and an open-kitchen style option for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Book a spa treatment or work out in the Aquamar Spa + Vitality Center, play nine holes of golf on the putting greens, shop the three boutiques, and unwind, help yourself to afternoon tea with all the accouterments at 4 p.m. Because of their small, yacht-like size, Windstar Cruises ships grant unparalleled access to Alaska’s glaciers and fjords; other ships can’t squeeze into some of these special places. With nearly endless summer days and coastal breezes, you’ll want to make sure to dress with flexibility in mind. During the summer months, especially July and August, temperatures in Southeast Alaska usually fall between 60 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit, while Southcentral Alaska and the Interior see higher heights into the 70’s and 80’s. Some of the lowest cost Carnival sailings currently start at $564 per person for an interior stateroom on a 7-night sailing.

Charter a helicopter or fixed-wing flightseeing tour at Juneau and get an unforgettable perspective of the mountains and glaciers of this vast landscape. Our final note today is an insider tip from this writer’s experience living in the state – the Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS). Rather than a traditional cruise, it is a way to cruise 3,500 miles of coastlines from Bellingham, Washington to Dutch Harbor, Alaska, in the Aleutian Islands. And, for a more low-key experience with Alaska-specific programs, book a passage on one of the Princess ships where you might get to meet sled dogs who visit the ship. On a Seabourn voyage, passengers share the journey with scientists, naturalists, and others who expand the Alaskan experience with history, culture, and the natural world. Cruises to Alaska with Celebrity depart from Seattle and Vancouver, and Princess sails from San Francisco, Seattle, and Vancouver.

ALASKA CRUISES

You're in luck if you're hoping to see whales on your Alaska cruise, as the majority of the cruise season coincides with whale season. Humpback whales can be found in the waters of the Gulf of Alaska and are some of the most frequently spotted, though you may also see orcas and gray whales as well. Regatta offers an experience that's close to luxury without being all inclusive or priced sky high. The ship's captain has the flexibility to seek out the best remote islands and bays for beachcombing, tide pooling, hiking and kayaking adventures. If you're looking to get away from the mega-cruise-ship crowds, the best Alaska cruise for you might be with Lindblad Expeditions.

Best for families: Ovation of the Seas

Check out our list of the 10 Must-Pack Items for an Alaska Cruise for more information on packing necessities on your Alaskan cruise. Dress in layers of clothing so that you can peel off (or add on) slowly as the thermometer dictates. You will want to pack a bathing suit and a very warm fleece jacket -- and you'll likely wear both at different times. Bargain seekers should either book early for these accommodations or choose inside, outside or guarantee cabins (where you don't pick your room location) to save more.

The best Alaska cruise for every type of traveler - The Points Guy

The best Alaska cruise for every type of traveler.

Posted: Mon, 05 Feb 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]

Various wildlife-viewing trips (whale, bears and more) and visits to dog-sled camps and salmon bakes leave from Juneau. For these itineraries, you'll need to fly into or out of Anchorage and take a train or bus to/from the cruise departure ports, which can take an hour or two. Temperatures in Alaska can change considerably from one destination to the next.

Also, "some of the excursions in Alaskan ports venture into Canada and will require a passport," explained Cicero. For instance, you may take the White Pass & Yukon Route Railway from Skagway into Yukon, a Canadian territory. Your passport will need to be valid for at least 6 months following the cruise. If you want an equal dose of Disney and Alaska, this is the cruise for your crew. All routes head to Stikine Icecap so guests can observe stunning glaciers, cliffs, waterfalls and wildlife.

The six-star service is exceptional and the excursions are well put together, giving guests incredible insights into Alaska. Silver Moon falls down a little on things to do while sailing, and the food quality isn’t rated as highly as other luxury ships – but guests on the ship have high expectations, so the food is still very good. Norwegian Jewel is another mid-sized mainstream cruise ship offering cruises to Alaska. Similar to Princess, there are actually a number of ships you can choose from for an Alaskan NCL cruise, but Jewel is one of the highest-ranked NCL ships overall too. With Princess Cruises, there are several ships offering sailings to Alaska.

Royal Caribbean's 20-year-old ship Radiance of the Seas mainly sails weeklong, one-way cruises between Vancouver and Seward, Alaska, with prices below $100 per person, per night, for inside and outside cabins on many departures. A special zone for solo travelers is a rare concept in the cruise world, where almost all rooms for vacationers are designed for two people and sold with per-person fares that are based on two people occupying the room. For the coming year, for instance, as of this guide's posting, there were lots of Holland America sailings to Alaska from Seattle available for under $750 per person for seven nights — some as low as $429 per person for seven nights. Here we list our top picks for the best Alaska cruises from Seattle for six different types of travelers.