Tips to get the most out of your Alaska Vacation

 2014 Alaska Cruises - Alaska Cruises and Land Tours - Inside Passage cruises - Gulf of Alaska cruises, Alaska Cruisetours Alaska cruises from Seattle, Alaska cruises from Vancouver

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The problem with Alaska vacations today is there are almost to many choices. The sheer number of cruises and cruisetours can be overwhelming, particularly for first timers. The following information may be helpful to you in selecting the vacation package that is right for you.

• Deal with experienced Alaska agents who know Alaska, have been there a lot and know what they are  talking about. The misinformation about Alaska provided by travel agents who have never been there is mind boggeling sometimes. An Alaska specialist will make sure you get the best value and experience on your trip.
• Don’t let anyone talk you into an Alaska vacation you either aren’t sure you want or may not be able to afford.
• We want you to have the experience of a lifetime and that can only happen if you are totally comfortable with your decision and are genuinely excited about it.
• We DO HOPE you will keep us in mind when you decide to book your Alaska vacation. We want and appreciate your business!

What’s New?

• A total of 15 cruise lines and 39 ships will ply the waters of Alaska in 2013.  Book early for best price and selection, particularly for cruisetours as they sell out fast. A good agency should price protect so that if the cruise line lowers the price, you will automatically get the lower price. There are a few more small ships sailing that aren't included above.  
• Because of the number of ships sailing, many are doing outside passage instead of inside passage cruises. Make sure your are on an inside passage cruise as you will miss a lot of beautiful scenery if you are on the outside passage.

Useful Alaska Tidbits

• Weather - The typical temperature in Alaska during the cruise season averages between 65 and 70 in the daytime and 45 to 50 at night. In interior Alaska, Fairbanks may get up to the 90's since it is in the high desert. Anchorage and Denali will be cooler.
• Time - Alaska is one hour earlier than Pacific Standard Time or four hours earlier than the east coast.
• Clothing - Many cruise lines have relaxed dress codes somewhat and that is appropriate for Alaska. Check with your cruise counselor about Formal, Semi-formal, Country Club casual and resort casual for dining on your cruise. During the daytime and always on land, casual is the dress of the day. Wear comfortable shoes that are suitable for walking on varied surfaces. Generally, layering works best and polar fleece products are great light weight garments that can keep you comfortable and not be to bulky. Heavy parkas and winter attire are seldom needed unless you are going very early or very late in the season. Remember, even though it is summer, it is not Florida. Mother Nature likes to show people who is boss in Alaska and sometimes the weather can be unpredictable. You should also bring rain gear as rain is quite common in southeast Alaska.
• Equipment - Bring good binoculars. Buying them on your trip can be pricey. Same with memory cards for your camera etc.

The Alaska Season

You would be amazed at the number of calls we get from folks who would like to do an Alaska cruise over Thanksgiving or New Years. Sorry, the Alaska season is short and you probably wouldn't want to be going across the Gulf of Alaska in December.

• The first big ship sailing to Alaska is in the first week of May usually. There are some smaller ships sailing in April but the offical cruise season kicks of the first of May. 
• Last ship sailing Alaska itineraries is the third week of Septembrrrr. The weather changes fast in the north and the days get short. If you are going to do a land tour, you should start it by the first week in September. 

First things first. Most important things you have to decide about your Alaska trip!

• How much do you want to see?
• How long do you have to do it?
• How much do you want to spend?
  • Factors that affect price:
    • Travel date and length
    • Age based specials for seniors.
    • Whether you are a past cruise passenger.
    • Your state of residence.
    • Other special promotions.
    • But most of all, the cruise line and type of stateroom you select.
      • Inside stateroom on the lowest deck is least expensive
        • Each deck you go up the price increases slightly
      • Oceanview is next lowest price. Cabin is the same as inside but you have a picture window.
      • Balcony is higher in price but well worth it for Alaska.
      • Suites can be pricey but it all depends on how comfortable you want to be.
    • A Consideration: Alaska is different than most other itineraries. The scenery is breathtaking, the days are much longer and the opportunity to see wildlife is always present. You may be your stateroom more than you think because of the long days. You will find that being in a balcony stateroom is a relaxing great way to enjoy the scenery and having breakfast on your private balcony can be a good way to start the day.
    • In selecting a staterrom, if you are doing a northbound one directional sailing, try to get a stateroom on the starboard side (right side if you are facing forward) as that is the land side. If you are doing a southbound, the port side. If you are doing a roundtrip inside or outside passage, either side will do.

Choosing the right Alaska cruise and/or land tour for you. Your options:

• Seven to fourteen day roundtrip sailings of the inside or outside passage from Seattle or Vancouver BC. These are the most common cruises for first time Alaska cruisers. You will only be seeing about 28% of Alaska, but it is stunningly beautiful.
• Seven day northbound or southbound Gulf of Alaska sailings between Vancouver and Seward or Whittier or vice versa. I prefer Seward. You will either fly into or home from Anchorage. the advantage to a one directional is that you travel across the Gulf of Alaska and into Prince William Sound and College Fjord with the seven Ivy League Glaciers. You also sail into Kenai Fjords National Park which can be incredible by moonlight. The trip from Seward to Anchorage across the Kenai Peninsula is one of the 10 most scenic byways in the nation.
• Nine to sixteen day cruisetours that include the seven day north or southbound cruise with a land package at the beginning or end allowing you to see the heart of Alaska. This is the best way to see Alaska. At the conclusion you will have seen the most beautiful and intriguing scenery in the world from the glaciers of southeast Alaska to Talkeetna and Denali National Park.
• Thirteen to fourteen day Klondike Yukon Explorer packages. This trip starts or ends with a three or four day cruise from Vancouver, visiting Glacier Bay National Park and ending in Skagway. From there it is by train and motorcoach following the trail of the goldminers of 1898 over Whites Pass into the Yukon Territory visiting Kluane National Park, Whitehorse, Dawson City, Eagle and Tok with a 100 mile float trip down the remote Eagle river. You will go to Fairbanks, Denali National Park and end your trip in Anchorage. This is a great trip for those who want to see more land and less cruise and have an interest in history.  
• A variety of customized land only trips for those who don't want to cruise.

Cruise Line and Ship

The type of cruise line and ship you select determines the price you pay and quality of experience you will have. Cruise lines are like hotel chains. They range in style from moderate through the 6 star luxury class. There aren't any Motel 6's in the fleet and all over a pretty good experience.

• Luxury Cruise Lines –
  Smaller ships outstanding service, quality of cuisine, onboard enrichment programs, all inclusive with gratuities, liquor, table wine and many shore excursions included or at a discounted rate.
  • Regent Seven Seas -One of the best Alaska cruises we have ever taken.
  • Silversea - We will be hosting a cruise on Silversea in June. 
• Premium Cruise Lines -Generally above average in service and food and amenities
  • Holland America - the "grandaddy" of Alaska celebrating nearly sixty years of serving the market with eight ships, their own hotels, railcars and motorcoaches.
  • Celebrity - A good quality product with excellent ships and great land tours. Take a look at Cruisetour 14 on Celebrity. Read more
  • Princess - The lower end of premium but a good product. Watch out for the outside passage intineraries here.
  • Disney Cruise Lines from Seattle - A great family vacation choice.
  • Oceania A premium plus smaller ship.
• Contemporary Mass Market Cruise Lines - Good Quality and Service
  • Royal Caribbean - Older ship from Seattle but great ship in Vancouver.
  • Carnival - The "Funship" with its first year out of Seattle. Good deals on balconies but the neon might scare the bears.
  • Norwegian - Freestyle resort casual all the time, anytime dining.
• Niche Cruise Lines -Up Close and Personal 
• Un-Cruise Adventures - Formerly American Safari and Inner Sea Discoveries.
• American Cruise Line-  Small ship operator serving Alaska
• Alaska Dream Vacations - Owned and operated by Alaskans focusing on history & culture.

Embarkation/Disembarkation

• Cruising from Seattle - Pier 66 Bell Street Pier or Pier 91 Smith Gove Terminal
• Cruising from Vancouver - Canada Place or Ballantyne Pier
• Flying Requires you to clear Canadian Customs at the International Terminal
• By car you clear customs at the border which can have long backups at times
  • Valet Parking at Canada Place - $69CAD per week
• By Motorcoach from SEATAC Airport to Vancouver - 4 hour ride
• By Amtrak from Seattle - Our Pick! A comfortable, relaxing ride along the waters of Puget Sound. You clear customs at the train station in Vancouver which is quick and easy. You leave Seattle at 7:40AM and arrive Vancouver at 11:45AM. A short cab ride to the cruise pier allows you to get on the ship in plenty of time and enjoy your sail away at 5:00PM

Ports of Call

• Ketchikan – Salmon Capitol of the world/ Saxon Totem Village
• Juneau – Mendenhall Glacier / Mt Roberts Tram/ Misty Fjords National Park
• Hoonah – Icy Straight Point – Sophia Point Fishing History / Canneries
• Skagway – White Pass Scenic Railway/ the Red Onion
• Haines – Chilkat Eagle Preserve
• Sitka – St Micheals Russian Orthodox Cathedral - Sitka is a great port of call.
• Wrangell – Russian/British/ US History
• Valdez – Switzerland of Alaska / Pipleline terminal
• Kodiak Island – BEARS, BEARS, BEARS
• Victoria BC - An obligatory stop to comply with the Passenger Services Act which requires a foreign port of call for ships sailing out of Seattle Roundtrip. Victoria is a beautiful city but your time will be limited there. A city tour is the best way to see as much in as short a period of time possible.
• Whittier / Seward – Embarkation/Disembarkation

Shore Excursions

This is where you can spend a lot of money. Purchasing your shore excursions in advance is a good idea and can save you a lot of time on the ship and also avoid disappointment if an excursion is sold out. Each of these port cities are small so you can actually not do any shore excursions and just walk the town and still have a great time. Private shore excursions can be a good value with smaller group size, more interesting stops and many times superior tour guides. You can prepurchase three port packages which can save you a bit of money.

The Glaciers from Sea

Many people are concerned they may not see Glacier Bay. Trust me, you won't be disappointed with any of the glaciers you see on your cruise. Each is different in its own way and all are spectacular. Hubbard Glacier is among the largest tidewater glaciers in the world at seven miles wide. Glacier Bay is incredible in its scenery but the Federal Courts have greatly restricted the number of permits issued allowing big ships to go in. Tracy Arm and the Misty Fjords have the bluest of the glacial ice and the sheer cliffs rising straight out of the water are amazing. Whichever one you go to, I think you will be thrilled particularly if you are lucky enough to witness calving. On a typical inside passage cruise you will only visit one of the three principle glaciers - either Tracy Arm, Glacier Bay or Hubbard Glacier but not all three. On a Gulf of Alaska cruise, you will visit one of the three plus, depending on the cruise line and itinerary perhaps Prince William Sound and College Fjord.

• Tracy Arm and the Twin Sawyer Glaciers
• Glacier Bay National Park
• Hubbard Glacier
• College Fjord and the Seven Ivy League Glaciers

Interior Alaska

The most popular land tour packages added on a cruise tour are Anchorage, Denali National Park and Fairbanks. There are so many tours to choose from it is totally confusing to most people, myself included. My recommendation is to sail into Seward and go by train from Seward to Anchorage. You see additional glaciers you won't see from the roadway and it is much more fun than riding on a bus. Going to Alaska and not seeing Anchorage (as many of the Princess Direct to the Wilderness Tours do) is a bit of disappointment. It would be like going to New York City and not seeing the Statue of Liberty.

From Anchorage go to Talkeetna by scenic railcar. On a clear day, there is no better place to see the majesty of Mt McKinley at over 20,000 feet and its sister peaks rising over 18,000 feet than from your room or the deck at the Grand Talkeetna Lodge. A flightseeing tour around Mt McKinley will be one of the most breathtaking and exciting trips you will ever do. K2 Aviation does a great job with it.

From Talkeetna, go by train to Denali National Park and opt for the two day Double Denali Package. Unfortunately, there are so many cruisetours now, the cruise lines have created assembly line cookie cutter packages that I think are a waste of time and money. Many of them are doing a three hour Denali Natural History tour which goes fifteen miles into the park. It is very doubtful you will see much wildlife and it is a shame to go all the way to Denali for such a superficial view. The real tour to do is the seven hour Deep Tundra Wildlife Tour early in the morning that takes you fifty three miles into the park. That is where you will likely see the wildlife and get a real feel for what Denali is all about.

From Denali, once again board the train for Fairbanks. Probably the best thing to do in Fairbanks is the Riverboat Discovery on the Chena River with a stop at Chena Village which is a totally non commerical village that demonstrates how the indigenous people lived in the rugged country.

Other popular and interesting destinations for land travel in Alaska are:

• Kenai Peninsula - Some of the best river fishing in the world and beautiful scenery
• Homer - A quirky little town known for fishing charters and a lot of  Arts & Crafts from old hippies.
• Aleyska – the Alyeska Prince resort is a world class ski area. In the summer it is a beautiful place to stay with tram rides to the top of the mountain where you get spectacular view of Turnagin Arm. The little town of Girdwood right at Aleyaska is home of the Double Muskie a local favorite restaurant.
• Anchorage – Alaska's largest city has the most shopping and is home to the Native Heritage Cultural Center which provides an interesting and informative overview of the historic peoples of the great land. Anchorage is home to Grizzly Junction, home of the world's highest milk chocolate waterfall.
• Copper River – For those interested  in the Trans Alaska Pipeline, you get miles of views. One of the great flightseeing tours to Kennicot, a historic mining town that was simply abandoned with everyone leaving so fast the china was still on the table. It has been preserved as it was left and is an interesting place to see. The flight over takes you across the Wrangell Mt St. Elias National Park with spectacular 17,000 foot peaks.
• Denali National Park – For those who don't need a lot of hand holding, one option to tour Denali is on your own riding the green shuttle buses which can take you a full 93 miles to the Kantishna Road House. You will see far more than you would ever see on a tan tour bus. It is also a hop on hop off shuttle system where you can spend time in any area that strikes an interest. Again, you are on your own, so if you are an independent type this works well. No box lunches or hot cocoa unless you bring your own.
• Nome - An old gold mining town best know as the termination point of the Iditarod sled dog race. If you want to see a real live Musk Ox, this is place to see it.
• Kotzebuee - A native village known for its colorful and exciting blanket tosses
• Coldfoot and Barrow - As you travel north from Fairbanks you go through Coldfoot (it is named Coldfoot for a reason!) on to Barrow, the point of origin of the Trans Alaska Pipeline. For engineering types it may be of significant interest. To the unenlightened like me, yep that sure is a bunch of pipes. Seriously, part of the trip up particulary by air is the opportunity to see the Artic National Wildlife Preserve. It will give you a new appreciation for why it should be left unspoiled.

Alaska Winter Vacation Season

If you mention a vacation to Alaska in the winter to most people, they look at you like you need your head examined. In reality, it can be a fun, interesting trip. You just have to go prepared. The best time is late February through Mid March and  is centered around the start of the Iditarod dog sled race from Anchorage to Nome and is now combined with the Fur Rendezvous celebration. These are absolutely a hoot to go to. We start our trips in Fairbanks with a visit to the World Ice Sculpture Competition which is fascinating. The artwork with the ice is dazzeling and impressive for sure. We also include a two night trip to Chena Hot Springs sixty miles northwest of Fairbanks which is considered one of the best places in the world to view the northern lights. It is an impressive display to be sure. There is also something to be said about the walk from the locker rooms to the hot springs in minus 30 degree temperatures. Unfortunately I can't say it here because it is less than suitable for family viewing.