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Many cruisers opt for an Unlimited Beverage Package to make their onboard experience more enjoyable. You’ll have to pay the difference if you order a more expensive drink. The Alaska cruise itinerary that suits you best and you choose can significantly impact your Alaskan cruise cost.
Inside Passage Roundtrip Vancouver
After all, Alaska is not just a destination; it’s an experience that stays with you long after you return home. So, you’re wondering what the real price tag is for an Alaska cruise, factoring in all the extra expenses we’ve discussed in this article? We’re an open book and happy to share our complete budget, including any additional costs we encountered. When planning your Alaskan cruise, it’s easy to focus solely on the ticket price. However, the advertised Alaska cruise prices are often just the tip of the iceberg. Let’s delve into these often-overlooked expenses that can affect the prices for an Alaskan cruise.
A Beginner’s Guide to Traveling on Points and Miles
Even the smallest suites include butler service and walk-in closets. The ship has twenty adjoining suites for families traveling together. Concierge suites and above have binoculars and cashmere blankets to use during the cruise.
Alaska Cruise Cost: Amenities and Time of Year Make the Difference
Discovery Princess is the lead ship (and one of the newest) in one of the best cruise line fleets in Alaska. Princess is a tough competitor in the region with multiple ships to choose from, including Grand Princess, Ruby Princess, Sapphire Princess and Royal Princess. Fleetwide staples include lavish adults-only sun decks and Movies Under the Stars (complete with popcorn and cozy fleece blankets). After dark, dance the night away in the two-story Music Hall -- complete with self-leveling pool tables. Or enjoy a thrilling sports-filled evening in the SeaPlex -- as a participant or spectator -- complete with hotdogs onsite. Take note that Quantum is pretty much the only ship in Alaska where you can have a robot mix you a drink.
Holland America Koningsdam May Be One of the Best Ships for a Quieter Alaska Cruise
From ship to shore, the best is at your fingertips on our Alaska cruises. Whether you're a history buff or a nature nut, there are numerous bucket list destinations to experience while traveling on your Alaska cruise vacation. Adventuring in Alaska is all about getting to know this state's stunning landscape. To minimize joining the masses during high season, consider a shoulder-season sailing (in late April, May or September), or select a ship that embarks midweek. Saturday and Sunday cruise departures tend to be busiest during the summer months, particularly for families with children. You’ll want to carefully consider Alaska cruise packages and itineraries as the scenery, price and length of time all vary considerably.
Farewell Voyage Set for Carnival-Owned Cruise Ship After 15-Year Career
For instance, Princess Cruises offers a 10-day Alaska cruise tour that includes 3 days on land with a 7-day cruise. These depart from Vancouver, with one way travel Northbound to Whittier, then a 3-day land rail to Denali National Park. These cruisetours can add several hundreds of dollars per person to the cruise fare. The only good thing is that all of your tours and transfers during the land portion will be included and arranged for you. Except for luxury cruise lines, your fare will not include onboard gratuities. These typically run $13-$18 a person, per day, depending on your cabin category.
Types of Shore Excursions
Depending on the tour itinerary you choose, you might visit Seward and the Kenai Peninsula, Alyeska, Talkeetna, Anchorage and Fairbanks — as well as spend one to three nights in Denali National Park. Gulf of Alaska sailings — especially those in late August and September — can encounter rough seas in the gulf portion of the voyage. Popular Inside Passage ports of call include Juneau, Icy Strait Point, Ketchikan, Petersburg, Haines and Skagway.
It’s a chance to experience a landscape you can’t really visit any other way. You get to see and do things that you just don’t get anywhere else. We have yet to hear anyone be disappointed with a cruise to Alaska. Be Selective on the Ship You Sail (Indoor Areas Are Important)Perhaps nowhere is it more important to pick the right ship for your cruise than when cruising Alaska. That’s why we suggest a larger ship with more covered spaces, such as indoor pools and covered recreation areas.
Alaskan Cruise Costs: What You Can Expect to Pay - NerdWallet
Alaskan Cruise Costs: What You Can Expect to Pay.
Posted: Sat, 09 Dec 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]
Alaska Cruise Onboard Experience
Top scenic cruising destinations in Alaska include Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, Hubbard Glacier, Tracy Arm (Twin Sawyer Glaciers), Dawes Glacier at Endicott Arm and College Fjord. Sitka is as much a working fishing town as it is a tourist destination. Sitka's Russian heritage also sets it apart from other Alaskan ports on your cruise itinerary. See St. Michael's Orthodox Cathedral with its onion dome and the Russian Bishop's House. Hop a bus, kayak, boat or plane to look for bears, eagles, whales, sea otters and other wildlife.
Here’s the full breakdown of our Alaska cruise expenses, including the cruise itself and extra trips, airfare, hotel stays, etc. All the cruises we considered start and finish in Seattle, Washington, and include a mandatory stop in Victoria, Canada—important to mention due to passport requirements for Alaska cruises. While the itineraries differ slightly, they all feature the stunning Inside Passage. The cost of eating out can vary widely depending on the port and the type of restaurant. Casual dining spots may charge around $20 to $40 per meal, while upscale restaurants can cost $30 to $50 per person or more. While not mandatory, travel insurance is highly recommended for any cruise, especially one as significant as an Alaskan cruise.
One of the most popular Alaska cruise cabin offerings is Encore’s eighty-two studio cabins for those cruising solo. For those looking for the best views without worrying about which side to be on, there are seven decks of rear-facing balconies for a view that’s unbeatable in Alaska. The best time to shop for Alaska cruise deals is during wave season, which lasts from January to March and is when most lines offer the best sailing bargains. Inboxes overflow with deals during wave season, and if you're after a cheap cruise to Alaska, make sure they're not going to your junk mailbox. In general, waiting until the last minute is not the best idea, unless you live in Seattle or Vancouver and don't need to book flights.
It's one of the most popular and common itineraries for Alaska cruising. Luxury cruises to Alaska on smaller ships can be a great option for those looking to pair remote wilderness with a bit of pampering. Your best high-end bets are Oceania, Regent Seven Seas, Seabourn, Silversea and Windstar.
Whether it’s sailing next to mountains or doing some whale-spotting as the ship cruises, there’s quite a bit to experience even between ports. Remember that most trips last a week, meaning there aren’t many opportunities for inexpensive, short getaways like you see from ports in Florida. As well, you have to factor in things like shore excursions, which tend to cost more than on a cruise to elsewhere. To make up for lost revenue from the Covid pandemic, Royal Caribbean’s Alaska cruise season ran into October in 2021.
If all of these Alaska cruise costs are making you feel a little stressed out, then the pricing of Alaska shore excursions might just put you over the edge. By and large, the cheapest times of year to go on an Alaska cruise are the shoulder seasons. Thus, sailings during late April/May and September/early October usually have the lowest Alaska cruise prices. These are approximate values on reviewing several cruise lines and ships for 7-night roundtrip cruises from Seattle at double occupancy. Of course, you might find rates cheaper (or more expensive) depending on the factors above. When we checked Alaska cruise tour prices on Royal Caribbean, fares ranged from $160 to $210 per person, per night, for an inside cabin, and from $240 to $320 per person, per night, for a balcony.
