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While the kids enjoy Discovery Princess' spacious children's and teens' clubs, the adults might linger over a craft cocktail or enjoy a massage in the onboard spa. The family can come together for meals in a variety of casual and fine dining restaurants, and enjoy original production shows as the ship sails between ports. If adventure is what you crave on an Alaska cruise, you should seek out the small ships of UnCruise Adventures. All of the line's itineraries boast an active component, but its "Wild, Woolly and Wow" itinerary claims to be "the most active back country itinerary" of UnCruise's 2024 Alaska cruises. 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.
Alaska Cruises
Like hiking through the rugged wilderness, dog sledding, and spotting whales in the wild. The Norwegian cruise and expedition company Hurtigruten has its 528-passenger expedition ship MS Roald Amundsen in Alaska. If you're in a suite, you can also dine for free at the a la carte restaurant Lindstrom. Passengers on Roald Amundsen can also choose from an interesting range of included shore excursions, some of which are not offered on other cruise lines, such a visit to the Sons of Norway hall in Petersburg. This luxury cruise line offers classic and expedition-style cruising, the latter of which takes aboard the 274-passenger Silver Wind.
Shore Excursions
With national parks and four of North America’s tallest mountains, Alaska’s wilderness has been preserved for generations. Denali National Park is larger than Vermont and home to the highest peak on the continent. Meanwhile, Glacier Bay National Park has over 2,000 square miles of glacial coverage. Elias and Kenai Fjords, a world of natural wonders awaits on an Alaska cruise or cruisetour. Guests can explore the small fishing town of Petersburg or search for orca and humpback whales in Frederick Sound.
Elite Expedition Team
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. 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. The storied Cunard cruise line, with more than 180 years of seafaring history, returned to Alaska after nearly 30 years when it arrived back in the Great Land in 2019.
In sight of the great mountain, Talkeetna offers breathtaking views, a folksy frontier spirit, endless outdoor activities, and the unique ambience of its eclectic Main Street. Among climbers, Talkeetna is the ideal staging ground for preparations to summit Denali. Main Street’s log cabin cafés provide a place where you can mill with the bohemians, aviators, and adventurers who call the town home. Celebrity’s Alaskan cruises range from six to seven nights, but if you extend your voyage into a Cruisetour, the duration is nine to 13 nights.
They lead the outdoor activities and provide passengers with a deeper insight into Alaska. Once guests finish communing with nature, they can indulge in gourmet cuisine in multiple restaurants, enjoy a complimentary cocktail or relax in an upscale spa. The best Alaska cruises range from off-the-beaten-path voyages on vessels carrying fewer than 100 passengers to weeklong jaunts through the Inside Passage aboard megaships that hold thousands. Don’t just see the Great Land’s glaciers, feel them come alive on an Alaska cruisetour. Get up close to Mother Nature’s masterpieces and listen for the crash of “white thunder”. Visit wilderness playgrounds like Glacier Bay National Park – a UNESCO World Heritage Site – along with even more natural wonderlands like Endicott Arm & Dawes Glacier, College Fjord and Hubbard Glacier.
Today, Allen Marine operates 30 vessels, including the five ships that make up the Alaska Dream Cruises fleet, all of which accommodate between 12 and 76 cruise passengers. Knowledgeable expedition leaders serve as personal guides on every voyage, sharing their expertise in biology, geography and ecology, as well as sharing about the lifestyles and legends of Southeast Alaska’s local cultures. Life aboard Alaskan Dream Cruises’ five ships is casual and relaxed, meals feature fresh Alaskan fare, and everyone strives to provide opportunities for guests to make personal connections to the region’s places and people.
How to Plan the Best Alaska Cruise - Travel Alaska
How to Plan the Best Alaska Cruise.
Posted: Thu, 26 Jan 2023 17:02:13 GMT [source]
Local connections are the difference between a good trip and a truly memorable one. And Royal Caribbean Cruise Tours are guided by a local Adventure Specialist who act as guides, historians and concierges. They are by your side for the entirety of the land tour, providing insider tips and local perspective. Explore more while spending less with Alaska Cruise Tours deals onboard our best cruise ships. Known for its timber, Ketchikan hosts the Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show, where athletes throw, race and chop their way to victory.
Climb the Space Needle and enjoy the Seattle skyline, or explore the history of Pioneer Square, the city's oldest neighborhood — only when you cruise to Alaska from Seattle. I’m a Florida-based freelance travel and lifestyle journalist who has embarked on more than a dozen cruises, including several to Alaska. As a traveler, I am just as comfortable bicycling through Italian olive groves and SCUBA diving the wall of sharks in French Polynesia as I am sipping bubbles in a Champagne house and dining at Michelin-starred restaurants. 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. 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.
Trek across the majestic Mendenhall Glacier for breathtaking views of the wildest country. Get to know wildlife, big and small, that call this wilderness home, like otters, eagles, bears, and whales. This is Last Frontier pioneering with the cruise line voted Best Overall by Travel Weekly readers for 20 years running. Alaskan-owned and -operated Alaskan Dream Cruises dates back to 1970 when its parent company, Allen Marine, founded by Bob and Betty Allen, launched with the St. Michael. In those days, Bob ran the boat while Betty and her children served treats and tea to their guests.
The latter have included access to the ship's Persian Garden thermal suite. HAL offers a "Have It All" fare that gives you a Wi-Fi package; a signature drink package and a certain number of complimentary nights in specialty restaurants and shore excursions, depending on how long your trip is. Some of the other amenities that come with an all-inclusive cruise in Alaska are more of a personal decision. Even people who love a drink packages on Caribbean cruises may find that they aren't partaking as much in Alaska, where you tend to take more strenuous outdoor excursions and get up earlier. There isn't as much "sitting around in a bar" time on an Alaska cruise, compared to other cruises (and we'd argue that if you're going to do that, it's more fun to find a local Alaskan watering hole than staying on the ship). Alaska is considered one of the last great wildernesses -- and navigating all your cruise choices to see as much as you can be overwhelming.
A day aboard the 86-passenger Wilderness Legacy might start out with a hike to a glacial lake followed by an early-evening kayak adventure in Thomas Bay. Or, you might enjoy a bit of scenic cruising by LeConte Glacier (where the big ships don't go) then continue the fun with hiking and biking the trails of Ideal Cove. Guided skiff tours will take guests in search of Alaskan wildlife in remote bays and secret coves. The waters are teeming with marine life, like king salmon, while the land is decorated by the colorful coats of Denali National Park’s “big five” – including grizzly bears, wolves, moose, Dall sheep and caribou.
Alaska is also notoriously expensive, so it's no wonder that many travelers prefer an all-inclusive cruise for their vacation to the 49th state. Sail into the Last Frontier from Seward or Vancouver onboard Radiance of the Seas®. With over three acres of windows and glass exterior viewing elevators, you can watch for whales along Alaska’s Inside Passage when you aren’t wandering wilderness paths from Ketchikan to Juneau.
Be sure to bring your passport if you plan on crossing the border from Skagway into Canada's Yukon Territory -- or exploring any Canadian port of call. The wonders of the old world exist in perpetuity here, taking the form of old growth forest, with towering evergreens and moss-covered earth. Perhaps the frozen immensity of glaciers will capture the eye, housing secrets and nestled in the carved fjords, demonstrating the raw power of Mother Nature. 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. Dawn Gabree is a travel advisor who specializes in Alaska cruises at Travels by Danielle.
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