Taking a cruise is the ideal way to explore Alaska. You can spend a week, or more, living in luxury as you explore the wonders of the northern-most state. The food is outstanding, as well as many other activities. You can visit many towns on excursions as well as you venture off into the wild. The cruise takes care of just about every detail, so you can sit back and enjoy the ride. Cruises run to Alaska from May through August and some even into September. The best cruises are a seven-night cruise on the Ruby Princess, A 10-night cruise from San Francisco to Alaska by Princess, and a seven-night Voyage of the Glaciers from Princess.
Some of this depends on tastes as the cruise season goes from May into September. June and July are the most popular times because of the weather. July and August are the warmest months, but August can be rainy. July has the best weather but is most crowded. If you want to avoid crowds on the ship, the best times would be at the beginning or end of the season, though weather might not be as pleasant.
Ships have rooms with balconies, and they are worth the extra money. Don't save a few hundred dollars by getting a room without a view. With a balcony, you can enjoy the splendor of the Alaskan outdoors at any time during your trip.
The cruise leaves and returns to Seattle for a week at a cost of $979 per adult for an inside cabin. A balcony goes for $1,500 per adult. This cruise makes all the usual stops, like Skagway, Ketchikan, Victoria, and Juneau. Walk the streets of old mining towns and take in all the splendor that is Alaska. You could also spend a few days in Seattle or Vancouver as part of the package. These tours are aboard the Ruby Princess, which is a foodie paradise. You may also enjoy a movie outdoors on the deck at night while you move to the next port of call.
Princess' seven-night cruise has special prices for children and a lot of activities for them to enjoy on the ship. Many excursions are family friendly as well.
With this tour you will start in San Francisco and sail up the west coast until you get to Alaska. Ports of call include Skagway, Glacier Bay National Park, Ketchikan, Victoria and more. This cruise has inside rooms for $1,299 and balcony rooms for about $2,000. You may also get a family suite for $2500. You will spend a few more days at sea on this tour, but you can enjoy all the amenities of the ship, and that keeps most people busy. You can take many excursions at each port of call, and enjoy nature walks, helicopter rides or just walking around the towns.
The cruise from San Francisco has a lot of activities on board the ship, and there is more time on board the ship to relax and recover from the excursions at ports of call.
This seven night cruise is less expensive than some, starting at $629 for an interior room and $1,276 for a balcony room. It is a one-way cruise, starting from Anchorage and going south to Vancouver. Stops include Hubbard Glacier and Glacier Bay National Park, to get a deep view of the glaciers. There are also stops in Skagway, Ketchikan, before you end up in Vancouver. It would be possible to combine this with other tours as well, to make it a round trip.
There are also overland packages that allow you to tour the interior of Alaska by train, bus or rental car, as part of your overall tour. You may also book excursions for things like train rides through Denali National Park as part of any of your cruises. The cruise lines make it easy for you to leave the tour and make a side-trip, such as a train ride through Denali, without really disrupting your trip.