Alaska Cruises
In July 2007, my husband and I went on our first Alaska cruise. In fact, it was our first cruise ever! And it was absolutely wonderful. In doing research for our trip I learned some valuable information, tips and resources I'd like to share with you. So if you are planning (or hope to plan) a cruise to Alaska in the near (or distant) future, I hope you find this information helpful.
Our Cruise Experience
July 2007
Our itinerary was as follows:
Day 1: At Sea
Day 2: Juneau
Day 3: Hubbard Glacier
Day 4: Sitka
Day 5: Ketchikan
Day 6: Victoria, BC
Day 7: Seattle, WA
Alaska's Inside Passage
Amazon Price: $17.99 (as of 07/26/2008)
Alaska by Cruise Ship: The Complete Guide to Cruising Alaska with Giant Pull-out Map (5th Edition)
Amazon Price: $13.57 (as of 07/26/2008)
Frommer's Alaska Cruises & Ports of Call 2007 (Frommer's Cruises)
Amazon Price: $16.58 (as of 07/26/2008)
Cruise Preparation Tips
Know before you go. Once aboard, sit back and relax. Enjoy the amazing scenery and delicious food!
Once you decide what clothes to take, narrow down your selections and leave some at home.
Do your research before setting sail.
Booking independent excursions can oftentimes save you money.
Do book your excursions prior to leaving, as popular ones fill up.
Make sure you bring your camera, plenty of memory (or film), and your binoculars.
Jackets and gloves are a plus on glacier day.
If you don't have your passport be sure to apply well in advance. Passports are now required for sea travel.
Helpful Links
- Cruise Critic Forums
- I found a wealth of information on these forums!
- What to Pack to Alaska
- Here you'll find tips on what to pack for your trip to Alaska.
- Esther G Sea Taxi - Sitka
- I highly recommend booking an independent marine tour with Captain Davey in Sitka. This was our favorite port and our tour was awesome!
- NorthStar Trekking - Alaska Glacier Trekking
- Booking our helicopter ride and glacier walk directly with NorthStar Trekking saved us about $50.00 each! Glacier excursions are expensive, but very well worth it. The experience was amazing!
Sony Cybershot DSC-H7 8.1MP Digital Camera with 15x Optical Image Stabilization Zoom
After much research, we purchased this camera before our trip. I'd wanted to upgrade us from our previous digital camera for awhile. The Sony Cybershot DSC-H7 is a great choice if you are looking for a camera with a strong zoom.
Amazon Price: $329.00 (as of 07/26/2008)
Nikon Action 8x40 Binocular
We read many reviews before buying these binoculars for our cruise trip. They were the perfect purchase! We didn't want to spend a fortune for binoculars but we wanted a good pair. These are definitely both affordable and very nice. I would highly recommend them.
Amazon Price: $66.65 (as of 07/26/2008)
Cruise Lines
Official Websites
- Holland America Line
- We sailed on HAL's Oosterdam and would highly recommend her!
- Carnival Cruise Line
- Homepage for Carnival Cruises.
- Celebrity Cruises
- Homepage for Celebrity Cruise Line.
- Norwegian Cruise Line
- Homepage for NCL.
- Princess Cruises
- Homepage for Princess Cruise Line.
- Royal Caribbean Cruises
- Homepage for Royal Caribbean Cruise Line.
Getting to Seattle
Search for Deals
If you're traveling to Seattle for your cruise, here's a quick and easy way to see what deals are being offered on Orbitz!
