Alaska Cruise - Planning Your Perfect Trip

So you want to take an Alaska Cruise? It's going to be a fantastic trip! But how do you make all the decisions to make it perfect for you?

Step 1: The Basics

Here's a good place to start learning about all your options... Cruising Alaska: A Starter Guide by Lonely Planet.

The main decisions to make in step 1 are:

1. Mainstream large ship cruise, small ship cruise, or Alaska State Ferries?

2. If mainstream large ship, 1-way cruise or roundtrip?

3. If 1-way, do you want to extend the trip with a cruisetour?

4. Seattle or Vancouver for departure/arrival?

Step 2: Narrowing Down the Options

If you decide on a large mainstream cruise you can choose your vacation purely based on departure date and price or you can look more closely at the options. Do a cruise search on a website like Expedia.com or VacationsToGo.com and plug in the parameters you chose in step 1.

The main considerations, aside from date and price, in step 2 are:

1. Cruise line

2. Itinerary - visited ports and glacier areas

Cruiselines:

Every cruiseline has both happy and unhappy customers on every cruise, and this is mostly dependent on how well the cruiseline's overall offerings match with the customer's preferences and expectations. Each ship within a line is different, so check write-ups on CruiseCritic.com to get a feel for each ship you're considering.

Mass-market (Carnival, Norwegian, Royal Caribbean) - Traditionally, these lines have been lower-cost, larger ships, that are known for a lively atmosphere, younger passengers, and kids' programs. Norwegian offers freestyle cruising (no set dinner seating and no formal nights), Carnival generally gets the nod for best value in terms of food, and Royal Caribbean is family-friendly with innovative features.

Premium (Princess, Holland America, Celebrity, Disney) - Considered to be a step up in quality from food to cabins to service. Except for Disney, passengers tend to be a bit older, the onboard vibe is a little more low-key, and kids' programs weren't a focus until a few years ago. Most ships offer enrichment programs and naturalist programs in Alaska. Princess offers big-screen movies on most ships, Holland America has a demonstration kitchen, and Celebrity is known for excellent food. Disney focuses on kids while keeping it sane for adult passengers.

Itinerary:

The typical Alaska cruise will include stops in Ketchikan, Juneau, and Skagway, along with cruising in Glacier Bay National Park and one other scenic area. Some itineraries will swap in Sitka or Icy Straight Point in place of one of the bigger ports. All Celebrity cruises and some itineraries by other lines will visit Hubbard Glacier instead of Glacier Bay.

Personally, I've cruised Glacier Bay and thought it was spectacular, and I've heard people say that Hubbard Glacier is just as impressive. If you have your heart set on Glacier Bay, though, be sure to pick an itinerary that goes there. Likewise for the port stops, read the write-ups at CruiseCritic to see which ones appeal to you.