5 best luxury Alaska cruises for 2024

Table Of Content

• Why You Should Take an Alaska Summer Vacation Cruise
• Dining Highlights on Seven Seas Explorer
• Dining Highlights on Silver Muse
• night Glacier Bay cruise on Norwegian Encore
• Sleeping on Quantum of the Seas
• Dining Highlights on Koningsdam
• Regent Seven Seas Explorer is Inclusive Cruising at its Finest
• Best Value Alaska Cruise: Royal Caribbean, Radiance Of The Seas

Passengers shell out up-front, but enjoy included amenities such shore excursions, specialty restaurants, alcoholic beverages and gratuities. Unlike other cruise lines on this list, Viking centers its Alaska & the Inside Passage itinerary around native Tlingit culture and the “region where a Wild West spirit still feels very much alive,” rather than Alaska per se. Ports of call during the 11-day cruise (Viking’s sole Alaska offering) include Vancouver, British Columbia, and Ketchikan, Sitka, Juneau, Skagway, Valdez, and Seward in Alaska. Princess also boasts exclusive service on Alaska railways and five Princess Wilderness Lodges that put cruisetour travelers close to Alaska’s national parks in Kenai, Denali, Fairbanks, and the Copper River Valley.

Why You Should Take an Alaska Summer Vacation Cruise

The 11 Best Alaska Cruise Excursions in 2024, From Whale Watching to Glacier Tours Condé Nast Traveler - Condé Nast Traveler

The 11 Best Alaska Cruise Excursions in 2024, From Whale Watching to Glacier Tours Condé Nast Traveler.

Posted: Thu, 07 Mar 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]

All of the above make HAL a popular pick among middle-aged and mature couples traveling without kids; however, onboard our summer sailing, I did notice quite a few small children traveling with their parents and grandparents. For nearly 30 years, UnCruise Adventures has embarked on voyages with a mission to provide its guests with an enriching adventure travel experience that inspires an appreciation of local cultures and the natural world. Founded in Alaska in 1996, the company has a strong pretense in The Great Land with seven-, 12- and 14-night itineraries that set sail April through September. This year, the cruise line added five new Alaskan itineraries, including the adults-only Glaciers & Tranquility and Winter Sports Alaska, with a focus on downhill and Nordic skiing, snowshoeing, whale watching and spotting the Northern Lights. Whichever itinerary you choose, you can be sure to have a plethora of adventurous excursions at your fingertips, right from the ship.

Dining Highlights on Seven Seas Explorer

To discover Alaska’s rich historyYou can’t skip Ketchikan, Juneau or Skagway on an itinerary. Ketchikan once was a major player in the timber industry and has a sordid past steeped in bootlegging and brothels. Skagway was a jumping-off point for the Klondike Gold Rush beyond Chilkoot Pass and has an old railroad to prove it.

Dining Highlights on Silver Muse

If you're intent on a Gulf of Alaska cruise, book a northbound route so you'll cruise the Gulf at the end of the trip when you have your sea legs. If you get seasick easily, also think twice about round-trip cruises from Seattle that spend days cruising in the open ocean. Due to unpredictable weather, though, there’s a risk of shore excursions being cancelled -- especially boat and helicopter tours. In 2022, the cruise line was the first to receive Responsible Fisheries Management (RFM) certification, meaning its Alaska-bound ships serve only fresh, certified sustainable and traceable wild Alaska seafood.

On land, you'll likely spy bears and Dall sheep while eagles, puffins and a host of seabirds circle above. Most sail along the Inside Passage, a maritime route along the state's southern coast (and into British Columbia and Washington state) that weaves around the area's thousand islands. Some venture farther north into the Gulf of Alaska; these are often one-way cruises that begin and end at the ports near Anchorage. If you want to see landlocked areas, such as Denali National Park, you can tack a cruise line-operated tour onto the beginning or end of your sailing for a seamless land and sea vacation. It's easier than fumbling with multiple train, bus, ferry and hotel reservations to cobble together the same trip on your own. One of the key reasons to cruise Alaska versus taking a land tour is to visit destinations along the Inside Passage that you cannot reach by road.

Royal Caribbean vs Princess to Alaska: which cruise line is better? - Royal Caribbean Blog

Royal Caribbean vs Princess to Alaska: which cruise line is better?.

Posted: Thu, 13 Jul 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

The ship is full of Disney magic — photo ops with Mickey and friends and Disney princesses, restaurants themed to "The Little Mermaid" and "The Princess and the Frog" and a musical stage show of "Frozen." Plan for wet weatherAlaska’s southeastern region is part of a rainforest, where wet conditions are the norm even in summer. Bring waterproof rain gear, sturdy shoes, a hat and gloves to stay warm and dry. Be sure to join my email list for my best cruise tips and handpicked deals each week. Seven Seas Explorer is also one of the ‘larger’ small ships to Alaska, so it feels even more spacious – perfect if you want to sip a cocktail, soak up the view and feel like you’re on your own private yacht – albeit a big one. Regent Seven Seas’ ships are another option for the most luxurious in the world, and an excellent choice if you want to explore Alaska in style.

It was recently brought over from Costa, so it has a completely different vibe from Carnival’s other ships. It’s got the Italian flair found on Costa’s ship but has undergone an extensive retrofit to make it feel more at home to Carnival cruisers. The ship tends to appeal to a more mature crowd, though you will see more families and multigenerational groups on Alaska cruises. Our mission is to serve the 50+ traveler who's ready to cross a few items off their bucket list.

Its "North to Alaska" program will delight kids with sled dog puppies in the ship's Piazza, and lure their parents and grandparents with local seafood on restaurant menus and onboard cultural programming with Alaska residents. The ship offers nine- to 14-night cruise tours that head into the Canadian Yukon, following the route of the Klondike Gold Rush from Alaska to northwestern Canada. Seven Seas Explorer is an all-suite ship, and every suite has a balcony with at least 252 square feet of prime Alaska viewing space. This is an all-inclusive luxury ship attracting both mature couples and a few affluent families.

One of the most popular draws to booking a CruiseTour is getting to spend some time in Denali National Park, a pristine, untamed wilderness of taiga forests and rolling tundra where you can scout for caribou, moose, sheep, bears, and more. It’s also home to the towering Denali, part of the Alaska Range and the tallest peak in America. Return visitors who still want that big ship experience might try a different category of cruise line. The major operators—Princess, Holland America, Celebrity, are all premium-tier cruise lines, but the luxury cruise lines have also deployed ships to Alaskan waters.

On a cruisetour, you'll sail on a one-way Gulf of Alaska cruise, so your cruise starts or ends in Alaska. Depending on the tour itinerary you choose, you might visit Seward and the Kenai Peninsula, Alyeska, Talkeetna, Anchorage and Fairbanks — as well as spend one to three nights in Denali National Park. Weeklong itineraries generally embark in either Seattle or Vancouver, British Columbia — though some itineraries originate in Juneau.

Nearly all of the area is roadless, so seafaring vessels, including cruise ships, are a popular way for visitors to experience these pristine areas. Roughly 1.5 million people visit Alaska on a cruise ship each year, according to the Cruise Line International Association Alaska. One of the most magical ways to explore Alaska’s expansive coastline, stunning snow-capped mountains, mystic fjords, lush rainforests, awe-inspiring glaciers, and protected wildlife is by sea. Plus, it’s the best way to experience the iconic Inside Passage, the most popular route for cruise ships departing from Seattle and Vancouver from May through September. The key to planning the perfect adventure is finding the right cruise for your personality, budget, and preferences.

If you're looking to get away from the mega-cruise-ship crowds, the best Alaska cruise for you might be with Lindblad Expeditions. The 100-passenger National Geographic Quest (and its twin, National Geographic Venture) frequents off-the-beaten-path destinations in Alaska on weeklong itineraries between Juneau and Sitka. If you're looking for other surefire ways to save, inside and ocean-view cabins are often much cheaper than balcony cabins on Alaska cruises. Those private verandas are highly desirable, with everyone seeking views of the wilderness, snow-capped peaks and glaciers. Royal Caribbean's 20-year-old ship Radiance of the Seas mainly sails weeklong, one-way cruises between Vancouver and Seward, Alaska, with prices below $100 per person, per night, for inside and outside cabins on many departures.