The stakes are high.
For you it may be a once in a lifetime trip you’ve been dreaming of.
Or if you're returning and think you know the traps, there's still much that can go
wrong.
An Alaska cruise often costs twice the price of a Caribbean one, excursions are phenomenally
expensive.
It's got to be right.
I am Gary Bembridge, and here’s 7 things I have found are essential to a successful
Alaska cruise.
Some I learnt from making mistakes and others from those I see people keep making.
The first thing people trip up on is choosing the cruise, as all look very similar.
On the surface, there are just two itineraries, and they share three key features but it’s
more complex than it seems if you want to get the best trip.
The two itineraries are either the Inside Passage, which are round trips usually out
of Vancouver or Seattle, or one-way trips between the north and south between ports
near Anchorage (Whittier or Seward) and Vancouver or Seattle.
Both share three key features.
First, they are usually seven nights long.
Second, they call on the same three ports (Skagway, Juneau, and Ketchikan, although
some may use Sitka) and thirdly they include one of more days of scenic glacier cruising
to places like Hubbard Glacier or Glacier Bay.
However, look at the itinerary closely to check how many days will be spent in Alaska
versus just getting there and back.
For example, Inside Passage cruises out of Vancouver or Seattle, have two days at sea
getting to and from Alaska.
The north to south I recently did on Majestic Princess had only one day not in Alaska.
I recommend go on a cruise calling on Skagway, Ketchikan, and Juneau as this is where the
best excursions and activities are.
But look carefully at how long the ship will be in port.
Some ships are in one or more ports for limited times.
For example, I saw Discovery Princess spending just five hours in Juneau and Celebrity Solstice
just four hours in Skagway.
You want to have as much time as possible in each port to do the best or even multiple
activities in each.
Taking all this into account, I preferred my North-to-South cruise, as it had just one
day not in Alaska, got me to the Hubbard Glacier, I experienced the incredible Glacier Explorer
train from Anchorage, where I flew into, to Whittier to join the ship, and avoided the
more complicated and slow Vancouver embarkation which has both Canadian and US Immigration
checks.
However, for first timers, an Inside Passage is a simple way of doing it as less flights
and logistics and still see incredible sides of Alaska.
No matter which you choose, a mistake I made the first time I went on an Alaska cruise
was not add in pre- and post-cruise stays.
First, because it's a long way to go.
It took me nine and a half hours flight from the UK and then I had to get up to Anchorage
and there was an 8-hour time difference.
many US travellers spend 6 plus hours getting to the cruise and face time differences too.
It’s worth having days to recover and be on top form for the cruise, as it is hectic
and tiring with many excursions being lengthy and full days out on deck watching for wildlife,
looking at glaciers and scenery.
Consider adding a land-based trip to see more of Alaska and chance to see wildlife close.
For example, to Denali where lines like Princess and Holland America own lodges, operate scenic
trains, and busses.
One thing many worry about getting wrong is when to go.
I don’t think there is a wrong time.
The season is short, roughly five months from May to September.
It's always in demand, and it can be pricey always.
It's likely to rain pretty much any time you go, and the weather will fluctuate from being
chilly right through to warm pretty much all the time too.
I like the beginning of the season, May, or June before it gets busy during school vacation
time.
If you want to see wildlife, then the peak months of late June, thought to August is
good, particularly once the salmon run has started and the bears really come out.
But on my May and June cruises, I saw whales, bears, sea otters, and loads of birds.
If you can go early in the season or at the very end, it's likely to be slightly less
busy and less expensive.
Some businesses and tours may not be open very early and towards the very end of the
season.
Although any time you go is going to be busy.
There are around 30 ships sailing there in the season, and with only those limited ports
there will be 5 to 6 ships in each when you call.
The third thing people ask me often is what is the right line to go to Alaska with?
And should they go with a line they like, or one of the lines like Holland America that
has been cruising there for over 75 years or Princess for over 50 years?
There is a lot of choice as pretty much every single line from ultra-luxury to mass resort
style line is either based in Alaska for the season or does some cruises in Alaska.
So, you should be able to go on your usual favourite.
My advice is the itinerary should be the more important consideration, and I recommend at
least consider going on a line that will take you into Glacier Bay.
Going there should trump your usual line preference.
It is so amazing and going to Alaska without seeing it is a miss.
Glacier Bay only allows two large cruise ships in per day and only a few lines have access.
Holland America and Princess have the most access, followed by Norwegian Cruise Line.
Very few other lines can offer you Glacier Bay.
Of course, Holland America and Princess are traditional, classic, premium cruise lines
with a reputation for being more staid and possibly older guests.
However, this gets turned on its head in Alaska based on my experience.
On my Alaska cruises on both Holland America and Princess, I saw much younger and more
varied age ranges than usual, dramatically more multi-generational families than usual,
many kids and teens of all ages and little attention to the usual more formal dress code.
Even on formal nights, people dressed informally.
Even if you choose your favourite line, do not expect it to be the normal crowd and on-board
vibe.
People chose the line more for the itinerary and budget than in any other region from what
I have seen.
More than in any other region I get asked if a balcony cabin is a must for Alaska.
If you can, stretch to a balcony cabin as it’s particularly good when you're doing
scenic cruising days.
These are long days and it's great to be in your cabin and out on the balcony watching
it go by.
Some of the best views and photographs I've got were from my balcony cabin.
If they make an announcement that they’ve spotted whales or bears, you can quickly just
jump out on the balcony and look at those if on the right side.
Can you make a mistake by choosing the wrong side of the ship?
In my view, it does not make a huge difference.
However, if you're doing a north to south, I would tend to, if you're heading south,
try and be on the left-hand side (port side) because the land is on that side.
And of course, if you're heading the other way, you go on the starboard side so you're
in the right-hand side.
On my last trip I couldn't get a cabin on the left-hand port side for my north to south
and I felt I missed out a little bit, but it doesn't massively make a huge difference.
One mistake that I almost made on my first trip was budgeting.
There is a lot of extra costs to build in.
I've already mentioned that you'll often find on average for the cruise, you can be spending
twice going to a busy area like the Caribbean.
Then you need to factor in the onboard extras, like gratuities, drinks, Wi-Fi, speciality
dining, shopping, spa, and casino.
However, if you want to get the most out of Alaska, I do feel that you must spend on excursions.
The towns themselves are interesting enough, but they're small.
Skagway only has a population of between 800 and 1,000 and there's pretty much not much
going on.
Ketchikan is basically a bit of a tourist trap town filled with souvenir shops.
Juneau has more going on.
But for all, the action is out of town and often involve floatplanes, helicopters, boats
and even trains and they cost.
I recommend you try and budget to do a series of key things in Alaska.
First, get up and close to glaciers.
Walk on them, fly over them, go dog sledding on them, hike or have a boat get you close
to them.
Juneau is a fantastic place for that.
I tend to do my glacier stuff here because you've got the Mendenhall Glacier, and other
glaciers around here.
I did a helicopter ride up onto the Norris Glacier to go dog sledding but cost about
$600.
On my last trip, I did a helicopter ride to walk on a glacier that was around $360 so
these are insane amounts of money.
You can though get a local bus for $4 and then hike to the glacier.
Ketchikan is another good place for glacier watching where you can go on a float plane
for example and fly over the Misty Fjords and see many.
The second activity to budget for, particularly if you're a wildlife fan is to go whale and
wildlife viewing.
Whale watching excursions can cost you over $150 to go out.
That's a particular popular activity in Skagway and Ketchikan.
The third thing I recommend is do the White Pass and Yukon Railway in Skagway.
This historic railway line was built to transport goods and ore when the Gold Rush started,
but now it is purely for recreation and takes you high up into the mountains.
It costs about $135 per person.
The fourth thing you may want to do is do going eating and drinking.
There are often salmon bakes, which can be a bit tourist trap but fun, or going to local
breweries.
I must say probably the best fish and chips I have ever had was when in Juneau at the
Alaska Brewhouse.
If you're particularly active is there's many activity-based excursions, like zip lining,
kayaking, and hiking.
There are very limited cultural immersion activities.
In Ketchikan you can go to explore totem poles and indigenous history, of course you should
go to the Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show which is a lot of fun.
As these can all be so costly you should cost out your options.
You can go with a cruise line, and I strongly recommend booking your excursions far in advance
as many will sell out.
If they are sold out, or too costly, look at independent providers like VentureAshore.com
and ShoreExcursionsGroup.com who offer similar excursions or you can wait until in port,
as you'll find as you step off the ship there are many booths quayside offering trips.
I tend to prefer though, to stick with either the cruise line ones or those ones through
the independent providers as I feel they are better screened and of course the cruise line
will wait only for their excursions if running late, so make sure you book with plenty of
time to get back to the ship.
This brings me to the one topic that I know everyone going to Alaska makes a mistake with.
Evidenced by everyone I spoke to on my last trip saying they wished they had brought something
they had left at home.
And that includes me!
Let’s talk clothing first.
Assume it will rain and bring stuff to deal with being on an excursion, walking about
town or standing out on deck scenic viewing in the rain.
A hooded jacket is best, though a portable umbrella is also a good idea.
I also take my waterproof trousers though only used once and not essential.
Next, assume when you are out in port or scenic cruising you will be both cold and hot in
one day and within hours of each other.
The best way to deal with that is layers.
I use the principle I was taught expedition cruising.
Base layer, Protection layer and Waterproof layer.
For base layer, I pack my long johns, thick woolen socks and top.
These I only used when was on excursions that landed on a glacier.
But for the rest of the days, jeans, t-shirts, and long-sleeved tops were my base layer.
For protection layer, I packed a fleece, a zippy top and a thick warm jumper so I had
options based on how cold it was.
I also took waterproof gloves, scarf, and a warm beanie hat.
I did also pack a puffy jacket which I was glad of for one of the scenic cruising days
and up on the glacier
Then for the waterproof layer that I have covered already.
For example, in Juneau I had all layers on in the morning to fly and walk on the glacier,
but on return by lunch time I was walking around in just a t-shirt with all the layers
in my rucksack.
Which, by the way is a must bring, to put your layers in before or in case you need
them when out.
Make sure that you bring sunglasses too because it can be very bright particularly if you're
going onto glaciers.
For the ship during the day I just packed causal gear, polo shirts, spare jeans, and
my gym gear.
I did pack a pair of smart non-jean slacks and a long-sleeved shirt for formal nights.
Though I didn’t need to have those in the end.
But of course, in theory on Princess jeans are not to be worn in the dining room and
some lines are even stricter, though in Alaska many ignore that.
If you want to know more about Alaska cruising, watch this video where I dive in detail about
what it's like cruising in Alaska right now starting with the biggest surprise I had and
why, if I go to Alaska again, I will absolutely repeat it.
See you over there.