The allure of sailing past glaciers, venturing into the rugged wilderness and admiring the quirky frontier towns entices more than a million people per year to take an Alaska cruise. An Alaska cruise is not one of those vacations where you want to skip a port and relax on the ship. There are too many wondrous adventures waiting that make it necessary to plan your Alaska cruise excursions carefully.
In addition to sharing my own experiences I gathered recommendations from my in-laws who have cruised to Alaska multiple times, even taking the land and sea tour once to get their insight on the best Alaska cruise excursions. They always sailed with Royal Caribbean, but many of the excursions are similar, regardless of the ship you choose. You can also book some of these independently (i.e., not through the cruise line.)
For those a bit more adventurous, a friend of mine highly recommends 2 tours she took sailing on Princess with kids.
What Alaska Cruise Excursions Do We Recommend?
The Top 4:
- The train in Skagway – Great way to get away from the cities and see more nature.
- Free walk around Ketchikan – A great inexpensive way to explore.
- Whales watching in Icy Strait- I highly recommend, if in your budget.
- Helicopter and Glacier Trek in June – Expensive but an incredible experience.
