Great Cruising To Alaska Tips: What You Need to Know

From its quirky towns to its abundant wildlife, Alaska has a lot to offer. If you’re looking for cruising to Alaska tips, read on for our recommendations.

Alaska is on many bucket lists, and for good reason. Its rugged vistas, pioneer history, and fascinating wildlife make it a popular destination. And what better way to visit it than to cruise there?

If you’re thinking of cruising to Alaska, you’ll find there are a myriad of choices to make. Which cruise line to choose, which type of Alaska cruise to take, which ports to visit, and which excursions to choose. Don’t worry; you can’t make a mistake here. It’s all good.

Below we’ve detailed what we’ve learned on our cruises to Alaska. We’ve focused on what we did in Alaska as opposed to everything that’s available, wanting to be able to speak from experience. Hope our suggestions are helpful.

The Cruises

There are two types of cruises you can take to Alaska: a round-trip from Seattle, or a one-way between Vancouver and Seward. We’ve done both types, and from a travel standpoint, we prefer the round-trip option. Seward is difficult (and expensive) to travel to and from. There’s no major airport there, so you need to travel by bus (we used the ACT Big Bus for our transfer) or private transportation to Anchorage to catch a flight.

You can also take a cruise tour, which is a combination cruise and land experience, but we’ll focus on the cruise-only options.

Several major cruise lines travel to Alaska: Carnival, Celebrity, Holland America, Norwegian, Princess, Royal Caribbean, and Viking, plus a few other smaller lines. Each cruise line provides a different experience ranging from exciting family fun to luxurious.

Families tend to prefer Carnival, Norwegian, or Royal Caribbean. Couples and seniors like Celebrity, Holland American, and Princess. And those who want a little more luxury lean toward Celebrity, Holland America, or Viking. Viking sails smaller ships to Alaska, which allows them to visit the ports of Sitka, Whittier, and Prince Rupert.

How Much Does It Cost to Cruise to Alaska?

Depending on the type of stateroom you’re booking, the number of days of the cruise, plus the month you’re traveling, an Alaskan cruise on Celebrity, for instance, can cost between $350 per person for an inside cabin to $5,000 per person for an entry-level suite—and the suites prices go up from there.

Excursions tend to be pricey in Alaska, so budget for those.

When to Cruise to Alaska

Cruise lines typically travel to Alaska between May and September. Prices will be lower in the shoulder months, which are the beginning and end of the season, because the weather is a bit colder. July and August tend to be the most popular months to travel as the weather is warmer and wildlife more abundant.

The Ports

Cruise ships stop at several ports in Alaska, but the most popular are Ketchikan, Icy Strait Point, Juneau, and Skagway. All the ports have several things in common: shopping, restaurants, a plethora of fun excursions to choose from, and stunning vistas.

Ketchikan

Known as the salmon capital of the world, Ketchikan is usually the first or last Alaskan port you’ll stop at. The photo below was taken from our cruise ship, so you can see how simple it is to access. It’s also an easy town to explore on foot. Simply stop at the Visitors Center for a free map.

Located in the Tongass National Forest, Ketchikan offers the usual cruise ship jewelry shopping, but it also offers Native American and other art.

EXCURSIONS AVAILABLE: Many excursions are available including a town tour, lumberjack show, zipline adventure, duck boat tour, rainforest hiking tour, Misty Fjords flight tour, an eco tour via canoe, kayaking, totem pole tour, historical tour, Zodiak tour, and so much more.

Icy Strait Point

Icy Strait Point, the only private cruise destination in Alaska, is located in the Tlingit town of Hoonah. Until recently, there wasn’t much there, but now they’ve added a walkway from the dock, an adventure center, a zip line, a ziprider touted as the world’s largest, three waterfront restaurants, retail shops, and a free gondola.

Download a free map of Icy Strait Point here.

EXCURSIONS AVAILABLE: Over twenty tours are available including whale watching, wildlife and bear search, an adventure course, a cannery tour, kayak tours, ATV and Jeep expeditions, bird-watching, and more.

Juneau

The capital of Alaska, Juneau, is a terrific spot for whale-watching excursions, plus there are tons of other activities you can schedule.

If you’re exploring on your own, be sure to have lunch or a beer at the Red Dog Saloon, ride the tramway up Mount Roberts, and walk through the State Museum.

EXCURSIONS AVAILABLE: Many excursions are available in Juneau, including whale watching, Mendenhall Glacier and Nugget Falls, helicopter tour, dog sledding, canoeing in the glacier lake, salmon bake, zipline adventure, gold panning, underground gold mining adventure, and more.

Skagway

Skagway’s biggest claim to fame is the White Pass Railway, which travels 20 miles and gains 3,000 feet, giving you spectacular views of the area. You can book excursions that combine the train ride with other activities such as meeting sled dogs and panning for gold.

It’s also known for the Klondike Gold Rush National Historic Park.

EXCURSIONS AVAILABLE: Sled dog adventure, panning for gold, Yukon tour, White Pass Summit adventure, wildlife viewing, ziplining, river rafting/floating, and more.

Typical Excursions When Cruising to Alaska

As with any cruise, you can choose from a variety of excursions, many of which are bundled in various combinations.

Zip-Lining

Zip-lining is available in most of the ports.

When we visited Ketchikan the first time, we booked a zip-line experience in the Tongass National Forest, and it was so much fun. Highly recommend this for families with older children. When traversing the sky bridges, you might even see a bear!

If you’d like more details of what to expect when zip-lining in Alaska, read my post on our experience here.

Whale-Watching

Whale watching is available at most Alaskan ports. We’ve been on two whale-watching excursions, both in Juneau, and were guaranteed sightings of whales. They delivered!

If you’d like to see a video of what to expect from a whale watching tour, check our my video.

Panning for Gold

After a quick history and then a lesson on gold panning, we were encouraged to try it for ourselves. When done, we left with a little container of the gold flakes that we found.

Meeting Sled Dogs

Meeting the sled dog puppies was the highlight of the day. After a talk on the ins and outs of dog mushing and competing, we were allowed to get up close and personal with the newest members of the team. Too cute! Afterward, the musher gave us a demonstration of how the team works and showed how they train in the summer.

Duck Boat Tours

In Ketchikan, we tour a duck boat tour, which is a combo land/sea experience. The vehicle starts as a bus and gives you a tour of the town, then drives down a ramp into the water to give you a tour by sea. It was exhilarating, and fun to be able to see the area from the water. Seeing bald eagles and seaplanes taking off were highlights.

Glacier Tours

When cruising to Alaska, the most popular glacier tour goes to the Mendenhall Glacier and Nugget Falls. About 13 miles from Juneau, the glacier can be reached by booking an excursion, taking a shuttle from Juneau, or taking a taxi. We’d recommend taking an excursion.

You start your tour at a visitors center, then take a two-mile round trip walk uphill to view the glacier and the falls. It’s a little strenuous for those with mobility problems, but you can take it at your own pace. The view of the glacier and falls is worth it, though.

How to Book an Excursion

There are two ways to book an excursion: either through your cruise line or with a third party.

With Your Cruise Line

Booking excursions through your cruise line can be more expensive. However, cruise lines such as Norwegian will hold the ship for you if a cruise-line-sponsored excursion returns late to the ship. If you booked with a third party are are late returning to the ship, you will be responsible for making your way to the next port on your own.

Through a Third Party

To save money and have more choices, book excursions through a third party such as Viator, whose links are in this post. We’ve used them before, like for this excursion, and were very pleased. For peace of mind, be sure you book these excursions early in the morning so you can be sure you’re not late back to the ship because of traffic or other unforeseen issues.

Explore on Your Own

An alternative to booking excursions when cruising to Alaska is to tour a port on your own. To be sure attractions are at the port and not a bus ride away, do your homework beforehand. At some ports, it’s easy to walk off the ship and explore, but for other ports, the attractions are miles away and you’ll need transportation.

What to Pack

We’ve written an entire post devoted to what to wear on an Alaskan cruise. In addition, we’d suggest a pair of compact binoculars and a good camera. You’ll want both when you visit a place as photogenic as Alaska.

Final Thoughts on Cruising to Alaska Tips

A cruise to Alaska is unlike any other. If you’re thinking of booking, go ahead and do it. You will make memories that will last a lifetime.