Hi there!
This website is about what I’ve learned from my experiences during my multiple Alaska cruises, with cruise ship arrivals to the ports of Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan, Sitka, Icy Strait Point, Whittier, Seward, and Kodiak.
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… I’ve got ideas for you on things to do in Alaska cruise ports!
My cruise history…
My first cruise was when I was 16, and that was a Caribbean cruise on a mainstream cruise line that likes to make epic headlines by creating the biggest cruise ships in the world.
The second time I went on a cruise ship was many years later to live and work on a cruise ship based in Miami doing Caribbean cruises. I organized activities for teens around the ship on a mainstream cruise line that’s part of the largest cruise vacation company in the world.
Then came the time years after that when I got on a cruise ship to get from point A to point B…
I was in Florida in January 2023. I had pretty much decided that I would be going to Japan next when I stumbled upon a 25-day cruise from the US to Japan that started in February. 🤣 I literally laughed when I saw it! Well, I ended up booking it!
The cruise started in California, stopped in Hawaii and Guam, and also had a couple of port stops in Japan before arriving in the final destination of Tokyo.
Well, what else is there to do with 18 sea days sailing across the Pacific Ocean but to look for your next cruise destination?! 🤣
I was on a cruise line that is known as one of the best for Alaska cruises, and it was on that cruise that I decided that I would do an Alaska cruise… which turned into many Alaska cruises!
I have now also sailed from Alaska to New Zealand, putting together back-to-back cruises. I boarded the cruise ship in Alaska, had port stops in Alaska, Canada, California, Hawaii, and the South Pacific, and then I got off the cruise ship in New Zealand! That was 44 days on the same cruise ship. Honestly, by the end I was ready to get off! 🤣 (And then I flew back to the West Coast for another Alaska cruise, actually. 🤣)
So in 2023, I ended up spending 97 nights on a cruise ship 😱🤣 and that included 6 Alaska cruises!
It’s been a little less cruising since then, but most notably in 2025, I sailed from Japan to Alaska across the North Pacific Ocean! (So that was my third time crossing the international date line by cruise ship. 😁)
My world travel history…
I’ve been to 45 countries and territories, and I have been a solo traveler in places like Europe, India, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Japan.
Because of my independent travels as a backpacker, I feel that I have a bit of a “backpacking spirit” and if I’m being honest, frugal nature 🤣😅 ingrained in me, so I would generally prefer to go off and do things on my own as opposed to join a tour. Although, I recognize that for certain things (like, a lot of epic Alaska experiences!) a tour is the way to go. So while I’ve done a bunch of Alaska excursions, I’ve also done a bunch of things on my own in Alaska cruise ports.
My US travel history…
I’ve been to 20+ national parks, 10+ national forests, and 80+ state parks across various states… and many more national lakeshores, national monuments, national preserves, national memorials, national historical parks, national grasslands… and a national seashore!
This means that I like nature and the outdoors. And this means that Alaska is a perfect cruise destination for me! And that means that I’ve done a bunch of hiking in Alaska… and yes, from a cruise ship! Alaska cruise ports have good access to great hikes! Hiking is one of the best cheap things to do in Alaska cruise ports!
What my travel history means for you…
If you’re looking for outdoor things to do in port during your Alaska cruise without an excursion that’s not just a 5 minute walk from the cruise ship, I have ideas for you!
Well, I also have ideas for you if you are looking for things to do within walking distance of the cruise port!
But I don’t limit myself to staying in the downtown area of ports. I feel like I’m more so experiencing Alaska when I leave downtown!
As a multi-time return visitor to several Alaska cruise ports, I have been able to do more things on my own… and more excursions too!
I hope to use these experiences to give you ideas so you can plan your very own perfect Alaska cruise!
HAPPY ALASKA CRUISE PLANNING!
Explore Alaska cruise ports:
Juneau | Ketchikan | Skagway | Icy Strait Point | Sitka | Victoria
PACKING LIST: waterproof shoes | rain jacket or poncho | puffer jacket
START HERE: First-timer’s guide to Alaska cruise ports