I Took An Alaska Cruise And These Were The 6 Mistakes First-Timers Were Making

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Are you planning an Alaska cruise this 12 months?

Cruises to Alaska are extraordinarily well-liked proper now, and 2024 is predicted to be a record-breaking cruising season in accordance with Cruise Industry News.

Alaska is a unique and beautiful destination that’s well-suited for exploration by way of cruise.

This is as a result of it is tough or not possible to journey between many locations in Alaska besides by boat or by air. It’s an enormous state (bigger than California, Texas, and Montana mixed) so a cruise is an effective way to go to a number of locations in a restricted period of time.

I took my second Alaska cruise final May, and these are the widespread errors I noticed many vacationers make. Be positive to keep away from these errors to ensure you have an important Alaska cruise expertise!

Choosing The Wrong Cruise

One widespread mistake that many individuals make isn’t contemplating the itinerary, dates, or cruise line for his or her Alaska cruise.

The Alaska cruise season runs from late April via early October, however July and August are the warmest and sunniest months for visiting Alaska.

If you wish to see a number of wildlife like whales and bears, the very best time to go is June via August. If you wish to go salmon fishing, that window of time can also be your finest guess.

When it involves itinerary, you may have to determine if you wish to cruise the Inside Passage (normally a week-long cruise beginning and ending in the identical port) or see extra on a Gulf of Alaska cruise (which normally begins or ends in Anchorage.)

As for cruise traces, I went with Holland America, which I actually loved — it is extra of an grownup crowd (though nonetheless family-friendly) and focuses much more on the tradition, historical past, and nature of Alaska.

Holland America together with Princess Cruises are thought-about the 2 finest cruise traces for Alaska cruises.

Packing Poorly

Obviously, an Alaska cruise is nothing like a Caribbean cruise — you are going to a vacation spot that will get COLD, even in the course of the summer time months.

While summer time is definitely the warmest time to go to Alaska, it will probably nonetheless be very chilly.

The key to a profitable Alaska cruise is packing a number of layers. I usually began the day sporting a base layer, a light-weight jacket or sweater, after which my heavier winter coat. As it acquired hotter, I was in a position to shed a layer as wanted.

One factor it is best to not neglect? Lots of rain gear! I noticed so many individuals who weren’t ready for the frequent rain in Alaska.

Be positive to pack an umbrella, a rain poncho (this was a lifesaver!), moisture-wicking wool socks, and waterproof boots or sneakers to your Alaska cruise.

You may go away a lot of the formalwear at dwelling. While your cruise might need one or two dressy nights for dinner, Alaska cruises are usually much more informal total.

Booking Same-Day Flights

A HUGE mistake that first-time cruisers make is reserving a same-day flight for arrival day.

You would possibly see that your cruise does not formally depart till late afternoon and suppose which you can get away with arriving on a flight early within the morning after which heading straight to the cruise port. Wrong!

If your flight is delayed or canceled for any motive, you may miss your complete cruise. It’s not well worth the threat. Arrive in your departure port metropolis at the least a day early.

For Alaska cruises, this can most definitely be Seattle or Vancouver.

You can e-book your departure flight for a similar day as a result of you’ll most definitely must be off the ship early within the morning on departure day. But for arrival day, do not even give it some thought!

Not Booking A Balcony Cabin

The temptation to economize and e-book an inside cabin or an exterior cabin with solely a window is perhaps sturdy, however I extremely advocate reserving a balcony cabin to your Alaska cruise if you happen to can.

I usually do not thoughts simply having a window-view cabin on cruises, however I was extraordinarily glad to have a balcony on my Alaska cruise.

This is as a result of a LOT of what you do is scenic crusing. It’s not like your typical cruise the place the one view for miles on finish is the ocean.

On an Alaska cruise, there will likely be many occasions if you’re cruising previous jaw-dropping surroundings, like in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. Yes, you’ll be able to watch this from the general public higher decks of the cruise ship, nevertheless it will get actually crowded since everybody has the identical thought.

It’s a lot nicer to have your personal balcony the place you’ll be able to loosen up on lounge chairs and watch the surroundings glide by in consolation and privateness.

Waiting To Book Shore Excursions

One massive mistake that many Alaska cruisers (together with myself) make is ready too lengthy to e-book shore excursions.

I booked my Alaska cruise fairly final minute (about one month prematurely) and a lot of the shore excursions via my cruise line had been already offered out.

While there are some cruise locations the place you’ll be able to wait to e-book your shore excursions, Alaska isn’t one in all them. There’s restricted stock and lots of the hottest excursions promote out prematurely.

This goes for excursions supplied by your cruise line and third-party shore tour operators. So do not wait to e-book excursions!

Overlooking DIY Excursions

Okay, now that I’ve talked in regards to the significance of pre-booking your shore excursions, let’s speak about an alternative choice — DIY excursions.

Many cruisers do not understand that it is doable to go to many locations independently in Alaska, saving you some huge cash in comparison with reserving via your cruise line.

For instance, in Ketchikan, I knew I needed to go to Totem Bight State Historical Park. A guided tour booked via my cruise line would have value $60 per particular person, however to go to it independently, it was a easy 25-minute bus trip on the native bus for $2 per particular person and $5 per particular person for the entry price.

Similarly, I paid $45 per particular person for the Glacier Express bus in Juneau to go to Mendenhall Glacier, which included a round-trip bus trip from the cruise port and the glacier entry price — an enormous financial savings in comparison with the $80 tour via my cruise line.

Dale Peterson

Dale is a full-time traveler and author with over 6 years of expertise. She’s traveled to greater than 55 international locations across the globe and focuses on masking solo journey and digital nomadism.

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Opinions expressed listed below are the writer’s alone, not these of any financial institution, bank card issuer, resort, airline, or different entity. This content material has not been reviewed, authorised or in any other case endorsed by any of the entities included throughout the put up.