Table Of Content
- Iconic Alaska Cruise Ports & Destinations
- Best Inside Passage Alaska Cruise: Hurtigruten Expeditions, MS Roald Amundsen
- Best Time to Take a Cruise to Alaska
- Best Alaska Cruise Overall: Holland America Line, Nieuw Amsterdam
- Alaska Cruises: Everything You Need to Know for a Perfect Bucket-List Adventure
- Whale Watching on Alaska Cruises
Holland America Line has offered Alaska cruises for 75 years and is clearly a market leader. The line tops the list in terms of cruises, as well as cruise tours, which combine time sailing with overnight stays on land. The company operates its own lodges, rail cars and motorcoaches for exploration of Alaska's interior and beyond.
Iconic Alaska Cruise Ports & Destinations
6 best Alaska cruises for families - The Points Guy
6 best Alaska cruises for families.
Posted: Thu, 19 Oct 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
In the shoulder season, let’s look at another example from the cruise line. An April departure for two people in an inside cabin (including taxes and fees) on the Enchantment of the Seas would cost $1,215. Princess offers a “direct-to-the-wilderness” rail service, which means passengers can step off the ship and onto the train to head to their next adventure.
Best Inside Passage Alaska Cruise: Hurtigruten Expeditions, MS Roald Amundsen
THE 20 BEST 3 Day Cruises to Alaska (Prices & Itineraries) on Cruise Critic - Cruise Critic
THE 20 BEST 3 Day Cruises to Alaska (Prices & Itineraries) on Cruise Critic.
Posted: Thu, 18 Apr 2024 20:08:52 GMT [source]
The 450-passenger Seabourn Odyssey throws a dash of adventure into its luxurious surroundings. In addition to offering passengers complimentary Champagne and caviar and housing them in spacious suites, the ship boasts an onboard expedition team and does a posh version of expedition cruising in Alaska, using inflatable Zodiac craft and kayaks. While the kids enjoy Discovery Princess' spacious children's and teens' clubs, the adults might linger over a craft cocktail or enjoy a massage in the onboard spa. The family can come together for meals in a variety of casual and fine dining restaurants, and enjoy original production shows as the ship sails between ports. When cruise lines send a fleet of ships to Alaska for the summer, the older, smaller ships tend to offer more reduced prices than you'll find on the lines' larger and newer ships.
Best Time to Take a Cruise to Alaska
You can choose a classic seven-night itinerary or a 13-night land-and-sea getaway. In Sitka, 11 included excursions run the gamut from a mountain hike to an alpine lake with a Champagne toast to a three-hour kayak paddle to a floating base camp. Its seven-night Vancouver-to-Seward voyage visits every must-see port — including Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway — and also sails to the astonishing Hubbard Glacier. Silversea fares include most shore excursions, so you don't have to pay extra to immerse yourself in the best Alaska has to offer. These particular ships take between 1,400 and 2,600 passengers, the perfect size to visit some of the less-frequented ports of call. Even though Holland America Line has much larger vessels sailing Alaska, it also has mid-ship options, such as the 1,300-passenger Volendam.
Those craving a luxury Alaska cruise need not look further than Silversea, says Goldring. The line’s Door-to-Door All-Inclusive fares cover private airport transfers, economy flights, business-class upgrades or air credits, and shore excursions. Seabourn Odyssey sails both one-way itineraries between Vancouver and Juneau and round-trip itineraries from Vancouver. It visits popular Alaska ports like Ketchikan and Sitka, as well as less-touristed destinations like Wrangell, Prince Rupert (a port city in Canada) and Rudyerd Bay.
Alaskan Inside Passage
Fares for a July 17, 2024, "Summer on the Frontier" cruise start at $6,799 per person. On board, relish all-suite accommodations, butler service, complimentary sustainable caviar and alcohol. Best of all, this ship's asymmetrical design — new to Silversea — delivers phenomenal views from pretty much everywhere — even in glass elevators. Princess Cruises (operating in the state for over 50 years) has an incredible train tour into the interior. They also offer visits to four national parks as a combo with your cruise. Partner of National Geographic, Lindblad Expeditions is the pioneer in expedition ecotourism cruises.
The Discovery Princess had her naming ceremony in April of 2022, so she’s a brand-new addition to the line’s fleet. Cruise guests will receive a free Medallion device with a complimentary lanyard, which allows you to do things like open your cabin door, track onboard purchases, find family and friends, locate venues, and check daily activities. There’s plenty to do on board, too, including making use of the two swimming pools, five whirlpools, and Dr. Andrew Weil's spa and wellness program. Not to mention a card room, casino, library, observation bar, and beauty salon. There are several options for onboard dining (aside from complimentary in-suite dining), including a fine dining option, The Grill by world-renowned chef Thomas Keller, and an open-kitchen style option for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The ship sails seven-night cruises from Seattle, visiting Dawes Glacier, Sitka and Icy Strait Point, as well as Juneau, Ketchikan and Victoria, British Columbia.
Alaska Cruises: Everything You Need to Know for a Perfect Bucket-List Adventure
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. If we were to pick one mega-ship operator to see Alaska on, it would be Norwegian Cruise Line. If your idea of a good time includes loads of onboard amenities (like over-the-top spas, nightly theater productions, go-kart tracks, and a water park), this is the sailing for you. It’s also one of the more family-friendly lines sailing in Alaska, with kids clubs and programming specifically geared at youngsters.
Whale Watching on Alaska Cruises
Solo travelers don't always have to pay double to cruise Alaska on their own. Several Norwegian Cruise Line ships feature cozy studio cabins designed and priced for one person, and the 4,004-passenger Norwegian Bliss offers 82 solo rooms on its round-trip Seattle cruises to Alaska. Ovation of the Seas sails round-trip from Seattle on seven-night cruises, but the exact itinerary varies by week. The ship cruises Endicott Arm for scenic views of Dawes Glacier and typically visits three Alaska ports and Victoria. The line always stations one or two Quantum-class ships in Alaska for the season.
Per the pro, travelers can “choose between a menu of included excursions such as kayaking, paddleboarding, hiking, zodiac cruises, whale watching, and more.” All in all, UnCruise really does offer something for everyone. For nearly 30 years, UnCruise Adventures has embarked on voyages with a mission to provide its guests with an enriching adventure travel experience that inspires an appreciation of local cultures and the natural world. Founded in Alaska in 1996, the company has a strong pretense in The Great Land with seven-, 12- and 14-night itineraries that set sail April through September.
It’s also worth factoring in onboard features that cost extra like the spa and gift shop. These ships often feature complimentary shore excursions, kayaks and bikes for guest use and onboard scientists and naturalists. Most big-ship and luxury cruise lines send at least one cruise ship to Alaska every summer. Some of the best Alaska cruise lines are Holland America and Princess because they have especially long histories in the region and offer cruises, as well as cruise and land tour combinations, on multiple ships each season. Nicknamed “The Love Boat,” Princess Cruises has been sailing to Alaska for more than 50 years, and is a terrific choice for couples looking to get away from it all. While onboard, Princess immerses its guests into the sites, sounds, tastes and history of the 49th state through its award-winning North to Alaska programming.
To secure your spot, book excursions well in advance or as soon as they're available. The variety of sailings to Alaska is also another reason to choose Norwegian. "If Hawaii is also on your bucket list, Norwegian is one of the only cruise lines to offer a 16-day cruise departing from Honolulu that sails through both Hawaii and Alaska so you explore two dreamy destinations on one vacation," said Cicero. She added that Norwegian sails to Alaska until late October — about a month longer than most cruise lines. While some travelers dream of lounging on a beach in the Caribbean, others might be itching to put on hiking shoes and explore the great outdoors.
This year, the cruise line added five new Alaskan itineraries, including the adults-only Glaciers & Tranquility and Winter Sports Alaska, with a focus on downhill and Nordic skiing, snowshoeing, whale watching and spotting the Northern Lights. Whichever itinerary you choose, you can be sure to have a plethora of adventurous excursions at your fingertips, right from the ship. One day could find you paddleboarding in the morning and hiking in the afternoon, or maybe kayaking and taking a skiff out later in the day to try and spot wildlife. All excursions are led by experienced expedition teams, who provide all the equipment needed to make the most of your time in Alaska. Coming off of its 150th anniversary year, Holland America Line has been sailing to and around Alaska for more than half that time—75 years.
While Viking falls in the (self-declared) upper premium category, most cruisers see the line's ships as luxury. Sailing in Alaska, the 930-passenger adults-only Viking Orion offers an elegant and spacious modern Nordic design. One of the best luxury Alaska cruise ships is the 746-passenger all-suite Seven Seas Explorer. It's one of Regent Seven Seas Cruises' most glam ships, and you can pamper yourself on board for a week as you sail from Seward, Alaska to Vancouver, British Columbia. If you love opulence — think exquisite marble and crystal lavished everywhere — and a magnificent multimillion-dollar art collection, look no further than Seven Seas Explorer for your vacation home-suite-home. Sink into refreshed suites and a new lounge, plus dining and entertainment venues.
