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Depending on your cruise itinerary, there may be a chance to book an excursion on a scenic cruising glacier day. Some glaciers offer a “Wilderness Explorer” excursion, during which passengers disembark the cruise ship and embark a small vessel, allowing them to get up close and personal to glaciers. Haines, Alaska is a relatively new port for Royal Caribbean cruises to visit. Located on the way to Skagway along the Chilkoot Inlet, Haines is a small port accommodating just one large cruise ship at a time.
The 6 best Alaska shore excursions
While you can purchase packages once onboard, the cost may be significantly higher than what you could have booked ahead of time. Plus, because you can cancel add-ons for a full refund up to 48 hours before your sailing, you have flexibility in case you change your mind on these purchases later on. On my Alaska cruise last June, it was nearly 80 degrees on several port days—I spent the day sweating while walking around Skagway. Having packed only long sleeve shirts and pants for my Alaska cruise, I regretted not bringing more lightweight clothing.
Royal Caribbean Cruisetours: Visit inland Alaska and Canada
What a Royal Caribbean Alaska cruise is like in 2023 - Royal Caribbean Blog
What a Royal Caribbean Alaska cruise is like in 2023.
Posted: Fri, 14 Jul 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
And, while onboard, kids will enjoy the activities and programming offered by Royal Caribbean. Whether in the Caribbean or Alaska, Royal Caribbean offers the same family-friendly activities and programs for its guests. A balcony is the most common choice for an Alaska cruise, as it allows you to enjoy the state’s scenery from the comfort and privacy of your own cabin. Even if it’s too cold to stay on the balcony all day, you can still enjoy views of the outside from the warmth of your couch or bed in the stateroom. Visiting Alaska in the early season will come with several differences compared to visiting in the peak season. Most Alaska cruises have two sea days—one on the way to Alaska and the other when returning.
Disembark your ship early on each port day to avoid crowds
Juneau’s nearby scenery provides some of the best kayaking experiences visitors can experience anywhere, and kayaking excursions are a popular choice for those looking to get active. With aerial views of the Juneau icefield, glaciers, waterfalls, rainforests, and mountain peaks, flying on a floatplane is sure to be an unforgettable excursion. While Juneau is Alaska’s second most populous city, its population is only around 32,000, making it a comfortable destination to explore on a day in port. Surrounded by ice fields, mountains, and waterfalls, Juneau is a favorite port for many on an Alaska cruise. Only select cruise lines, including Princess Cruises and Holland America, can visit Glacier Bay. The national park issues permits to cruise lines, and Royal Caribbean does not currently have a permit.
While wildlife sightings are never guaranteed, you have the potential to see bears, moose, caribou, Dall sheep and more. Visiting Alaska is all about the wildlife, but you have to know where to look. Spotting orca whales, caribou, moose and grizzly bears requires cameras and binoculars at the ready while staring at scenery all day. A great activity for a chilly weather day in Sitka is to visit the Sitka Sound Science Center. The science center is just ten minutes from downtown by foot and has an admission cost of $12 for adults and $10 per child. Because most tourist attractions are located within close proximity to each other, it’s easy to explore Sitka without an organized tour.
Are we missing out by not doing Glacier Bay?
Some tours combine whale watching with tours of Mendenhall Glacier, salmon bakes, and additional wildlife viewing opportunities. Even though booking shore excursions is popular on an Alaska cruise, you can still have a great time in port without an organized tour. If you’re on a budget (or would simply prefer to explore without a large group), research which activities are offered in each Alaskan town. While booking early will help lock in a low price, some Alaska shore excursions are simply more expensive than others. Activities like helicopter tours, luxury whale watching, and dogsledding can easily cost a few hundred dollars per person.
I've tried a large number of the shore excursions in places such as Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan. In Alaska, many of the biggest "attractions" — breathtaking mountain landscapes, glaciers, fjords, breaching whales and feeding bears, for instance — are related to the Great Outdoors. As a result, many of the best Alaska shore excursions for cruisers are found outside of the towns where ships stop. If you just stay in the towns and explore on your own, you'll miss a big part of what Alaska is all about. This excursion combines a scenic cruise through Kenai Fjords National Park with a visit to the Alaska SeaLife Center.
For $20, you can ride to both sites on the shuttle bus, although the admission fee of each center is not included. Fortress of the Bear charges $15 per adult, $5 for youth aged 8-15, and children 7 and under are free. The Alaska Raptor Center charges $15 per adult, $6 for youth aged 6-12, and children 5 and under are free. Starting in downtown, you can walk to the entrance of the Sitka National Historic Park in just fifteen minutes. This 113-acre park preserves the site of a battle between the Native Tlingit people and Russian traders, and includes several miles of easy, flat walking trails in the lush green rainforest.
Why You Should Take an Alaska Summer Vacation Cruise
As soon as your ship leaves port and enters international waters, the casino will open. Alaska cruises often have a reputation of being for adults, but they can be a wonderful vacation for families with kids, too. All Alaska cruises sail through the Inside Passage, but there is one difference between cruising from Seattle versus Vancouver. It can be challenging to convince someone to go on an Alaska cruise if their idea of vacation includes suntanning by the pool under a palm tree. In short, a sea day on an Alaska cruise isn’t drastically different from a sea day in the Caribbean.
In the very heart of Denali, Kantishna is surrounded by the park’s most iconic scenery. The hike to nearby Wonder Lake – less than an hour away on foot – is rewarded with an uninterrupted vista of the giant mountain. Mountain biking on the old mining roads, meeting sled dogs during off-season training, fly fishing, and panning for gold are among the ways to experience Kantishna.
Outside of port stops where passengers disembark the ship, Alaska cruises offer scenic cruising days to glaciers along the Inside Passage. Instead, the ship slowly sails within a view of a glacier, often completing a 360 degree turn to ensure all guests onboard can have an excellent view of such amazing scenery. This isn't just because I spent more than two decades writing about Alaska and other cruise destinations for major newspapers. For many years, I was the co-author of Frommer's "Alaska Cruises & Ports of Call" guide. In researching nearly half a dozen editions of that book, I spent many days exploring each of the major cruise ports in the state.
You'll need to buy a one-day fishing license from the captain of the small boat for $15 cash, as required by Alaska law. If you catch a fish, you can have it packaged and shipped home for an additional fee, though your catch will not be permitted back onboard the ship. Castle Hill, where the post-Alaska Purchase flag was first flown by the U.S. in 1867, is another popular spot, while Tlingit stories and songs can be seen in a traditional-style clan house in Sitka. Once you land, your guide will take you on a dogsled ride over the snow-covered glacier and describe the 1,000-mile Iditarod race from Anchorage to Nome. It’s estimated that dog mushing has been a reliable form of transportation in the Arctic for thousands of years, though the earliest archaeological evidence of dogsledding is dated around 1,000 A.D. Today the sport is popular throughout Alaska, with the state home to the famous Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, a long distance sled dog race traveling from Anchorage to Nome.
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