Alaska Cruises: Insider’s Guide

The insider advice on this page is from one of Wendy’s Trusted Travel Experts for cruises: Tom Baker of Cruise Center.

Trusted Travel Expert

Tom Baker

Tom has sailed on more than 250 ships. From Alaska to French Polynesia to the Panama Canal, from the Douro to the Rhine to the Danube to the Mekong, if an ocean or river ship docks there, chances are he’s been—more than once!  And his encyclopedic knowledge of the pros and cons of the different cabin types on different vessels will astound you.  First he’ll help you pinpoint the right ship, cabin, and itinerary, then he’ll advise which private guides, group shore excursions, and flights will best suit your needs, all the while making sure you get the best value for your dollar.  Finally, he’ll advocate strongly for you should anything go wrong. He has particular clout with river lines AmaWaterways, Amadeus, Scenic, Tauck River, Crystal River Cruises, Uniworld, and Viking, and with ocean lines Celebrity, Crystal, Holland America, MSC, Norwegian, Oceania, Royal Caribbean, Regent Seven Seas, Seabourn, and Windstar.

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Expect trips orchestrated by Tom to start at $150 per person per day for ocean cruises; river cruises start at $300 per person per day (both based on double occupancy).

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Ships and Cabins

Best-value ships
The Norwegian Encore and her sister ship, Joy. These are among the largest ships in Alaska’s waters, and they set sail from downtown Seattle every Saturday and Sunday from May through September. The Norwegian Jade and Sun cruise between Vancouver and Seward (a port for Anchorage) on what’s often called the Route of the Glaciers. Fares on these ships can be up to 10 percent less than on Holland America, Royal Caribbean, Princess, and Celebrity Cruises. These ships are especially suited to families with children of all ages: The onboard atmosphere is casual—there’s no formal dress code—and the ships have well-managed kids’ clubs and a wide variety of entertainment options.

The Observation Lounge on the Norwegian Encore. Photo: Norwegian Cruise Line

Best ship for a splurge
Regent Seven Seas Cruises sails Alaska with its 740-passenger Regent Explorer, a ship that is consistently rated among the world’s best. Explorer has a country-club-chic atmosphere, sophisticated open-seating dining, a lecture series and enrichment program, and excellent entertainment. Rates start around $800 per person per day, which includes all meals and beverages, a daily shore excursion, and staff gratuities.

Best large ship
The 2,800-passenger Celebrity Edge, which sails roundtrip from Seattle, is an architectural wonder and the most exciting ship in Alaska right now. This stylish ship is known for its wide-open spaces and glass skylights that fill the public areas with light. While the food in the main dining room is good, several of the ship’s smaller specialty restaurants turn out great meals for an additional fee. Travelers in the top-category suites get access to their own restaurant in a private enclave called the Retreat, as well as upgraded beverage and internet packages.

Best small ship
Tom’s favorite expedition ship is the 264-passenger Le Soleal by French company Ponant. This ship sails Alaska’s stunning Inside Passage, visiting many more ports than big ships can manage. First-rate naturalists give lectures onboard, and when the ship is docked, passengers take to zodiacs, canoes, and kayaks to explore their natural surroundings up close. The vessel is stylish and the food is French-inspired, with dishes designed by Alain Ducasse. These Alaska cruises are pricey—nearly $1,000 per person per day—because of the unique itinerary and shipboard expertise, but they sell out quickly nonetheless, so book well in advance.

Best ships for families
Norwegian Cruise Line, Holland America, and Princess sometimes run seasonal promotions where kids under 18 sail free or at reduced fares. These sales are limited-time and capacity-controlled, but watch for them, because they can be the best-value sailings in Alaska. Keep in mind that Norwegian’s shipboard atmosphere is quite casual, whereas Holland America and Princess are more traditional and have an optional formal dress code on some nights.

Best ships for a solo traveler
Fares for singles are typically the same as for a couple. Sometimes luxury lines such as Oceania, Cunard, Crystal, Ponant, Regent Seven Seas, and Silversea Cruises offer special solo fares—best to book these early, as they sell out quickly.

Best ships for independent travelers
The small-ship expedition vessels operated by Un-Cruise Adventures, Silversea, Ponant, Seabourn, and Lindblad Expeditions/National Geographic include knowledgeable onboard naturalists, zodiac landings, kayaking in Glacier Bay, guided hikes, and more. They cater to adventure seekers who would never be caught dead on a tour bus. Rates start at $500 per person per day for a seven-day Alaska cruise in peak season.

Best ships for foodies
The elegant main dining rooms on the Silver Nova (which launched in 2023) and the Silver Muse offer excellent meals and open seating, but there are many other options onboard, from the smaller, Asian-inspired Seishin Kaiseki and Indochine venues to Le Dame for gourmet French food or La Terrazza and Spaccanapoli for Italian specialties—even course-by-course room service. All suites also include 24-hour room service and unlimited caviar.

Silver Muse’s Seishin Kaiseki restaurant. Photo: Silversea

Best-value cabins
Many people think they want a balconied cabin on an Alaska cruise, but the truth is that with cooler temps and plentiful rain and wind, passengers rarely use those balconies. Among Tom’s favorite cabins are Holland America’s large oceanview staterooms: At 200 square feet, with big picture windows, three to four closets, and relatively large bathrooms that come with a tub, these cabins accommodate four passengers comfortably and work especially well for families.

AquaClass cabins on Celebrity Cruises’ Solstice and Eclipse are about the same size as the ship’s oceanview staterooms (195 square feet) but come with a balcony plus access to the spa’s private steam rooms and lounge, a dedicated concierge, and Blu, an intimate restaurant.

The Sunset Bar on the Celebrity Eclipse. Photo: Celebrity/Quentin Bacon

The Club Balcony suites on Norwegian’s ships are 285 square feet (compared to 160 for a standard oceanview cabin) and sleep up to four people. They’re priced significantly lower than similar staterooms on competing ships and often cost only an extra $200 per person above the price of a balconied cabin.

Cabin worth the splurge
The 5,750-square-foot Garden Villas on the Norwegian Jewel. They each have three bedrooms, three bathrooms, floor-to-ceiling windows, multi-tiered balconies, and an outdoor hot tub. Oh, and there’s a butler too, on hand to help you unpack, make reservations for restaurants and shore excursions, or plan the party you could easily host on your huge private sundeck. All the Garden Villas are in the VIP Haven section, which has its own pool, gym, and restaurant. While there are more luxurious ships sailing in Alaska, Norwegian has gone all out with its Garden Villas. They’re easily the largest family staterooms at sea—they can comfortably accommodate up to eight—and are outfitted with the same amenities you’d expect to find at a five-star hotel. In fact, these rooms are so private and so luxurious that many Hollywood and music-industry celebrities, and even one royal family, have booked them. Not surprisingly, luxury like this doesn’t come cheap: The suites run about $40,000 per week, but occasionally you can snag them for thousands less.

Best cabins for families
The two-bedroom suites (Haven or Suite category) on the Norwegian Pearl, Bliss, and Encore. The suites are 540 square feet, which is more than three times the size of a standard ocean-view cabin, and have a king-size bed and sea-facing en-suite bathroom in the master bedroom. The second bedroom also has its own private bathroom, and there’s a living area and a dining room too. Both suite types offer concierge, butler, and VIP services. They can sleep up to six passengers (there’s a pullout sofa in the living room). Second-best are the standard balcony cabins on the Celebrity Edge. The ship has 150 connecting cabins in the Infinite Edge Balcony category, where the parents can have their own stateroom that connects to another room accommodating up to four kids. Each cabin is at least 243 square feet, including the balcony.

Where to Cruise

Mount Denali from the road into Denali National Park and Preserve. Photo: State of Alaska/HagePhoto

Best itinerary
One that encompasses both the Inside Passage (an archipelago of 10,000 islands in the Alaska Panhandle near British Columbia) and the Gulf of Alaska (the coastline farther north that gives you access to Alaska’s interior). Sailings that include the Gulf enable you to continue inland to Denali National Park, home of the tallest mountain in North America and the Big Five of Alaskan wildlife, including grizzly bears. These sailings are usually one-way between Vancouver and Anchorage—you fly into one city and back from the other—whereas Inside Passage-only cruises tend to be round-trip out of Seattle or Vancouver. Round-trip airline tickets to Seattle are most affordable, and thus many people find round-trip Inside Passage cruises out of Seattle to be the most budget-friendly and convenient; just be warned that you’re missing Alaska’s backcountry.

Don’t-miss port
Juneau, the state capital. It’s where you can heli-hike to Mendenhall Glacier; visit a salmon hatchery; take a guided rain-forest walk; or go river rafting, whale watching, or even golfing. Or you can sample an Alaskan-made microbrew and a halibut burger at the Red Dog Saloon, then take an aerial tram ride up Mount Roberts for panoramic views.

Port most worth the trek
Skagway. It’s where the Klondike Gold Rush began in 1898, and the city still retains its historic character. One of the more interesting (and fun!) shore excursions is to take the narrow-gauge train along the jaw-dropping cliffs, while local guides spin yarns about the miners living in the area during the height of the Gold Rush.

Hidden-gem port
Sitka. It’s a historically rich and colorful little fishing town that was once the capital of the Russian fur-trading empire. In fact, it was here that the United States purchased Alaska from Russia in 1867. Today the shops, architecture, and even a local dance company hark back to the motherland. Sitka is also a base for water sports such as sea kayaking and diving.

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