Alaska Cruise Blog

Clients are always asking me how early they should plan an Alaskan cruise.  In the past, I would advise budget-minded people to consider waiting until the last minute if they had their hearts set on getting the absolute lowest prices on their cruise.

However, having watched booking patterns over the past couple years, during which more and more cruises have sold out well in advance, I’ve now begun to advise everyone to book as early as possible.

This past year, May was one month during which last minute deals were actually available.  It is possible that this trend will continue next year, so if you are willing to consider an Alaskan cruise in May, particularly early in the month, you might be able to get the best deals by waiting.  Of course doing so is a risk, as prices might instead go up if sailings start to fill up earlier next year.

So your nest bet is to plan early and make your reservations as soon as possible.  You can generally hold your spots on the cruise worth just a deposit until a couple months before your sail date, so you don’t have to pay the entire amount far in advance.

Alaska cruises generally go on sale around May of the prior year, so start planning now, and you can get the best possible rates.

Technorati Tags: Alaska cruise, planning an Alaska cruise

Here’s a good guide for anyone considering an Alaska cruise.  While there is a lot of information online, you probably won’t have much access to the internet during your cruise (it’s very pricey to log on via the ship’s WiFi).

Therefore, it’s a great idea to bring a guidebook along on the cruise with you.  The publisher’s description of this book is as follows:

Enjoy every minute of your Alaska vacation With this comprehensive guide to the sights and stops on Alaska and Northwest Passage cruises, you can plan your trip and choose the ports and excursions that you find most appealing. With the author’s own wonderful Alaska stories and information on wildlife, native culture, landmarks, historical sites, shopping, and more, you won’t miss a thing. Upton’s HANDBOOK traces the route used by most Alaska cruises, with maps and text keyed to a route numbering/navagational system that is frequently announced on board, allowing the passenger to easily follow his ship’s progress from Mile One. The wonderful illustrated maps and color photography throughout keep you informed throughout your journey, making a wonderful souvenier when it ends.

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Technorati Tags: alaska cruise guide

Here’s an amazing video of flightseeing over Denali National Park and the breathtaking Mt. McKinley from the town of Talkeetna, Alaska.

Flightseeing tours are by far and away the best way to take in McKinley.  Not only can you rise above the clouds to see the massive peak, but you can also view huge glaciers from above.

You can even land on a glacier and walk on the half-mile thick river of ancient ice.

It’s a great addition to an Alaskan inland tour or the land portion of an Alaska cruisetour.  You can book the trip through your cruise line or directly through the flightseeing company (and often save some money in the process).

Duration : 2 min 20 sec

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Technorati Tags: alaska, Alaska cruise tours, Denali National Park, flightseeing, Mt. Mckinley, Talkeetna

Here’s a cool video of Glacier Bay Alaska, taken aboard Holland America’s MS Noordam. 

The video shows the amazing process of huge chunks of the glacier “calving” and breaking off, plummeting into the bay waters below.

This is one of the highlights of any Alaskan cruise and is a truly spectacular and surprisingly loud event.

Glacier Bay is the most popular (and, in my opinion the best) of the glacier viewing spots in the Inside Passage of Alaska.

Duration : 0:2:23

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Technorati Tags: alaska, glacier bay, holland america, Noordam

Princess Cruisetours are about the best way to see all of Alaska, from the stunning southern coastal region known as the Inside Passage to the magnificent and rugged interior of the state north of Anchorage.

Here’s a video one couple took of a Princess Alaska cruisetour (including both land and sea segments) from the summer of 2007.

The video documents stops in the ports of Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, and Whittier, along with land tour stops in Anchorage, Denali National Park/Mt. McKinley, and Fairbanks.

For the land portion of a cruisetour, you can choose from literally dozens of options offered by Princess, ranging from motorcoach tours to railroad journeys.

Princess owns and operates some of the top lodges in Alaska, including several near Denali National Park, making them many travelers’ first choice for pre and post-cruise Alaska land tours.

Duration : 0:8:25

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Technorati Tags: alaska, cruise, cruisetours, denali, fjord, glacier, island, mckinley, princess, skagway, tour

People have always asked me if Alaska cruises are just for adults or if kids might enjoy them too.  In my experience, kids and teens love them just as much as adults.

This video, made by a teen, realy relays how much they loved the experience - and how they met a bunch of kids their own age too.

So for any parents considering a trip to Alaska, take a look at this video and see just how much there is for kids to do on an Alaskan cruise and what a great time young people have on them!

Now if you are planning a trip with kids, you should know that different cruise lines tend to be better for children, have better kids facilities, and attract a younnger crowd in general.

In Alaska, the best cruise lines for kids are Princess and NCL, with Royal Caribbean a close third.

Holland America definiately skews the oldest of the major cruise lines in terms of demographics, so if your kids are the types that like to socialize with others their own age on vacation, you might want to consider Princess or NCL.