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The Inside Passage is a sheltered waterway between Vancouver Island and the British Columbia mainland that extends north to Alaska. It's known for calm waters and excellent scenery (often including Glacier Bay). Your overall best bet for whale watching in Alaska is May through September.
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Holland America Line (HAL) — which recently snapped up a 2023 World’s Best Award in the large-ship ocean cruise line category — has been cruising Alaska for over 75 years. HAL prides itself on having more permits for Glacier Bay National Park visits than any other cruise line. The cruise line also offers beloved live music programming, which I got to experience firsthand on a summer 2023 Alaska sailing. King's Blues Club, Billboard Onboard (a dueling piano bar), Lincoln Center Stage, and Rolling Stone Rock Room.
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Glaciers also get in on the summer action, calving massive chunks into the waters below. The abundance of wildlife in summer creates a captivating spectacle that you won’t want to miss, making it the best time to go on an Alaska cruise. Icy Strait Point is notable among Alaska cruise ports because the area and its attractions are all native Alaskan owned. Most port and tour staff hail from Hoonah, Alaska's largest Tlingit village. The port is set on Chichagoff Island, which is known for its large bear population.
Alaska Northern Lights Cruises: When to Go and What to Consider
Sail the Inside Passage, a series of channels and waterways formed by the march of glaciers, on your 7-day roundtrip Alaska cruise from Seattle. With an abundance of landmarks and wildlife, take in the sights and sounds of the Inside Passage from the comfort of your ship or on a thrilling excursion ashore. Explore fjords, glaciers and Gold Rush-era towns on weekend voyages out of Seattle. Sail 500 miles deeper into the Gulf of Alaska and Prince William Sound on our top-rated Voyage of the Glaciers Alaska cruise. Spend seven days traveling from Anchorage (Whittier) to Vancouver, B.C., stopping in historic port cities like Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway. Enjoy two glacier-viewing experiences on every itinerary — including Glacier Bay National Park, and Hubbard Glacier or College Fjord.
Alaska Cruise Ports of Call
This is another reason why layers are so important—you never know when you’ll need that t-shirt over your winter jacket. Search for shore excursions on websites like GetYourGuide.com and ShoreExcursionsGroup.com, and compare them to what you see on Royal Caribbean’s Cruise Planner. If prices are lower, or if there’s availability on a tour that’s sold out on the Cruise Planner, there’s no harm in booking through a third party. We sailed roundtrip from Juneau, and while I’ve visited the capital city during the busy summer months, I found the restaurants, bars, and shops much less crowded, reliably filled with locals for the most part. On the water, we rarely passed any other ships or boats, aside from fishermen out for their catches. In the summer, Alaska basks in the magic of the Midnight Sun, with approximately 20 hours of daylight each day.
Skagway
Waiting to see if the price drops almost always results in paying more for your flight, so it’s important to get your flights booked to avoid wasting money. Hopefully, if you have an Alaska cruise booked this summer, you’ve already booked your airfare to and from the cruise port. If you have not done so yet, we recommend booking flights as soon as possible. In Sitka, for instance, you can enjoy a leisurely walk through the Sitka National Historic Park, which comes at no extra cost and is within walking distance from the town center. Likewise, you could take a shuttle bus to Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau for $45 roundtrip, which is much cheaper than excursions booked through the cruise line.
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What to Pack for An Alaskan Cruise: A Complete Checklist - Travel + Leisure
What to Pack for An Alaskan Cruise: A Complete Checklist.
Posted: Thu, 18 Apr 2024 21:11:15 GMT [source]
On an Alaska whale-watching cruise, you’ll have the chance to see some of the state’s eight magnificent species of whales that frequent its icy waters. As luck would have it, the entire Alaska cruise season is also prime whale-watching season. Alaska’s location at the far northwestern corner of North America and its two-season weather of long, cold winters and short, intense summers make it a unique cruise destination. Cruise ships have a short window in which to safely navigate through the ice that may still be present in Alaska’s waterways during the first part of the cruise season. To ensure you don’t miss out, consider booking a later dinner time, or simply eat dinner elsewhere on the nights the sailaway overlaps with your dining time. The Windjammer buffet can be an excellent place to enjoy dinner in Alaska, as the buffet has floor-to-ceiling windows throughout the venue, in addition to outdoor seating on select ships.
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The Alaska cruise season typically runs from late May through early October, giving you a pretty short window to take your trip. Thanks to longer, sunnier days, July and August are considered peak months, but along with higher temperatures, expect higher prices. For those voyagers seeking to sail from Southern California all the way up the Pacific coast to Alaska, try a new 16-day roundtrip Inside Passage voyage from Los Angeles. Our Alaska cruises are your ticket to adventure amidst the Great Land’s glaciers, wildlife and national parks. Voyage through the untamed beauty from the comfort of our world-class ships, exclusive rail service and Princess Wilderness Lodges near national parks.
There are numerous factors you need to consider for a cruise to Alaska, including the best time of year, costs, itineraries, which line to choose and which destinations matter most to you. Now that we’ve covered the basics of all things Alaska cruising, keep reading to discover the best Alaska cruises for every type of traveler, featuring expert insight and award-winning picks. Eric Goldring is a T+L A-List travel advisor specializing in expedition, small-ship, and medium-ship cruises. Travel back in time and pan for gold like a prospector during the Gold Rush. Snuggle sled dog puppies in the ship's Piazza, or see the Northern Lights in the planetarium. At the Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge, explore our treehouse and enjoy unmatched views of Denali.
It’s worth noting that Alaska’s fall weather conditions might lead to higher seas and intense winds. When this happens, the outdoor decks are often temporarily closed and things may be swaying a bit more than usual onboard. Lois Alter Mark is an award-winning travel and lifestyle writer who also writes regularly for Forbes and Reader's Digest. She writes about everything from luxury cruises and spas to quirky restaurants and street art.
Sign up for our monthly newsletter, Under the Midnight Sun, with the latest updates about new multi-day tours and day trips from Alaska Tours. For those embarking on their first Alaska adventure or with limited time, we recommend two outstanding options. The Kenai Fjords National Park Cruise and the Spring Wildlife Alaska Whale Watching Cruise in Ressurection Bay provide an excellent overview of Alaska’s breathtaking scenery and wildlife.
Icebergs and harbor seals decorate the water below while Dawes Glacier soars into the sky above. Revel in the beauty of Mother Nature’s masterpiece and listen closely as the scenery whispers secrets of times long ago during your cruise to Alaska. To maximize your chance of witnessing the northern lights, get off the boat and join a land excursion to Fairbanks. The aurora season in Fairbanks lasts from the end of August to April and the lights can be seen four out of five nights if the sky is clear.
Almost all Gulf of Alaska cruises visit to Hubbard Glacier and spend some time scenic cruising in College Fjord. The cost of an Alaskan cruise, of course, rises during high season and will be less expensive before and after those months during shoulder season. Remove the hassle from air travel and give yourself the gift of flexibility, time and a thicker wallet with Princess EZair flights. We negotiate lower rates with the airlines, allow you to modify your flight up to 45 days prior with no penalty and protect you if your flight is late or canceled.
Princess Cruises is an authorized concessioner of Glacier Bay National Park. Alaska cruisetours combine our top-rated Voyage of the Glaciers cruise with three to ten nights on land exploring Denali National Park. Travel aboard our exclusive Direct-to-the-Wilderness® train and unwind at Princess Wilderness Lodges®. Every year Princess introduces more people to Denali National Park than any other cruise line.
The Yukon, Ketchikan, Glacier Bay National Park — Alaskan cruises offer direct access to the last American frontier. If you’re a first-time visitor, the vast tundra and glaciers of Alaska can feel intimidating. After all, in addition to figuring out how to respond if you encounter a moose, you’re also worried about the weather and which month would be best to plan your trip. Witnessing bears catch (or try to catch) slippery salmon from a river is one of the most incredible Alaska experiences you can have. The best time to view this dramatic display is mid-July to mid-August, though you can take wildlife excursions to bear hangouts at any time during cruise season. When planning your cruise, the weather should be a consideration for many shore excursions.
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