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If up-close-and-personal exploration is on the bucket list, book passage with Windstar Cruises. Their 300-passenger Star Breeze is fitted with Zodiacs and kayaks for the opportunity to leave the ship, get on the water and experience nature. Like almost any choice one makes when booking a cruise, it all comes down to personal taste. Roundtrip cruises offer the convenience of embarking and disembarking at the same port (typically Seattle, Vancouver, or San Francisco), but itineraries are generally limited to Southeast Alaska and the Inside Passage. Adventuring in Alaska is all about getting to know this state's stunning landscape. It might seem cold and unforgiving at first glance, but the best Alaska cruises allow you to explore the quiet lakes, imposing glaciers and breathtaking mountain views, you'll have only warm impressions of this wilderness.
The 8 Best Alaska Cruises For Every Travel Style
Likewise, September marks the end of the summer season and welcomes cooler temperatures and more rainfall. Because you'll be spending a lot of time outdoors, it's important to prepare for all weather scenarios, including windy conditions common to sailing cruise ships. 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. If glaciers, wildlife and picturesque coastline have long been on your bucket list, consider booking a cruise to Alaska. The northernmost American state offers an activity for everyone's interest and level of adventure. You can take a thrilling helicopter flight to explore a glacier on foot or observe miles of Alaska’s lush scenery and spy whales from a comfortable seat on a boat.
Celebrity Alaskan Cruises
Choose Seabourn Quest if you want fine dining, opulent accommodations, and an all-inclusive fare as you explore. Seven-night Alaska cruises sail round-trip from the easily accessible port of Seattle and visit Sitka, Skagway and Juneau, Alaska; as well as Victoria, British Columbia. To get the best staterooms and excursions, start looking for a 2025 cruise in 2024, Cicero said, noting that many ships start to fill up at least 6 months in advance. "Last year, cruise lines had fantastic Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals," she said. 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.
Visiting Scenic Restaurants in Alaska
Various wildlife-viewing trips (whale, bears and more) and visits to dog-sled camps and salmon bakes leave from Juneau. Alaska's capital city is interesting because no road leads from here to the rest of the state. It's located at the base of Mount Juneau, and you can only get there via boat or small plane — even residents have to bring their cars to Juneau via ferry. Home to Mendenhall Glacier, this is a popular port for hikes by, kayak tours to and helicopter landings on the glacier.
The standout day on this itinerary is scenic cruising in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, which only a limited number of ships can visit each year. Save more by taking advantage of Free at Sea perks, which often include a free beverage package, Wi-Fi, shore excursion credit, specialty dining and — perfect for families — free third and fourth guests in each cabin. Princess Cruises’ six Alaska cruise and cruisetour itineraries prioritize travelers’ glacier, wildlife, and national park experiences. Another itinerary that focuses on lesser-visited ports is French line Ponant’s 13-day trip starting in Seward, a fishing port town two hours from Anchorage.
best Alaska cruises for families
Spas, distinctive design elements, and even bathrooms with heated floors are included on a Viking cruise. If you would like to learn from experts during your voyage to Alaska, the top cruise line for a smaller ship experience is often Viking Ocean Cruises. So, the good news is that there are no “right” or “wrong” answers when booking your next Alaskan cruise adventure. Sourdough is such an important part of Alaskan culture that long-time Alaskans are actually called sourdoughs in local parlance. Discover the top tips for planning a cruise to Alaska and uncover the best times of the year to spot Alaskas wildlife, locate must-see attractions, find Alaskan cruise deals and more.
25 BEST Alaska Cruises 2024 (Prices + Itineraries): Cruises to Alaska on Cruise Critic - CruiseCritic.co.uk
25 BEST Alaska Cruises 2024 (Prices + Itineraries): Cruises to Alaska on Cruise Critic.
Posted: Mon, 23 Oct 2023 15:08:06 GMT [source]
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. Look to the traditional, all-inclusive luxury cruise lines that sail in Alaska during the summer months for these popular sailings. The two-year-old Discovery Princess sails round trip to Alaska from Seattle, a convenient U.S. home port for families to fly or drive to. Its "North to Alaska" program will delight kids with sled dog puppies in the ship's Piazza, and lure their parents and grandparents with local seafood on restaurant menus and onboard cultural programming with Alaska residents. 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.
Seven Seas Explorer
• Book with your card to get trip delay reimbursement, trip cancellation coverage and other travel assistance services. Norwegian Encore has almost 4,000 passengers; Norwegian Bliss has just over 4,000. Norwegian also makes some cabins available for solo occupancy on select cruises if a single studio is unavailable. Whether you visit the Inside Passage or venture inward to Denali National Park, there is a cruise for every price point, desire and type of traveler. The best Alaska cruises are great for multigenerational trips with grandparents, their children and their grandchildren. A cruise to Alaska, “America’s final frontier,” is a glorious way to explore this enormous state.
"You can't beat Princess if you're looking for an experience that will please all ages," said Cicero. Regardless of your choice of the best cruise line for Alaska, the entire experience of scenery, food, culture and adventure are sure to make memories to last a lifetime. Passengers can walk on, bring their vehicles and choose some unique accommodations.
If adventure is what you crave on an Alaska cruise, you should seek out the small ships of UnCruise Adventures. All of the line's itineraries boast an active component, but its "Wild, Woolly and Wow" itinerary claims to be "the most active back country itinerary" of UnCruise's 2024 Alaska cruises. Royal Caribbean's 20-year-old ship Radiance of the Seas mainly sails weeklong, one-way cruises between Vancouver and Seward, Alaska, with prices below $100 per person, per night, for inside and outside cabins on many departures.
If luxury is what you're after, you can find lines that will go overboard pampering you on your journey north. If you want a more active trip in less touristed areas, a great choice would be a small-ship expedition line, including Alaska specialists such as Alaskan Dream Cruises and UnCruise Adventures. Some lines also offer Alaska cruisetours that venture into Canada's Yukon, including a few Holland America tours that combine half a cruise with a cruisetour that starts or ends in Skagway. Popular Inside Passage ports of call include Juneau, Icy Strait Point, Ketchikan, Petersburg, Haines and Skagway. Glacial ice carved this passageway long ago, and today, cruise ships and fishing vessels thread their way through the islets and channels to see some of the most spectacular natural sights in the world. Alaskan Dream Cruises also boasts two exclusive island lodges — Fin Island and Orca Point — both constructed of beautiful local timber.
Comedy shows (both family-friendly and adults-only), an onboard water park, mini-golf and kid, tween and teen clubs are also included in the fare. Disney Wonder's weeklong Alaska cruises sail round-trip from Vancouver, so all Americans, even kids, will need passports to fly in to the departure port. The ship visits Juneau, Ketchikan and either Skagway or Icy Strait Point, with glacier viewing at the Stikine Icecap. The former travel editor at Parents magazine, Karen Cicero specializes in travel, children's book, lifestyle and food coverage. She manages the experience portion of the Good Housekeeping Family Travel Awards. She has sailed on four cruise lines with her family and toured several others.
Perhaps as interesting as the itinerary is the fact that the vessel, the 528-passenger MS Roald Amundsen, is battery hybrid-powered. In addition to being a model for cruising sustainably, the MS Roald Amundsen features an observation deck, science center, three Nordic-style restaurants, an infinity pool, and hot tubs. The Discovery Princess had her naming ceremony in April of 2022, so she’s a brand-new addition to the line’s fleet.
This diversity means you need to be prepared for a lot of change while traveling. In some parts of the state, dog sledding is still the primary mode of transportation through the winter months. Visit Alaska and get the experience for yourself at the Skagway Yukon Discovery and Dog Sled Tour. In the center of the state, Denali National Park is blanketed in wildflowers punctuated with mountains, raging rivers and serene lakes. Denali, "The Great One," formerly known as Mt. McKinley, rises to the tallest peak in North America and can be seen from as far away as Anchorage on a clear day.
The Harriman Expedition discovered College Fjord in 1899 and named the towering glaciers after the great East Coast universities of the United States, like the Harvard Glacier. With the largest collection of tidewater glaciers in the world, your scenic Alaska cruise through the fjord will make a lasting memory. 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.
I was born and spent my young childhood in Alaska, and the natural beauty of the state is unparalleled. A cruise along the coast anywhere in the state — especially in summer, the season of the Midnight Sun — is an excellent way to experience it. Travel the Inside Passage on 10 or 11-day Alaska cruises from San Francisco and allow the natural landscapes to inspire your day’s adventures.
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