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The personalized service and all-inclusive nature of luxury voyages may also be attractive to anyone celebrating a milestone, such as an anniversary, big birthday or retirement. Most sail along the Inside Passage, a maritime route along the state's southern coast (and into British Columbia and Washington state) that weaves around the area's thousand islands. Some venture farther north into the Gulf of Alaska; these are often one-way cruises that begin and end at the ports near Anchorage. Their ships are equipped with family-friendly amenities like rock climbing walls, surfing simulators, and kids’ clubs. Moreover, their Alaska itineraries often include stops at ports like Skagway, where the whole family can enjoy the scenic White Pass & Yukon Route railway journey. Whether it’s wildlife watching in Glacier Bay or cultural tours in Sitka, your ports of call should align with your interests.
Scenic cruising
Touring the Inside Passage on an Alaska cruise is your gateway to the fascinating and colorful culture, history and sights of the Great Land. These solo cabins get our vote because they're located in a complex where a private lounge encourages mingling. Lone travelers can also meet their shipmates while waiting to hop into a race care on the ship's go-kart track, at a showing of "Jersey Boys" or over a muddled drink at the Sugarcane Mojito Bar. Green Global Travel is the world's #1 independently owned ecotourism website encouraging others to embrace sustainable travel, wildlife conservation, cultural preservation, and going green tips for more sustainable living. We spotted several pods of Dall’s and Harbor Porpoises leaping in the wake of our small cruise ship.
Visiting Glacier Bay National Park
Discover our top picks for towns in the Inside Passage, a destination we’ve explored time and again. Uncover attractions that won’t break the bank or are completely free, alongside the best shore excursions to enhance your visit. While you will not be able to add a land tour, it offers a great sampling of Alaska.
Where do Inside Passage cruises depart from?
There’s also complimentary Pilates and yoga, a gym, jogging track, spa, observation library, and a slew of bars and restaurants. Generally speaking, the larger the ship, the cheaper the initial price tag. Mega-cruises (with cruise lines such Princess, Carnival, Celebrity, Disney, and Holland America) can go for as little as $100 a night (so roughly $600 per person for a six-night sailing). These resorts at sea, however, are often not all-inclusive, so be sure to check the fine print before putting your credit card down.
The Best Luxury Cruises to Alaska
Imagine sailing through a maze of islands where roads are virtually non-existent. In fact, many ports along the Inside Passage, such as Sitka, Wrangell, and Petersburg, are inaccessible by road, making a scenic cruise the ideal way to explore these hidden gems. The largest national forest in the country, Tongass National Forest, blankets the entire southeast Alaska portion of the Inside Passage, and many glaciers can still be seen. Many adventurous cruisers join an Inside Passage Alaska cruise visit or view majestic glaciers. You can also take some 14-day versions that depart from San Francisco or San Diego. One of the most important things to consider when booking a solo trip is avoiding the surcharge for a solo cabin—most cruise lines price cabins as double occupancy.
THE 25 BEST Cruises to Juneau, AK 2024 (with Prices) - Juneau Cruise Port Terminal on Cruise Critic - Cruise Critic
THE 25 BEST Cruises to Juneau, AK 2024 (with Prices) - Juneau Cruise Port Terminal on Cruise Critic.
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Several ports offer bear-watching tours if you want to see Alaska’s famous bears. In Wrangell, guided tours take you to the Anan Wildlife Observatory, one of Alaska’s best places, to see black and brown bears in their natural habitat. For those looking to take their Alaska experience to new heights, helicopter tours offer an unparalleled view of the region’s stunning landscapes.
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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. In the end, my daughter and I decided that Alaskan Dream Cruises’ 8-day Last Frontier Adventure had the best Alaska cruise itinerary for us. We’ve always preferred small ship cruises, and not just because smaller cruises are more eco-friendly. They also offer more personal space, better service, better shore excursions, and more exclusive experiences than mega cruise lines like Celebrity Cruises can. Temperatures are warm, with highs in the ’70s and low ’80s (and rising, thanks to climate change).
Visits to bustling port towns like Sitka and Ketchikan are balanced with days spent entirely in the wilderness of Endicott Arm and Misty fjords. The best time to visit also depends on your tolerance for the cold and for other travelers. Those shoulder-season trips are chilly (there’s a good chance you’ll see snow in places and will need to bundle up more), but there are significantly fewer tourists to do battle with during shore excursions. The sun hardly sets, the landscapes (save for the glaciers) are verdant, and the waterways are choked with playful whales getting their fill before winter.
THE 25 BEST Royal Caribbean Cruises to Alaska (with Prices) 2024 & 2025 on Cruise Critic - Cruise Critic
THE 25 BEST Royal Caribbean Cruises to Alaska (with Prices) 2024 & 2025 on Cruise Critic.
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Entertainment offerings tend to be on the more refined side (think orchestra-backed cabaret-style shows or bridge tournaments over cocktails), as are "enrichments" such as lectures, art classes and wine tasting. During the early stages of planning an Alaskan Inside Passage cruise, it's easy to get the impression that the majority of cruise lines offer a very similar kind of experience. Whether one-way or round-trip, most itineraries feature the same Alaskan ports of Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway and sometimes Sitka, along with scenic cruising through either Glacier Bay National Park or Tracy Arm Fjord.
Long menus of shore excursions tend to offer a similar array of adventures from fishing to flightseeing. Begin to consider all the aspects of a cruise that you most desire, however, and it becomes clear that not all Alaskan voyages are equal, and what makes "the best" Inside Passage cruise is going to be different for every passenger. Factor in your budget, the kinds of accommodations, services and amenities you expect on board, and the overall vibe you prefer, and choosing the best cruise for you can be quite straightforward. Now that it has a couple of seasons in Alaska under its belt, HX (formerly Hurtigruten Expeditions) is not holding back. In 2024, the company is offering a 19-day sailing that starts in Vancouver, Canada, before working its way past the fjords, glacier-filled straits, and Indigenous villages of the Inside Passage.
This Southeast Alaska-based tour operator will leave you with a new definition of what it means to have a once-in-a-lifetime Alaskan adventure. You’ll explore away from the crowds, getting an up-close view of wildlife, scenery, hot springs, and glaciers. We recommend sailing in late June through mid-July for the best overall Alaska cruise experience. But if you’re looking for the best price, the best wildlife viewing, or other specific criteria, you’ll want to check out our detailed analysis of all the Alaska cruising options here. From there, guests are flown back to Vancouver, where their itinerary ends. This Inside Passage cruise docks near Vancouver’s biggest attractions, so you can spend more time sightseeing and less time getting from place to place.
Sailing with Princess, you’ll marvel at the breathtaking scenery and encounter ports of call like Gold Rush-era Skagway, Salmon Capital of the World Ketchikan, the capital city of Juneau and British-flavored Victoria. The line always stations one or two Quantum-class ships in Alaska for the season. Adults can linger in the glass-walled Solarium, relaxing in the indoor pools and whirlpools, while their kids zoom around the SeaPlex in bumper cars.
If you want to cruise Alaska but also see some of the interior and enjoy a stay in a lodge or hotel, go for a cruisetour package from either Holland America or Princess Cruises. Both have fantastic itineraries that take passengers not only to the Inside Passage, but also Anchorage, Denali National Park, the Yukon, Kenai Peninsula, Talkeetna and Fairbanks. On a cruisetour, you'll sail a one-way Gulf of Alaska cruise, so your cruise starts or ends in Alaska. Depending on the tour itinerary you choose, you might visit Seward and the Kenai Peninsula, Alyeska, Talkeetna, Anchorage and Fairbanks — as well as spend one to three nights in Denali National Park. You'll have four sea days (for example, two days from San Francisco to Juneau) plus a day of scenic cruising at a spot like Tracy Arm (Twin Sawyer Glaciers), Endicott Arm, Hubbard Glacier or Glacier Bay National Park.
Whether you’re an experienced angler or a beginner, ports like Ketchikan and Sitka offer fishing excursions where you can catch salmon, halibut, and even king crab. The Inside Passage is rich in cultural history, and many ports offer tours that delve into the local heritage. In Sitka, you can learn about the Tlingit culture and Russian history through guided tours of historical sites. Kayaking is another popular shore excursion that allows you to get up close and personal with Alaska’s natural beauty.
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