WELCOME TO MY ALASKA CRUISE TRAVEL BLOG!
Hi there! 👋
Alaska cruise = decisions decisions decisions!!
This Alaska cruise blog is here to help you plan your perfect Alaska cruise!
👆 It’s a sea day on a cruise ship sailing through a national park in Alaska!
In addition to experiencing a bunch of glacier sea days, I have done some of the most epic Alaska cruise excursions there are to do, and I’ve also done a bunch of things on my own independently in Alaska cruise ports!
So whether you are setting aside money so you can do those expensive so-very-Alaska excursions, or you are doing your Alaska cruise on a budget and are looking for cheap and free things to do in port on your own…
I’ve got ideas for you so you can have your own version of a perfect Alaska cruise!
Start planning your Alaska cruise port visits:
Juneau | Ketchikan | Skagway | Icy Strait Point | Sitka
👆 That’s me hiking in Alaska!
Juneau is the amazing cruise port where you can see the Mendenhall Glacier from land, see the Juneau Icefield from air, go whale watching in one of the best spots to see humpback whales in the US, and do hikes with amazing views!
Read more about all things Juneau on the blog!
👆 That’s me in a national forest in Alaska!
Ketchikan is the amazing cruise port where you can do a seaplane tour with a wilderness landing in a national forest, walk by lots of totem poles to see Native Alaskan culture, go snorkeling in Alaska (what?!?!?! 🤣), and see salmon jumping up the ladder!
Read more about all things Ketchikan on the blog!
👆 That’s me on a glacier in Alaska!
Skagway is the amazing cruise port where you can do a helicopter tour with a glacier landing (for a glacier walk or to do dog sledding on a glacier), take a train through the mountains, and explore the Klondike Gold Rush history in a national historical park!
Read more about all things Skagway on the blog!
Scenic cruising day: Glacier Bay National Park
Alaska by seasons
Where to start your Alaska cruise
- Seattle vs San Francisco
- 7-day one-way cruise from Vancouver or Alaska
- Most common departure ports:
REALITY CHECK! Managing your expectations about weather!
You could very well get beautiful weather during your Alaska cruise.
But be prepared for less than desirable weather conditions too!
ALASKA CRUISE BUCKET LIST!
What is there to do during an Alaska cruise?!
Will you like anything?!
Here are some of the so-very-Alaska things to do in Alaska cruise ports. 👇
So you can decide for yourself!
Although if you like all things outdoors, the quick answer is… YES!
ALASKA GLACIERS
If you’re doing a cruise to Alaska, you must see a glacier!
Most Alaska cruises will include at least one glacier sea day (“scenic cruising day”) as a part of the cruise itinerary.
Glacier sea days include destinations like Glacier Bay National Park, Hubbard Glacier, College Fjord, Endicott Arm Fjord, and Tracy Arm Fjord.
On these days, you can see a glacier from the cruise ship.
Weather and ice permitting!
Cruise ships will also spend time at a glacier.
If you’re lucky, you’ll see a big chunk of ice fall off the face of the glacier while you’re there!
This is called calving.
If your cruise is going to Hubbard Glacier, Endicott Arm, or Tracy Arm in late May through early September, check your cruise line’s excursions to see if a small boat wilderness excursion is offered!
These excursions tend to sell out so book sooner rather than later!
Yes, there are excursions on sea days in Alaska!
You will step off the cruise ship directly onto a small boat!
While you will love seeing a glacier from the cruise ship, you will probably love it even more to get even closer to the glacier on a small boat!
Aside from glacier sea days, there are some cruise ports that you can do glacier excursions including Juneau, Skagway, Whittier, and Seward.
Explore public lands and the great outdoors during your Alaska cruise!
Here is a sample of things you can do as a part of a 7-day Alaska cruise!
Fly into Anchorage airport in Alaska.
On the day your cruise starts, you can take the Alaska Railroad train from Anchorage to Whittier.
You can do your first excursion in Whittier before you get on the cruise ship.
Do a glacier boat tour so you can see Prince William Sound and Chugach National Forest.
Hubbard Glacier is in Wrangell-St Elias National Park which you can see from the cruise ship during a glacier sea day to Yakutat Bay.
Glacier Bay National Park is another scenic cruising sea day to see glaciers from the cruise ship.
In Juneau, you can go to the Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area of Tongass National Forest.
In Ketchikan, you can do a seaplane tour with a wilderness landing in Misty Fjords National Monument.
In Skagway, you can learn about the American spirit and gold fever history at the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park.
And just like that, you have seen 6 distinct nationally designated public lands in Alaska during a 7-day Alaska cruise!
If this sounds good to you, look for a one-way southbound 7-day Alaska cruise from Whittier to Vancouver on the cruise lines of Princess or Holland America!
You can go northbound one-way too, but northbound cruises typically don’t include Hubbard Glacier.
You can also make it a 14-day round trip cruise from Vancouver!
If you go one way, you can also add a land portion to your cruise through the cruise line (called a “cruisetour”) to go to Denali National Park and/or Kenai Fjords National Park. Or, spend a few days on land on your own and go to one or both of these places… and/or Katmai National Park!
Cruise lines that go to Alaska
The “mainstream” cruise lines that go to Alaska include Princess, Holland America, Norwegian (NCL), Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Celebrity, and Disney.
Most Alaska cruises depart from Vancouver or Seattle. There are also cruises that depart from Whittier and Seward in Alaska, as well as San Francisco in California.
My experience is with mainstream cruise lines (Alaska and otherwise), so I will be writing about cruise port visits with this perspective!
HAPPY PLANNING YOUR ALASKA CRUISE!