Table Of Content
- Alaska Helicopter Tours
- Consider upgrading to a balcony cabin or trying RoyalUp
- Order essentials ahead of time, like binoculars and motion-sickness remedies
- Which Royal Caribbean ships sail to Alaska?
- Disembark your ship early on each port day to avoid crowds
- Leave plenty of time to make it to the airport on disembarkation day
Northbound one-way cruises start in Vancouver, British Columbia and end in Seward, Alaska whereas southbound sailings travel in the opposite direction. Cruises leaving Vancouver do not need to stop in Victoria, meaning your cruise itinerary will visit more ports in Alaska compared to those leaving Seattle. There’s no right or wrong itinerary to book for Alaska, but it’s important to know what to expect in each port before booking one cruise over the other. For the past few years, we’ve noticed a trend on last-minute Alaska cruise pricing.
Alaska Helicopter Tours
A balcony is the most common choice for an Alaska cruise, as it allows you to enjoy the state’s scenery from the comfort and privacy of your own cabin. Even if it’s too cold to stay on the balcony all day, you can still enjoy views of the outside from the warmth of your couch or bed in the stateroom. Your budget for an Alaska cruise can affect your ship choice, sailing date, stateroom category, excursion options, and onboard add-ons. Knowing how much Alaska cruises cost in advance is helpful to ensure you can budget and save for such an incredible vacation. Known as pre or post-sailing Cruisetours, these extended trips can range between 9 and 13 nights, including the 7-night cruise. These land tours are arguably the best way to see Alaska's interior and the most popular destinations.
Consider upgrading to a balcony cabin or trying RoyalUp
Norwegian Encore and Norwegian Bliss are also our top picks for ships operating the best Alaska cruises from Seattle for solo travelers. Between these two, it's a tossup, though we put Norwegian Bliss in the headline above since, well, we already gave Norwegian Encore a turn in the limelight with the best-for-luxury category. Radiance of the Seas will offer 7-10 night Alaska cruises that can also combine with Land Tours to offer immersive visits to Alaska, including in-land destinations such as Denali. Ovation of the Seas will sail from Seattle and offer 7- and 8-night Alaska glacier cruises.
Order essentials ahead of time, like binoculars and motion-sickness remedies
Active cruisers will enjoy kayaking through Alaska’s fjords and lakes, hiking on glaciers, and biking through the rainforest. Magnificent scenery can be viewed on day hikes up Alaska’s dramatic mountain peaks or when paddling a kayak near glaciers. An Alaska shore excursion will allow you to explore what each of the ports have to offer, including taking in the natural beauty of this part of the world.
Alaska cruises often have a reputation of being for adults, but they can be a wonderful vacation for families with kids, too. Ships departing Seattle first travel along the west coast of Vancouver Island in the open ocean instead of through the Inside Passage. There’s no right or wrong cabin to book for an Alaska cruise, and the type of room you book ultimately comes down to your budget and cabin availability.
Which Royal Caribbean ships sail to Alaska?
This is Last Frontier pioneering with the cruise line voted Best Overall by Travel Weekly readers for 20 years running. Sure, you'll spend a large part of your time adventuring in port, but you'll spend far more time cruising. You want that time onboard to be comfortable and enjoyable for everyone in your travel party. Both ships' itineraries include Skagway, Sitka, Juneau, and the glaciers of the Endicott Arm Fjord. Both ships aim to get you near the glaciers; both ships are technically cruising the Inside Passage, which includes all the port towns and waterways of Southeast Alaska.
Visiting the Butchart Gardens is a popular destination in Victoria, where visitors can wander among 55 acres of floral display that date back to 1904. Princess has long been heralded as one of the best cruise lines for multigenerational travel, in part because its ships offer a little something for travelers of all ages. Yes, the 3,998-passenger Norwegian Encore is a cruise ship that generally caters to the masses, not the luxury crowd. However, it has its own "ship-within-a-ship" luxury zone that offers a much more swanky experience for those willing to pay. However, keep in mind that Alaska can be chilly, even at the height of summer, and rainy, too. The cruise line will send four cruise ships to Alaska in 2023, matching the amount of ships it has been sending to the region in the years prior.
THE 25 BEST Cruises from Seattle, WA 2024 (with Prices) on Cruise Critic - Cruise Critic
THE 25 BEST Cruises from Seattle, WA 2024 (with Prices) on Cruise Critic.
Posted: Mon, 23 Oct 2023 18:16:13 GMT [source]
Leave plenty of time to make it to the airport on disembarkation day
Royal Caribbean sails to Hawaii as part of the repositioning process to get its vessels between North America and Australia. This means each ship that sails to Alaska, does a one-time Hawaii cruise as it gets into position. If you want to get in some of the lowest Alaska cruise prices, booking early is the key. If you cruise to Alaska in late September and expect sunny skies, warm temperatures, and 18 hours of daylight, you’re going to end up disappointed.
Research the best time of year to visit Alaska before booking your cruise
Royal Caribbean has four cruise ships offering cruises to Alaska, and each has a compelling reason to choose either of them. The best way to see Alaska’s cruise ports on a budget is to explore on your own instead of booking a tour. Many cruisers to Alaska dream of seeing the northern lights while visiting the state, but the northern lights viewing season does not coordinate well with the summer cruise season. If traveling all the way to Alaska, though, we advise planning more days for a cruise and land trip. Many guests prefer spending an additional week in Alaska’s interior, giving them extra time to visit other areas like Anchorage and Fairbanks.
Both ships have miniature golf, which might come in handy for entertaining the kiddos on those long summer evenings. There are so many options to consider when you plan an Alaska cruise on Royal Caribbean, from when to go to which itinerary will satisfy all your Alaska adventure longings. Instead of transporting your luggage to the airport yourself, bags are collected outside your stateroom door in the evening prior to disembarkation. The bags are then delivered and checked onto your flight on disembarkation morning, meaning you won’t see your bags again until you arrive at your home airport.
If you have not yet booked excursions for your 2024 Alaska cruise, book them as soon as possible. Despite not visiting Glacier Bay, Royal Caribbean puts an incredible product out with their Alaska cruises. If you enjoy Royal Caribbean, it’s not necessary to book another cruise line simply to visit Glacier Bay, as you may prefer the overall experience with Royal Caribbean more than with another company. And, while onboard, kids will enjoy the activities and programming offered by Royal Caribbean. Whether in the Caribbean or Alaska, Royal Caribbean offers the same family-friendly activities and programs for its guests.
To the extent that families with younger kids book Holland America ships, they are more likely to book one of its larger vessels. Why did we pick Norwegian Encore over Norwegian Bliss as the ship offering the best Alaska cruises from Seattle for luxury lovers? Built a year after Norwegian Bliss, Norwegian Encore offers one big improvement for the upscale crowd as compared to Norwegian Bliss. The pool area, a true stunner, comes with comfortable padded loungers, a pool and whirlpools.
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