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In summary, this review is your compass if you want to navigate the complexities of planning an Alaska cruise. We’re committed to sharing our hard-earned knowledge to help you embark on the adventure you’ve been dreaming of. She has worked in the cruise industry since 2015 and has taken over 30 cruises.
Best Alaska cruises for families with kids
Onboard the all-suite ships, there’s butler service in every suite, fine dining, and select shore excursions included. The largest Silversea ship sailing to Alaska also carries just under 600 guests, allowing for port calls at lesser-visited stops like Wrangell, Haines, and Valdez. We evaluated over a dozen Alaskan cruises before selecting the best in each category. We considered various elements like the cruise line’s reputation and quality of service, ship design and architecture, and notable ship amenities (e.g., swimming pools, entertainment, technology, access to nature experts, etc.).
Oceania Cruises
This port can get crowded in summer when several ships can call on the same day. For a view of the city and cruise port, take a ride in the sky on the Mount Roberts Tramway. Various wildlife-viewing trips (whale, bears and more) and visits to dogsled camps and salmon bakes leave from Juneau.
Princess Majestic Princess Cruise Reviews (2024 UPDATED): Ratings of Princess Majestic Princess - Cruise Critic
Princess Majestic Princess Cruise Reviews (2024 UPDATED): Ratings of Princess Majestic Princess.
Posted: Tue, 12 Sep 2023 19:15:56 GMT [source]
Choose a balcony cabin
Prepare by packing motion sickness relief bands you place on pressure points on your wrists, prescription scopolamine transdermal patches, ginger candies, over-the-counter seasickness medications and herbal motion sickness patches. I've used these for years, with only one failure on a rather small ship. As for cameras, I recommend that everyone in your travel group has a water-resistant camera or a waterproof smartphone case or pouch. One, most cameras dropped into the depths of an Alaskan bay pose a less traumatic loss than most smartphones. One question I get asked often is whether you can see whales and other wildlife from the ship.
Now, she helps over 1 million people per month to plan their perfect cruise holidays. Cruise lines are very different from each other, and there is no single “cruise passenger” type, so there is no single “Alaska cruise ship” type either. Choose this ship if your priority is to relax, and you don’t need an extensive daily schedule while cruising between ports.
First Time Cruisers
But tonight it seemed very on brand and I offered to share a glass with my waiter who’d committed all 19 crimes before the 7 o’clock rush. The final crime occurred when I was informed that the dessert I’d ordered wasn’t ready yet and would I like the tiramisu (!!!) instead. You’ll recall I sacrificed an entire night of blissful cruise sleep to tiramisu like 72 hours ago and vowed to never order it again. Anyway, the food was very good, but only about 10% better than what I’ve been enjoying in the MDR and certainly not worth the extra $49 (not including the wine) it would have cost me without the voucher.
Budget for shore excursions and tours
The best nature sights and activities often are away from the ports in Alaska. If you prefer to get off-the-beaten-track and travel with smaller groups, a wide array of small ship cruise companies offer more intimate cruises catering to adventure and luxury travelers. AdventureSmith Explorations, Alaska Dream Cruises, American Cruise Lines, Discovery Voyages, Lindblad Expeditions, Oceania, Seabourn, Silversea, UnCruise Adventures, and Windstar Cruises are a few of the small ship cruise operators in the state. Cruises are typically offered in three-night, seven-night, and even up to 28-night cruises.
TripAdvisor.com
Alaska cruises offer a wide range of activities in port, with options for active travelers, wildlife lovers, history buffs and shoppers. Whether you're traveling with young kids or require more sedentary recreation, the Alaska cruise ports won't disappoint. Finally, you'll find some San Francisco round-trip itineraries — usually 10 or 11 nights long — as well as longer sailings between San Francisco and Vancouver. When it comes to cruising Alaska, Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) stands out for its variety of itineraries and ships designed to maximize your scenic experience. While NCL offers several ships for Alaska cruises, including the Norwegian Bliss and Norwegian Joy, our journey was aboard the Norwegian Sun. We spent 10 days aboard the Norwegian Sun, sailing through Alaska’s most captivating ports.
Day 4 Buffet Breakfast
My (Somewhat) Disappointing Alaska Cruise on the Grand Princess - Upgraded Points
My (Somewhat) Disappointing Alaska Cruise on the Grand Princess.
Posted: Fri, 05 Apr 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]
So instead, I had to narrow it down, and I decided to focus on the biggest cruise lines, and then choose the one ship from each that visits Alaska most often. But an Alaska cruise can be expensive, especially if you’re flying in from further afield. So, to make sure you get the cruise you want, I decided to work out which are the best Alaska cruise ships. Chances are you'll be exploring sometimes rugged places and will want to spend time in the great outdoors, in addition to experiencing lively frontier towns with fascinating gold rush and Alaska Native history. Prepare to be amazed by the scenery, wildlife and some of the local characters you'll meet along the way. Proper preparation will assure you have a real Alaska experience and not just a cruise-by look at an amazing place.
As a follow up to the above, if you can afford a balcony cabin, book one. For most people, it makes sense to book your Alaska cruise six months to a year in advance. For those looking for a couples retreat, Viking Cruises cater exclusively to adults. The minimum age is 18, and the ship is designed for a luxurious and tranquil experience, so you can truly get away from it all. With its intimate size and maneuverability, world-class dining, social atmosphere, and high-end amenities, Seabourn Cruises is a luxurious way to explore America’s Last Frontier. The Millennium offers Edge series staterooms with Infinite Veranda—at the touch of a button, your entire living space becomes the veranda, which means you can walk right out to the water’s edge.
If you're happy to visit the typical, well-known ports of call — such as Juneau, Skagway, Icy Strait Point and Ketchikan — a big ship will suit you just fine. If you'd rather go to more off-the-beaten-track locales, you will likely need a small ship to get there. Princess has been sailing Alaska for over 50 years, and with six ships, five wilderness lodges, and its own domed rail car, this cruise line knows the region well. Ashton Palmer is a Seattle-based T+L A-List travel advisor who specializes in expedition cruises. 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 traveling with young kids in Alaska and want an activity- and entertainment-packed experience, make a beeline for Disney Cruise Line and its Alaska-based Disney Wonder.
You can shed the jacket as temperatures allow, then lose the vest if it gets even warmer. Those things might be excessive for a stroll through town but important in the wind on a whale watching boat. Start with thin, base-layer undergarments that won't bulk up your clothes and are comfortable even if the day turns out warmer than expected.
You can solve that problem with a pair of lightweight binoculars. They're also useful for getting a close-up view of glaciers or spotting eagles in port. Consider bringing a pair for everyone in your group because you don't want to fight over one pair when a pod of whales comes into view.
Cruisers who are veterans at Inside Passage itineraries on the big ships have really only seen a preview of the nooks and crannies of the region. Indigenous-owned Alaskan Dream Cruises operates small-ship sailings from Sitka, getting into the straits and narrows that the big ships won’t fit, and oftentimes determining itineraries by reports of sea life migrations and weather conditions. The best Alaska cruises range from off-the-beaten-path voyages on vessels carrying fewer than 100 passengers to weeklong jaunts through the Inside Passage aboard megaships that hold thousands.
If you want to see landlocked areas, such as Denali National Park, you can tack a cruise line-operated tour onto the beginning or end of your sailing for a seamless land and sea vacation. It's easier than fumbling with multiple train, bus, ferry and hotel reservations to cobble together the same trip on your own. Anyway, I walked through downtown for research purposes (I’m working on an article for the blog about Alaska cruising in April) and then headed out for today’s hike on the Perseverance Trail. I don’t hike this trail as often when I visit Juneau because I usually opt to hike to the top of the Mt Roberts tram.
Cold temperatures, icy waters and a long snowy season are not conducive to early spring and late fall cruises. One of the key reasons to cruise Alaska versus taking a land tour is to visit destinations along the Inside Passage that you cannot reach by road. Plus, many of the state's famous glaciers are best viewed from the sea. They want to admire its rugged beauty, seek out wildlife (such as eagles, bears and whales) and learn about its native cultures and Gold Rush history.
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