The Ultimate Guide To Finding The Best Alaskan Cruise For You

Alaska is a majestic and stunningly beautiful state. With bald eagles, whales, glaciers, tundra, taiga, salmon, and more, its wildlife and natural wonders are unlike those found anywhere else. The state's ruggedness, however, can render it incompatible and even inaccessible to many people who would prefer to spend their vacations in comfort. Cruise ships, with their heated cabins, delicious food, and attentive waitstaff, are a luxurious way to enjoy the coastline of Alaska. If you plan it right, your itinerary can also be conducive to further exploration inland. Indeed, because of the port towns' small sizes, excursions like hiking and kayaking are part of what makes Alaskan cruises so memorable. As a reward for your hard work, you'll have the promise of a warm meal and a soft bed after each activity.

However, deciding which cruise ship to take is no easy task. With so many cruise lines sailing around Alaska, often with multiple ships, the paradox of choice can rear its head and leave you with some major decision paralysis. Would you rather have a ship with laser tag or one with educational seminars? Would you prefer to sail the Inside Passage or cross the Gulf of Alaska? To save you a few hours of head-scratching research, we have created the ultimate guide to finding the best Alaskan cruise for you. Bon voyage!

Cruise ships are typically designed to cater to certain age ranges, so choose accordingly. When traveling with parents, an elegant cruise ship with more formal dining options and a spa might be the best choice. Check out Silversea Cruises or Regent Seven Seas Cruises as potential choices. When traveling with children, look for ships that advertise miniature golf, movie nights, and organized activities like scavenger hunts. Disney Cruise Line is always a safe bet for this age range. Don't count on waterslides to keep your kids entertained, though; even in peak summer, most folks consider Alaska to be chilly.

Next, consider how many days each family member will be comfortable spending away from home. Children may get homesick more easily than adults, and the lack of routine, as well as limited or missing services like daycare and summer camp, can be exhausting for both children and their parents. Family-friendly cruise lines, like Carnival, Norwegian, Disney, Princess, and Royal Caribbean, offer some babysitting and childcare services. You can even get private in-room babysitting with some cruise lines. Childcare services are occasionally free, but that is not necessarily the norm and it can also depend on the child's age.

Finally, excursions offered by cruise lines are another useful gauge of how much each family member might enjoy their trip. Excursions like dog sledding and visiting a wildlife sanctuary would likely interest family members of all ages. A plethora of excursions are offered by large cruise ships, but small ships might have a more limited selection, so delve into the details before booking.

Speaking of excursions, you'll want to choose an itinerary that allows you to experience Alaska the way you want to experience it. After all, you might not ever get a chance to return, and souvenir shops will likely lose their appeal after the first few stops. With time in port often lasting eight hours or more, you can frequently combine several excursions into one adventure-packed day.

Common excursions include glacier hikes, museum and wildlife center visits, bike tours, helicopter rides, and bear tours. Don't be afraid to go off the beaten path with less common excursions and private tours, like snorkeling off the shores of Ketchikan. You can even forego organized activities altogether and use public transportation and your own two feet. For instance, Mendenhall Glacier is the only glacier in Southeast Alaska that is connected to roads, so you can visit it by catching a taxi or bus.

Some excursions are best taken at certain times of the year; for instance, the ideal time to kayak is from May until mid-June, when you can avoid excessive tourists and bugs. Other activities may require you to visit a certain port. Once you know your preferred excursions, you can find a cruise with a suitable itinerary.

If you want to explore further inland, consider a cruisetour, which gives you several days to explore the interior of Alaska after living it up on the high seas. One popular itinerary takes you north on the Alaska Railroad, through Denali National Park, and up to the town of Fairbanks, where you can enjoy activities like the Chena Hot Springs Resort and the Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum.

When you add up the costs associated with souvenirs, happy hour cocktails, and hot stone massages, cruises have the potential to get very expensive. We don't blame you: With time to kill and endless retail therapy at your fingertips, it can be tempting to pull out that credit card.

Cruises don't necessarily have to break the bank, however, if you choose a package that is within your budget. Pay attention to nuances like whether drinks are included (speaking of which, this is why you need to think twice before buying a cruise drink package). Thankfully, with the advent of the "Honest Pricing Law," these major cruise lines' prices are about to be a lot less confusing and secretive. Broadly speaking, a cruise line like Crystal Cruises tends to be more expensive, charging thousands of dollars per person, while a choice like Carnival Cruise Line is easier on the wallet. We suggest using a travel website like AlaskaCruises.com or Travelocity.com to monitor and book the best deals.

Here are a few additional ways to save money: Choose a basic room, look for a repositioning cruise, guide yourself on your excursions, limit expensive fine dining meals, and sail during the shoulder seasons (May and September), which could save you a few hundred bucks or more. Even while sticking to a responsible budget, remember that you are on vacation; a few concessions here and there can yield a far more memorable vacation than a trip taken with a relentlessly tight fist. For example, paying extra for a balcony room might let you spot the northern lights, a bald eagle in flight, or a spectacular show of glacier calving.

If you are wondering what the best time to go on an Alaskan cruise is, the answer is: It depends. June, July, and, August make up the peak season for cruises in Alaska, aligning with warmer weather and extended daylight hours. Cruise ships operate in May and September, too, at which time they might be cheaper and a little less crowded. Shoulder season can also mean fewer mosquitoes, and in September, you will see incredible foliage and potentially catch the northern lights.

Conversely, there are several good reasons to travel to Alaska during the peak summer season. If you plan to visit Denali National Park at the end of your cruise, you will only be able to enter the heart of the park from May 20th until mid-September. Hiking trails, in Denali and elsewhere, will not be covered in snow during this time, either. And if you have high hopes for a bear sighting, your best chances to see one start in mid-June and last until August or September.

Cruise ships come in many breeds. They can be a towering 15 stories high, or they might only have two levels. If you feel suffocated in crowds or want to have a more intimate cruise experience, choose a line like Oceania Cruises, which brings no more than 700 passengers on board its Alaska cruise. As you can imagine, this vibe is completely different from a large cruise ship with up to 5,000 passengers and more activities on board. Keep in mind that smaller cruises tend to be more expensive (although excursions are often included on smaller ships, which may make up for the price difference). Smaller cruise ships also have the advantage of getting closer to wildlife and geographic features.

Don't forget about the décor. If your favorite movie is "Titanic," you might enjoy surrounding yourself with antique, classical furniture and elegant staterooms. On the other hand, if you know that a central part of your cruise experience will be the nightlife, you might want to choose a ship with highly-rated bars, modern furnishings, late-night buffets, and comedy shows.

If you are traveling alone, but interested in a romantic cruise, look for activities like blind dating; because dating apps may not work on a cruise, you will need to rely on your own charm and cruise ship activities to form meaningful connections with other passengers. Speaking of romance, if food is your love language, you should check out these five cruise lines that have the best food.

In short, the age and the personality of each person in your party will help you select a ship that is right for everyone. Compromises will need to be made, but ships have enough activities and rooms to keep everyone entertained for days.

Most Alaskan cruises depart from Seattle or Vancouver. Starting in Seattle can be more convenient for American citizens, but sailing from Vancouver can offer more scenery. For one-way cruises, Whittier and Seward function as the endpoints. Other common ports include Ketchikan, Juneau, and Skagway. Smaller cruise ships may stop at smaller ports, such as Cordova. No matter what itinerary you choose, make sure to understand the rules around whether you need a passport when traveling by cruise.

Cruise ships do not always stop at Sitka, but if you are interested in wildlife, you might want to prioritize stopping here. Not far from the port, you can visit Fortress of the Bear (a bear sanctuary) and the Alaska Raptor Center (a bird rehabilitation center). Not all Alaskan cruises stop at Whittier or Anchorage, either. Whittier is attractive for its hiking, sea kayaking, and jet skiing excursions, and some itineraries treat it as the last stop before passengers disembark in Anchorage. From Anchorage, passengers may extend their vacations by riding the Alaska Railroad north to the inland city of Fairbanks.

While glaciers are not technically ports, cruises often list them on their itineraries because ships can spend hours in their surrounding waters — even close to a full day when visiting Glacier Bay. Read up on Hubbard Glacier, Glacier Bay, Prince William Sound, and Tracy Arm to see if there are any must-visit locations you want included in your cruise itinerary.

When booking your Alaskan cruise, you can choose either a one-way or a round-trip itinerary. There are pros and cons to both variations. One-way cruises, which often end in Whittier or Seward, allow passengers to see more of the coastline, including sights like the impressive Hubbard Glacier. They also allow passengers to explore further inland. As mentioned earlier, many travelers opt to take the Alaska Railroad north from Anchorage so that they can visit Denali National Park and Fairbanks. Even without boarding a train, however, there is plenty to see and do after disembarking a one-way cruise. In Anchorage, for example, there is the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center and the Anchorage Museum, and a short drive away is Chugach National Forest. 

The main problem with one-way itineraries is that they can become expensive; you will need to book two one-way flights, and train tickets can be pricey. Additionally, sailing across the Gulf of Alaska can mean rougher waters, particularly during shoulder season. If you are on a smaller ship, you may be more prone to seasickness while crossing the gulf, but this is not always the case. A helpful tip to avoid or mitigate seasickness is to choose a cabin in the middle of the ship, with a balcony if possible. Cabins located here experience less rocking motion. Note that even if you are on a round-trip cruise from Seattle, you won't reach the Inside Passage for a few days; therefore, you may still need to take precautions to avoid tossing up your lunch.

Alaska is a large state with plenty of diversity. Extending your trip by a few days with a cruisetour or an itinerary of your own design can allow you to see more wildlife and soak up more scenery. The travel experts at Alaska.org suggest you cruise first, then move inland to help avoid any anticlimactic sentiment (think of your land portion as the cherry on top of an already wonderful vacation). On the other hand, they also note that if you are traveling north of the Arctic Circle, where temperatures are harsher and there are fewer amenities, a relaxing cruise afterward may be a welcome treat.

Because a typical Alaskan cruise lasts one week, some people might find any longer than that to be too many days away from home. Not only can travelers get homesick, but it can also be difficult on the wallet to extend your stay. If this trip is meant to be more of a vacation than an adventure, cruising the Inside Passage on a seven-day, round-trip itinerary is generally considered to be the most relaxing option.

Regardless of your ship and route selection, remember that Mother Nature does not take vacations. If you plan to travel in the shoulder season or off-season, you will need to be flexible. You might get more rain if you cruise in August, and if the weather really deteriorates, you should know what to expect if your cruise ship changes the planned itinerary.

With a population of just over 700,000 people, the people who call Alaska home have cultivated a rich sense of community and safeguarded traditions for hundreds of years. In addition to evergreen excursions, research what timely events are taking place that might allow you a peek into local life. Because Alaska is shrouded in darkness all winter long, you will generally find community gatherings to be jubilant, energetic, and frequent during the summer months.

For example, you can run a marathon or attend a concert at Anchorage's Summer Solstice Festival. You might also enjoy the Girdwood Forest Fair, where you can learn about Alaskan art and hear local music. Or maybe the bustling Seward Fourth of July celebration is how you want to commemorate your next Independence Day. If an event is riveting enough to become a priority for you, plan your itinerary backward and see if you can select a cruise ship that gets you to port on the right day.