Questions to ask yourself to come to the right decision:
- How much time to I have? (If you only have a week your options are limited)
- How much do I want to see? (A function of time and budget)
- When can I go? (Affects price - early or late in season are generally less expensive)
- What is my budget? (Cruise line, type of stateroom, dates and length of travel determine price)
- What is my style of travel? (Big ship, small ship, luxury or adventure, inside stateroom or balcony)
Seven Day Roundtrip Inside Passage Cruise from Seattle
Most cruises to Alaska's Inside Passage are seven nights long and typically begin and end in either Vancouver or Seattle. This "roundtrip" itinerary makes this a very popular cruise vacation because of the convenient flight schedules and availability of affordable roundtrip airline tickets in to and out of Vancouver and Seattle. Alaska's Inside Passage is an area that makes up the Southeast Region of Alaska. Approximately 1,000 miles North of Vancouver, it was the center of activity during Alaska's 19th century Gold Rush. The Inside Passage is popular for spectacular scenery, abundant wildlife, vivid Native cultures and astounding history. See below for more information.
Seven Day Roundtrip Inside Passage Cruise from Vancouver
Depending on your ship and itinerary, a typical Alaska Inside Passage cruise spends the first day cruising the famed Inside Passage, a narrow waterway nestled between towering mountains, waterfront communities, and the Pacific Ocean. You will visit 3 or 4 Alaska ports of call which would be either Juneau, Ketchikan, Skagway, Sitka, Haines, Icy Point Straight or Wrangell. You will normally spend a full day in each port of call allowing you to sample the local community or take any number of exciting excursions including trekking on glaciers, a helicopter ride, city bus tours, whale watching, fishing and more.
Seven Day North or Southbound Gulf of Alaska Cruise
Alaska Glacier Cruises are also known as Gulf of Alaska Cruises. Every cruise line has a different name for it, but they all mean the same thing - they are cruises that sail one-way through the Gulf of Alaska where you'll find the greatest abundance of glaciers, mountains, wildlife and scenery. Unlike an Alaska Inside Passage Cruise, an Alaska Glacier Cruise does not repeat its route by doing a U-turn back to the original departure port. Alaska Glacier cruises are one way itineraries that sail from North to South (Southbound Glacier Cruises) or South to North (Northbound Glacier Cruises). These itineraries allow you to spend more days in Alaska ports or National Glacier Parks at Hubbard Glacier and Glacier Bay as there are fewer days at sea compared to a round-trip cruise.
Ten to Sixteen Day Heart of Alaska Cruisetour
An Alaska Cruise Tour is a vacation package that combines an Alaska cruise vacation with an Alaska land tour. The land portion of your Alaska vacation can be taken before or after your cruise with travel by deluxe motor coach or train and accommodations at top Alaska hotels and lodges.
People go to Alaska for six reasons: Wilderness, Wildlife, Glaciers, Mountains, History & Culture. A seven night Alaska Inside Passage Cruise will certainly give you a taste of Alaska and a chance to see glaciers and marine wildlife. An Alaska land tour into the interior region gives you an opportunity to experience the wilderness, mountains, and land wildlife aspects of Alaska. Both are great vacations, but neither gives you the whole Alaska experience.
Alaska Cruise Tours offer the best of both worlds, combining a 7 day cruise along the Alaska coast with a 3 to 8 day land tour giving you the opportunity to explore the interior of Alaska including Anchorage, Denali National Park and Mt. McKinley, Talkeetna and Fairbanks.
Twelve to Eighteen Day Klondike Yukon Cruisetour
Cruise through the the Inside Passage for 3 or 4 days visiting the calving glaciers in Glacier Bay National Park or Tracy Arm. Then onto the Yukon’s Tombstone Territorial Park and the towering peaks in Kluane National Park. Watch as bear, moose and caribou cross your path in Denali and Tok. All Klondike Yukon Explorer CruiseTours feature Skagway, Whitehorse, Dawson City, the mighty Yukon River, and the colorful history of the Klondike Gold Rush. In addition, they also include Denali National Park and rail service between Anchorage and Fairbanks.
Twelve Day Copper River Cruisetour
Six times the size of Yellowstone at 13.2 million acres, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve has an impressive geology. It is home to nine of the 16 tallest peaks in the United States, four mountain ranges and boasts the largest concentration of glaciers on the continent. A park for wilderness-oriented activities, in a setting of breathtaking beauty, it is one of Alaska's best kept secrets. The most unusual tour is a flight to the historic town of McCarthy (population 120 in summer; 35 in winter) and a visit to the abandoned Kennicott copper mine, now a National Historic Site. The Kennicott Copper Corporation ran one of the world's richest copper mines and the company town thrived from 1910 to 1938. Situated beside the Kennicott glacier it was known as "glacier city". A wall of ice 300 feet high blocked the view of surrounding mountains.
Twelve Day Kenai Peninsula Cruisetour
Alaska Wilderness/Kenai Cruisetours capture the essence of Alaska by combining superb sightseeing with plenty of opportunities for recreation, such as fishing in the salmon-rich Kenai River. Spend a full day wrapped in the beauty of the turquoise Kenai River. Embark on river rafting tours, fishing tours or wildlife viewing tours in Kenai Fjords National Park.
Fourteen to Sixteen Day Top of the World Arctic Cruisetour
On these combined cruise and land vacations, you’ll travel north of the Arctic Circle to remote Prudhoe Bay, the historic starting point of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline. See caribou roam the Arctic tundra on this tour, which is rated number one for its outstanding wildlife-viewing opportunities. Experience the lands north of the Arctic Circle as well as the areas bordering the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. You'll dip a toe in the Arctic Ocean and take in the scenery along the famed James Dalton Highway through caribou country. In this land of the Midnight Sun the wildlife, wilderness and memories never end.
