Alaska

Not late at all but your room choices may be limited. What do you want to do ? I recommend that you visit Glacier Bay and Icy Strait Point ( if you want to go whale watching ). Virtually all stop at Juneau, ketchikan, and Skagway. In Skagway the White Pass Railroad is a popular excursion. Ketchikan has totem poles and the lumberjack show as popular attractions. Of course there are many different excursions you can do including helicoptering to glaciers. Something for every budget.

Cruises start from Seattle or Vancouver BC Canada. By law the ship must start/end in Canada or make a stop in Canada. Cruises starting in Seattle usually stop in Victoria. Many spend only an evening there, leaving no time for real exploration or visits to such attractions as Butchart Gardens.

Lots of good Youtube videos on cruising Alaska. I especially like the ones by Parodeejay

Cunard will have cruises to Alaska from Seattle in 2025. The ships will be some of the Classic Cruise Liners. Check out their website. The Alaska Ferry sails from Bellingham WA to Vancouver BC and then through the Inside Passage and makes stops at towns/villages on the Panhandle, etc. There may be other smaller ships that make seasonal trips through the Inside Passage. One reason that bigger ships don't go that way is some narrow curved passage that can require backing up in certain tidal or other situations.

Princess and Holland America are probably the two lead players in the Alaska cruise market, but it also has other major cruise lines such as Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, Disney, and also smaller ships/lines.

I’ve gone on both Royal Caribbean and Princess and far prefer Princess. Princess has Naturalists on board for the cruise that provide enrichment opportunities and goes into Glacier Bay National Park which Royal does not.

There are several options available for itinerary. You can do a round trip cruise out of Seattle or Vancouver. You can also go one way and then fly back. For example, cruise from Vancouver to Whittier (Anchorage) and then fly home. Ships leaving from Seattle do not do the inside passage between Vancouver Island and the mainland. They go out the strait of Juan de Fuca and on the west side of Vancouver Island. Most ( not all) ships leaving from Vancouver do the inside passage. Advantage can be calmer seas.

Since budget is a non issue, consider doing what is termed a “cruise tour”. This combines the cruise with a tour into the interior of Alaska and you will see a bit more. The cruise line has this down to an art and you will go from one to another seamlessly.

Be prepared. Pack Bonine, seasickness meds, with you. Better to have it and not need it than to suddenly discover it is an issue….. I have never been seasick in spite of occasional rough waves, but I start taking Bonine every 12 hours when rough weather is announced.

Other tip. Be sure to fly in at least one day before your cruise. Don’t risk flying same day.

Feel free to PM me if you have more questions.

Hi Jim, I have lived in Alaska for 23 years and have worked in the tourism industry here. I’m going to suggest something different than the mega cruise ships since you said $ is not a problem. Check out Un-cruise. They run smaller ships that don’t disembark thousands of passengers on some small towns along the Inside Passage. They have more soft adventures rather than shopping opportunities. Also, I hope you can include some land time to Denali. Enjoy your trip and feel free to PM me if you have questions. BTW, I used to live in Slidell on North Dabney Dr!

My advice is to stay away from the major cruise lines as they use mega ships. You really want a small ship (eg 44 passenger) cruise. We used a company called Dream Alaska and were very much pleased with the experience.

If we hadn’t had to rescue the passengers from an Uncruise Ship that had a fire while we were in Glacier Bay, I would feel better about the recommendation made above……..

Lindblad/NatGeo has small ship cruises. Because the ships are small, they can get you to places the large cruise ships can’t. We took the 8 day Inside Passage Cruise with NatGeo. It was very well done. Great food and staff. We booked cabins at the very front of the ship and there was a lot of noise from the waves hitting the bow which interferes with our sleep. We complained (nicely) and, as there were unoccupied cabins in the ship, we were moved to nicer balcony cabins. This was our third NatGeo cruise so maybe that made a difference in how they handled the issue. There are various excursions (all included) such as zodiac cruises and onshore hikes with naturalists and photography instructors. This was an all inclusive cruise so that was nice. We didn’t have to take out our credit card for extras. We saw humpback whales breaching and bubble net feeding which was cool. We also saw grizzly bears on shore from the safety of the ship thankfully.

Jim,
We took a Princess cruise to Alaska, from Vancouver. It was a one week cruise and we stopped at Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway. We took a ship-arranged tour at Ketchikan, visiting Native American sights. We saw numereous bald eagles and totem poles and fantastic Alaskan flora. Also, LOTS of salmon migrating up river. At Juneau we took the local bus to the Mendenhall Glacier on our own, and hiked through the temperate rain forest close by. We had fun at the local watering hole in town, listening to a great piano player. In Skagway we took the train along the miners' trail to the border of Canada there. Each town had a good day's worth of things to see. There was time for us to wander on our own as well. Our ship was a large-ish passenger cruise ship, but far from the mega ships so prevalent in the Caribbean. It was comfortrable and had lots of educational opportunities to learn about what we were seeing. We didn't take any of the expensive excursions (helicopter rides, fishing, glacier trekking, etc.) We did, however, add on the four day after cruise trip to stay at Princess' lodge for two nights and one full day, gawking at magnificent Mt. Denali. This was followed by a train ride from Talkeetna to Denali National Park, where we stayed overnight, did some hiking at Horseshoe Lake, and went on a small bus tour into the park (with a box lunch included). The guide was a National Park ranger. We returned by train to Fairbanks, where we spent the night before our flight back to California. The train ride was lovely, as it had a dome car with seating for everyone to see the beautiful country, and a dining car that served top notch meals (included). We did get to see huge moose, grizzly bears, the bighorn sheep, seals, orcas and bald eagles. And we were in the lucky 30-35% of people to see Denali's peak. It was a great cruise. Yes, our ship was too big to get into the smaller inlets, but it was by no means one of those behemoths you see elsewhere. And to plan a trip to and around Alaska is not as simple as planning a trip around Europe. The topography requires more work, and is not something that canbe done cheaply, IMO.
I hope you get to go. Alaska was my husband's first bucket list item. I'm so glad we were able to make it happen.

Wow, recommendations without $$$ limit! We lived and worked in Alaska for 44 years. When we retired 23 years ago (my first retirement of 4), we bought an ocean going boat to liveaboard and cruise the "Inside Passage" during the summer months. We did that for 12 years. So we are familiar with the coastal waterways of Washington, B.C. And Alaska.

After talking to big ship cruisers, they all comment that the food was good and the ship was cheap. Most ships travel at night (not too dark in summer) and port in daytime to allow for t-shirt and jewelry shopping. We are not big ship fans. We are, however, fans of "small ships." Cruises on such as Lindblad/ Natl Geo are a better experience as they go places that the big boys can't and have a more intimate interaction with the wildlife, scenery and towns. Another option is to travel on the Alaska ferry system - the maritime equivalent of traveling on your own.

However you go, we suggest some places to go, things to do that are better than staying near the big ship in port. Victoria, B.C. Is a bit of Britain: Butchart Gardens if there is time; the area around the Capitol & Empress Hotel; Craigdarroch Castle. In Ketchikan: bus trips to Totem Bight and Saxman; walk to the Creek Street shops. Juneau: the State and City museums; the old mining district above town; maybe Mendenhall glacier before it disappears. South of Juneau: Tracy Arm or Endicott Arm for marine glaciers. Skagway: hike up to Dewey Lakes; White Pass & Yukon RR; or rent a car and drive to Carcross, BC; National Klondike Museum. Hoonah: Icy Point Cannery museum; whale searching cruises; zipline. Glacier Bay for sure. (In 1790's, the glaciers blocked the mouth - Capt. Vancouver did not even know the bay existed. The Hoonah villagers lived in the bay until the glaciers expanded.) Sitka (old Russian capitol): lots of old Russian sites; Sheldon Jackson museum; bus ride south or north of town. Petersburg: long time fishing town of Scandanavian settlers. And lots more all over. It is about a thousand air miles from Seattle to Skagway, much more by sea. Will try to answer questions by PM.

Larry42,
Thank you for reminding me of the names of the places we went in Alaska...Yes, Totem Bight. Really worth the very reasonable price for the bus tour. We went by bus on the ship's excursion, and did walk around Creek Street, which is where we saw people catching lots of salmon off the bridge. And I had forgotten the name "White Pass" for the railroad trip we took. I do want to comment that, when we went, the Princess trip was affordable, where the smaller ship cruises were too expensive for us. I would rather go on a bigger ship than not go at all. Having moved to business class flights to Chile and France, from sleeping in a VW bug and a farmer's field in $5.00 sleeping bags, and flying some "cattle car" legs on a 24 hour journey to Kenya, with two miserable plane changes, I won't turn up my nose at a regular cruise ship, especially since traveling by water seems to be the best way to visit Alaska. Of course, perhaps the cruise ships have grown to those monsters, since we went a few years ago.
However one can go, enjoy that gorgeous state!

WE did a great Alaska cruise from Vancouver. The best port was Skagway. Do the train to Canada and back. Our tour included a rainforest hike that was amazing.

DO NOT miss Glacier Bay. Some cruise lines go there and others do not. Our cruise was with NCL which did it.
You spend an entire day, about 10 hours there and see much wildlife and a huge glacier up close and personal.

Also, we saw the Hubbard Glacier. Check you itineraries for those items and compare NCL with Princess, and other cruise lines. We prefer Royal Caribbean or Celebrity, but those two lines did not go to Glacier Bay when we did the cruise.

I second the recommendation to take Bonine or other seasick med along. We've cruised before with no problem, including in high seas, but the Inside Passage wave patterns turned me green on a couple of occasions. Plan ahead so you can enjoy each day. We took Holland America from Seattle, and while not a small ship, it was a lovely one, with excellent food and a better staff:passenger ratio than the mega ships.
If you cruise out of Seattle, I highly recommend coming to town a couple of days early if you've not visited before. This will both give you peace of mind if you experience flight delays, and give you time to explore Pike Place Market, take a ferry ride, etc.

Cunard will have cruises to Alaska from Seattle in 2025. The ships will be some of the Classic Cruise Liners. One will be the Britania.

Cunard are doing Alaska in 2024 from Vancouver at very competitive rates indeed- probably the best rates of any line.

But all their ships are called Queen something. It is the Queen Elizabeth doing Alaska in 2024 and 2025, Britannia on Cunard is the bottom tier of their class structure.

The ship Britannia belongs to P and O- another Carnival brand, as is Cunard. She is not in Alaska.

After Alaska in 2024 the QE sails from Vancouver to Sydney.

In 2025 she arrives in SEA from Japan on an unusual voyage via the Aleutians and Alaska.

We had a wonderful trip on a smaller Alaskan inside passage cruise. The company is no longer in business but I have seen their ships are now with the UnCruise company. This was our ship. https://uncruise.com/pages/small-ship-cruise-wilderness-explorer We did an itinerary with them that was the smaller more nature oriented ports, with kayaks on the back of the ship. The food was simple but very good. The cabins very comfortable. The naturalists so experienced and helpful. And here is my true story comparing the small ships with the megaships. One early evening we were sailing and we see near us one of the megaships. We also see on an island a bear, all alone. Both we and the megaship are watching the bear. We sail closer. The bear is standing up. Waving. What? Then we sail even closer and we see it is actually a person in a bear costume! We believe was arranged by the the megaship cruise company so that it could guarantee its passengers saw a bear. I am not making this up! On our own week we saw quite a few real bears, including on a hike off the ship. Close enough that the guide had our small group gather into the scare the bear pose and back us all up. We flew to Ketchikan, spent one day there before embarking and then a few days in Juneau after disembarking. I would highly recommend.

Cunard = $$$$$$

Lots of good info and strong opinions above. Your best experience, at a corresponding price, will likely be on one of the "small ships" that go into more remote areas and focus more on wildlife. Some of them sail only in Alaska, meaning that you'd have to fly into Juneau or another Alaska city to take them. The longer trip from Seattle or Vancouver is well worth the time it takes, and some of the small ships do that too.

We've taken five Alaska cruises so far, it's easy for us as we don't need to fly. We like Norwegian, at a good price point for us. No one so far has suggested that you look at Cruise Critic, a forum dedicated specifically to cruising, with a lot more contributors and information than you'll find on this forum that focuses on land travel in Europe.

Also, if it isn't clear, the Inside Passage is the route between Washington and Alaska that goes to the east of Vancouver Island and east of various smaller islands up to the Alaska panhandle and back. It's generally smoother and more interesting than going west of Vancouver Island, in the open Pacific, but can be slower. Often, ships from Seattle go west of Vancouver Island because it's faster and allows them to stop in Victoria (the international port required by US law), while those from the city of Vancouver (on the Canadian mainland) go through the protected waters east of Vancouver Island. We've done both and like both.

It's worth paying for a balcony cabin on an Alaska cruise because there's so much scenery (besides the ocean itself), often on both sides. Always something interesting to watch, even if you're bundled up early or late in the season. We like to go in May when the weather is surprisingly dry, the mountains are still covered with snow, and the fares are lower.

Cunard = $$$$$$

If you look at the website, as I stated above they have extremely reasonable prices for these particular cruises. Better than any of the major American lines which I have ever seen. Especially for solos. Also far more my personal type of ship and cruising style than Princess/NCL/Holland America etc.

However I could never be a Cunard traveller, due to their totally outdated dress codes. But they do for many sailings, like TA trips offer better value than prejudice might suggest. And are not nickel and diming you in the way American companies do.

Granted their ships are not resorts at sea, but real ships.

Last time they did Alaska the positioning trip was a very rare Southampton to Seattle sailing (sadly via Panama, not the Cape). That line voyage was also astoundingly cheap.

You've received very good food for thought as far as what type of cruise you might want do in terms of size and focus, and the various ports in Alaska and what options you have for activities. You can go even more close-up to nature and take the Alaska Ferry System from Bellingham! Our trip was way back in 2009, on Holland America. We had a great experience at Glacier Bay (stunning seascape), and then in Juneau (walking all over town and up the hills), which I really liked. We hit a big storm that had me seasick for two days and we had to skip Sitka, and finally were able to get on land in Ketchikan (ziplining in Tongass Nat'l Forest). The captain actually came over the PA system to say it was worst weather he had seen in 17 years of going up to Alaska. We also stopped in Victoria on the way back. If I didn't have such worries about sea sickness, I would love to do a much smaller ship like Un-Cruise or even the Alaska ferries. Honestly, I would have liked a lot more time ashore. I know a lot more about seasickness preventatives than I did back then, but not sure how much they would have helped. The scenery of both BC and Alaska, of course, cannot be equaled.

My suggestion is what experience you want. We knew, being from the Northwest, we wanted a walk in the woods, kayaks, low key with very few people.

We did two trips on Alaska Dream Cruises. The first with friends from South Carolina whom had also lived in the Northwest, and our second on our own. Wouldn’t you know, our Captain was the same on both trips as was our bartender. And we met another couple who had been on the same two.

Small ships will give you easy shore excursions, skiffs, lots of nature, and close up wildlife. We stopped for close to 2 hours on our first trip to watch whales bubble fish. The Captain had the ability to alter his schedule to accommodate.

Think Goretex, Eddie Bauer, L. L. Bean, etc. Hiking boots and rain coats. Our friend from SC even did the polar plunge. You’ll get to talk to most everyone on the ship and make some friends if you are inclined. Rooms are comfortable, not lavish, but the common areas are fine. You will see the same staff doing everything and they will know your name and become great at conversation.

For us, it was the perfect trip. On our first trip, we rented a car in Anchorage and traveled to Denali. Spent a couple of days before spending a couple of nights in Seward before flying to Juneau to join the cruise.

What we did is not for everyone. But if you want to see the real Alaska I highly recommend it. Any questions, please feel free to PM me.

Headed to your part of the country at the end of April!

Oh, to add, no issues with being seasick!

Do book a balcony on an Alaska cruise, in fact, we booked an aft balcony which was perfect, since we avoided the cold breeze when the ship is moving.

Also, a balcony on Cunard will run about $1300 pp. that is comparable with Princess. however Cunard doesn't go into Glacier Bay.

Don't miss Glacier Bay

Jim, what did you decide to do? Or did you switch gears and go to Europe after all?

My husband and I took an Alaskan cruise for our honeymoon years ago; it was our first and only cruise. We had a limited amount of time due to us finishing grad school and taking new jobs that fall. Half of the people on the ship were there to see Alaska; the other half were there to cruise and hadn't "done" Alaska yet. I loved Alaska, but not cruising. (We took a Princess cruise). My parents took a National Geographic cruise there awhile back and they absolutely loved it. That's what I would consider if money was no object. Definitely make sure to do a cruise that goes to Glacier Bay; not all of them do.

I'll echo geovagriffith's comment about getting a balcony. Have been on many cruises and wouldn't think of not having a balcony. There is a lot to be said for a smaller ship. We've been a large ships (not the mega liners) and have come to think that the overall experience is better with less people.

We don't favor cruises, but we knew it was a good way to see the inside passage and a local tour guide had a "special" on Royal Caribbean. We started out in Seattle (mid-July) for a few days before heading to Vancouver to board the ship. For me, the big ship was fine. We did the RC train excursion at Skagway, but in Juneau, Icy Strait, and Ketchikan we did our own exploring.

Once we got to Alaska, we took the train to the airport where we rented a car. We stayed near both Denali and Talkeetna. Highlights included an amazing view of Denali from our chalet in Talkeetna and a flightseeing tour with a glacier landing. I wish we would have spent more time driving in Alaska, but two weeks at that time in our lives was what worked.