Ketchikan, Alaska. Thats not to say Whittier is lacking one of the cruises, the 26 Glacier Cruiseis among the most popular day cruises in Alaska! Duration: 2.5 On my last Alaska cruise, we booked kayaking independently for our stop in Ketchikan. Youll want to book at the peak of the salmon fishing season, from mid-June to mid-August. When looking for the best cruises to Alaska, chances are that a Celebrity itinerary will pop up. You might find that you get a wider choice of ships and cabins during either shoulder season, too. It does get dark enough at night to see them by the second week of September, but it's still not as brilliant as what youll see on a winter, land-based Alaska aurora viewing vacation. Hubbard Glacier is the largest tidewater glacier in North America. Take a drive? Pack insect repellant and full-coverage clothing as though you were planning to visit a rainforest because you are. Your information has been very helpful, so thank you! Panama: Come for the Canal; Stay for the Sofitel Legend Hotel, At HAGS in New York City, Fine Dining Goes Queer, End port: Sitka, Alaska (this same cruise is also offered in reverse), End port: Vancouver, Canada (this cruise is also offered in reverse). Similarly, its always best to book departing flights home for the afternoon in case the ship is delayed returning to port or is not cleared by authorities on time. Or, float at the face of Portage Glacier just minutes after leaving the dock. Once you're on board your ship, it's time to put all the craziness of planning and packing behind you. One subtle example of this: At the top of daily dining menus are Tlingit phrases, like Xanaa atx gaaw y, meaning its dinner time. On a larger scale, the sailings are usually the only ones to visit and get a lesson on the Glacier Bay National Park Huna Tribal House (a traditional gathering place for Tlingit peoples). In no particular order, these are cruise lines that offer Alaska cruises. You can explore a section of it on a cruise with Royal Caribbean, which offer some of the cheapest Alaska cruise rates. Free personal GPSdriven travel guide to Alaska. You can shed the jacket as temperatures allow, then lose the vest if it gets even warmer. Any recommendations? Book your shore excursions independently. Lisa Maloney, author of Moon Alaska. Does this mean you shouldn't take advantage of last-minute Alaska cruise deals if you find them? Hiking on the Best Glaciers in Alaska: Take an Adventure Cruise By Robert Schrader | Published on March 26, 2022 As I walked on top the slick, white ice of one of Hiking on Alaska Glacier Tours If youre looking to eschew the cruise ship behemoths for something more intimate, this is itAlaska Dream Cruises Kruzof Explorer holds only 12 passengers. WebAlaska Cruises | Best Glaciers To See By Ship | ALASKA.ORG Expert Advice Alaska Cruise Tips Best Time To Cruise Alaska Alaska Shore Excursions Book your shore Enormous snow-capped mountains set behind the Hubbard Glacier make glacier viewing even more impressive. In Alaska, NCL offers passengers countless off-ship activities to choose from. Day 5: Independence Mine 10:55 pm. Spotting wildlife is always unpredictable in Alaska, but your best bet of getting pics of wildlife ashore is probably late May and early June, when mothers and their calves or cubs tend to be out and about. It remains good through the third week of September. When is the best time to see Alaskas glaciers? The news, email correspondence and your Instagram followers can take a back seat until youre back home. 5. WebJuneau Prince William Sound (from Valdez) Portage Kenai Fjords & Resurrection Bay (from Seward) Ketchikan Zodiac & small group tours Great shore excursion during a cruise Rainforest Island Adventure 1 Map Website Season: Late April-early October $175 per From the time of year to natural circumstances, the location of your stateroom, and the cruise line you choose, the price range is quite wide. 26 Glacier Cruise Review Check out our blog post elaborating on the best time to cruise to Alaska. Start with these stories: The credit card offers that appear on the website are from credit card companies from which ThePointsGuy.com receives compensation. Never taken acruise? While this Lindblad sailing does start and end in those cities (since most cruise passengers fly in, its most convenient to begin the sailing in a larger port not far from a major airport before heading to more remote destinations), the days in-between are adventure packed. Hubbard Glacier. Hubbard Glacier A sightseeing vessel looks small compared to the massive size of the glacier! Roughly 50% of people visit Alaska by cruise each year, and may not care about seeing any more glaciers or whales when they visit. You can avoid the most common Alaska cruise mistakes with a little extra planning. Get these things wrong, and you might miss out on your big Alaska cruise experience. Denali National Park doesnt open up until mid-May. Spacious suites accommodate 388 guests. Wed, Aug 23, 2023. From Ketchikans totem poles and salmon fishing to the Klondike Gold Rush days in Skagway, the massive Hubbard Glacier and the wildlife of the Katmai peninsula, youll find it all (and more) on this awesome Alaska cruise. There are also hiking trails near Whittier, including the Portage Pass Trail though youll need a car to reach most of them. That could entail going kayaking among bobbing bits of glacial ice in Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness, or going for a Zodiac ride in Frederick Sound to view whales up close. You will encounter slippery slopes and rocky roads and that's just walking through Alaska port towns. Compare the cost in points or miles to cash, and see which option is best. to Visit in Alaska Seward, on the other hand, is less than 20 nautical miles from the open ocean. So don't be surprised if you find the Cape [], Top 5 Things to do in Aruba on Your Cruise, Book Cruises from Aruba They have some the greatest Alaska cruise itineraries available. Photo by Shutterstock The best time to cruise to Alaska The best time to take an Alaskan cruise is generally between May and September. No comments yet. The last 2 days of our cruise are spent passing through glacier bay national park and college fjord. Alaska cruise An impressive four large Royal Caribbean cruise ships sail the Alaskan coasts. (And you see way more than 26 glaciers on that cruise!). You could walk on glaciers, snorkel in a dry suit in the frigid Alaska waters or play with sled dog puppies. However, if whale-watching is one of your Alaska must-dos, Seward is a better option. Highlights plus less visited destinations. Book your Celebrity Cruise today! Docked: 2:00PM to 8:30PM. Juneau has its own glacier, the Mendenhall Glacier, which travelers can easily access. Other items on the agenda include exploring the pristine west coast of Chichagof Island, seeing the summer fishing camp of the Tlingit people at Klawock (where there are also 21 totem poles), and walking a rain forest path to the natural hot spring pools of Baranof Warm Springs. Here you can go on an adventure on a fishing boat and taste the local fish delicacies to learn their way of life. You can witness fjords, glaciers, streams and rivers here. When you book a cruise to Alaska, you'll enjoy a relaxing and memorable vacation with all the comforts and amenities of Princess Cruises at your beck and call. As such, youll see twice as much in the same time as 7-night return cruises to Alaska! Theres also complimentary pilates and yoga, a gym, jogging track, spa, observation library, and a slew of bars and restaurants. This is where Phillips 26 Glacier Cruise can be the perfect option; as the name suggests, its a cruise focused on seeing the many glaciers visible in Alaskas Prince William Sound. Its easy for something to go wrong. I should have landed at my destination at 11:30 a.m. but didn't arrive until after 5 p.m. Had that been embarkation day, my ship would have sailed without me. To avoid this problem, book your flights to arrive the day before your cruise departs rather than the same day. to Anchorage (Whittier), stopping in historic port cities like Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway. I want to spend a little time talking about both Whittier and Seward, and the day cruise options offered by each one. Ships also do a lot of maneuvering, including turning complete circles designed to give everyone on board access to the amazing views. Both the National Geographic Quest and National Geographic Venture make the sailing. BEST Cruises to Glacier Bay There are a couple of ways to answer this question, so let me try to do that for you: Yall know I prefer a Northbound cruise (post coming soon to explain why! For its sophomore season in Alaska, Hurtigruten Expeditions is not holding back. Red Kayak Floating Among Icebergs ICY EXPEDITIONS Best Cruise This 7-day Ultimate Glacier & Fjord Adventure takes in all major highlights from Juneau to Vancouver, particularly the spectacular passages and channels on the southeastern Alaska and British Columbia coasts.. And there are plenty of those, from Glacier Bay National Park and Stephens Passage to Rudyerd Bay (Misty Fjords), Whale Channel and Princess Royal Channel. Would you still recommend doing the 26 glacier tour, after doing the cruise? Prince William Sound. Those shoulder-season trips are chilly (theres a good chance youll see snow in some places and will need to bundle up more), but there are significantly fewer tourists to do battle with during shore excursions. Rule No.1 on Alaska cruises: Pack rain gear. WebFar and away the most popular Alaska glacier tours are half-day wildlife and glacier cruises into either Prince William Sound from Whittier or Kenai Fjords from Seward. Known as the "Galloping Glacier" locally, the Hubbard Glacier is a gigantic ice formation that is However, its far less likely youll see wildlife on these tours, and the glaciers are generally much further from the boat when you see them. Alaska Glacier Cruises Weve chosen these as the best Alaska cruises to do this year, but note that there are many more. One day might involve kayaking in Patterson Bay followed by a brisk snorkeling session. Find how many days you need based on what you want to see and do in Alaska. Even the bays can churn up quickly during summer storms. The ultimate cruise ship experience! Fri, Aug 25, 2023. Find the right card for you. Whats appealing about this Windstar Cruises itinerary is that its a good mix of Alaskas natural landscapes and coastal cityscapes. WebBest Glaciers On An Alaska Cruise. On the way, you get to see and explore famous places like the Inside Passage, the Hubbard Glacier, Ice Strait Point, Tongass National Forest, Juneau, Sitka and Skagway. If you have your heart set on seeing these animals, be sure to plan a trip to Denali National Park to spot Alaskas Big Five (including moose and bear). I hope that helps you choose! You can see a break-down of the individual months in our best time to cruise to Alaska post. Cruise prices during those times may be lower, perhaps by a couple hundred dollars per person. 2. As one of the most popular cruise destinations in the USA, Alaska is served by several, if not most, major cruise lines. If we were to pick one mega-ship operator to see Alaska on, it would be Norwegian Cruise Line. The fjord appears like a group of frozen rivers cascading down the mountainside to the blue waters. Quantum of the Seas, Ovation of the Seas, Serenade of the Seas and Radiance of the Seas all travel along the spectacular coast of northwestern North America. Going on a lavish cruise tour can be an incredibly exciting way to spend some time away. Princess Cruises is noteworthy among these Alaska cruise lines because they offer round-trip cruises to Alaska from a number of different ports, specifically Vancouver, Seattle and even San Francisco. The best time to take an Alaskan cruise is generally between May and September. Hubbard Glacier vs. Glacier Bay: Alaskan Cruising This Alaska cruise line has literally dozens of itineraries, from 7-night cruises to 11-night cruisetours. Youll also notice that when comparing cruises between the two waterways, any of the Kenai Fjords cruises that mention glaciers do it as part of a wildlife viewing cruise, whereas the most common Prince William Sound cruise is literally called the 26 Glacier Cruise. You've made it, and you dont want to let anything get in the way of enjoying your cruise. Keep an eye out for any glacial calving, as the glacier often drops 10-story tall icebergs into the waters! Set sail on the Celebrity Solstice for 7 Nights and experience the best of Alaska on the Alaska Dawes Glacier. If you have decided to go on an Alaskan cruise, check out the best places to visit to make your trip memorable. selection of global partners. On the other hand, Seward is much larger and home to roughly 2,773 people. Cruises depart from either Seattle or Vancouver, while Holland Americas Land+Sea Cruise Tours can take you to Denali or even deep into the Yukon. Want to see whales? Best things to do in Alaska with teenagers and tweenagers. Related: The best cruise travel insurance plans. Yes. Discover several options in the category of best cruise line for Alaska on a budget. My family and I are planning a trip to Alaska the last week in August (Denali, Whittier, Sewardand points in between). Juneau is the home of the Alaska State Museum, and travelers can experience the Inuit culture by visiting the city. Web3. You may even catch a glimpse of impressive 40-ton humpback whales breaching the waters around the fjord. Web4 Best Glaciers to Add to Your Alaska Itinerary (No Cruise Needed!) This naturally suggests that while you might see whales, its not common enough that the tour operators are willing to stake their business on it. Mosquitoes in Alaska aren't always a nuisance, but they can be horrendous. In this post, Ill share my Phillips 26 However, this UnCruise Adventures sailing is aimed at those who want an more heart-pumping immersion into some little-visited areas of the 49th state, like South Baranof Island Wilderness Area and Chichagof Island. The most spectacular of all, though, may be Alaskan glacier tours. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Don't be surprised if you feel seasick in Alaska's waters, even if no other cruise has made you feel that way. agreeing to our use of cookies. Alaska solo cruise - late September 2:07 am. A kid broke an arm on the ship and needed surgery, so a family of five disembarked in Ketchikan not exactly a cheap end to their vacation, I'm guessing. Unfortunately, its easier than you think to make Alaska cruise mistakes that can ruin a trip or prevent you from experiencing Alaska to the fullest. If you love snow and admire the enchanting view of nature, Alaska is the perfect destination for you. Some of the smallest boats hold between 12 and 100 passengers, and many of them are all-inclusive (or at least inclusive of almost everything except alcohol). Are you taking kids on your Alaska cruise? All Rights Reserved. I started this site to share my travel stories and inspiration to help you complete bucket list trips. Visits to bustling port towns like Juneau and Ketchikan are balanced with days spent entirely in the wilderness of Endicott Arm and Misty fjords. Only select cruise It is located at the head of Passage Canal in Prince William Sound, roughly 60 miles south of Anchorage. Alaska Glacier Tours I especially like puffy vests and jackets for Alaska. If you want to see whales and/or glaciers and other sea life, youre in luck: both Seward and Whittier offer plenty of opportunities to see other sea life. Unfortunately, much of what you will see is from a distance. You'll have the chance to observe glacial calving as sizable chunks of ice fall into the water. Read more in my Privacy Policy. Explore Further. Spend seven days traveling from Vancouver, B.C. Known as the "Galloping Glacier" locally, the Hubbard Glacier is a gigantic ice formation that is quickly making its way toward the Gulf of Alaska into a breathtaking area called Disenchantment Bay.
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best glacier to see in alaska cruise