Alaska Cruise Vacations

Alaska is a land of immense proportions. It is the twice as large as any other state, it has the tallest mountain, the largest national parks and wilderness areas, the most extreme climate, the and to many eyes, the most breathtakingly beautiful scenery in the world. An Alaskan cruise is a real adventure.

Alaska is so undeveloped that most of its coast is not accessible by roads, so the best way to see the extraordinary coastline is by ship. And many cruise lines are anxious to bring you around.

Alaska Cruise Options

There are essentially three different types of Alaskan cruise.

Alaska’s Inner Passage is a spectacular narrow waterway enclosed by soaring mountains and dotted with quaint coastal communities.

Gulf of Alaska Cruises, also referred to as Alaska Glacier Cruises, are one-way cruises through the Gulf of Alaska. These trips offer the best in glaciers, mountains, wildlife and scenery. You will cover a lot of the same attractions and ports as an Inner Passage cruise, but since you do not backtrack to your origination port, you get a few extra nights of sights. Alaska Glacier Cruises can be scheduled North to South or South to North.

Alaska Cruise and Land Tour - The stunning wilderness scenery that draws many to Alaska, is not all found along the coasts. So an increasingly popular way to truly experience what Alaska has to offer is to combine a cruise and land tour into one awesome experience. Most such tours combine a 3 to 7 night cruise with a 3 to 12 day land tour. Similar to an Alaska Glacier Cruise, these trips are one-way either northbound or southbound.

Things To Do

Alaska is America’s last frontier and is famous for its pristine wilderness areas and outdoor adventures. While on your cruise ship you’ll be able to take in the extraordinary landscapes of glaciers, soaring mountains and narrow inlets.

The more active adventures are on the dozens of shore excursions you’ll be able to choose from. Helicopter rides are very popular as you can cover so much beautiful scenery, or take a glacier trek with an experienced guide. Go fishing for Alaskan salmon, or if you just like the eating part, attend an outdoor salmon bake of fresh caught salmon.

For those who desire some real rugged adventure, take a dog sled ride or go on a gold panning trip. One excursion flies you into a gold camp and you raft back out. There are kayaking trips, seaplane adventures, and numerous a jeep and 4x4 explorations. For those who desire something a little less active, go on a whale watching trip or a wildlife viewing adventure. Depending on the time of year you may catch a bald eagle or trumpeter swan gathering.

There is a huge amount to do on an Alaskan cruise – you will never be bored; you’ll likely be exhilarated.

Ports of Call

Your ports of call will depend on which type of Alaskan Cruise you take. For the Inner Passage, a typical itinerary spends a day or so in the Inner Passage and then a full day in port at 3 or 4 of the following destinations:

Juneau Ketchikan Skagway Haines

Sitka Glacier Bay National Park Hubbard

Glacier Misty Arm Fjord Tracy Arm Fjord

Gulf of Alaska Cruises include the same ports as on an Inner Passage cruise, and adds ports at either Seward or Whittier, the College Fjord and Valdez.

On an Alaska Cruise and Land Tour your ports of call are the same as for a Gulf of Alaska cruise, though your itineraries for the land portion are extremely variable. You’ll want to give us a call at 888-454-8825 and we can walk you through all of the options tailored to your particular interests.

Season / Trip Lengths / Departure Ports

Cruises to Alaska are available from late April to September with the summer months being the most in demand. Lower prices can be found in Spring and Fall.

Inner Passage trips are generally 7 nights long and run roundtrip from Vancouver or Seattle. The roundtrip cruises departing from Seattle, Vancouver and California are popular since flights to and from those ports are frequent and competitively priced. There are some 10-night trips departing from California ports and shorter 3 or 4 night trips combined with a land tour.

On a Northbound Gulf of Alaska Cruise, you’ll generally embark from Vancouver, proceed through the Inner Passage and end up at Seward or Whittier. A motor coach takes you to Anchorage for your return flight. Southbound Gulf of Alaska Cruises are the same as the Northbound trips, except reversed. You generally fly to Anchorage and take a motor coach to Seward or Whittier to catch your cruise ship. You disembark at Vancouver. These trips are generally 5 to 7 nights long.

Similar to an Alaska Glacier Cruise, the Alaska Cruise and Land Tours are one-way either northbound or southbound. On a southbound trip, you fly to Anchorage, explore Alaska’s interior and then board a ship at Seward for a cruise south to Vancouver. Many people prefer this trip as it puts the activities upfront and the more relaxing portion at the end. Northbound trips are reversed. Most such tours combine a 3 to 7 night cruise with a 3 to 12 day land tour.