Alaska
Itinerary optionsThere are two main ones:
Inside Passage (see map)
This is the most popular route. Typically, it's a roundtripper out of Vancouver or Seattle - and lasts 7 nights. One advantage you get a lower airfare. Reason: Because you leave and return to the same port, you can buy a money-saving roundtrip airline ticket.
Gulf of Alaska
Normally, you sail northbound one way from Vancouver to Seward (or, alternatively, southbound in the opposite direction). Duration is usually 10 or 11 nights.
The big advantage is you see more glaciers and other spectacular sights. And, Denali National Park will be geographically desirable, as a pre- or post-cruise tour.
A disadvantage is you will have to pay more for your airline ticket because your cruise begins in one city and ends in another. Roundtrip fares are not possible (though you may save some money by asking your travel agent for an "open jaw" ticket).
More itinerary insights
Third alternative
There is a third itinerary called the Bering Sea cruise. You sail to Alaska's remote islands, including the Aleutians. In most cases, you do this on a small expedition ship.
Sightseeing restrictions
The Alaska authorities limit visits to some sights to prevent overcrowding and conserve the environment. For example, cruise lines can visit Glacier Bay or Hubbard Glacier, but not both.
Best 4 Alaska cruise ports
Ketchikan
Gold Rush town
Miners debarked ships here to begin their trek to Yukon and possible fortune.
Rain
It rains far more in Ketchikan than in Skagway, Juneau and Sitka because it sits in a rainforest zone. The stats: 4 meters or 13 feet of rain per year.
My Ketchikan excursion rankings
Click link to see rankings and descriptons.
Top 3 Ketchikan excursions
Juneau
Juneau's character
Juneau is accessible only by boat or aircraft (connecting roads do not exist). Because it's the Alaska state capital, Juneau has some relatively large 20th-century buildings. Consequently, it has less Alaskan gold rush ambiance than Skagway, Ketchikan, and Sitka. On the plus side, it rains less in Juneau than in those other port towns.
Best tourism aspects
Juneau offers the broadest variety of shore excursions and shopping venues of the top 4 Alaska cruise ports.
My Juneau excursion rankings
Click this link to see those rankings and my descriptions:
Top 3 Juneau excursions
Sitka
Setting
The port town is bordered picturesquely by the sea and snow-capped mountains.
Dual heritages
Russian settlers and the indigenous Tlingit people fought each other in 1804 (the Tlingits won). Today the town is a peaceful cultural blend of the two heritages.
Former Capital
Sitka was the Russian capital of Alaska before Russia sold the land to America.
My Sitka excursion rankings
Click link for pictures and descriptions:
Top 3 Sitka excursions
Skagway
Ambiance
The port town is bordered picturesquely by the sea and snow-capped mountains.
Rain
Russian settlers and the indigenous Tlingit people fought each other in 1804 (the Tlingits won). Today the town is a peaceful cultural blend of the two heritages.
My Skagway shore excursion rankings
Click to read about them:
Top 3 Skagway excursions
Other main Alaska Cruise ports
Haines
Small town. Can be visited as a day excursion from nearby Skagway.
Homer
Known for its sports fishing and Salty Dog Saloon. Near Seward.
Ice Straight Point
Its cannery is the chief tourism draw. Near Glacier Bay.
Petersburg
Nicknamed Little Norway. Limited tour options. Fishing and seafood processing reign here.
Seattle
Ranks second to Vancouver in cruise embarkations and debarkations. Don't miss the panoramic view from the Space Needle and the gourmet-dream Pike Place Market.
Seward
It's the leading cruise port serving Anchorage. The SeaLife Center is the town's finest attraction. Kenai Fjords is the best excursion destination.
Valdez
Columbia Glacier is the top tour. The eponymous town is wrongly associated with the infamous 1989 Valdez tanker oil spill.
Vancouver
Many cruises start and end here. Wonderful, livable city. One of the best attractions is the 360-degree view from The Lookout's observation floor.
Victoria
This attractive city's top 5 attractions are Butchart Gardens, Empress Hotel, Miniature World, Parliament Building, and Royal British Columbia Museum.
Whittier
It's second to Seward in serving Anchorage. Good base for exploring College Fjords.
Wrangell
Town offers little, but is a good base for wilderness excursions.
Note on Anchorage
Hardly anything is worth seeing in Anchorage. But the city is invaluable to cruisers for overnight stays who arrive or depart Anchorage by air.
What are the
must-see glaciers
of Alaska cruising?My glacier ratings
Alaska has more than 100,000 glaciers, about half of the world's total. The best on Alaska cruise itineraries are:
Top 2 individual glaciers
- Hubbard (see photo)
- Sawyer
- Runners-up: Mendenhall, Endicott, Margerie, Worthington, Kenai Fjords
- Glacier Bay (16 glaciers)
- Runner-up: College Fjord
Not on the same cruise. The Alaska authorities, for the sake of conservation and limiting overcrowding, permit one set of cruise lines to visit Glacier Bay but not Hubbard Glacier. The opposite is true for the other set of cruise lines.
Which is better, Hubbard Glacier or Glacier Bay?
Many seasoned Alaska cruise-goers believe that Hubbard Glacier is the more exciting glacier destination. Many others think that Glacier Bay is the winner. Each side has its strong arguments.
Arguments for Hubbard
- Size
It dwarfs Margerie, the largest of the 16 glaciers in Glacier Bay. - Breadth
Hubbard's face is 10 kilometers (6 miles) wide. That's 5 times broader than Margerie's. And Hubbard's vertical face is taller than a 30-story building. - Calving
Hubbard's calvings (ice chunks breaking off) occur more frequently. They are also more dramatic (some calves are as high as a 10-story building).
- Number
It has 16 individual glaciers.
- Entrance
Its entrance bay is more scenic and varied than Hubbard's.
- Upclose odds
The chances of a ship being able to get close to a glacier are much better in Glacier Bay than at Hubbard Glacier. Reason: The number of icebergs that Hubbard generates sometimes creates a navigational hazard for cruise ships. If so, this would prevent your ship from getting within thrill range of the Hubbard glacier.
Best two pre- and post-cruise destinations
Click these links for my descriptions:
Denali National Park
Goldstar Dome train
Pre- and post-cruise destinations runners-up
Aleutian Islands
There are over 300 Aleutian islands curving westward for about 1,900 kilometers (1200 miles) towards Russia. Unalaska is the most visited.
Arctic Circle
See wildlife and the isolated northern Alaska landscape. If the local weather cooperates, you won't see the sun dip below the horizon during the course of a 24-hour day during the last half of June
Katmai National Park & Preserve
Katmai is known for its volcanoes and prehistoric sites.
Kenai National Park
Its peaks and fjords are photogenic - and the wildlife spotting opportunities score good marks. So does river and lake sports fishing. Seward is the gateway city.
Kodiak Island
This remote destination is famous for its sizeable bear population - and for wildlife in general.
Seattle or Vancouver
Seattle and Vancouver offer far more than being starting and ending ports for Alaska cruises. They have exciting cityscapes and personalities that are fun to explore.
Talkeetna
This former frontier, now tourism-focused town, is almost halfway between Anchorage and Denali National Park. Weather permitting, you can see Mt. Denali.
Wrangell
This is America's largest national park. And it has the continent's second highest peak (after Denali) as well as numerous grand glaciers.
Yukon
You cross the Canadian border to visit this historic gold-rush territory.
Helicopter and Float Plane Excursions
Click these links to learn why these excursions are special
Helicopter Sightseeing Tour
Float Plane Excursion
