If you’ve ever thought about sailing on a cruise through Alaska, DO IT! We took our first Alaskan cruise in 2022, and it was just incredible!! The wildlife, the glaciers, the entire experience was amazing! It really is like no other cruise you may have been on before.
So, what makes an Alaskan cruise different? If you think of your typical cruise, you’re sailing in the ocean, seeing one or more Caribbean islands, and enjoying the warm weather. Well Alaska is really nothing like that! First, you can only sail to Alaska in the warmer months, for obvious reasons. Alaska sailings are typically late April to about the end of September, or maybe first week of October. Even in the summer months, the weather can be a little bit cold in Alaska! You won’t need shorts and flip flops on this cruise, except for the pool onboard your ship.
And the scenery when you’re cruising is much different than your typical Caribbean cruise. Normally you just see miles and miles of ocean from your porthole or balcony, but on an Alaskan cruise you will see the most amazing scenery! You will see wildlife like eagles, otters, and of course whales! We saw humpback and orca whales on our cruise right from our balcony. It’s so remarkable to just sit on your balcony and just watch!
How do you choose which cruise to go on? There are two different types of cruises to Alaska. You can choose a one-way cruise or a roundtrip. The one-way cruises can be northbound into Alaska, where you sail from Seattle or Vancouver to Seward or Anchorage, typically. Or you can take the reverse route, from Seward or Anchorage to Seattle or Vancouver. On these one-way cruises you get to see much more of the beauty of Alaska, and you can add cruise tours before or after your cruise to experience sites like Denali National Park. The flights for these cruises are typically more expensive because you aren’t buying the typical roundtrip flight. But if you want to really see Alaska, a one-way cruise is the way to go! 
The roundtrip cruises are fabulous too! These cruises sail and return to Seattle or Vancouver, and you’ll take a loop into Alaska and back out again. You will see the same sights coming and going, but of course it’s never the same cruise in Alaska! You may see different wildlife or see that glacier break off. Roundtrip cruises are more common, so you will have more dates to choose from for these itineraries.
Some of the ports that you may see on your Alaskan cruise are Juno, Skagway, Ketchikan, and Glacier National Park. On our cruise, we went whale-watching in Juno, experienced the wonder of the area from the White Pass train in Skagway, and had amazing king crab legs in Ketchikan. And there are so many other experiences that you can choose from, so there will be something for everyone to enjoy!
I do have a few tips when sailing on a cruise to Alaska.
- You may be required by the cruise line to have a passport to sail to Alaska. And of course, if your cruise departs from Vancouver, Canada, you will be required to have a passport to fly to Vancouver.
- Princess and Holland America are probably the most well-known cruise lines that sail to Alaska, but many other cruise lines also sail to Alaska. Disney, Norwegian or Royal Caribbean have some great options, especially for families.
- When flying to meet your cruise, you definitely want to sail in the day before your cruise departs. Since these flights are typically longer and may have one or more stops, there is even more chance for problems. On our cruise, we were delayed in Toronto for over 4 hours! If you had flown in the day of our cruise, we would have missed the sailing!
- On a one-way cruise, it does matter what side of the ship your room is on, if you want to be able to have the best sights right from your room. On a northbound sailing, the right side of the ship is best, and the left side is best for a southbound cruise.
- If your budget will allow it, I really do recommend a balcony room on an Alaska cruise. It’s just so nice to be able to sit out on your balcony and see the sights. And our cruise had blankets in our room to keep us warm!
If you’ve never seen the beauty and wonder of Alaska, a cruise is a wonderful way to go. I can’t wait to cruise to Alaska again!
