With majestic creatures leaping out of the water, remarkably beautiful glaciers everywhere you look and amazing excursions unlike anything you’ll find elsewhere, an Alaska cruise through the Inside Passage really is a one-of-a-kind holiday. Even if you’re a cruising veteran with a huge number of itineraries under your belt, cruising in Alaska is worlds away from cruising anywhere else and you can easily miss out on some great stuff if you’re not prepared.
Get ready for the best Alaskan cruise ever!
Alaska Cruise Tips
To help you avoid any nasty surprises and truly have the best ever Alaska cruise, check out these 5 Alaska cruise tips:
Don’t risk missing out on sights like this because you don’t have binoculars
Invest in quality binoculars
Your cruise line will probably provide you with a pair of binos. But if you want to get a really good luck at the orcas and humpback whales as they gracefully glide through the sea, you’ll definitely want to spend a little cash on a decent pair of binoculars of your own.
See the amazing Alaska wildlife from the comfort of your own cabin
Upgrade to a balcony cabin
Alaska is definitely one of the places where it’s 100% worth upgrading to a balcony cabin. You never know when the next group of sea otters is going to come out to play or when the next glacier is going to collapse. You’d never forgive yourself if you missed it because you were stuck in your inside cabin and had no idea anything was happening.
Don’t forget to pack gloves
Pack plenty layers of clothing
One of the easiest ways to ruin your Alaska cruise is to be freezing all the time. Play it safe and pack more warm clothes than you think you’ll need. Temperatures are usually somewhere between 5℃ and 15℃, so pack plenty of winter warmers to combat the cold. Rain is pretty much guaranteed along the way, so a raincoat is essential, too.
Organise your excursions as early as you can
Plan your excursions well in advance
Alaska cruise excursions are truly remarkable and because of that, they sell out really fast. So if you want to get the most out of your cruise, make sure you book your place as early as you can. From helicopter flights that pass over the most mesmerising glaciers to dog sledding through ice fields, Alaska cruise excursions really are once-in-a-lifetime opportunities you won’t want to miss.
Take a look at our Shore Excursions page for more tips on exploring on land.
Alaska King crab is delicious
Try the local cuisine
The food onboard might be so delicious you’re tempted to hold off on lunch until you get back on the ship. But if you really want to experience as much of Alaska as you can, you should definitely pop into some local restaurants. Sled dogs (reindeer hot dogs served in sourdough buns), smoked salmon chowder, Dungeness crab legs and akutaq (ice cream made from native berries, snow and animal fat) are just some of the yummy eats out there.