Best Alaska Cruise Tips – The Points Guy

Planning a cruise to Alaska is very different from preparing to sail the Caribbean or Europe. Alaska’s calling card is not the beaches or refined culture, but the vast wilderness. The 49th state owns half of the national park land in the United States

You’ll likely explore sometimes rugged terrain and want to spend time outdoors, as well as experience vibrant frontier towns with fascinating gold rush and Alaska Native history. Prepare to be amazed by the scenery, wildlife, and some of the local characters you’ll meet along the way. Proper preparation will ensure that you have a true Alaskan experience and not just a cruise somewhere amazing.

I have taken more than 20 trips to Alaska, all but two of which have been on cruise ships. I’ve written books about Alaska cruises and my favorite Alaska attractions. So I’m confident I’ve mastered Alaska travel. Here I’ll share my top Alaska cruise tips to help you make the most of your Alaska cruise experience.

Choose the ship that’s right for you

Best Alaska Cruise Tips – The Points Guy

UnCruise Adventures runs adventure-focused cruises in Alaska on small ships like the Wilderness Adventurer. Unexpected adventures

Choosing the best ship for you is key to a great Alaska cruise experience.

You can cruise Alaska on ships carrying less than 100 passengers, on the finest luxury ships or on some of the largest ships in the world carrying more than 4,000 passengers. Size matters in terms of attractions and activities on board. Ask yourself: Do you want a casino, Broadway shows, or theme park rides?

Related: A Beginner’s Guide to Choosing a Cruise Line

Size also affects where you go in Alaska. If you’re happy to visit typical, well-known ports of call—such as Juneau, Skagway, Icy Strait Point, and Ketchikan—a larger ship will suit you just fine. If you prefer to go to off-the-beaten-track areas, you’ll likely need a small vessel to get there.

Lines like Alaskan Dream Cruises and UnCruise Adventures offer itineraries that spend an entire week in the wilderness. You won’t find it on other ships and cruise lines.

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Consider early and late cruises

Most cruisers visit Alaska between late May and Labor Day. This is when the tourist towns and attractions are in full swing.

However, there are some advantages to traveling early and late in the season. The biggest benefits are lower off-season prices and fewer crowds.

The spring holiday season is an opportunity to see how people in small Alaskan towns and local wildlife wake up after a long winter or how they prepare for the colder months. On the downside, you will need to pack for cold weather, especially in April and after mid-September.

Related to: Best time to cruise Alaska

Book early

The number of ships in Alaska seems to rise every year, resulting in more cabins being available on any given week. However, this is a market where waiting for a last-minute discounted price can be risky.

Cheaper Interior cabins and luxury suites tend to sell first. If you wait, you may have limited options.

Also keep in mind that Alaska is a market that is a very long drive from anywhere, which means most travelers fly there, resulting in limited space on planes as the season begins.

For most people, it makes sense to book your Alaska cruise six months to a year in advance. Look for the cruise line’s early bird deals.

RELATED: The best Alaska cruises for every type of traveler

Choose a cabin with a balcony

David Goldman Photo/Getty Images

As a follow-up to the above, if you can afford it Balcony cabins, book one.

Yes, you can grab your binoculars and head to the open decks of your ship to see snow-capped peaks, boreal forests, glaciers, and everything else you can imagine about the wilderness.

But there’s something magical about waking up early in the morning, putting on your bathrobe and standing on your deck, feeling the cool air, breathing deeply and connecting with nature in the Last Frontier.

Plan to arrive at your departure city before your flight

As part of having to travel far to get there, you’ll worry less about being on time — and eliminate the potential stress of transportation delays — by arriving in your departure city a day or two before your cruise.

You’ll likely be launching from Seattle or Vancouver, British Columbia, both cosmopolitan cities ripe for exploration.

If you’re traveling to Alaska to board your ship, consider spending a night in Anchorage to explore attractions like the 600 Alaska Native objects in the Smithsonian’s collection at the Anchorage Museum.

Pack for all types of weather

The weather in Alaska is somehow, inevitably, colder and warmer than you expect. On a summer day, you might find yourself taking off your clothes on a sunny mountain hike. The next day, you’ll be shivering near a glacier.

Your key Alaska cruise packing list Bring and dress in a variety of layers. Consider three layers of clothing as a starting point — such as a shirt, jacket, and outer layer — as you head out for the ride. Comfortable walking shoes are essential, as is rain gear, especially in July and August.

Don’t forget bug spray to ward off Alaska’s prolific mosquitoes, plus sunscreen and sunglasses for the ever-glowing midnight sun and a swimsuit for your ship’s heated pool or hot tub. Bring binoculars or a zoom lens so you can spot bears and other elusive creatures.

Make a wake-up call to the northern lights

Cavan Images/Getty Images

the The northern lights appear in Alaska’s skies year-round, but under the midnight sun in summer, with only a few hours of darkness, it’s so bright that you don’t have much of a chance to see them.

Come late August, when there are more hours of darkness, your chances improve.

Staying up late staring at the night sky can be like watching paint dry. Fortunately, your ship will have a wake-up call register in case lights appear in a clear sky. Your living room phone will ring, and you’ll need to get ready to exit quickly, since the sight of lights is often fleeting.

You can improve your chances by heading before or after the trip to Fairbanks, an area inland, closer to the Arctic Circle and a prime global location for viewing the Northern Lights.

Budget for beach trips and tours

The best natural sights and activities are often far from Alaska’s ports. Plan your budget to include shore excursions or private tours. Book in advance, as the coolest items sell out first.

Flying on a floatplane to see views of the glaciers and then landing back on the water near your ship is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Flying in a helicopter and landing on a glacier to hike and explore cracks and crevasses puts your trip into the stratosphere.

These experiences are just the beginning of what you can do on your Alaska cruise. Explore by kayak, mountain bike, historic railway, small whale-watching boat, canoe, or even ziplines. Visit Alaska Native villages to learn the stories behind totem poles, and explore the history of the Gold Rush.

Or try my favorite Alaskan experience: snorkeling in the cold waters of the Inside Passage, where starfish and other creatures are unusually colorful. Alaska is a perfect place to try something new.

Take a walk

Blaine Arnold/EyeEm/Getty Images

All coastal towns can be easily explored on your own, whether you want to visit museums, historical sites, shops or restaurants. Doing your research beforehand will help you target what you really want to do and see. Tourist offices and park service offices provide maps and field tips.

I highly recommend that you also plan a walk outside the city. Hiking trails offer the opportunity to get out into the wilderness, breathe deeply, and feel at one with mother nature. A favorite trail from Skagway takes you up to a picturesque glacial lake.

Stay on a cruise

Since you traveled so far to get to Alaska, it makes sense to see some of the interior of the 49th state. Cruise lines such as Holland America and Princess Cruises — which each send six ships a year to Alaska — make planning an extended visit to Alaska easy, with 10- to 17-night packages that combine a week-long cruise with a multi-day land tour and hotel accommodations.

These “cruises,” as they are known in the cruise world, can take you, for example, to Denali National Park and Preserve, Anchorage, Fairbanks, the Kenai Fjords, and Wrangell St. Elias, America’s largest national park. Outside of Alaska, you can pursue your interest in the history of the Gold Rush by taking a cruise in Canada’s Yukon.

Eat and drink local

Whether you’re at a fine dining or casual restaurant, you’ll want to experience a taste of Alaska. Seafood is plentiful, of course: feast on giant crab legs and crab bisque at places like the famous Tracy’s King Crab Shack (featured on “Top Chef”) in Juneau. Try wild Alaskan salmon or halibut, which are on the menu at most restaurants. Also look at Alaskan shrimp and scallops.

Reindeer sausage is a quintessential Alaskan delicacy, and locals often devour it on a bun with mustard. You may also find sausage in omelettes, as a side dish at breakfast or on top of pizza. You can purchase sealed packages to take home.

Food tours, such as Juneau Food Tours, target locally owned establishments and provide an opportunity to meet local chefs and food producers.

You can accompany your meals with local beer or vodka, gin, rye and other Alaskan-distilled beverages. Even if you order a soft drink, a visit to a dive bar, like Kito’s Kave in the fishing town of Petersburg or Pioneer Bar in Sitka, is a guaranteed way to meet interesting locals and ask sharp questions like: How do you survive the winter? Have you seen the bear? What’s the biggest fish you’ve ever caught? Get ready to get airful.

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