WHAT’S THE BEST CRUISE TO ALASKA?

Introduction: So, you’re Thinking of Cruising to Alaska

If you’re considering a cruise to Alaska or are in the early planning stages, you may be feeling overwhelmed with all the choices and feeling pressure to “do it right” either because this is a bucket list trip or because for three dinners after your best couple friends Steve and Janet returned from their Alaska cruise they talked non-stop about how spectacular it was and it would make for an awkward double-date to Red Robin if, upon your return, their child-like enthusiasm was met with, “we didn’t love it.” Don’t fret, I’m here to help! Here are the five things you need to think about in selecting a cruise to Alaska.

Five Things to Think About when Selecting a Cruise to Alaska

I’ve sailed to Alaska dozens and dozens of times from San Francisco, Seattle, Seward, and Vancouver on Carnival, Celebrity, Holland America, NCL, Princess, and Royal Caribbean. I’ve sailed in every month of the Alaska season from April through October and have visited the following ports of call many times: Anchorage (proper), Homer, Icy Strait Point, Juneau, Ketchikan, Kodiak, Seward, Skagway, and Sitka and have experienced all the different “scenic cruising” experiences (days at sea viewing glaciers and fjords) of the various itineraries. You can check out all my Alaska port posts here, but to save you the suspense, I’ve had a spectacular experience on every one of my many (MANY) Alaska cruises. However, having cruised to Alaska so extensively, I can tell you that your experience of Alaska will differ greatly based on a number of factors. As such, here are five things you’ll want to consider in selecting the best Alaska cruise experience for you: departure port, cruise line, ship size, date, and itinerary. Let’s begin by discussing departure port.

1. Departure Port: San Francisco, Seattle, or Vancouver?

Over 90% of Alaska cruises depart from one of three locations: San Fransisco, Seattle, or Vancouver (there are a small number of one-way cruises that depart from cities in Alaska and an even smaller number of long repositioning cruises that include Alaska ports and depart from places like Tokyo). Here are the positives and negatives of cruising from the three most common embarkation ports.

The Positives and Negatives of Cruising to Alaska from San Francisco

If you live in or close to California, are an American without a passport book (although it’s strongly recommend that you get one), or like sea days and longer sailings, you’ll want to consider leaving from San Francisco. The most common itinerary is ten days, with four of those at sea (with one additional day of scenic cruising). However, if you’re prone to sea sickness, you’ll want to avoid it. My husband and I spent the first two days of our honeymoon cruise to Alaska in bed. I know what you’re thinking, “ew, gross,” but this blog is rated PG and it was even grosser than that. We were both stricken with a bad case of sea sickness. Because cruisers from San Francisco spend the first two days sailing in the open waters of the Pacific where seas can be rough.

You’ll also want to avoid San Francisco if your preferred line is one other than Princess or Carnival, as those are the only two lines currently sailing to Alaska from San Francisco. And note that all round trip Alaska sailings from San Francisco stop in Victoria, Canada so they don’t violate the Passenger Vessel Services Act.

The Positives and Negatives of Cruising to Alaska from Seattle

First, if you want to avoid me, don’t sail out of Seattle. That’s where I visit my dog and put my kid on the school bus when I’m not cruising. And if there’s ever a week during the Alaska cruise season that I’m not booked on one, I’ve been known to show up at Pier 66 or Pier 91 flattened and pleated tight like accordion bellows trying to squeeze into unguarded luggage.

Other disadvantages of Seattle include a sea day in the open Pacific Ocean where scenery is scarce and rough waters possible and a stop in Victoria to, again, avoid violating the Passenger Vessel Services Act.

You will want to consider Seattle if you’re an American who doesn’t have a passport book (although, again, it’s strongly recommend that you get one), can only take a week off work, and for the widest selection of lines, ships, and itineraries.

The Positives and Negatives of Cruising to Alaska from Vancouver

Alaska cruises out of Vancouver sail almost entirely within the inside passage, meaning calm seas, spectacular views, and more opportunities to see wildlife from the ship. Vancouver also offers a wide selection of ships and itineraries and is the only port that offers one-way cruises ending in Anchorage/Whittier/Seward, if you want to do a combined cruise and land tour. You can also do the reverse and sail one-way from Anchorage/Whittier/Seward to Vancouver. Or you can do what we did a few years ago and do a b2b – seven days from Vancouver to Anchorage and 7 days from Anchorage back to Vancouver. You’ll also spend your entire cruise in Alaska, as ships sailing from Vancouver do not have to stop in Victoria.

The big disadvantage of Vancouver for American passengers is that you will need a passport book and you’ll be traveling to a city that uses a different currency (check with your credit card to see how much their international fees are).

2. Which Cruise Line is Best for Alaska?

Some experienced cruisers will already have a preferred cruise line and will be tempted to stick with that line for a variety of reasons when booking an Alaskan cruise. That’s okay if you have very strong feelings about it or receive an offer you can’t refuse (through the casino or a loyalty program, for example). However, as someone who has sailed to Alaska on nearly every line that sails there, I can tell you that some lines do Alaska much better than others. Which ones? My two favorites are Holland America and Princess. Why? Because on an Alaska cruise with either of those lines, it’s all about Alaska and not just a generic onboard ship experience that happens to port in Alaska. On Holland America and Princess, you’ll enjoy port to table dining experiences (including local Alaskan seafood), special itinerary-specific beverages, Alaska-centric programming, and some of the best itineraries, port times, and docking locations. Those two lines have been sailing to Alaska the longest and it shows.

If your cruise to Alaska is mostly about the ship, then choose whichever line you like best. But if it’s mainly about immersing yourself in the wonders of Alaska, go with Princess or Holland America. And while I hate to call out a particular cruise line as being the least desirable for Alaska, I want to be candid with you and share all my experience and knowledge (which you can freely ignore or disagree with – no worries), I consider NCL to be the worst line for Alaska (even though I’ve actually cruised to Alaska on NCL more than on any other line due to convenience and price considerations). Why? Terrible docking locations in Ketchikan and Juneau and very short times at port on the 7-night itineraries. Also note that Royal Caribbean does not have the necessary permits to visit Glacier Bay (we’ll discuss why that matters later), so I’d probably avoid that line as well.

3. Which Ship Size is Best for Alaska?

Although every non-luxury cruise line is going bigger when it comes to ship size, experienced cruisers don’t always agree that bigger is better. And there are a few things to consider with regard to the size of your ship on a cruise to Alaska. Here are some things to think about when choosing a smaller ship versus a mega-ship:

• If you have children with you, a larger ship will have more for them to do while onboard
• If you’d rather avoid kids, consider a smaller ship
• Mega-ships can have more difficulty navigating through ice and getting close to the glaciers
• Mega-ships can take a long time to disembark and embark at port (expect lines and waits), so less time to spend at port in Alaska
• Smaller ships often have better (longer) Alaska itineraries (that’s especially true on NCL)
• If you’re into amusement parks at sea, go bigger. If you’d like a more serene vibe, go smaller.

4. Which Month is Best for a Cruise to Alaska?

That depends. If you’re primarily concerned about the weather and want to minimize your chances of rain and fog, then late June, July, or August are your best bets. If you want to see the most wildlife (whales, salmon, and bears), the best time to cruise to Alaska would be mid July (when the salmon run usually begins) and August. If you want to avoid kids, cruise to Alaska in April, May, September, or October. If you’d like the best chance of seeing the Northern Lights on your cruise, book for October (with April as the second most likely). If you’re looking for the cheapest cruise fare, book for April, early May, September, or October.

5. Which Alaska Itinerary is the Best?

The majority of Alaska itineraries include ports of call in Ketchikan, Juneau, and some combination of Skagway, Sitka, and Icy Strait Point. You’ll also stop in Victoria, Canada if you’re on a closed-loop cruise from Seattle or San Fransisco. All the ports are fabulous in my opinion, so I wouldn’t worry too much about the particular combination (however, I sometimes hear rumblings about some folks not loving Icy Strait Point and Skagway is very popular due to the White Pass Railway excursion). What IS important to consider is the amount of time you’ll be docked at each ports. Some itineraries offer very limited time at certain ports (especially the 7-night NCL itineraries – you’ll only get a few hours in Ketchikan). You didn’t come all the way to Alaska to feel rushed or limited to one short, underwhelming excursion. Look for itineraries with the longest times in port. Also, pay attention to which “scenic cruising” or glacier experience the itinerary is offering (some itineraries don’t offer one at all – I’d definitely pass on those). Let’s discuss the different glacier experiences and which one is best…

Which Glacier is Best?

That’s like asking me to tell you which of my children I love the most. They’re both shaggy and adorable and equally resistant to baths. But there are some differences between them that, at any given time, might tempt me to choose one over the other. One doesn’t speak, worships me (wag, wag, wag), and can be left alone for hours at a time without the police being called. But he hogs the bed and is allergic to chocolate.

And the other one appreciates my fart jokes, shares my love of cruising and the outdoors, and gets me out of my husband’s office Christmas party every year: decline with regrets – we couldn’t find a babysitter. But he refuses to sit on command, “no,” hates my cooking, and grows out of shoes faster than I can hit up my mother-in-law for a new pair.

Like my children, I’ve loved all the Alaska itineraries I’ve experienced and, if feasible, suggest you return to Alaska multiple times to ew and awe at them all. However, if you’re limited to just one, let me give you some information to help you decide and I will ultimately weigh in on which child (and itinerary) I love the most.

Tracy Arm and the Sawyer Glacier or Endicott Arm and the Dawes Glacier

Tracy Arm is a roughly 30 mile long ice-carved fjord located 45 miles from Juneau. It features mountains covered in trees and sub-alpine vegetation, dramatic rock cliffs with long skinny waterfalls pulled by gravity toward the almost eerily still and quiet jade colored waters below. Your ship will glide slowly and almost silently through a landscape that mimics an artist’s mosaic in progress, with thousands of floating white and blue icebergs like jagged pieces of glass waiting to be fitted into place.

If you’re lucky, you’ll spot a resting harbor seal, floating along like cargo on a frozen barge. And if you raise your gaze and look perplexed at a moving white dot in the middle of the steep face of a mountain, you’ve spotted a mountain goat. Grab your binoculars and stand in awe of their sure-footedness. Maybe they’ll even inspire you to tackle that trail Prof. Cruise recommended for Skagway or provide the perfect excuse to avoid it: “yeah, maybe if I had two toed hooves with rough pads to help me maintain balance and a strong grip.”

At the end of Tracy Arm you’ll find a twin set of glaciers, the North Sawyer Glacier and the South Sawyer Glacier. If you’re lucky, you’ll be able to view the impressive South Sawyer Glacier from your cruise ship. However, be aware that ice conditions and the limited time each ship is allotted in the fjord (generally 4-5 hours) can limit the ship’s ability to make it to the glacier. If ice conditions are poor, sometimes ships will divert to the nearby Endicott Arm, a very similar channel just to the south of Tracy Arm where you can see the Dawes Glacier.

You can also elect to pay extra to take your ship’s Tracy Arm/Endicott Arm excursion. You’ll board a much smaller boat directly from your cruise ship that will get you up close to wildlife and both the north and south Sawyer glaciers or the Dawes Glacier. If this is a bucket-list trip and your one shot at Alaska, I’d recommend you consider doing this. This excursion is expensive, usually priced between $250-$300 per person, but most have considered it worth the extra cost.

The Hubbard Glacier

Massive, huge, enormous, gigantic, very large, giant, colossal, vast, immense, tremendous, mighty, stupendous, monumental, epic, prodigious, mountainous, monstrous, titanic, towering, mammoth, elephantine, king-sized, gargantuan, Herculean, Brobdingnagian, substantial, and extensive. In case you missed the takeaway from that last sentence, let me spell it out for you: B I G. And getting bigger – it’s one of the only glaciers in the world that continues to thicken. If the portion of the Hubbard Glacier visible above the waterline were positioned in front of my apartment windows on the 21st floor of my high-rise building in downtown Seattle, I’d still be craning my neck, looking up another 10 stories or so to see the top. It’s also 7 miles wide and 76 miles long, making it the longest tidewater glacier in North America.

And if you’re thinking, “please, Prof. Cruise, for once in your life spare me the extended commentary and just package this thing in a trite expression,” it would be this: you have to see it to believe it! And hear it. That isn’t a thunderstorm rolling in, it’s the glacier calving as giant chunks of ice crash into the bay.

While you’ll get outstanding views of Disenchantment Bay and the Hubbard Glacier right from the cruise ship, with the captain turning the ship around completely so the glacier can be seen equally well from the port, starboard, front, or stern, you can also elect to take an optional excursion, similar to the one offered to the Sawyer Glacier, and get a bit closer from a much smaller boat. Pricing for the 2-hour Hubbard Glacier Scenic Cruising Excursion is generally between $250-$300.

Glacier Bay

Glacier Bay is a 3.3 million acre national park in Southeast Alaska and is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Cruising Glacier Bay versus Tracy Arm or the Hubbard Glacier is unique for several reasons. First, the number of cruise ships permitted to enter Glacier Bay is limited by regulation. As likely the only ship in sight, you’ll feel even smaller among its vastness.

Second, your ship will be boarded by National Park Rangers who will provide expert narration, programming geared toward both adults and children (my son earned his Glacier Bay Junior Ranger badge while on board), and be available to answer your questions. You’ll receive a park map and guide in your stateroom the evening prior so you can study up in advance and follow along during the narration.

Finally, you’ll have a full 9-10 hour day within the park, including an hour long stop at a tidewater glacier. In this time, you’ll see it all: mountains, fjords, glaciers, waterfalls, icebergs, rugged coastline, and prolific wildlife – I’ve spotted humpback whales, sea lions, and harbor seals.

On my first cruise there, I didn’t, uh hum, pee for a full 10 hours (true story) because there was never an obvious “break” point – it was equally spectacular from minute 1 to minute 600. Go easy on the coffee and plan the quickest route to the restroom just in case. “Did I miss anything?” “Oh, just this little glacier/waterfall combo:”

So, which Glacier is Best?

Now that you have a better idea of some of unique aspects of each “scenic viewing” option available on cruises to Alaska, I’ll declare, once and for all, which is the best. First, let’s settle the matter of which of my children I love the most. It’s a third one, not previously mentioned, who follows me home at the conclusion of every cruise and affectionately referred to as my food baby. And, drum roll please, the best glacier?

All three scenic cruising options will smell like winter as you breath in misty frigid air and they’ll inspire the best Thanksgiving speech you’ll ever give with a max number of eye rolls from your grandchildren. They’ll expand your view of the natural world (eye roll) and prompt you to ponder your place in it (eye roll). And most of all leave you thankful to have experienced a place so few ever will, especially if they don’t get good grades and go to college (seriously grandpa! Giant Hubbard Glacier-sized eye roll).

But if I only had one shot at Alaska, I’d go with Glacier Bay. Your grandkids can blame me for the accompanying slideshow.

Conclusion

Whichever embarkation port, cruise line, ship, itinerary, and date you ultimately choose (even if you completely disregard my tips), I hope you love Alaska as much as I do! And with that…

Class Dismissed.

Looking for More Alaska Cruising Tips?

Click on my additional Alaska guides below:

Today’s Bonus Cruising Tip

I ALWAYS buy travel insurance to cover my cruises, but I NEVER purchase it through a cruise line. It costs more and often covers less than policies you purchase on your own. I go through sites like travelinsurance.com* to compare plans and prices and get the best deal for the coverage I want. Just enter your travel dates, total travel costs, and answer a few basic questions about yourself and quickly and easily see all your options. Spend less on insurance and spend more on excursions, special onboard cruise experiences and…future cruises!

Homework (10 points): If you’ve cruised to Alaska, share which ship, itinerary, and month you sailed and what you loved or didn’t love about your experience.

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