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The coldest part of your Alaska cruise will likely be while the ship cruises through can't-miss scenery. Your balcony may give you an edge over the folks in interior rooms, but you won't get a 360-degree vista unless you're out on the top deck. The photos you'll enjoy most when you look back next year are the ones of your travel partners enjoying the trip. Take those, then spend your time soaking up the enchantment of this place. The news, the email correspondence and your Instagram followers can take a back seat until you're back home.
5 Reasons to Book an Alaska Cruisetour in 2023 & Beyond - Cruise Critic
5 Reasons to Book an Alaska Cruisetour in 2023 & Beyond.
Posted: Wed, 20 Sep 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Scenic Drives In Sitka
According to Goldring, both Seabourn Quest and Seabourn Odyssey offer similar Alaska itineraries in 2024; however, it will be the latter’s final sailing since it was sold. These cruise lines, especially on their newer ships, offer something for everyone — as well as a higher caliber of onboard dining than on the cheapest cruises. One nice thing about the Inside Passage is how calm the water is because you're sailing between land masses. If you worry about seasickness, an Inside Passage trip is the best Alaska cruise itinerary versus a sailing where your ship transits rougher, open waters. 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. If you're eager to spot bald eagles in the wild, ride a dogsled atop an ice field or pan for gold after a hearty salmon feast, an Alaska cruise is calling your name.
Icy Strait Premier Whale Watching Adventure
The best Alaska excursions are expensive, but they are high quality and unique experiences which makes them worth it. There’s nothing quite as special as spending some time on the water, especially in a place as magical as Alaska. To make sure you don’t miss out on anything during your cruise vacation, we’ve made a list of some places you must see in Alaska. Whether you're curious about Alaska native culture or other Alaska traditions, here's how to make these an integral part of your trip up north. After traveling somewhere new, you want to bring something back with you to remember all of your fun adventures. That's why Royal Caribbean overnights in the best accommodations in the heart of every destination.
Alaska Helicopter Tours
I'm a budget traveler, and here are 10 ways I saved money on my Alaska cruise - Royal Caribbean Blog
I'm a budget traveler, and here are 10 ways I saved money on my Alaska cruise.
Posted: Wed, 14 Jun 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Explore majestic Icy Strait Point—one of the world’s few places where wildlife outnumbers humans—with family-minded excursions like the Spasski River Valley and Wildlife tour. Motor to an elevated observation area in a postcard-perfect remote valley to safely observe bears, deer, and bald eagles in their natural habitats. Learn, too, about Tlingit Indigenous Alaskans who reside in nearby Hoonah, Alaska’s largest such settlement. The best Alaska cruise excursions can range from the thrilling to the serene. Passengers can fly on sleds led by huskies, ogle bald eagles and salmon-gobbling grizzlies, and soar over towering glaciers in a helicopter.
Choosing Alaska cruise excursions is critically important to your experience – if you choose lame ones, you’ll definitely come home disappointed. So who am I to make these suggestions that matter so much for your Alaska memories? I’m a gal who grew up in Alaska and worked for one of the major cruise companies for three summers – selling excursions just like these to people. I’ve visited Alaska many times (most recently in August 2023) and have done three Alaska cruises.
Salmon and Halibut Fishing: Catch and Ship
In Juneau, for instance, you can get an outdoor experience with a relatively inexpensive trip to the nearby Mendenhall Glacier. It's just 12 miles from the cruise ship docks and reachable by bus or taxi. The bus will set you back an astounding $45 per person, round-trip, which I find an intolerable gouge (but … it is what it is). If you have a few people, you're probably better off with a taxi, which runs around $35 each way.
This iconic train ride takes you through breathtaking mountain scenery and provides a glimpse into the challenges faced by gold rush prospectors. You’ll then climb aboard a tour boat and head out onto the water in search of whales. If you want to get out and explore the natural beauty that Juneau has to offer, consider taking a tour of the Mendenhall Glacier, an impressive river of ice. This is one of their most popular Alaskan cruise routes and includes stops at Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan, and Victoria, BC. You’ll also have a full scenic cruising day through Glacier Bay National Park.
Top it all off with some time by a cozy fire, gourmet lunch and some rest before returning to the ship with timeless memories. Fly high across the treetops at the Klondike Zipline Adventure Park! Begin with a short, guided drive through the quaint seaside town of Skagway. Then, after a quick nature hike from the bus stop, you’ll be fitted with safety equipment and ready to zip! Let the thrilling ropes course challenge you and the heart-pumping aerial zip lines excite you. There's nothing like an amazing adventure during an Alaskan vacation, and if you're looking for things to do then dog sledding is a bucket-list experience.
Sitka is also noteworthy among Alaska towns for its strong Russian and Tlingit heritage. This tour combines the work done at the raptor center with Sitka's cultural side. Your assigned musher will introduce you to the dog team, fill you in on the sport of sled-dog racing and snap some photos of you along the way. Find other excursion options on my guide to the best Skagway cruise excursions. Find other excursion options in my guide to the best Sitka cruise excursions. Find other excursion options in my guide to the best Ketchikan cruise excursions.
Consider bringing a pair for everyone in your group because you don't want to fight over one pair when a pod of whales comes into view. Though Whittier -- set about 65 miles southeast of Anchorage -- is most commonly used as an embarkation/debarkation port, the glacier-filled sound is well worth making time to explore. After about an hour in the water, you'll head back to the dive shop, where a hot beverage caps a perfect day. Your experience of Alaska should include a healthy dose of Indigenous culture and history. This two-and-a-half-hour tour takes you to an Indigenous village just a short ride from Ketchikan where the Tlingits welcome guests and offer a taste of their culture. After a tribal ceremonial greeting and short video program, you enter the Beaver Clan House for a song, dance and storytelling presentation.
We even had the rare opportunity of spotting a whale calf breaching out of the water twice! Today, remnants of Juneau’s past can be explored at the Last Chance Mining Museum, which showcases mining artifacts and provides insights into the gold rush era. If you want to make the most of your time at each port, I would highly recommend booking the excursions directly through Princess Cruises. Princess Cruises is unmatched when it comes to its onboard food, service, accommodations, and entertainment on Alaskan cruises.
Another way to see the Preserve is by jetboat tour, which goes up the Chilkat River into a wetland environment that’s an excellent place to see moose and bald eagles. A visit to Southeast Alaska is not complete without an introduction to the area’s original inhabitants. Their fascinating history and culture is one reason Ketchikan is such a special place to visit. Another important element of the town is the logging industry, which was one of the mainstays of the Ketchikan economy through the 1990’s. If you're an avid fisherman and your cruise itinerary also includes Sitka, fish there too!
If you're hoping to see the northern lights, booking a cruisetour in September might be your best bet to see the aurora on a cruise vacation. On a flightseeing tour, soar by the impressive Mt. Edgecombe and fly up among the mountains and glaciers. For a more immersive adventure, visit nearby hot springs —like Baranof Warm Springs, where you’ll find a public bath and natural hot springs accessible by a short hike. Another way to go is to book directly with a tour operator in one of the ports.
If you have an Alaska cruise with Glacier Bay, that will also be a highlight of your cruise without even getting off the cruise ship. (Or available.) You can see more about a Glacier Bay National Park sea day. Start your day with a high-speed catamaran down North America’s longest and deepest fjord. Then jump on your four-wheel drive vehicle and get ready to drive past panoramic views of beautiful waterfalls and crystal clear creeks. Feel the crisp northern air as you drive to the highlight – panoramic views of sub-alpine meadows as seen from 1500-foot elevation.
You'll truly encounter the great Alaskan Wilderness on this Denali adventure. I started this site to share my travel stories and inspiration to help you complete bucket list trips. In this post, I promote travel to a destination that is the Lingít Aaní of the Áak’w Ḵwáan (Tlingit) people. With respect, I make a formal land acknowledgment, extending my appreciation and respect to the past and present people of these lands. To learn more about the peoples who call these lands home, I invite you to explore Native Land.
Pile your plate high with salmon, barbecue chicken, scalloped potatoes, cornbread, rice, beans, and salad. The outdoor tables are nestled on the banks of the scenic Gold Creek where gold was first discovered in Juneau. While in Alaska, nursing calves gain an average of 5 pounds per hour! Once fully grown, a humpback whale averages between tons and is about feet long. You are even guaranteed to see a whale on the tour or you get your money back. They even recognize the whales and know them by name due to the unique pattern on their fluke that identifies them like a fingerprint.
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