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Alaska's capital city is interesting because no road leads from here to the rest of the state. It's located at the base of Mount Juneau, and you can only get there via boat or small plane — even residents have to bring their cars to Juneau via ferry. Home to Mendenhall Glacier, this is a popular port for hikes by, kayak tours to and helicopter landings on the glacier. Alaska cruises provide plentiful opportunities to learn about native Alaskan culture. You can get a taste of the Gold Rush life by trying your hand at panning for gold, attending a salmon bake or visiting a dogsled camp.
Best Alaska Cruise For Families: Disney Cruise Line, Disney Wonder
Add on a romance package, and you can expect sparkling wine and chocolate-covered strawberries waiting for you when you arrive. You’ll also get special perks like a romantic dinner, roses, and a professional portrait to commemorate your cruise. Couples love the specialty restaurants serving various cuisines, from prime steaks to Haute French. 24-hour room service is also an option if you prefer a more intimate dining experience. Search the waters for breaching humpback whales from the comfort of your private verandah or explore the ports like Ketchikan and spend time strolling through rainforests, totem poles, and quaint Alaskan main streets.
Dining Options
It boasts “the finest cuisine at sea,” so if you’re a foodie in search of Alaskan flavors, an Oceania cruise could be the ideal fit for you. 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.
The Best Alaska Cruises for Different Travel Styles
When it comes to the best Alaska cruises for couples, a world of adventure and romance awaits. Whether you're seeking a luxurious and intimate experience, a cruise with a focus on entertainment and nightlife, or the perfect blend of both, there's a cruise line that suits your preferences. These journeys through the captivating Alaskan landscapes, along with the excursions that provide an up-close encounter with its unique beauty, are the ideal backdrop for a memorable couple's retreat.
With 12 nights to spend in The Last Frontier, Queen Elizabeth will bring you face-to-face with glaciers, Alaskan wildlife, and plenty of adventure. 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. These solo cabins get our vote because they're located in a complex where a private lounge encourages mingling. Lone travelers can also meet their shipmates while waiting to hop into a race care on the ship's go-kart track, at a showing of "Jersey Boys" or over a muddled drink at the Sugarcane Mojito Bar. The ship's captain has the flexibility to seek out the best remote islands and bays for beachcombing, tide pooling, hiking and kayaking adventures.
Hurtigruten Expeditions
Big ships can only offer deckside viewing of the marvels of Glacier Bay, but UnCruise Adventures sends its ships to the rarely visited outback. In Fern Harbor, Dundas Bay or No Name Cove, passengers can get up close to the natural wonders with birding expeditions, paddleboarding, beach walks, and more hiking and kayaking. When cruise lines send a fleet of ships to Alaska for the summer, the older, smaller ships tend to offer more reduced prices than you'll find on the lines' larger and newer ships. Eric Goldring is a T+L A-List travel advisor specializing in expedition, small-ship, and medium-ship cruises.
Cold temperatures, icy waters and a long snowy season are not conducive to early spring and late fall cruises. With so many unusual onboard amenities, you may find it hard to get off the ship. The tradeoff between lots of fun activities is sharing them with nearly 5,000 other people.
The 9 Best Alaska Cruises For Every Traveler
Those private verandas are highly desirable, with everyone seeking views of the wilderness, snow-capped peaks and glaciers. 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. Some travelers demand luxury Alaska cruises, while others don't mind going less fancy if it means close encounters with bears and other creatures in the wilderness. Some look for romance, while others want to introduce the kids or grandkids to glaciers and eagles, gold panning and sled dogs.
Floatplane and helicopter tours take you around scenic areas like Misty Fjords or land you on a glacier, perhaps for a dogsledding or hiking adventure on the ice. If you prefer to stay grounded, you can find informative trolley tours of ports like Skagway. On a cruisetour, you'll sail 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. 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.
Casual dining options on Alaska cruise ships include buffets, cafes, and snack bars. Couples can grab a quick bite to eat in between activities or opt for a more relaxed dining experience at one of the casual restaurants on board. With an expedition heritage that dates back to 1896, it’s no wonder Hurtigruten Expeditions found its way to Alaska. Each of the ships features an observation deck, library, science center, hot tub, pool and Explorer lounge, as well as a bar with floor-to-ceiling windows so you never miss a thing.
The best Alaska cruises for couples - The Points Guy
The best Alaska cruises for couples.
Posted: Fri, 26 May 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
They cater mostly to older couples and solo travelers and draw relatively few families, though you do sometimes find some children on board. Every itinerary will give you access to two glacier-viewing experiences — including the famous Hubbard Glacier, Glacier Bay National Park, or College Fjord. If you’ve been keen to be exposed to the wonder of Alaska’s glaciers, this is one of the top Alaska cruises to consider. To prepare for all conditions, you should plan for temperatures ranging from the 40s to 70s, both on and off ship.
An expedition team of Alaska experts join each voyage, hosting lectures about the areas the ships visit and guiding passengers on outings like nature walks through rainforests and kayaking trips around the foot of a glacier. Guests learn about the cultural heritage of remote communities and focus binoculars to spot bears, whales, caribou, moose, deer, wolves, birds and more. The MS Roald Amundsen and MS Fridtjof Nansen embark on 14- to 19-day Alaskan voyages between May and September.
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. For those who can tear themselves away from the ship's amenities for shore excursions, there's a world of experiences awaiting you. Immerse yourself in knowledge through the "Seabourn Conversations" program, which features insights from marine biologists, naturalists, historians, and more. Accommodations on the Norwegian Encore provide contemporary comfort, with many staterooms featuring private balconies.
Cunard Line offers two main routes to choose from— the Inside Passage or the Gulf of Alaska—departing from Seattle or Vancouver. Cruising itineraries range from seven to 11 nights, and they also offer longer itineraries that combine Alaska and Japan. Cruise ports you can look forward to stopping at include Glacier Bay National Park, Haines, Juneau, Ketchikan, Skagway and Sitka. Holland America Line has stood out as a top name in the world of cruising for over 150 years. One of the best Alaskan cruise lines, they are known for their exceptional service, award-winning dining and informative programming, this cruise line ensures a remarkable travel experience.
But this isn’t the only line with mega-ships sailing to America’s last frontier. So, if you want more than a cruise to Alaska and would like plenty of time on land as well, Princess offers some fantastic packages. Your cruise ship will spend 9-10 hours in Glacier Bay, during which a park ranger will be onboard to offer insights and answer question along the way.
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