Were you like me and wondered if an Alaskan Cruise was worth the hype? Everyone always made it out like it was going to another world and something absolutely EVERYONE must have on their bucket list for destinations.
I can’t tell you that every single person would LOVE an Alaskan Cruise because every single person is different. But I can use this space to give you a look into why this year I’ll be going on my 3rd Alaskan Cruise with plans to go back for more after that!
Alaska is much bigger than you’d think, (thank you elementary school maps of the United States that showed Alaska and Hawaii separate at the bottom to where the scale of the size was always WAY off!)
Alaska is the biggest state in the Unites States. It could fit Texas, California, and Montana inside it with room to spare. 365,000,000 acres and that’s not all.
There are over 3 million lakes and over 100,000 glaciers in Alaska. It also contains 17 of the 20 highest peaks in the United States.
You get what I’m saying…it’s huge!
Amazingly though, many of the Alaskan Cruises only stay within the group of islands and coastline along its southern area. This is one reason many cruisers will do a cruise-tour that extends their trip at the beginning or end with several days on land.
Cruises will typically only run in Alaska from late April to early October, and they fill up FAST! My recommendation is an absolute minimum of 1 year out from sailing to book your cruise and if you have a very particular sailing, ship, or room you want…book 18 months-2 years ahead of time.
Now that I’ve gotten you some basic facts about Alaskan cruises, I’m going to give you 5 expert tips along with a personal experience from my cruises to take with you someday if you head out on one of these amazing adventures.
1. Yes, you want a balcony
This is by far the question I get asked most often about Alaskan cruises. Do I need to spend the money on a balcony room? You will never hear another answer from me but YES, unless for health reasons someone shouldn’t stay on a balcony (fear of heights, panic attacks, or other health related reasons).
While other cruises may give you a breathtaking view of…. water…for the majority of your cruise and seem like a waste of money, the views from a balcony on an Alaskan cruise couldn’t get any better!
I have stayed on a balcony every time I have cruised to Alaska and here is my bonus tip, BRING BINOCULARS! (Yes, that is in all caps for a reason! You will miss so much wildlife viewing if you don’t bring binoculars with you!)
2. Check your room choice with the route the ship is taking
There is no one route or itinerary and depending on which one the ship is on will determine whether or not you see the views from tip 1 or not. It may also determine if you see some things at all. I made the mistake on our first cruise of picking a route that never went to Glacier Bay (good fact to know, not all Alaskan cruises will visit Glacier Bay so be particular in your choosing)
Additionally, some sailings are a North to South, or South to North route. Meaning only one side of the ship is going to be facing the shoreline for the entire trip.
So, if you are going to be sailing on a North to South route, make sure your balcony is on the Port (Left) side of the ship so you don’t miss out on the shoreline views.
3. Excursion or sight-seeing
This is a hard one but necessary to touch on. Most port days are shorter than you would think and, while not impossible, make both sight-seeing and excursions very hard to do.
Here’s an example.
The first Alaskan cruise we took we did the big one, the top tier, the Level 1 excursion…we flew on a helicopter out to a glacier and went dog sledding with a real team of sled dogs! This was by far my favorite experience from any cruise to Alaska! We did this excursion while at port in Juneau. But, due to the length of the excursion and how tired we were we had no time or energy at the end of the day to sight-see or even walk around Juneau for a bit.
Fast-forward to our 2nd Alaskan cruise which was a couple’s trip for 6 including us and both sets of parents. This time our Juneau day had nothing planned, just walk around enjoy the sights and experience the beautiful city. And we got to see so many amazing things just walking around discovering. A small bookstore with a Labrador who greets every single person and invites them in! He was so cute! An amazing little coffee shop that had delicious scones! And a trip on the Goldbelt Tram up Mount Roberts where we saw the entire city of Juneau from a bird’s eye view!
My advice is to always go back to what I say about personalization, and determine what excursions or sights are on your MUST DO list then base your planning around that.
The options are almost endless on an Alaskan cruise and why I will be going back for a 3rd time this year. To try some things I haven’t yet and see some things I just have to see again. To say pictures don’t do Alaska justice is a gross understatement. Few things in my life (if any) have made my jaw drop like the natural majestic beauty of Alaska.
To put it simply, Alaska doesn’t disappoint! But it’s not warm so bring a hat!
Quote: Brave
“Our fate lives within us, you only have to be brave enough to see it” -Merida
