The Alaskan cruise is arguably the most beautiful scenic adventure in the United States. Many people imagine taking an Alaskan cruise to enjoy the stunning views of the Alaskan landscape, but when they try to set foot on land, the cruise lines stop them dead in their tracks. How are you expected to interact with eskimos and igloos when you are floating out at sea?
Aurora Borealis; Fairbanks
The travel team at GreatCruises.com feels your pain and has put together a list of Alaskan Cruises that will allow you to take land tours during intermittent checkpoints in order for you to enjoy the Alaskan wilderness.
Because of the liabilities and cost, most cruise lines stay away from any land tours. Perhaps you’ve toyed with the idea of booking separate land and cruise tours, but be forewarned of the inefficiency and zero sum game of putting together your own itinerary. You will waste too much money on separate tours, and will earn conflicting schedules that become too confusing. Therefore, if you know de-boating is going to spark your curiosity, make sure you book a Cruise tour. Here are our top 5 Alaskan Cruise tours.
1. Princess Alaskan Cruise Tours: Explorer Kenai
The beauty of this package is the itinerary. The first two nights are spent at the northern most point in Alaska: Fairbanks. After that, the journey moves south for a couple nights at Denali National Park; during the summer this may be the most attractive national park in the nation. The third leg of the land journey ends on the Kenai Peninsula. After another two nights, you begin your cruise to complete the entire 13 day package. I enjoy this package the most because it starts in the most rugged and northern part of the tour and ends on a peaceful sea heading south.
2. Holland America’s Cruise Tour #9: Denali, Fairbanks & Alyeska
The Hotel Alyeska
This package is the opposite of the Princess Cruise. Starting on sea, the cruise segment ends with you being dropped of at the Alyeska Prince Hotel south of Anchorage. The Alyeska Prince is often regarded as the best hotel in Alaska. Next you will be taken to Anchorage for a night to get around the largest city in Alaska. A train will then take you to Denali for two nights before ultimately dropping you off in Fairbanks. This package has a more urban feel and lets you enjoy not only the parks of Alaska but the culture of the communities while on land.
3. Royal Caribbean’s 12 Night Canadian Rockies Cruisetour
Unlike the first two cruise tours this one is a round trip. You will start and finish your adventure in Vancouver B.C. and will explore much of the Canadian Rockies instead of inland Alaska. The tour takes you to Banff and Lake Louise which harbors some of the largest glaciers in the world. This cruise is great because there is no return flight necessary and there is very little hiking and ground touring. This would be the tour for those who’d rather sleep in than wake up every morning to meet a ground regiment.
4. Celebrity 14 Night Cruisetour: Fairbanks, Denali & Talkeetna
Since we gave you a cruise tour more focused on the waters of Canada and Alaska, we also rounded up a package that focuses on the landscapes and interior sites of Alaska. This 14 night adventure is the most relaxed because your schedule is not rushed. It samples Fairbanks, Denali, Talkeetna, Anchorage, Alyeska; basically all the interior stops of all the cruise tours rolled into one. You will see every corner of Alaska and do it at a calm vacation relaxed pace.
5. Princess Alaska Cruise Tours: Direct to the Wilderness
This cruise passes Anchorage and takes you strait to Denali park for two days. You’ll get a guided tour of Mt. McKinley before being taken to Fairbanks for a river boat ride. This has the most scenic land views of the cruise tours and is really for the veteran outdoorsmen. The best part of this package is the option of choosing to start in Fairbanks or start on the Cruise. This is a fan favorite.
