The Best Alaska Cruise for First Time Travellers

A first Alaska cruise should optimise for itinerary rather than ship. That means Glacier Bay, a seven night route, sheltered water and a departure port that does not complicate the flights. The cruise line matters, but less than the three decisions that come before it.

The most common way to get a first Alaska cruise wrong is to choose the cruise line first. Someone picks the brand they enjoyed in the Caribbean, books a sailing, and discovers months later that their glacier day is two hours at a fjord they had never heard of rather than a full day in a national park with rangers aboard.

Reverse the order and the decision becomes much simpler.

Decision one: the month

The second half of June. Daylight peaks around eighteen hours in Juneau, whales are established in their feeding grounds, temperatures are mild, and the extreme July crowding has not arrived.

If price matters more than anything, early May or late September runs 30 to 50 percent cheaper. What you give up is daylight and settled weather, not the destination. See best time for an Alaska cruise.

Decision two: the route

A seven night Inside Passage round trip. Three reasons:

1. Sheltered water. The Inside Passage runs inside a chain of islands and is among the calmest cruising anywhere. A one way Gulf of Alaska crossing involves genuinely open ocean.
2. Simple flights. A round trip needs one return ticket. A one way itinerary needs an open jaw booking that typically costs 10 to 30 percent more.
3. Right length. Seven nights covers Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway and a glacier day without the fatigue of a longer trip.

Decision three: Glacier Bay

Decide now whether it matters to you, because it narrows everything downstream.

Glacier Bay National Park entry is limited by National Park Service concession permits held by specific operators. Princess and Holland America visit most frequently, with Norwegian, Carnival and Seabourn on selected sailings. Royal Caribbean and Celebrity do not have entry at all.

For a first visit we would take Glacier Bay. It is an eight to ten hour day covering multiple glaciers with rangers aboard explaining what you are seeing, which no other glacier day on the circuit matches. But an itinerary featuring Hubbard Glacier, which has a face six times wider than anything in Glacier Bay, is not a compromised itinerary.

Whatever you decide, confirm it on the specific dated sailing rather than the brochure.

Decision four: the cruise line

Now, and only now, the line.

For a first visit with no other constraints, Princess or Holland America.

Decision five: the cabin

Position matters more than category. Choose mid ship, on a deck with cabins directly above and below you, which is the quietest configuration on any ship.

On category: a balcony adds $400 to $900 per person and is used less than people expect, because the weather is cold and wet and the ship rotates at every glacier. If your ship has a large forward observation lounge, an oceanview cabin plus that lounge is the better trip. See balcony versus interior.

The booking we would actually make

A seven night Vancouver round trip on Princess or Holland America, second half of June, Glacier Bay confirmed on the dated itinerary, mid ship oceanview or balcony on a middle deck, with:

• One whale watching trip at Icy Strait Point or Juneau
• The White Pass railway in Skagway
• Ketchikan on foot, which is genuinely a good day and costs nothing
• Two nights in Vancouver beforehand, including an afternoon at the Museum of Anthropology

Total for two, all in with flights: roughly $7,000 to $9,000.

What first timers get wrong

• Flying in on embarkation day. The most expensive economy available.
• Budgeting only the fare. Excursions, flights and gratuities typically match it.
• Booking three excursions in one port. Port days are shorter than they look.
• Sleeping through the fjord transit. The best hour of the trip happens at 5:30 am.
• Packing a heavy coat instead of layers. One coat handles one condition.
• Not bringing binoculars. Most wildlife is at 100 to 500 metres.

The longer version of each is in common Alaska cruise mistakes, and the full first timer walkthrough is in our Alaska cruise guide.