The best Alaska cruise for every type of traveler

Table Of Content

• Coolest Things to Do in Alaska on Seven Seas Explorer
• Spring for a Balcony Cabin on Your Alaska Cruise
• Best Inside Passage Alaska Cruise: Hurtigruten Expeditions, MS Roald Amundsen
• Best value Alaska cruise: Radiance of the Seas
• Alaska Cruise With The Most Adventurous Excursions: UnCruise Adventures
• Best Value Alaska Cruise: Royal Caribbean, Radiance Of The Seas

That's especially true of large ships, so consider a small ship for cruising to Alaska, like UnCruise or Silversea, if those glaciers are high on your must-see list. Conditions can sometimes prevent ships from reaching the glaciers, particularly in Tracy Arm Fjord. On either end of your sailing, you can tour on your own or book a cruise tour that combines a cruise and a land tour, which usually runs three to seven nights. Almost all Gulf of Alaska cruises visit to Hubbard Glacier and spend some time scenic cruising in College Fjord. If you are cruising in Alaska during the Northern Lights season, note that the Gulf of Alaska is choppiest in September and not recommended for travelers who get seasick. Also, certain sections of the access road to Denali National Park may close in September due to snow, so check your itinerary if that's your preferred Northern Lights viewing spot.

Coolest Things to Do in Alaska on Seven Seas Explorer

The 450-passenger Seabourn Odyssey throws a dash of adventure into its luxurious surroundings. 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. The line will send six ships to Alaska in 2024, with tour offerings to Denali, Fairbanks and Anchorage. However, it's the 2,650-passenger Koningsdam that offers some of the most interesting cruise tour itineraries out there. Some travelers demand luxury Alaska cruises, while others don't mind going less fancy if it means close encounters with bears and other creatures in the wilderness. Some look for romance, while others want to introduce the kids or grandkids to glaciers and eagles, gold panning and sled dogs.

Spring for a Balcony Cabin on Your Alaska Cruise

Plus, it’s the best way to experience the iconic Inside Passage, the most popular route for cruise ships departing from Seattle and Vancouver from May through September. The key to planning the perfect adventure is finding the right cruise for your personality, budget, and preferences. The best time for an Alaska cruise is from late spring to early fall, and you’ll find lots of itineraries to choose from sailing from May to September.

Best Inside Passage Alaska Cruise: Hurtigruten Expeditions, MS Roald Amundsen

The 6 Best Cruises for Northern Lights Viewing - AFAR Media

The 6 Best Cruises for Northern Lights Viewing.

Posted: Fri, 05 Apr 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Book a spa treatment or work out in the Aquamar Spa + Vitality Center, play nine holes of golf on the putting greens, shop the three boutiques, and unwind, help yourself to afternoon tea with all the accouterments at 4 p.m. If you're looking for other surefire ways to save, inside and ocean-view cabins are often much cheaper than balcony cabins on Alaska cruises. Those private verandas are highly desirable, with everyone seeking views of the wilderness, snow-capped peaks and glaciers.

What's the Best Cruise Line for Alaska? - Cruise Hive

What's the Best Cruise Line for Alaska?.

Posted: Thu, 29 Jun 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Dive into The Points Guy's Alaska cruise guide for all the planning tips you need for your dream cruise up north. You’ll never feel nickeled and dimed on American Queen Voyages because everything you want—from guided tours to drinks—is already included in the price. 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. And 99% of the staterooms on Celebrity Edge have king-size beds, featuring Celebrity eXhale bedding and Cashmere mattresses. The Celebrity Millennium, launched in 2000, has recently undergone complete modernization, which includes luxury staterooms, enhanced technology, and renovated restaurants and lounges. Bargain seekers should either book early for these accommodations or choose inside, outside or guarantee cabins (where you don't pick your room location) to save more.

Dining Highlights on Quantum of the Seas

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. It's so far from the rest of the mainland U.S. that it's become a bucket list destination, especially for travelers looking to visit each of the 50 states. Oceania cruises introduce Alaska to guests by offering local experiences in partnership with native tribes for a more meaningful connection to the area beyond sightseeing. 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. If you envision sipping Champagne as you watch a glacier thunderously calve into the sea, consider booking an all-inclusive luxury cruise on a Seabourn ship. Big ships can only offer deckside viewing of the marvels of Glacier Bay, but UnCruise Adventures sends its ships to the rarely visited outback.

Alaska Cruise With The Most Adventurous Excursions: UnCruise Adventures

Experts onboard these sailings include naturalists, biologists and other scientists who are members of the expedition team. They lead the outdoor activities and provide passengers with a deeper insight into Alaska. Once guests finish communing with nature, they can indulge in gourmet cuisine in multiple restaurants, enjoy a complimentary cocktail or relax in an upscale spa. 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.

National treasures

Royal Caribbean’s Quantum of the Seas is an ideal family-oriented ship for cruising in Alaska, with its forward-facing solarium area, complete with an adults-only pool, plus a separate family indoor pool. Then there’s the massive indoor activity zone called the SeaPlex featuring bumper cars, laser tag and even pickle ball. I could also put UnCruise Adventures in this category but I’m going to add it to the one below as it does something no one else offers. Depending on where you live the embarkation port might determine which cruise line to Alaska is best.

Best Value Alaska Cruise: Royal Caribbean, Radiance Of The Seas

This full half-acre of real grass on the top deck offers some of the best views onboard in a fun, relaxed atmosphere. The space includes a hands-on glass blowing studio, games like bocce and mini-golf, lounge chairs and even rentable Alcoves. Celebrity typically attracts sophisticated young adults and middle-aged couples, though you'll notice more families during the summer holiday. Some of the lowest cost Carnival sailings currently start at $564 per person for an interior stateroom on a 7-night sailing. Alaskan Dream Cruises’ itineraries are designed by Alaskans who know their area and are passionate about sharing their state’s natural beauty, history, and culture with guests.

In other words, Alaska can be one of the more affordable bucket-list destinations to reach by ship, especially when compared to other remote cruise destinations like Antarctica and the Galapagos. September offers the best possibility for cruisers to catch the Northern Lights in Alaska. They are generally visible across the state, so any itinerary will likely do, though you'll have the best show in less populated areas like Denali National Park. You'd also do well to look at the moon cycles, as a full moon can drown out the Aurora Borealis. Wet weather aside, late summer months bring the best chances of seeing wildlife on expeditions.

There’s one exception – Silverseas’ ship Silver Nova has the most Alaska itineraries, but she’s too new to have accumulated enough review scores, so I’ve gone with Silver Moon instead. While the most popular cruise regions in the world will likely always remain the Caribbean and the Mediterranean, there are some amazing destinations beyond those regions, including Alaska. It's the sort of itinerary that specifically appeals to retirees with the time (and money) to book such a long trip.

From the lush rainforests and tranquil seas of the Inside Passage, to the endless horizon and luminous ice of the Arctic, there’s no shortage of what Alaska offers to cruise enthusiasts. Even the largest Silversea cruise ships only carry 596 passengers, offering another great passenger to crew ratio. One of the cruise line’s most popular itineraries is the Seven-Day Inside Passage, which takes you through Glacier Bay National Park, the Inside Passage, Tracy Arm Inlet and several must-visit port towns.

There, the bartender will muddle your mojitos with raspberry, guava, passion fruit or even jalapeno pepper to spice things up when you're sitting with your new solo friends. Norwegian Encore and Norwegian Bliss are also our top picks for ships operating the best Alaska cruises from Seattle for solo travelers. Between these two, it's a tossup, though we put Norwegian Bliss in the headline above since, well, we already gave Norwegian Encore a turn in the limelight with the best-for-luxury category. A cavernous indoor activity area on each of the two Quantum-class ships called the SeaPlex is home to the aforementioned bumper cars, as well as such family-friendly activities as roller skating, basketball and even trapeze lessons. The two-level complex also has upstairs nooks for playing Xbox, ping pong and foosball. It's like one big play zone for families that will keep your kids busy for hours.