In this episode of Travel Talk, we walk you through the essential first steps of planning an Alaska vacation—before you ever choose a cruise ship. Whether you’re just starting to research or already have a trip booked, we explain why understanding your options is key to making the most of your experience.
We break down the three main ways to visit Alaska—a cruise, cruise tour, or land-only trip—and how each offers a completely different perspective. You’ll learn the difference between Southeast Alaska (where most cruises go) and Southcentral Alaska (where land tours take place), along with a helpful overview of popular cruise ports, glacier experiences, and excursion opportunities.
We also cover important planning tips, like why itinerary matters more than the ship, how to choose between sailing from Seattle or Vancouver, and what to consider when selecting the right trip for your travel style. If Alaska is on your bucket list, this episode will help you plan smarter and create a trip that truly fits your goals.
Already Booked Your Cruise? You Still Need This
If you already have an Alaska cruise booked, you may be thinking: “I’m all set.” But you still want to pay attention to this.
Planning doesn’t stop once your cruise is booked. You still need to understand:
- The cruise ports you’ll be visiting.
- The excursions available in each port.
- What to look for so you don’t miss out.
There are so many great opportunities in Alaska and knowing about them ahead of time makes a big difference.
The First Step: How Do You Want to Visit Alaska?
Before anything else, you need to decide how you want to experience Alaska.
There are three main ways to do it:
1. Alaska Cruise
This is the most common option. A cruise allows you to see a lot of Alaska, especially the coastal areas and cruise ports that you wouldn’t typically see on a land trip.
2. Cruise Tour
A cruise tour combines:
- A cruise
- A land portion
This gives you the opportunity to experience both the coastal regions and inland Alaska. If you’re having a hard time choosing between cruise and land, this is often a great middle-ground option.
3. Land Tour
A land tour focuses entirely on exploring Alaska on land. This is typically in a different region than where cruises go and it gives you a completely different perspective of the destination.
Understanding Alaska’s Geography (and Why It Matters)
Alaska is huge, but when most people are planning a trip, they’re usually focusing on only one of two regions:
- Southeast Alaska: This is where cruise itineraries go.
- South Central Alaska: This is where most land tours take place.
That’s an important distinction because your experience will look very different depending on which region you choose.
Fun Fact: Alaska is actually a rainforest. Both the Southeast and South Central regions are considered rainforests, but not the tropical kind you might be thinking of. It is a temperate rainforest with cooler temperatures and a wet climate.
Alaska Land Tour
One option for a land tour is with Adventures by Disney. They have a great itinerary that is round trip from Anchorage and hits the highlights of Talkeetna, Denali National Park, and Girdwood. This itinerary stays in the South Central region.
Alaska Cruise
For cruise options, you will find round trip sailings from Seattle or Vancouver. The ship generally stays in the Southeast region of Alaska and visits a variety of ports. Here is a quick overview of each one.
Common Ports
Juneau: The capital of Alaska and only reachable by sea or air. It’s a great location for fishing, sled dog summer camp, and glacier excursions to Mendenhall Glacier.
Ketchikan: Known as the Salmon Capital of the World, it is perfect for fishing or staying in town for the popular Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show. You may also be interested in the Saxman Native Village experience.
Sitka: A blend of native and Russian culture as well as the largest city in the United States by area. It’s the location of Sitka National Historic Park and a great option for whale watching and fishing for salmon or halibut.
Icy Straight Point: A great nature spot to visit with walking trails, a gondola, and a renovated 1912 cannery.
Skagway: It’s home to Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park and the only port that has a scenic railway. This area focuses on the gold rush and railway options that aren’t available in the other ports here.
Glaciers and Scenic Cruising
Glacier Bay National Park: There are only a few cruise lines that actually travel into the national park. If this is important to you, you may want to look for itineraries with Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, or Norwegian Cruise Line.
Other Glaciers: There are other cruise lines that will go to other popular glaciers outside the park, such as Hubbard Glacier, Sawyer Glacier, and Dawes Glacier.
Scenic Cruising: You may also have periods of times when cruising where you are traveling through areas where you can see amazing Alaskan sites.
Glacier Excursions: If you want more interactions with glaciers, you may choose a helicopter or plane trip. Some do fly overs to multiple glaciers while others will land and give you the opportunity to walk on a glacier.
Cruise Tour Options
With a cruise tour, you have both a land and sea portion. Northbound options give you the land portion after the cruise and Southbound options give you the land portion before the cruise. Overall, I recommend Northbound options.
The cruise tour goes between Seattle/Vancouver and Anchorage/Fairbanks in most cases. You will transition between land and sea in either Whittier or Seward depending on the itinerary and cruise line.
The land portion is usually between 3-7 days although sometimes there are other options. They usually include lodging, transportation, some tours, and meals. Sorting between tours can be difficult, but we can help with that. Deciding on what you want to do and see and how much time you have will help narrow it down.
How to Pick the Right Trip for You
First, decide between cruise, cruise tour, or land only. If you are doing one of the cruise options, decide on Seattle or Vancouver. Then look at the options that match those criteria and you’ll have a much shorter list. Some other things to consider:
- Focus more on the itinerary than ship brand.
- When comparing ships, look for ships built for Alaska with lounges or observation areas with large windows in case of inclement weather.
- Work with someone who understands Alaska to help you.
- Watch for seasonal limitations. For example, if fishing is important, be sure you are in season for the fish you want to catch.
Final Thoughts
Planning a trip to Alaska is exciting, but it’s also something that takes a little more thought upfront.
Before you jump into choosing a cruise ship, take a step back and think about:
- How you want to experience Alaska.
- Which type of trip is right for you.
- What regions you want to explore.
Once you get those pieces in place, everything else becomes so much easier.
