Alaska: Cruising in the Last Frontier

Alaska by Cruise Ship

Seeing wildlife, glaciers, mountains, and the northern lights top many people's wish list for their trip to Alaska. Clients often want to know when they should travel, by what method, and which itinerary fits their specific interests. The focus on this page is on cruise travel, although some of the tips and suggestions apply to any journey. The videos are from a trip I took in June 2019 on the Inside Passage route.

Alaska calls itself "the last frontier", with good reason. The capital, Juneau, isn't even accessible by road. You've got to fly in or come by water. The two most typical cruise ship routes give comprehensive views of the Inside Passage, a route through areas otherwise inaccessible or very difficult to reach by land.

Inside Passage Cruises

The Inside Passage cruises sail from a west coast port (Seattle or Vancouver) on 7-night cruises. There can also be longer itineraries from San Francisco. They combine scenic cruising with stops at ports like Skagway, Ketchikan, Juneau Sitka, and Haines. Scenic cruising includes one of the many glacial areas such as Glacier Bay. These are round trip itineraries, returning you to the same port you departed from.

Gulf of Alaska Cruises

Gulf of Alaska cruises also cruise in the Inside Passage, but then continue on to end in Seward or Whittier. This is to allow people to add further exploration by land to their trip. Many people choose to go on to Denali National Park for a couple of nights, and can also add Fairbanks, the Yukon, Anchorage, and Talkeetna to the trip. These cruises are also usually 7 nights long, with the addition of from 2 to 7 nights on land.

Ships

Which type of ship is best for you? You have a wide choice, from small exploration vessels to the latest amenity-filled cruise ship. Here are some key benefits of each type of experience.

Expedition-style vessels, often with fewer than 200 passengers, provide an active and up-close experience. Expeditions by zodiacs get passengers to the shoreline and wildlife. The ships can be luxurious. Many are designed for adults or older children, although some have programs designed for school-age children. All include experts on many relevant topics on board who give presentations and often accompany guests on expeditions. Some of the smaller ships also will alter the itinerary to take advantage of wildlife sightings. Itineraries can include places where the bigger ships cannot go, including landings on shore away from any port.
Cruise ships vary in size and amenities, and tend to be very family-friendly. Many have programs designed for children of all ages as well as adults, making them a great choice for multi-generational groups as well as families. Staterooms can typically accommodate up to four people, and there is a choice of connecting rooms or various suites. They also provide easy connections with pre or post-cruise land arrangements. Passengers find fitness centers, spas, multiple restaurants, bars, and entertainment choices on board, as well as a wide range of shore excursions offered.

What's the Best Time to Visit Southeast Alaska?

The cruise season in Alaska runs from mid-May to mid-September. Weather for Denali National Park can be a factor for the earliest and latest dates, as the one road through the park can be closed. Most people who visit Denali want to take a tour into the park to get the fullest look at the scenery and, possibly, wildlife. The longest and most comprehensive tour is the Tundra Wilderness tour. That takes you deepest into the park. The busiest and most crowded season is during school vacation weeks.

Here's a quick guide for optimal planning. These are trends for the best times for each category, but there are no guarantees where weather and wildlife are concerned!

Bears: best viewing late May/early June; late July to mid-September. We saw a mother and cub on the tracks of the White Pass Railway in late June.

Orcas: Late May/early June; late July - September. We saw orcas in Misty Fjords in late June.

Humpback whales: entire season

King Salmon fishing: Late May/early June; late July

Spawning salmon: late July - mid-September

Birding: late May - early June; late August - early September.

Glacier calving: most in the warmer months, we saw calving on Dawes Glacier in late June/early July.

Longest daylight hours: May - mid-June

Lowest rainfall: May - June

Wildflowers: late May - early June.

Northern Lights: September - March, when the shorter days lead to darker nights. Take into consideration the moon cycles, because the darker the sky, the better your chance of seeing the lights.

Top-rated Shore Excursions

Scenery and Gold Rush History

I recommend the White Pass and Yukon Railway out of Skagway for the combination of spectacular scenery and for bringing to life the hardships and history of the Klondike Gold Rush. This is consistently rated as a top choice excursion by Alaska travelers.

Sled Dogs

Sled dog teams are an iconic part of Alaska, celebrated every year with the challenging Iditarod race from Anchorage to Nome. You can visit a musher's camp in many places, or even have a sled ride on a glacier. We visited a camp outside Juneau, and took a ride on the summer version of the sled, a wheeled buggy. As a dog lover, I was concerned this might be exploitative, but it was not. These dogs are bred to run, want to run, and need to run. This is their job, and they do it enthusiastically. We got to greet the dogs, and meet the latest crop of puppies.

Wilderness and Wildlife

Misty Fjords National Monument is a 2.3 million acre wilderness area near Ketchikan that is best seen by boat. The half-day cruise gets you up close to sheer cliffs, waterfalls, and the misty rainforest. Orca, bald eagles and many other types of wildlife can be spotted here.

Other top-rated excursions include:

Flightseeing by float plane or helicopter
Hiking (including glacier hikes)
Bear and wildlife explorations
Whale watching
Dog sledding on a glacier
Whitewater rafting
Salmon fishing
Kayaking
Native Alaskan history and heritage tours

Alaska