Wednesday, April 10, 2024

25 BEST Alaska Cruises 2024 Prices + Itineraries: Cruises to Alaska on Cruise Critic

best ship to cruise alaska

And onboard experiences range from Macallan and Jack Daniel’s tastings to Riedel crystal workshops that show how different shapes and qualities of a Riedel glass change the taste of wine. Even if your cruise starts and stops in a U.S. port like Seattle, there's a high chance your ship will dock in Canada at some point throughout your trip. Also, "some of the excursions in Alaskan ports venture into Canada and will require a passport," explained Cicero. For instance, you may take the White Pass & Yukon Route Railway from Skagway into Yukon, a Canadian territory.

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Land and Sea Combinations

The newer Quantum-class cruise ships are often sailing Alaska for the season. These ships feature the North Star, offering guests breathtaking views of the Alaskan landscape far above the deck. 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. As the boat pulls out of the harbor, guests are invited to bring their binoculars to the deck to check the landscape for whales, which come to the food-rich waterways each summer to bulk up for their winter calving season. The first full day on the water is spent sailing around Prince William Sound where islets and icebergs are abundant, followed by a day at Tsaa Fjord in the captivating (and appropriately named) Icy Bay for glaciers. Next it’s off to Sitka, a former Russian colony that now has one of the largest totem pole collections in the world.

best ship to cruise alaska

Best for multigenerational groups: Discovery Princess

Zipline over the wilderness, watch a tribal dance or kayak in coastal waters to see the wildlife up close during your Alaska cruise vacation. Feed your hunger for adventure on a roundtrip Alaska cruise from Vancouver, B.C. Wind your way through fjords, by bright-green forests and through quaint Gold Rush-era towns on your way to the wonders of Glacier Bay National Park. Now that we’ve covered the basics of all things Alaska cruising, keep reading to discover the best Alaska cruises for every type of traveler, featuring expert insight and award-winning picks.

Oceania Regatta Defines Premium Alaska Cruising With 7- to 12-Night Sailings

The MS Roald Amundsen and MS Fridtjof Nansen embark on 14- to 19-day Alaskan voyages between May and September. Make the most of your cruise by keeping an eye out for pop-up sales that can save you even more money—you can even use those savings to indulge in a pre- or post-cruise tour. A trip to Alaska is at the top of many travelers’ bucket lists, and for good reason. There are several options when it comes to the larger cruise lines, with departures from major west coast homeports in British Columbia, Washington State, and California.

Why You Should Take an Alaska Summer Vacation Cruise

The line will send six ships to Alaska in 2024, with tour offerings to Denali, Fairbanks and Anchorage. However, it's the 2,650-passenger Koningsdam that offers some of the most interesting cruise tour itineraries out there. To minimize joining the masses during high season, consider a shoulder-season sailing (in late April, May or September), or select a ship that embarks midweek. Saturday and Sunday cruise departures tend to be busiest during the summer months, particularly for families with children. Alternatively, Gulf of Alaska cruises are typically seven-night, one-way itineraries between Vancouver and Seward or Whittier, the gateway ports for Anchorage and northern destinations in the state.

best ship to cruise alaska

Sleeping on Celebrity Solstice:

An 18-night Alaskan sailing with the line will take you to off-the beaten-path places like Wrangell, Kodiak, Chignik, Unga Island, St Paul Island, St Matthew Island and Nome. At $10,000 to $13,000 per person for ocean-view cabins on an 18-night sailing it might be out of the reach of some, but if you truly want an expedition to Alaska, Hurtigruten is among the best. Not only are the ships fantastic, with incredible thermal suites in the spa, heated floors in the bathrooms, and elegant Scandinavian design, but the company really emphasizes getting the most out of each destination. It’s called “The thinking man’s cruise” for a reason, as the line does a great job in educating its passengers with some of the best experts in their field.

The course begins in Seattle and leads through the Inside Passage, Prince William Sound, and up to Anchorage. Then, you’ll travel over to Kodiak Island, out to the far stretches of the Aleutian Islands to Dutch Harbor, and around to Nome, and through the Arctic Circle. Some cruise lines offer pre or post-cruise fly-in opportunities to remote areas of Alaska, like leaving from Fairbanks to the visit the Arctic Circle. Cruise Hive was established back in 2008 and among the earliest blogs in the industry.

Alaska Cruise Experience

The expedition team offers excursions by means of Zodiacs and kayaks to get up close to glaciers and find hiking trails and waterfalls on shore. And all of this while being able to dine on as much caviar as you can handle. The suite-only ship will cost around $6,000 – $7,000 per person on a 7-night sailing. The next cruise lines in our list include just about everything you can imagine. One thing to note is that cruises to Alaska cost more than destinations like the Caribbean.

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Solo travelers don't always have to pay double to cruise Alaska on their own. Several Norwegian Cruise Line ships feature cozy studio cabins designed and priced for one person, and the 4,004-passenger Norwegian Bliss offers 82 solo rooms on its round-trip Seattle cruises to Alaska. While the kids enjoy Discovery Princess' spacious children's and teens' clubs, the adults might linger over a craft cocktail or enjoy a massage in the onboard spa.

See how bald eagles and local bird populations receive first-class treatment at the Alaska Raptor Center. Or experience the culture of Russian Alaska on a visit to St. Michael’s Russian Orthodox Church, and relive Native history at the Sheldon Jackson Museum. Icy Strait Point is home to the remote Tlingit village of Hoonah, home to fewer than 800 people and a deep Native history. The nearby Spasski River Valley holds one of the world’s largest populations of brown bears, who are often found hunting for salmon in the rivers.

With 3.3 million acres to explore, cruise to this world-renowned landmark — a UNESCO World Heritage Site — and let the landscapes inspire your next adventure. Princess Cruises is an authorized concessioner of Glacier Bay National Park. Regardless of the ship, passengers can expect a wide range of entertainment offerings, an abundance of bars, restaurants, and lounges, and a handful of accommodation options. The ship sails seven-night cruises from Seattle, visiting Dawes Glacier, Sitka and Icy Strait Point, as well as Juneau, Ketchikan and Victoria, British Columbia. If you envision sipping Champagne as you watch a glacier thunderously calve into the sea, consider booking an all-inclusive luxury cruise on a Seabourn ship.

The Celebrity Millennium, launched in 2000, has recently undergone complete modernization, which includes luxury staterooms, enhanced technology, and renovated restaurants and lounges.

We can’t imagine a better way to rest and relax after spending a day exploring the Alaskan wilderness. Our travel experts suggest choosing one of Celebrity's many Alaska itineraries that sail through the Inside Passage and up to Dawes Glacier or Hubbard Glacier, two of the state’s gems. Good Housekeeping Contributing Travel Editor Karen Cicero and her daughter recently sailed on Majestic Princess, a Family Travel Awards Winner, and raved about the ship's amenities, especially the Hollywood Pool Club.

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.

The storied Cunard cruise line, with more than 180 years of seafaring history, returned to Alaska after nearly 30 years when it arrived back in the Great Land in 2019. In addition to more than 140 shore experiences that immerse guests into this magical destination, Cunard invites explorers, travel writers and locals onboard to share their passions and knowledge. The cruise line takes inspiration from Alaska with special local dishes served in its onboard restaurants, and the return of the Ice White Ball, a formal gala affair with a glacial twist. Radiance of the Seas is one of the best Royal Caribbean cruise ships for Alaska, despite being older than her Quantum-class sisters which also cruise in the region. Also, if you want the best small cruise ships to Alaska, Seabourn Quest is the smallest on this list.

This luxury cruise line offers classic and expedition-style cruising, the latter of which takes aboard the 274-passenger Silver Wind. (Classic cruises, on the other hand, take place on board Silver Muse, Silver Nova, Silver Shadow, Silver Whisper, or Silver Moon). Nova and Moon offer the Sea and Land Taste program (S.A.L.T), offering culinary connoisseurs the incredible opportunity to experience the local food scene and culture both on and off the ship.

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