Monday, April 22, 2024

Alaska Cruises: Cruise to Alaska

best alaska cruise from seattle 2023

Elias and Kenai Fjords, a world of natural wonders awaits on an Alaska cruise or cruisetour. Our Princess fleet includes ships that range from our smaller vessels to large ships. From a balcony stateroom, marvel at the glaciers passing by before enjoying local seafood in one of our many eateries during your seven-day Alaska cruise. At first glance many mistake Victoria for an English coastal city or northern European town. Full of greenery, pubs and Victorian architecture, it's difficult to believe that this was a tent city full of rough and tumble miners just 150 years ago. On a cruise to Alaska, explore the Butchart Gardens, tour the pub scene and taste some of the local brews or sail the bay for a whale-watching adventure.

What Are The Ports On A Roundtrip Cruise To Alaska From Seattle?

The 8 Best Alaska Cruises For Every Travel Style 2024 - Forbes

The 8 Best Alaska Cruises For Every Travel Style 2024.

Posted: Tue, 08 Aug 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

On each of the ships, the "studio" zones, as Norwegian calls them, are made up of 82 special solo cabins and a private Studio Lounge where solos can gather for happy hours and other events. It's yet one more stylish and upscale area for cruisers looking for an upgraded experience to retreat. On Norwegian Encore, there's a much bigger version of the exclusive, extra-charge Vibe Beach Club sunning area that's on Norwegian Bliss. If living large is your goal, you're not going to find anything better than this — other than with a cruise on a similar Norwegian vessel that also cruises to Alaska from Seattle. Norwegian Bliss, also based in Washington during the summer, is part of the same Norwegian Breakaway-Plus class of vessels and has a similar Haven enclave.

Endicott Arm & Dawes Glacier

The 2,800-passenger Solstice is no exception, with romantic tables for two at Tuscan Grille or an afternoon of bonding at a mixology class. The Canyon Ranch Spa is where you can book your couple’s massage before heading up to the real grass lawn on the top sun deck for a jazz ensemble under the stars. The Port of Seattle is in an ideal location along the Elliot Bay and nearby major attractions like Pike Place Market and the Seattle Great Wheel. There are two main cruise terminals at the port, located just a few miles from one another. There is so much natural beauty, rugged landscapes, and wildlife waiting for you in Alaska.

Top 10 Most Beautiful Port Cities Royal Caribbean Cruises

Trek across the majestic Mendenhall Glacier for breathtaking views of the wildest country. Get to know wildlife, big and small, that call this wilderness home, like otters, eagles, bears, and whales. This is Last Frontier pioneering with the cruise line voted Best Overall by Travel Weekly readers for 20 years running.

Elevate your experience with The Retreat and you’ll enjoy a beautiful suite, an exclusive sun deck and pool, a luxurious lounge, and dining in the exquisite Luminae at The Retreat. There are wonderful places from which to take in Alaska’s beauty on cooler days, too. Leafy Eden has floor-to-ceiling glass, while the Solarium is the place to lounge in tropical warmth as you glide between forested islands.

Icy Strait Point is home to the remote Tlingit village of Hoonah, home to fewer than 800 people and a deep Native history. The nearby Spasski River Valley holds one of the world’s largest populations of brown bears, who are often found hunting for salmon in the rivers. Zipline over the wilderness, watch a tribal dance or kayak in coastal waters to see the wildlife up close during your Alaska cruise vacation. With its roaring glaciers, rugged mountains and deep fjords, Glacier Bay National Park feels like a dream.

Celebrity Cruises

Cruisers who are veterans at Inside Passage itineraries on the big ships have really only seen a preview of the nooks and crannies of the region. Whittier is closer to Anchorage, and some itineraries even take disembarking passengers directly to Denali or Talkeetna the same day. Whittier is also a convenient port for cruising College Fjord, which most northbound sailings do on the final day before arriving in Whittier. Whittier is, however, a tiny community that is little more than a deep-water port, while Seward is a larger community and regional base for a more diverse collection of tours and activities. While on the ship, you can try out the skydiving simulator or North Star observation pod, which takes guests 300 feet above sea level to provide once-in-a-lifetime views of the surrounding glaciers while at sea and ports of call.

Norwegian Jewel

Four years later, I still find myself dreaming of the delicious circular-shaped dessert known as “The World” — the perfect combo of peanut butter ganache, chocolate mousse, and salted caramel gelato). While pulling into port one day, I remember digging into a hearty lunch of fish and chips featuring fresh-caught Alaskan halibut. (HAL is the first cruise line to serve fresh, certified-sustainable Alaskan seafood.) As of September, acclaimed chef Masaharu Morimoto is the Fresh Fish Ambassador as part of the line’s Global Fresh Fish Program. In 2022, the cruise line was the first to receive Responsible Fisheries Management (RFM) certification, meaning its Alaska-bound ships serve only fresh, certified sustainable and traceable wild Alaska seafood. The 7-Day Glacier Discovery itinerary is offered both northbound and southbound, both of which include cruising the Inside Passage and Glacier Bay, and calling upon Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway.

best alaska cruise from seattle 2023

Best Alaska cruises from Seattle

Yes, the 3,998-passenger Norwegian Encore is a cruise ship that generally caters to the masses, not the luxury crowd. However, it has its own "ship-within-a-ship" luxury zone that offers a much more swanky experience for those willing to pay. Our pick for the best Alaska cruises from Seattle for budget travelers may come as a surprise to many cruise aficionados.

If, for instance, you are looking for a more romantic trip, an upscale cruise line -- like Celebrity Cruises, Holland America Line, or Princess Cruises -- might be a good fit. Discovery Princess is one of Princess Cruises' newest ships and made her maiden voyage in March 2022. Like with Celebrity Edge, Princess Cruises offers a more upscale cruising experience compared to other mainstream cruise lines, such as Carnival and Norwegian. No vacation in the world delivers once-in-a-lifetime adventure like Alaska. Mark this as your year to cross this bucket-busting destination off your list once and for all. Take off by dogsled across thousand-year-old ice as you soak in otherworldly sights.

Why did we pick Norwegian Encore over Norwegian Bliss as the ship offering the best Alaska cruises from Seattle for luxury lovers? Built a year after Norwegian Bliss, Norwegian Encore offers one big improvement for the upscale crowd as compared to Norwegian Bliss. A cavernous indoor activity area on each of the two Quantum-class ships called the SeaPlex is home to the aforementioned bumper cars, as well as such family-friendly activities as roller skating, basketball and even trapeze lessons. The two-level complex also has upstairs nooks for playing Xbox, ping pong and foosball. It's like one big play zone for families that will keep your kids busy for hours. Regardless of the ship, passengers can expect a wide range of entertainment offerings, an abundance of bars, restaurants, and lounges, and a handful of accommodation options.

Mary Curry is another T+L A-List advisor who specializes in small-ship cruises to Polar regions and the Galapagos. We spoke to cruise experts to find the best Alaska itineraries to book this year. Cruise deals usually pitch the twelve onboard restaurants, which include five specialty dining venues. However, it offers so many varied areas of relaxation and recreation that the ship does not feel too crowded. Norwegian Jewel’s cruise deals target the entire family, highlighting the many youth clubs and children’s programs.

Guided skiff tours will take guests in search of Alaskan wildlife in remote bays and secret coves. Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth is operating roundtrip Vancouver sailings, bringing onboard topflight lecturers ranging from adventure traveler Bear Grylls to undersea archaeologist Mensun Bound on select voyages. And thanks to all of the different cruise lines that offer sailings to Alaska, you can pick your perfect ship and itinerary.

Several cruise lines also offer land extensions (sometimes called “cruisetours”) to make the experience as seamless as possible. Coming off of its 150th anniversary year, Holland America Line has been sailing to and around Alaska for more than half that time—75 years. Holland America Line’s “Alaska Up Close” deeply immerses guests in local cultures through onboard programs and activities, and shore excursions. On all of its Alaska cruises, a Huna Native Interpreter comes aboard Holland America Line ships to share the history of the Tlingit people. For nearly 30 years, UnCruise Adventures has embarked on voyages with a mission to provide its guests with an enriching adventure travel experience that inspires an appreciation of local cultures and the natural world. Founded in Alaska in 1996, the company has a strong pretense in The Great Land with seven-, 12- and 14-night itineraries that set sail April through September.

Nieuw Amsterdam's exceptional onboard experience earned "Best Cruise Ship Overall" at the Travvy Awards. Many flock to Alaska every year for a chance to witness the aurora borealis. Did you know they are more likely to display during high solar activity cycles? With more than 20 animal sanctuaries and sightseeing excursions, we bring you closer to creatures great and small. Alaska is a land of towering peaks, glacial calving, ice plunging into the sea, and otters and chubby seals lounging on ice floes. Plan your cruise to Alaska leaving from Seattle, Washington with Holland America's tips on what to do in Seattle before you cruise to Alaska.

Ketchikan is one of the best spots along the Inside Passage to explore the rich culture of Native Alaskans, including Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian with carved totem poles at the Totem Heritage Center. This luxury cruise line offers classic and expedition-style cruising, the latter of which takes aboard the 274-passenger Silver Wind. (Classic cruises, on the other hand, take place on board Silver Muse, Silver Nova, Silver Shadow, Silver Whisper, or Silver Moon). Nova and Moon offer the Sea and Land Taste program (S.A.L.T), offering culinary connoisseurs the incredible opportunity to experience the local food scene and culture both on and off the ship. Last but not least, keep in mind that Silversea sails between Vancouver and Seward (with the exception of one September 2024 itinerary, which sails from Nome to Vancouver).

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