Alaska Cruise Ports
If the idea of sailing close to mountains, viewing whales and eagles from your balcony and visiting small towns full of friendly locals is your idea of a great cruise experience, then Alaska could be for you.
But just what can be enjoyed in Alaska, where can you sail from and perhaps most importantly, just which cruise ports can be explored in Alaska?
We answer all of that and more as we take you through the cruise ports of Alaska and give you our guide of cruising Alaska and the incredible Inside Passage.
Cruises To Alaska
Cruise Holidays in Alaska
There are a few different options when it comes to cruise holiday in Alaska including reposition cruises between Seward or Whittier to Seattle or Vancouver, round trips of the magical Inside Passage and even transpacific between the USA or Canada and Asia.
Alaska Cruise Guide
If you want to spend some time exploring Alaska before or after your cruise holiday or if you want to spend time cruising the region, the best option is to choose to sail from one of the region two leading turnaround ports, which are both near to the state’s largest city of Anchorage.
Turnaround Ports
Seward offers the most options for those wanting to set sail or end their journey in Alaska but for us one of the best things about the port is the way you get there.
Most will arrive in the city of Anchorage via its international airport before joining the Alaska Railroad for a train ride to remember.
Not only do you get to see the mountains, rivers, glaciers and wildlife of the ‘Last Frontier’ but you can also check in your baggage when you board the train and it will meet you onboard your ship!
Not too many cruise lines start or end in Whittier but if you are fortunate to be on one that does, you can look forward to some incredible views as you sail down the Passage Canal near to the capital of Anchorage.
Popular Ports
There are plenty of incredible ports of call just waiting for you to exit your ship, step ashore and head off exploring.
Juneau offers all that you could want from an Alaskan port including mountains, incredible wildlife and lots of local attractions whilst the state’s capital also offers some of the most incredible experiences including the chance to fly over the Misty Fjords and Mendenhall Glacier.
Ketchikan is a small but easy to explore on your own port that offers a couple of attractions, great scenery and the famous Creek Street.
Skagway offers the opportunity to enjoy one of the highlights of an Alaskan cruise as it is home to the White Pass and Yukon railway, a heritage railway that follows the route of early stampeders looking to change their lives during the Yukon gold rush.
There is more to the town however as its main street is like a living museum that take you back in time.
Sitka is one of the regions smaller ports but that is part of its charm as visitors can enjoy getting close to nature and take in the incredible scenery that surrounds you without the crowds of over ports.
The port of Dutch Harbor is only an option for those on explorer style cruise ships or for those heading across the Pacific on mainstream ships as its location in the Alaskan Islands makes it out for reach for most itineraries.
Those who do visit there can explore one of the remotest towns in the United States and somewhere where the tightknit nature of its residents helps create a unique experience for visitors.
Icy Strait Point is Alaska’s version of a holiday resort and offers visitors plenty to enjoy but all with an Alaskan twist.
The port offers the chance to take a zip slide through the Alaskan rainforest, ride a cable car, visit a cannery and head out on a whale watching adventure.
Kodiak is only visited by smaller cruise ships and whilst it may not have as much on offer as some other ports in the region, it does offer a different experience for visitors.
As a former capital city under Russian rule, the town centre has building from that period including a Russian Orthodox Church but the biggest draw for cruise ships is the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge- a national park that acts as a safe haven for bears.
Haines is another small port that only a small number of ships visit but if you are fortunate enough to visit, you will never forget as it offers some of the best scenery of the Alaskan Panhandle.
This is one of the smallest ports of call in Alaska, so it will be no surprise that only smaller ships stop there but it remains one of the more remote locations you can visit, allowing you to really enjoy its history and culture.
Valdez is a former gold rush town, located at the head of a fjord on the Prince William Sound that is now known for been a major oil port.
That makes it a cruise port of contradictions, where natural beauty meets heavy industry but thankfully, the chance to visit the nearby glacier and wildlife makes it a popular destination for those sailing on smaller ships.
Alaska Cruise Destinations
The Inside Passage is one of the world’s most famous cruising region and is simply a must visit destination for those who love cruising close to mountains, glaciers and waterfalls and who love to watch out for whales, eagles and other incredible wildlife.
That is because you wind your way past a number of islands on the Pacific Northwest coast of the North American Fjordland between Washington State, past British Columbia in Canada and then up through southeastern Alaska.
Popular Cruise Lines
The majority of mainstream cruise lines operate in Alaska and it is one of the most popular regions for explorations ships.
Amongst those lines to offers the most itineraries are the Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), Cunard, Carnival Cruise Line, Seabourn and Oceania Cruises.
Alaska
Location: North West United States of America
Capital City: Juneau
Currency: $ (USD)
Language: English
Demonym(s): Alaskan
Top Ports: Seward, Juneau, Ketchikan, Skagway
Alaska is known for many things including its incredibly sparse population, its oil, its history and culture, its natural beauty, its incredible wildlife and just the impressiveness of the size of the state.
From a cruising point of view, it is the impressive Inside Passage that the region is perhaps best known for and the opportunity to see the whales, eagles, waterfalls forests, mountains and glaciers that can be seen there.
Our Visit
We were fortunate to visit Alaska onboard the Norwegian Bliss in September 2018 and what an adventure it was.
Sadly, we only spent a week sailing the Inside Passage on a round trip from Seattle where we called into Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan, before sailing south to Victoria on Vancouver Island.
Aside from the first day, our journey would be fortunate to have calm seas and sunny skies throughout which allowed us to see the natural beauty of the area at its very best.
As animal lovers, it was great to be able to see plenty of whales, orca’s, eagles, porpoises, seals, an Osprey and even a bear and whilst we loved every port we visited, the highlight of our journey was taking a helicopter journey over the Mendenhall glacier, including landing on it.
If you love mountains and wildlife and aren’t bothered by needing to sunbath around the pool, we would recommend taking an Alaskan cruise.
Best Time To Visit Alaska
The cruising season in Alaska is relatively short, with mainstream line starting in March and ending in October.
With some of the ports seeing 4-5 cruise ships dock at a time, we would recommend avoiding the end of July and August as everywhere becomes far too crowded and in a region such as Alaska, that just takes away from the experience.
We would therefore recommend heading there in June or September.
Alaska Cruises From The UK
Yes, it is technically possible to visit Alaska directly from the United Kingdom but due to its location, that is only a World Cruise, and even most of those will not head as far north as Alaska.
Alaska Cruises From Southampton
If you do find a world cruise heading there from the UK, the chances are that it will be form the port of Southampton.
Here at CruiseHols.co.uk we bring you all of the information you will ever need to choose the right cruise destination for you and your family.
Our destination guides include everything from ports to attractions and excursion to the positives and negatives of the destination.
