princess alaska excursions reviews

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7 Things I Loved, Plus 4 Things I Didn’t During Princess’s Alaska Cruisetour

• Cruises and Sailing
• Types of Travel

On my first morning after embarking on the Royal Princess Hamilton Cruise ship on a sea and land cruise from Vancouver through the Inside Passage of Alaska and up to Fairbanks, I sat on my portside balcony and watched the gray seas as the pale morning sun rose.

A sudden movement caught my eye, and the head of a humpback whale rose directly out of the water, suspended for a brief moment before it disappeared under the sea.

“Did I just see that?” I muttered sleepily to myself. As if to answer me, the telltale poof of water shot out of the sea, followed by the dark, subtle hump of the whale as he followed alongside our massive 1,083-foot long ship .

Instantly, I ran inside to wake my travel buddy, but by the time he got to the balcony, the whale was long gone. However, that whale sighting was a premonition of extraordinary adventures to come on the Princess Cruises’ 12-17 day Connoisseur Alaska Cruisetour .

From luscious food choices and all-day entertainment to excursions and off-shore adventures through Alaska’s small coastal communities, the Alaska Cruisetour was probably one of the most fun trips I had taken all year. While I had my first cruise in January on a small excursion ship, I was invited and hosted by Princess Cruises to experience my first “big” cruise ship. For some reason, I had poo-pooed the idea of the big “floating city” cruise ships in the past, but the 12 days of sailing and traveling with Princess changed my mind.

I get it now. I get why people dream of cruises and just how easy it is to relax and just enjoy when you are being pampered, cared for, and catered to by a cruise ship company. Coming from the eyes of a brand-new cruiser (this won’t be my last cruise, I guarantee you), here are the seven things I loved — plus the four things I didn’t — during the Princess Alaska Cruisetour.

7 Things I Loved

1. medallion magnificant and the staff.

The Royal Princess is a Princess MedallionClass™ ship with a capacity of 3,560 guests. The MedallionClass ships use touchless technologies in the form of a small, quarter-sized customizable Medallion and an app to enhance and personalize individual experiences and health protocols. 

This thing is so cool. I had my Medallion customized with an astrological symbol and ordered the rubber wristband. While wearing it, the Medallion automatically unlocks and locks my stateroom door as I enter it, allows staff to find me anywhere on the ship to deliver my daily Bloody Mary, allows for touch-free boarding and purchases, let me find my travel companion on the ship, and more. 

“So let’s say you’re out tanning by the pool and you want to get some extra sunscreen, you can go on the app on your phone and order sunscreen which will be purchased through the app and delivered to you where you are anywhere on the ship,” said Briana Latner, public relations and marketing for Princess Cruises. “We’ve also introduced ‘Dine My Way,’ which helps you make reservations in the main dining rooms and the specialty dining, helps get rid of wait times and helps you with your special preferences.”

Another feature of the Princess Medallion is the Ocean Compass, which allows you to locate and message your travel companions. Whomever you are traveling with is automatically named as travel companions in the app, but you can remove each other if you choose to.

“Sometimes there are kids who are teenagers. They can go off on their own, but you want to make sure you know where they are and they’re safe,” Latner said. “Many people who are traveling with parents or the elderly who may get disoriented find it’s been really helpful  to be able to find each other too.”

Travel blogger Erin Cohen said the Medallion created a level of ease on her trip that shocked her.

“It makes you eat too much,” she laughed. “Everything comes to you at the snap of a finger or the touch of a button. The Medallion makes life almost too easy, but it’s great.”

Combined with the Princess Medallion, the staff on the boat is top-notch. Our stateroom was cleaned twice a day at least (the Medallion lets staff know when you are out of your room so they don’t disturb you), the bartenders all know your name and preferred drink, and every crewmember greets you with a cheerful hello.

Using the app and the Medallion was super convenient when it came to purchases, ordering, getting around, and more.

Pro Tip: Download the app before you embark on the cruise to upload safety and health documents, pre-book activities and dining, and get used to all the features. It’s a lot to learn. You can order the Medallion ahead of time and either have it sent to you prior to the cruise or you can pick it up upon embarkation.

Fun Fact: The Pacific Princess was the star ship in the 1977 television series called The Love Boat . That series also made the concept of a sea-going vacation popular with millions of people and has been widely credited with fueling the dramatic expansion of the cruise industry.

2. By Land And By Sea

The Royal Princess Alaska Cruisetours are a combo land and sea experience. In addition to a 7-day Voyage of the Glaciers Alaska cruise that includes two glacier-viewing experiences and stops in the small Alaskan communities of Juneau, Ketchikan, Skagway, and Whittier (Anchorage), you’ll also explore Alaska’s interior with a guided land exploration tour.

Once you’ve disembarked from the ship, you can spend 3 or more nights on land at the various Princess Wilderness Lodges , including the Kenai Princess Wilderness Lodge, the Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge, the Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge, and the Fairbanks Princess Wilderness Lodge.

These lodges are situated riverside near the legendary Denali National Park and Preserve, on the stunningly beautiful Kenai Peninsula, and in Fairbanks. Each lodge offers its own unique personality.

You will also travel by rail in a private Princess Cruises scenic railroad car and by tour bus to the various locations.

We were on the Connoisseur Alaska Cruisetour , which offers the highest level of service with a dedicated tour director, the 7-day Voyages of the Glaciers cruise, 5-10 nights on land, travel on the Princess Alaska rail service, stays at Kenai Fjords National Park and Denali National Park , a Tundra Wilderness Tour into Denali National Park (We saw three grizzly bears!), sightseeing opportunities, and most meals included.

What I loved about this option was the ability to see not only the glaciers and wonders of coastal Alaska along the Inside Passage, but a chance to explore the famed national parks of Alaska’s rugged and beautiful interior. It truly was the best of both worlds.

“You see pictures but to see it in person is just like, it’s hard to believe this is even real. The whole time I was in Alaska, I just kept saying it was like a movie set,” said Cohen.

3. All The Choices (And Unlimited Drinks)

So maybe you are craving a pepperoni pizza while you lounge in one of the many hot tubs on the 16th-floor deck. Maybe one night, all you dream of is a big juicy steak with a Maine lobster tail. Maybe you want a lot of choices from the all-day buffet.

On the Royal Princess, the more than a dozen dining choices come in many different flavors, ranging from high-end steakhouse to Italian cuisine to sushi. Like many cruise ships, the Royal Princess has a buffet that features Asian, Indian, American, and Latino cuisine, as well as breakfast items, fresh fruit, a pastry bar, and more. On the fifth floor in the central Vista, a small deli is open 24/7 for the late night/early morning crowd.

The ship also has numerous bars, and because we were given the unlimited drinks option, we put those to good use. From the poolside bars to the cozy Wheelhouse Bar with its live music, you’ll not have to worry about finding the perfect cocktail or Alaska beer to sip on. 

Although I dined at the fancy Crown Grill and Sabatini’s, the buffet was our go-to option most days due to the sheer variety of foods to choose from. Be warned, though: It’s easy to let your eyes be bigger than your stomach, and you can end up eating more than you planned because the food is just so tasty.

4. Lots Of Viewing Areas

The Alaska Cruisetour I was on started from Vancouver and sailed through Alaska’s Inside Passage through some of the most beautiful scenery I’d ever seen. With glaciers, waterfalls, misty mountains, and otters and whales frolicking in the waves, it would be a crime not to take it all in.

I loved all the decks and viewing areas on the Royal Princess. From our own private balcony to picture windows throughout the ship to expansive decks, the views just kept coming.

Pro Tip: Bring binoculars! I really regretted not bringing the pair I own. Trust me, you won’t regret taking them when the whales and otters make their appearance.

5. Performances And Special Programs

You’ll never get bored on this Cruisetour. Starting as early as 6 a.m. every day, the Royal Princess has events, special programs, classes, naturalist talks, and fun activities. From morning stretching on the deck to art auctions and contests to game shows and line dancing classes, this ship doesn’t stop!

In addition to the hourly activities, excursions, and options during the day, The Royal Princess presents big musical shows, comedians, naturalist talks, and more in its expansive Princess Theatre. The smaller bars and venues feature live musicians and fun, silly game shows while the main Vista area of the fifth floor holds concerts and dance parties. The ship even has a disco, a hopping casino with slots and table games, a very large fitness area on the 17th deck, poolside movies, a pickleball court, a Discovery Camp for kids, and more.

Every day, a daily newsletter listing all the activities on the ship is delivered to your room, so it’s easy to find and choose what performances or classes you’d like to take part in. If you are bored at all on this ship, that’s on you! Seriously, you’ll have a hard time picking which fun activity to do.

6. Being Pampered

After days of hiking, exploring Alaska’s small communities, whale watching, dancing all night, and maybe having one too many cocktails, it’s nice to be pampered. The Royal Princess’ onboard Lotus Spa brings you to a place of peace and Zen with services like traditional massage, acupuncture, facials like the La Therapie HydraLift facial, couples massage, and Aroma Stone Therapy Massage.

After relaxing, cruisers can head to The Enclave , a getaway of thermal suites and a hydro-therapy pool with a cascading rain shower and therapeutic air jets. Sweat out your worries at a Turkish-style steam bath, steam rooms, and dry saunas for purification and detoxification, then doze off on the heated stone beds or relaxing water beds.

Another pampering experience is Royal Princess’ The Sanctuary , an adult-only retreat on the top deck with private cabanas, food and drink, and al fresco massages. The “Serenity Stewards” are quietly efficient in delivering everything you need, from fresh mimosas to towels.

7. All The Excursions

With 12 days of adventure, it would be impossible for me to list all the land and sea excursions available through the Royal Princess Cruisetour. Thankfully, you’ll be able to find all the options through the Medallion app and with the onboard concierges.

For my excursions, I went out on a crab boat in Ketchikan to learn about crab harvesting and to stuff myself silly on Dungeness crab, roared up winding mountain trails on a UTV, spotted whales, climbed glaciers, kayaked pristine mountain glacial lakes, toured and spotted wildlife on a Tundra Wilderness Tour in Denali National Park and so much more.

The excursions range from the sedate and relaxing to the wild and extreme, so there’s a little bit of everything for anyone. You can see the list of available excursions here .

4 Things I Didn’t Love

1. prices of excursions.

Alaska is expensive. There’s no getting around that fact. Being able to enjoy the Alaska landscape on a guided excursion is going to cost you. Some of the most expensive excursions include flights on small planes and helicopters, but they tend to be the most popular as well, like the Denali Flightseeing tours and helicopter tours of surrounding glaciers.

You aren’t required to purchase excursions, however. If you’d rather explore the different ports on your own, you can do that too.

2. Not Enough Time In Each Port Or Land Lodge

When you are cruising, you have a schedule to keep. You might fall in love with tiny little Skagway, but you only have a day in port. You may want to spend more time at the Kenai Princess Wilderness Lodge with its cozy rooms and fireplaces, but you only have one night.

The fact that you do not have control over how long you can stay in any one place is certainly not Princess’ fault, but it is a bummer and a fact of life when cruising.

3. No Coffee In The Room

One of my biggest pet peeves in life is not having coffee available in my room when traveling. Yes, ordering coffee to the room was easy and the staff at Princess were on top of my caffeine addiction, but it would have been nice to have one of those little coffee makers tucked away so I could make my own coffee.

One great thing about the Royal Princess is the ability to order coffee and breakfast the night before. Each day, you can fill out a form listing what items you’d like to order and what time they should be delivered, so that’s convenient.

4. Staffing Problems At The Lodges

Like so many other destinations, Alaska has a worker shortage. That desperate need for seasonal and long-term employees has led to some staffing issues at some of the lodges. While the Royal Princess ship boasts 1,346 crew members from more than 30 different countries, some of the lodges had problems filling spots, which led to slowdowns, some maintenance issues, and longer wait times.

My best advice is to stay patient with the destinations and with the staff that is working. Everyone is doing the best they can with less.

All in all, my first “big cruise” experience was stellar and has made me a believer! Hopefully, this won’t be my last cruise, and if you yearn for an easy, well-organized way to experience Alaska, the Royal Princess Alaska Cruisetour is the way to go.

For more on cruises and sailing , explore these articles:

• My 7 Favorite Meals On Viking’s New Expedition Ship
• 6 Fabulous Perks Of Cruising Alaska In The Fall
• 9 Tips For Cruising The Mediterranean With Costa

Heide Brandes is an award-winning journalist and travel writer based in Oklahoma. She loves outdoor adventures, exploring different cultures, and finding off-the-wall, bizarre, and wondrous experiences to enjoy. Heide writes for numerous national and international publications and is an award-winning member of the Society for Professional Journalists, North American Travel Journalists Association, and Society of American Travel Writers. Besides traveling and writing, Heide is also a professional Bellydancer, a medieval re-enactor, and a quirky chick who lives in Oklahoma City.

The 6 best Alaska cruise shore excursions — from heli-hiking to whale watching

There are some cruise destinations — Barcelona, for instance, or Venice — where you really don't need to sign up for shore excursions . You can just walk off the ship and head to the major attractions on your own.

For the most part, the ports of Alaska aren't like that.

To get the most out of an Alaska cruise, you'll want to sign up for a tour in most, if not all, of the ports you visit. And not just any old tour. You'll want the best Alaska shore excursions that get you out into the Alaska backcountry.

For more cruise news, reviews and tips, sign up for TPG's cruise newsletter.

In Alaska, many of the biggest "attractions" — breathtaking mountain landscapes, glaciers, fjords, breaching whales and feeding bears, for instance — are related to the Great Outdoors. As a result, many of the best Alaska shore excursions for cruisers are found outside of the towns where ships stop. If you just stay in the towns and explore on your own, you'll miss a big part of what Alaska is all about.

Related: The best Alaska cruise for every type of traveler

Picking the best Alaska shore excursions

People who know me know that I love talking about Alaska port towns. This isn't just because I spent more than two decades writing about Alaska and other cruise destinations for major newspapers. For many years, I was the co-author of Frommer's "Alaska Cruises & Ports of Call" guide. In researching nearly half a dozen editions of that book, I spent many days exploring each of the major cruise ports in the state. I've tried a large number of the shore excursions in places such as Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan. I've also poked around these towns a lot on my own.

As noted above, my biggest message to anyone planning an Alaska cruise is to get out of the towns . Sign up for something — a hike, a rafting trip, a train ride, a fishing outing — that gets you out into Alaska's spectacular outdoor settings.

But I also have a few specific, top-line pro tips when you're thinking about the best Alaska shore excursions:

• Get up in the air . It'll be expensive. We're talking $250 or more per person. But there's nothing like seeing the grandeur of Alaska from a helicopter or floatplane. The Juneau Icefield, in particular, is a sight to behold. It covers around 1,500 square miles. You can see it on a flightseeing tour from Juneau, with some tours including landings on the ice.
• Don't miss the whales. Even if you're not a big wildlife person, you'll be mesmerized by the humpback whales of Alaska. They are huge (at up to 52 feet, longer than a Greyhound bus), and there are boat tours that will get you up close to them. The best places to do this are out of Juneau and also Icy Strait Point if your ship stops there.
• Splurge for a trip to Misty Fjords National Monument . This glacier-carved wilderness area, not far from Ketchikan, is another don't-miss sight. It's everything you think of when you think of Alaska: icy blue lakes, waterfalls, snowcapped peaks and glacial valleys. The only way to get there is on a boat or floatplane tour, and they typically start at over $200 a person.

Unfortunately, as you can see from the above, many of the most spectacular excursions in Alaskan ports are expensive. But Alaska is not a place to skimp. Alaska is a destination where you may want to budget almost as much per person for your shore excursions as you do for your cabin.

That said, you don't have to splurge for a big outing at every call. In Juneau, for instance, you can get an outdoor experience with a relatively inexpensive trip to the nearby Mendenhall Glacier. It's just 12 miles from the cruise ship docks and reachable by bus or taxi. The bus will set you back an astounding $45 per person round-trip, which I find an intolerable gouge (but ... it is what it is). If you have a few people, you're probably better off with a taxi, which runs around $35 each way. For two or three people traveling together, it's not all that pricey a trip.

Either way you do it, you'll find some nice hiking trails around Mendenhall Glacier and a visitor center. There's a creek there, too, where I've sometimes seen salmon running. One time, I even saw a bear. Speaking of which: A bear is something you think you want to see in Alaska until you actually see one. Then you're just hoping you don't get eaten.

Related: The best Alaska cruises for couples

I should also be clear that the towns themselves aren't devoid of attractions. While I highly encourage Alaska-bound cruisers to get out into the wilderness, there are plenty of worthwhile things to do in each of the main port towns.

In Juneau, food tours have become popular; think King crab bisque and Alaska salmon. The Alaska State Museum is beautiful and worth a visit. Skagway is like a Gold Rush-themed movie set. You should at least walk its main street (Broadway), with its wooden-board sidewalks. If you're a craft beer fan like me, you also might want to sample a Spruce Tip Blonde Ale at the Skagway Brewing Company. It's made with Sitka spruce tips picked locally in the spring.

In Ketchikan, you should save a few minutes to stroll up Creek Street along Ketchikan Creek, where you might spot salmon running. It's the ultimate Alaska selfie spot.

Related: The best cruises to Alaska from Seattle

How to book the best Alaska shore excursions

The simplest way to book an Alaska shore excursion is through your cruise line. You check a box on an online form before sailing or while on board, and — poof! — it's all arranged. They send a ticket to your room, and a tour guide will be waiting for you when you walk off the ship.

Another way to go is to book directly with a tour operator in one of the ports. That said, many of the tour operators you'll find in Alaskan ports are the same tour operators that operate the ship-sponsored excursions. Often, the tours that the local tour operators will sell you are the same tours that the cruise lines are selling you at the same price . Shopping around isn't necessarily going to get you anywhere.

Indeed, in some cases, the cruise lines own the tour operators in Alaska ports, or at least a piece of them. For instance, the parent company of Princess Cruises and Holland America is a part-owner of Skagway's big attraction, the White Pass & Yukon Route Railway.

Note that you can sometimes get discounts by calling a tour operator directly. I've had some luck with that over the years, but it's hit or miss.

Related: 8 tips for booking the best cruise shore excursion for your money

The 6 best Alaska shore excursions

Below, I've listed six of my all-time favorite Alaska shore excursions. These all are tours that you'll find in the tour lineups at every major cruise line that operates in Alaska. Different lines sometimes have different names for these tours — and sometimes different pricing.

For the listings below, I've used the tour names and pricing listed in the current tour sheets at Princess, which along with sister line Holland America, is the biggest cruise operator in Alaska.

Related: The ultimate guide to picking a cruise line

Dog-sledding and glacier adventure by helicopter

Cost: $849.95 per person

Port where available: Juneau

For those with a hefty bankroll, this might be the ultimate Alaska shore excursion. Combining helicopter flightseeing over the seemingly endless Juneau Icefield with a landing on a glacier for dog sledding, it hits two of Alaska's most iconic experiences.

It's also insanely expensive, as I know from firsthand experience. I once took my entire family of five on this excursion, dropping more than $2,000 in the process (this was back when the pricing was half what it is today). That's a huge chunk of change for an outing that lasts three hours.

But I'll tell you this: I don't regret doing it. Not one bit. For starters, the views of the Juneau Icefield as you fly to and from the dog-sledding camp are incredible (assuming the weather cooperates). But the real joy was seeing my three young girls interacting with the teams of Alaskan huskies that live at the camp.

Once you arrive at the camp, you'll meet the dogs and their mushers, see where they live, get a quick tutorial in mushing, and then head out for a spin around the camp on a dog-pulled sled.

Related: These are the best times to visit Alaska

Whale watching and wildlife quest

Cost: $204.95

If it's Alaska's famous humpback whales that you want to see, you'll want to book a whale-watching tour. The waters around Juneau are particularly known for humpback whales — so much so that the operator of this excursion offers a whale-sighting guarantee.

Setting off from the Juneau harbor in a whale-watching boat, you'll cruise to nearby areas to see not just humpback whales but harbor seals and sea lions, too. You might even spot a killer whale or porpoise.

The boat used for this excursion has both inside and outdoor viewing areas. The trips last about four hours, including transfer time from your cruise ship to the whale-watching boat.

Related: The ultimate list of Alaska cruise tips

Note that if you have a big enough group, it sometimes pays to arrange a private boat out of Juneau to take you to see humpback whales. Many lines offer a private boat charter for whale watching as a tour option, or you can arrange one through a local company.

Klondike rock climbing and rappelling

Cost: $119.95

Port where available: Skagway

If you're like me, you may be a little terrified at the idea of climbing the sheer face of a rock cliff. But don't let that scare you away from this 3 1/4-hour tour. It's a hoot.

Experienced climbing guides will meet you at your ship and drive you up the Klondike Highway to an area of granite cliffs that's the perfect playground for beginner and more seasoned climbers alike. Upon arrival, the guides provide you with all the gear you need — climbing shoes, helmets and harnesses — for a safe scramble up a 70-foot-high wall. They'll also offer plenty of instruction (and encouragement), plus a snack of trail mix and hot chocolate.

If it all sounds a bit daunting, know that you don't need any experience at climbing to do it; I sure didn't have any when I tried it, nor did my young daughters, who absolutely loved it. There are multiple routes up the cliffs, some perfect for beginners. After making it to the top, you'll rappel back down — an entirely different kind of thrill.

Related: How to plan a cruise with points and miles

White Pass & Yukon Route Railway ride

Cost: $254.95

Call it the iconic attraction of Skagway, Alaska. A ride into the mountains on this narrow-gauge railroad is the tour everybody takes when visiting the Gold Rush town-turned-tourist hub. And for good reason. It offers an easy way to get deep into the Great Alaskan Outdoors.

Truth be told, I'm a fan of more active excursions. But for someone who isn't going to hike, bike, horseback ride or raft their way through the wilderness around Skagway (there are tours for all of those things, too), a ride on the White Pass & Yukon Railway is one of the best ways to get a glimpse of the area's classic Alaskan scenery.

Related: 13 things you should do before every cruise

From the comfort of a vintage rail car, you'll get stunning views of mountains, gorges, glacial rivers and waterfalls as you climb nearly 3,000 feet to the summit of White Pass — the headwaters to the mighty Yukon River. Designated an International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark, the 20-mile route is a marvel in its own right, with improbably steep grades at times and segments that pass over soaring wooden trestles and around tight, cliff-hanging curves.

Heli-hike and rail adventure

Cost: $399.95

This is another tour with a sky-high cost. But, in my opinion, it's well worth the money. Indeed, it's one of my all-time favorite Alaska shore excursions.

The five-hour, Skagway-based outing begins with a transfer from your ship to a nearby helicopter pad, where you'll find a helicopter waiting to whisk you high into the surrounding Sawtooth Mountain Range.

On a quick flight to your destination — a mountain trail in the Tongass National Forest — you'll get spectacular views of the mountains and Goat Lake. You'll land at Glacier Station, a remote mountain helicopter pad alongside the White Pass & Yukon Railway tracks. From there, you'll set off on a two- to six-mile guided wilderness hike on a trail along the Skagway River. The highlight of the hike is a magnificent view of Laughton Glacier.

Returning to Glacier Station, you'll end the day with a ride back to Skagway on the White Pass & Yukon Railway, which makes a special stop to pick you up.

Misty Fjords National Monument by seaplane

Cost: $329.95

Port where available: Ketchikan

There's nothing that says Alaska quite like a trip in a floatplane. And, if you're going to do a floatplane ride, there's nowhere better than in Ketchikan. You'll find a small armada of floatplanes waiting to take you to the nearby Misty Fjords National Monument.

Misty Fjords is one of those quintessential Alaska destinations that's so beautiful you just want to cry. That is, if it's not too "misty" to see it. It got its name for a reason. The area is often shrouded in clouds and drizzly rain. Ketchikan is known as one of the rainiest places in North America, with over 13 feet of rain each year. So, yeah, bring a rain jacket.

But, also get ready for lovely views of glacier-carved fjords, cliffs and rock walls jutting thousands of feet out of the ocean. The whole thing is covered with temperate rainforests and features huge waterfalls (thanks to all that rain). It's definitely a sight to see.

Note that there often are two versions of this tour available: One that is about two hours long and only includes flightseeing and a slightly longer version that includes a water landing within Misty Fjord National Monument.

Planning a cruise? Start with these stories:

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What to Expect: My Princess Alaska Cruise Review from Seattle

By: Author Kim Tate

Posted on Published: July 10, 2024

We’ve just set sail and I’m typing this while onboard my very first Princess Cruise. I’ve been on many other Alaska cruises so I’m writing this guide for you about my Princess Alaska cruise to help you know what you can expect.

What’s Included in this post:

• Tips for Sailing from Seattle
• Onboarding & My Room
• Premier Package & Specialty Dining Reviews (including Caymus Winemakers & 360)
• My Shore Excursion Recaps from Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan

Our Itinerary – Discovery Princess (June 2024)

• Glacier Bay
• Victoria, BC

Sailing from Seattle

We’re local to Seattle, and so just drove down to Pier 91 to board the Discovery Princess . Our boarding time was 10:30 am to 2:00 pm. All passengers needed to be onboard by 2:00 pm for a 3:00 pm departure. If you’re a non-local, here are a few things to note about sailing Princess from Seattle.

• Pier 91 is about 3 miles north of the downtown Seattle corridor. So, if you’re planning to visit the city beforehand, you’ll need to use rideshare, taxi, or shuttle to get to the cruise port from the main tourist area downtown. It’ll take you about 10-15 minutes to travel by car from downtown to Pier 91.
• If you want to stay a day beforehand to tour the city, my favorite downtown hotels near popular attractions are the Thompson Hotel, Inn at the Market, and Four Seasons Seattle. The Westin Seattle and Motif Seattle might be slightly more price friendly and are close to the monorail, but further from Pike Place Market and the waterfront. The monorail can take you from downtown to the Seattle Center district where the Space Needle and other popular attractions are located.

Onboarding with Princess

When we arrived at Pier 91, we were able to be dropped off right by the cruise ships. There were two ships in port, a Holland America Line ship and our Discovery Princess cruise ship. There were bag tags available for those who hadn’t printed them in advance and a long line for bag drop and check-in.

There was a separate, shorter, line for those with no bag drop who were carrying on their bags (which we did). Although the bag drop check-in line was extremely long, it seemed to be moving quickly. It can be chilly and windy waiting outdoors for the bag drop line to move indoors, so be sure to have a jacket handy.

From the time of drop off until we were onboard was probably only 40 minutes when we boarded around noon. Everything moved extremely smoothly. We had checked in via the app in advance and so simply scanned our check-in app QR code and showed our passport at the first step.

Next, we had to go to the blue lane to get our Princess Medallions since we missed the shipping date. I HIGHLY recommend you download the app and check-in as soon as you’re able (at least more than 14 days before) and have your medallion shipped to you to save time.

Plus, you have the opportunity to personalize your medallion with special occasions and celebrations and preorder medallion accessories if you want. If you check-in early enough you can skip the blue lane and go to the green lane which had no line and was simply an ID and photo check point before heading on the ship.

Since we had missed the medallion shipping date, we went to the blue lane, which honestly moved extremely quickly and so it wasn’t a huge issue. We had our passports checked again and received our medallions which had our names and sailing date listed on them, which was very nice. The whole process was smooth and moved quickly. Getting 4000 passengers onboard a ship at a single point of entry could be a logistical nightmare but we were very impressed with how smoothly it all went.

We got onboard and headed to our room which was actually ready! They say that rooms aren’t guaranteed ready until 1 pm, but ours was. So we dropped our bags and headed to the buffet to get a little bite to eat. If you don’t want to eat at the buffet, make sure you board early and can make it to the restaurant before 1 pm.

Day 1 is a busy day! We had to confirm and make dining reservations and soon we were setting sail with a windy music sail away party happening on decks 16 & 17 at the pool. I also highly recommend if you want to enjoy the private Sanctuary retreat space (added cost) make sure to go book that on day 1.

Our Balcony Stateroom L129

Since I was hosted on this cruise, I didn’t choose our cabin, it was simply assigned to us. We were booked in a Category BF – Balcony Stateroom (Guarantee) and were assigned a room on deck 16, the Lido deck, towards the front of the ship. Since I’ve never sailed Princess, I wasn’t sure what to expect from our room; a balcony stateroom number L129.

Initial impressions: I was shocked we didn’t have a sitting/couch area in our balcony stateroom. Our room is simply a queen bed with a desk, one chair, and a mini-fridge cabinet. We did have a very spacious open closet space that is right next to the bathroom. The bathroom doesn’t have an enclosed shower, which is a first for me on a cruise ship.

Space wise, it’s fine for two people, however I miss having a couch and sitting area. The closet had ample hangers which I appreciated and there is a small shelf cabinet in the closet that worked well for my packing cubes. I unpacked, hung some items, left others in my packing cubes, then simply slid my suitcase under the bed.

The bathroom seemed small compared to what I recall from other cruises. I have a slender build and felt I had to keep the bathroom door open when drying off and getting ready simply to have room to move and breathe.

I was worried about being on the busy Lido deck 16, the same deck as the pool and buffet. However, the forward rooms on these decks are nicely separated and due to the fact that there is no forward stairs or elevators in front of the rooms, it hasn’t been an issue with excessive noise and foot traffic.

Personally, I’d avoid the L301 and L302 rooms in this section near the elevators as there is a lot of activity in this area. Also it’s worth noting that deck 17 overhung our deck, so many of my photos looking out from our balcony do show a white floor above us. You can see this in the image with my conclusion paragraph at the end of this post.

Being on the right (starboard) side of the ship was fine most of the time, however, in Glacier Bay we did hear the park ranger mentioning the left (port) side to see some of the sights. The ship does turn and pass all the spots again, you just don’t have the ranger audio commentary.

Thankfully when you reach the end of Glacier Bay and view Margerie Glacier, the ship spins a few times so that both sides of the ship can see the famous glacier.

The Discovery Princess Ship

I was a bit surprised to discover that this ship can carry about 4300 guests, for our sailing I was told it was at 4003 guests, which seems like a lot! The ship was built in 2022, and still feels nice and new.

The layout of the ship is a little odd and not as free flowing as I’m used to on other ships. You’ll occasionally find elevators hidden behind walls and getting to a restaurant on the back of deck 5 means you have to go up to deck 6 to cross to it as you can’t cut through another restaurant on deck 5. It just wasn’t as free flowing and easy to orient myself as I’ve experienced before.

Discovery Princess does have a great three floor midship atrium where you’ll find shopping, bars, and dining. Plus, this open area is where many of the entertainment competitions and mini-shows take place. There is some seating on all levels around this space and many people would stand at the overlooking edges on decks 6 and 7 to watch the performances happening on deck 5.

One of my favorite spaces I discovered is the Retreat and Sanctuary on decks 17 and 18. The retreat is an adults-only pool, two hot tubs, and lounge space. This leads to the Sanctuary space which is a paid for private lounge deck with glass viewing over the front of the ship.

You have to reserve access to the sanctuary in advance for $20 for half a day and $40 for the full day, or rent a cabana with a tv and mini-fridge for a varying price. When we asked if we could book a day they were already sold out. So, if you think you’ll want some lounge time in a quiet area with a view, book a spot in the Sanctuary right when you board.

Princess is soon debuting a Sanctuary Collection package that will be included with some upgraded stateroom fares. It will launch on the Sun and Star Princess ships in Fall 2025.

Our Premier Package

We did have the Princess Premier Package (an added $80 per day per guest) as part of our booking which includes a few extra amenities:

• WiFi 4 devices per guest – text, share, stream and video chat with the best Wi-Fi at sea
• Premium Drinks, Bottled Water, Specialty Coffee, and Juice Bar – Top-shelf spirits and craft cocktails up to $20 each, in addition to what’s included with Princess Plus
• Pre-paid crew appreciation (tips) – this is included in Plus packages as well
• Professional photos included – unlimited downloads and three printed images
• 2 Specialty meals included (per sailing) – dine at one of three specialty restaurants on the Discovery; Crown Grill (steak & seafood), Catch by Rudi (seafood), Sabatini’s (italian).
• Unlimited dining at casual restaurants: Gigi’s Pizzaria, Ocean Terrace Sushi Bar, Salty Dog Gastro Pub, Gelato
• Unlimited premium desserts at Gelateria, Swirls or Coffee and Cones
• OceanNow® (delivery anywhere onboard) fee waived – order drinks and food on the app and it will find you anywhere on board
• Unlimited Room Service
• Unlimited Fitness Classes: Classes by Xpotential: Pure Barre, Yoga Six and Stretch Lab
• Reserved Theater Seating (we really LOVED this perk!)
• Princess Prizes – during casino hours, win prizes like wine tasting, onboard credit and more (we didn’t really understand or experience this perk)
• Blue Medallion Clip On

Having the Premier package truly gives you more of an all-inclusive feel. You’re allowed to eat and order whatever you want at the extra dining spots. You have access to the top label alcoholic drinks, for example I could order a $19 glass of Pinot Noir where the Plus package was limited to a $15 glass.

My husband and I are both heavy internet users and thought the Princess WiFi was truly the best we’ve ever experienced. We could facetime with our kids and even streamed a couple of hockey games while onboard! I was easily able to download shows from my streaming accounts as well.

And we loved the reserved theater seating since some people would show up an hour before showtime to start getting good seats!

There are three main restaurants onboard, Juneau, Ketchikan, and Skagway that are open for dinner; and for our cruise, Ketchikan was open for breakfast and lunch as well. In addition to those there is a World Market buffet, Salty Dog Pub, and Gigi’s Pizzaria. 

Discovery Princess has added fee restaurants as well if you want a smaller, upscale dining experience. There is the Crown Grill steakhouse, Catch by Rudi seafood, and Sabatini’s Italian Trattoria. We also had the chance to experience two limited dining experiences, The Caymus Winemaker’s Dinner and 360 Dining Experience 7-course tasting.

I’ll be honest that we found the food in the main restaurants pretty standard for a large cruise ship. Everything was good, but not extraordinary. We enjoyed the meals but felt they were a little under-seasoned and the fish was repeatedly overcooked.

However, the specialty dining restaurants were a better experience. Which makes sense as the main dining rooms need to feed around 4000 guests and the specialty restaurants are only feeding a small seating of maybe 20 tables during the night. I’ll say that the 360 dinner was one of the absolute best experiences I’ve ever had onboard a ship, and I highly recommend you splurge on it if you enjoy experiential dining experiences.

The Caymus Winemaker’s Dinner

I was told in advance to request the winemaker’s dinner experience and so I did on day 1. It isn’t a set scheduled event, so we had to wait to be told when our dining experience would happen. There was no publicity about this meal while onboard. It seems to be arranged by request or offered to guests who speak with the sommelier and show an interest in wine. I was told that it typically happens twice per cruise.

You’ll meet in the atrium and be escorted to a private table inside one of the main restaurants. For our seating we had 10 guests, which were 5 couples. We had a host and sommelier for the night and we ate and drank through 6 courses. The couples chatted during the meal and the sommelier shared information about the Caymus family of wines and their history.

The food was tasty and very unique; it was a great break from the standard main dining experience and the wine pours were generous and truly paired well with each dish. I’ll mention that the ship also did an AMAZING job accommodating Paul’s pescatarian diet and my sensitivity to mushrooms, including creating different plates for each of us at this meal when the dish included meat or mushrooms.

If you’re a person who enjoys private dining experiences and wine, this would be an excellent splurge for the cruise – just make sure to talk to the dining team on day 1 to arrange.

360: An Extraordinary Experience

If you only want to splurge on one upgraded dining experience while sailing with Princess, 360 is the one I would recommend. Beyond the food being wonderful, the whole evening was unique and truly experiential.

You’ll meet in the atrium where you’ll be served a cocktail and have a photo taken against the 360 Princess Cruises backdrop, then you’re led into the back kitchen area of Catch by Rudi to a hidden room with a circular table that seats 20 guests.

The evening starts with a host greeting you and starting the story by grabbing a journal from the wall. Then Brooke Shields takes you on a travel journey around Europe tasting and drinking through a 7-course meal.

The lighting and table effects, the private servers for each couple, the energetic host, and the amazing makers storytelling videos immerse you in the food and drink you’ll consume. We loved it and so did the couples sitting around us!

Entertainment & Shows

There are a lot of activities happening on the ship to engage guests. Each day you’ll check the app or the daily sheet left the night before to find out times of activities. Paul and I were both surprised at how it seemed there were quite a few announcements made over the speakers through the day about events and activities.

There were maybe three a day? Compared to Norwegian where it seems there’s only one a day, it’s something to keep in mind if that’s something you want or don’t. The announcements do not get broadcast in your rooms.

Some of the events were things like egg dropping contests, paper plane flying challenge, music trivia, group workouts, art auctions, bingo, as well as skin and shopping events each day at the spa and shops.

The main theater had a show each night that featured two stage shows during the week and the other nights were acts like comedians, singers, and magicians.

The bars all had live music each evening, with the same performers each night but with different set lists. We felt the first stage show we attended was pretty good, not Broadway level but definitely enjoyable. The reserved seating for Premier guests was a useful perk.

TIP: if you know you want to watch a lot of the main theater shows, make sure you plan your dining accordingly. Paul and I often had dining times around 7 pm, which meant we had to go to the 9:30pm late show (first show is at 7:30 pm) and sometimes we were too tired to go after a busy day out. :)

Paul and I felt like there were a lot of things you could do, although some of the activities seemed to be somewhat aimed at selling you something. But overall, if you’re the type who doesn’t want to hang out in your room and love to pop into things, Princess seems to really try to have some kind of fun activity happening throughout the day.

Lotus Spa & Enclave

After having a few spa services on cruises, I’ve decided it might just not be my thing. I feel that you’re either pushed in and out quickly, which was my facial experience on Princess, or a big chunk of your treatment time is spent trying to upsell you on other services or products, which was my recent facial experience with Holland.

I did get a day pass for the spa Enclave area which is a special water therapy area not included in spa services. I believe the rate is around $49 a day. I’ve tried one of these areas before on the Norwegian Bliss ship, so was looking forward to checking this out.

Enclave has a large center jacuzzi pool with special jet areas around the pool. There are heated tile lounge benches throughout the edges of the space. And there are three heat therapy rooms as well as some water therapy cold/hot showers.

I visited in the late morning one day and didn’t feel the space was overcrowded, but did feel like my two hours was plenty of time. I tried each of the rooms and relaxed on a heated bench to read a few times. The space isn’t overly large so could easily get crowded.

Shore Excursions and Ports of Call

I’ve been on quite a few Alaska cruises, as I’ve mentioned, and shore excursions are extremely popular with guests. I recommend booking early! Some popular excursions sell out months in advance. And most shore excursions happen rain or shine, so be prepared to pack accordingly.

One thing to note, if you’re not interested in any of the excursions or activities, the ships become extremely empty during port calls. You’ll find the pools, hot tubs, and restaurants clear and quiet, so keep that in mind if you’re just looking to relax. Of course, you’ll have to count on good weather to get people off the ship and to make you want to spend time in the pool or hot tub. :)

My Juneau Excursion:

Alaska’s Whales & Mendenhall Glacier Trail: Small-Group Experience

The most popular activities in Juneau are seeing Mendenhall Glacier and whale-watching. I’ve done bus transfers to Mendenhall, rented a Jeep to self-tour around the sites, and on this trip I finally did a whale-watching trip.

Our small group tour was two groups of 20 people and we were separated onto small shuttle buses that took us on a drive of about 15 minutes to the port where we boarded a small boat at a marina. There was time to quickly use the bathrooms which were at the marina and do get busy.

The boat had an interior closed cabin with bench seating that just fit all 20 of us. There was a small front and back deck where we could go out when we weren’t moving. Plus the window walls of the interior of the boat could be pulled up and locked into place to allow the whole interior cabin to have open viewing.

We headed out onto the water and after traveling for about 15 minutes we came upon our first pod of humpback whales. There were quite a few of them feeding, and we even had the opportunity to see bubble net feeding, which is pretty rare!

In addition to the many seagulls flying over the feeding whales, we also spotted a bald eagle. I really wished I had my DSLR camera with a strong zoom lens as my iPhone photos just couldn’t capture the amazing details and size of these creatures.

If this is a bucket list trip experience for you, I HIGHLY recommend you bring a good zoom camera. There are point and shoot cameras for reasonable prices that would work well. I’d recommend something with a high optical zoom like the Panasonic FZ80 series or a Canon Powershot like the SX740 .

After spending a bit of time with that group of whales, we left again to look for more and passed a group of five Steller Sea Lions hanging out on an ocean buoy. We soon found another group of humpback whales that were feeding and shooting their breathing mists high. We spent another few minutes with this pod and then had to head back to the marina.

Once in the marina, we boarded our shuttle again to go to a bus parking area for Mendenhall where we split into two groups of ten. Our guide led us through a short hike through the woods, sharing some of the local fauna, and we ended up at a beach across from Mendenhall Glacier.

This was the first time I ever viewed the glacier from the vantage as I’ve always visited it from the main visitors entrance and done the hike to the waterfall near the glacier. So, just know that this visit to the glacier is simply a visual stop and not the standard visitor’s center experience.

We headed back to the bus and we passed over a creek that does get salmon running in it, although not this time but we did see them in August 2022. This time we spotted a porcupine high in the trees!

Our bus driver offered to drop us in the main area of Juneau for shopping, but the original drop off point is just slightly down from downtown at the dock. It’s only about a 10 minute walk along the dock. When we cruised on the Norwegian Bliss we docked farther away at the A1 dock which is a mile away from downtown. Our Holland America ships have always ported at the main docks in port.

Our Skagway Excursion

Sip & Summit: White Pass Scenic Rail & Skagway Brewing Company

The most notable excursion in Skagway is the White Pass Scenic Railway. This is a historic train route and even some of the cars and engine are historically important. The purpose was for trade and moving products to the Canadian border. The train only operates during the peak summer season, so be sure you check the dates if you’re traveling in the shoulder season.

For our excursion it included more than just the train, and we started our day meeting in a parking lot after tendering to shore from the ship. Recent landslides have made tendering and shuttling mandatory for some larger ships.

A large tour bus soon came to the parking lot and we loaded onto it with guests who seemed to be from another pier – a Holland ship. The bus took us to an overlook viewpoint where we were able to see the town as well as the cruise ships in port. Then we traveled back to town and were dropped off at Skagway Brewing Company in town.

Our group had a private seating area on the patio of the pub and we were all served a flight of beers and a pretzel with beer cheese. The manager came to each of our tables to chat for a few minutes, and there was plenty of time for us to enjoy our beer tasting as well as the chance to shop in their gift shop. One of the big features for this brewery is their Spruce Tip Ale which was their first beer made with Sitka Spruce tree tips which contain vitamin C to help prevent scurvy.

After the brewery we loaded back on the bus and were driven a short distance to a parking lot near the train where we were assigned a train car for our group. We had researched in advance and knew the right side of the car was best; however, the train does turn around at the top and everyone stays in their same seats, so the left side of the car will see the sites coming back down the mountain.

There are about 10 rows of seats, fitting two people in each bench seat on each side. So a train car probably holds about 40 people. There is a bathroom in each car, and there are very small viewing platforms on each side of the train car, which you’re allowed to access if the conductor feel it’s safe. The trip will take about two and a half to three hours.

If you happen to get a clear weather day, this excursion is amazing. The views are unbelievable and you truly appreciate the challenge of mining and trade in this region. I will say that it can be a little unsettling if you’re afraid of heights as you’re often on train tracks right next to gorges; so keep that in mind if you don’t like heights. You’ll be given a route map on the train and it will help you keep track of the main sights along the way.

Glacier Bay National Park

While not a cruise excursion, I did want to mention our stop in Glacier Bay as it’s one of the main draws for many cruisers. Some cruise ships and itineraries do not go to Glacier Bay since there is a permit limit each year. So if you really to visit this National Park, be sure to pick a cruise itinerary that has Glacier Bay included.

Glacier Bay is typically a one-day special experience. You’ll sail into the bay early in the morning and a couple of National Park Rangers will board the ship at the mouth of the bay. Throughout the day you’ll cruise up the bay to the end and the featured site of Margerie Glacier. The rangers will give audio commentary about sights along the way, and there are typically education events onboard including Junior Ranger badge programs.

Whether the weather will give you a clear blue sky day or a cloudy, rainy mess, is anyone’s guess. Keep in mind that the whole bay is gorgeous and it’s worth spending some time enjoying the views on one of the decks while cruising the bay. This would be a perfect day to reserve time in the Sanctuary.

Our Ketchikan Fishing Excursion

Alaska Fishing & Wilderness Dining – Discovery Exclusive

I actually did this exact excursion with my daughter Mia on our Holland Alaska Cruise, and we loved it so much I knew I had to book it for Paul, too. You’ll meet up on shore with a guide from Baranof Fishing and be led to their pier spot to have your fishing licenses checked or purchased.

With Holland we didn’t have any info to buy a license in advance; however, Princess did a great job having a sheet in our room upon boarding telling us what to do. So when we got to the pier we were able to just print off our licenses, meaning we got onboard a boat quicker.

Our guide took us out to one of his favorite spots to start fishing for rockfish. When I went with Mia in August, we were on a six-person open skift boat, but this time there were five of us on a small boat with a small cabin and back deck for fishing. They’ll loan you boots for the trip, and depending on weather they may give you waders. I can’t recall if they have coats for loan, but I wouldn’t count on it.

We had to chase the rockfish quite a bit this time, whereas when I fished with Mia, we all immediately got two fish each when we dropped our hooks down. So it was kind of fun having two different experiences. We also caught a few different types of rockfish, with Paul catching a tiger rockfish which had to be returned and I caught a fair sized yelloweye rockfish which we kept for lunch!

After we all caught a couple of rockfish, we headed to a different spot to go for salmon. With rockfish, we all were dropping lines into the water, whereas for salmon you’ll troll fish and have to watch rods for bites, then someone has to grab the rod and hope to reel in a fish. Salmon can be tricky and we have had a few pop off the hook when we’d try to reel them in. But in the end we came away with a lovely Pink Salmon to keep while we had to let a King Salmon go since it was too small.

With our fish onboard, we headed to a private island for some lunch. You’ll be brought ashore; keep in mind that you have to hop off the boat into very shallow water to go ashore, so you’ll need to be a little nimble. But they have a step stool and will help you get on and off the boat.

Onshore there is a campfire going and you can help yourself to fireside coffee in pitchers or use hot water to have some hot chocolate. Your guide will clean your fish and hand them off to the chef who will prepare the fish with amazing seasonings and a cioppino tomato soup. Our salmon was prepared with teriyaki sauce on a cedar plank board and it was all tasty. There was also blueberry cobbler for dessert. We finished eating and headed back to our boat to go back to the cruise ship.

Keep in mind, you’ll be fishing and sitting by a campfire; so consider packing a special outfit and/or jacket for this excursion. Or plan on having some laundry done on the ship; perhaps even pack some travel febreeze , hand wipes and sanitizer.

What to Pack for an Alaska Cruise

Be sure to read my Alaska Cruise Packing List post which includes a free printable packing list! A few important notes:

• Pack layers for clothes, weather can vary and wind and rain are a reality just as much as sunny 70 degree days. A good flannel, fleece, puffer, and raincoat could be ideal for varying weather.
• Pack shoes that will accomodate your various excursions and dress, i.e. walking, hiking, or formal night.
• Pack a pair of good binoculars – we had a cheap pair and they were worthless.
• Pack some playing cards or travel board games if that’s your lounge style.
• Don’t forget a day pack for shore excursions.

Taking a cruise to Alaska is definitely something I’d recommend. Things to keep in mind is that bigger ships might not be able to port right at the pier and you’ll have to tender or shuttle ashore. Itineraries matter and you should carefully look at the ports of call as well as the amount of time in each port of call which choosing your line.

This was my first Princess Cruise and I loved the medallion “key” technology as well as the great WiFi at sea. The specialty dining experiences were better than the main dining and the 360 dining experience is something I’d recommend to all my friends. Princess cruise staff onboard were all kind and helpful, from the servers in the buffet to the room stewards.

The ship size was bigger than I expected and did come with some extra lines for getting off and on at cruise ports. While I didn’t love the layout, overall it was a gorgeous ship and I did enjoy all the different venues and lounge seating areas. There weren’t a lot of “active” areas onboard like a ropes course or waterslide, but that might have been what helped keep the family quotient lower and as a traveling couple, that was enjoyable.

I asked two different couples that mentioned they had sailed 10+ times with Princess why the loved it so much, and both gave me the same response: because they know what to expect. So, if consistency is something that appeals to you, it certainly seems like Princess might be a great line for you to cruise.

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Alaska Cruise Excursions

Experience true adventure in alaska.

Feel like a local with our unique land and shore excursions that give you a taste of true Alaska life. From the historical fortunes of the Klondike Gold Rush to the glacial treasures of the Inside Passage, get up close to the Great Land’s famous riches and best kept secrets.

Find Shore Excursions

Discovery & Animal Planet Excursions

Unlock a world of adventure with Discovery at SEA™, our exclusive partnership with Discovery™ and Animal Planet™. Immerse yourself in Alaska and see the best the region has to offer with "Recommended" tours or choose "Exclusive" Alaska cruise excursions that you can only experience with Princess – like fishing for king salmon, dogsledding through beautiful terrains and canoeing past Mendenhall Glacier.

Alaska is teeming with wildlife. See the Great Land’s most famous animals — like humpback whales — on our Alaska shore excursions. Marvel at bald eagles in their natural habitats while in Ketchikan. See humpbacks play alongside sea lions in Juneau. Or keep a lookout for Denali National Park’s Big Five — including moose, caribou, grizzly bears, wolves and Dall sheep — while on a bus tour in the park.

Learn more about Alaska wildlife

The Great Land was built on a strong culture. On our Alaska shore excursions, step back in time to learn how these traditions came to fruition and how they're practiced today. Attend a lumberjack axe-throwing competition, watch a Native dance performance and excite your taste buds at a salmon bake with locals. Or watch a craftsmen thoughtfully carve totem poles at a Native Alaskan village.

Gold Rush History

Strike it rich on any of our cruise excursions in Alaska where you can pan for gold like the many treasure hunters before you. Tour mining camps and meet experienced miners. Visit a restored saloon to craft cocktails from age-old recipes. Or board a gold rush-era train that takes you through Yukon territory and brings you up close to some of Alaska's most historical sites.

With waters as prosperous as the treasures on land, discover what lies below the surface on our Alaska cruise excursions that take you out to sea. Hear thrilling tales from members of the award-winning TV series Deadliest Catch . Or learn to fly fish from an expert guide. As a part of our unique culinary experience, Cook My Catch, bring your fresh-caught fish on board and have our chefs prepare it for your dinner.

Glaciers are the epitome of Alaska. Sailing past them is a sensory experience that inspires both the mind and heart. Watch as Hubbard Glacier calves into the water and listen for the rumble of “white thunder” that it leaves in its path. Land by helicopter on top of Mendenhall Glacier, and feel its strong roots beneath you. Or navigate its rugged terrain by way of flightseeing or dogsled with our Alaska shore excursions.

Learn more about glaciers

Sightseeing

There’s a world of sights to be seen in the Great Land and our Alaska cruise excursions give you a front-row seat to it all. Bring history books to life when you tour Skagway, the former gateway to the gold rush, and visit Gold Dredge 8 in Fairbanks to learn even more about mining. Travel along the White Pass & Yukon Route Railway, or aboard a riverboat sternwheeler for sweeping views of Alaska’s greatest treasures.

Outdoor Adventures

There’s a reason it’s called the Great Land — including its great outdoors. Get up close to renowned glaciers on a flightseeing tour, zipline through Tongass National Forest and hike along the mountainside of Ketchikan’s Deer Mountain Trail which takes you 3,000 feet above sea level. Whether you prefer to traverse by land, sea or air, our cruise excursions in Alaska will bring you on a wild ride.

Denali National Park Tours

Home to the highest mountain in North America, Denali National Park is brimming with magnificence. Search for the Big Five — grizzly bears, Dall sheep, wolves, caribou and moose — while on a bus tour in the park. Most Princess Alaska cruisetours include a tour into Denali National Park.

Learn more about Denali National Park

Why Book Excursions with Princess?

Award Winning Excursions: Discover age-old traditions, relive mining history and make local connections with the people lucky enough to call the Great Land home. Experience the very best of Alaska with Princess.

Exceptional Value: Book shore excursions with confidence! We offer competitive pricing, friendly service and unmatched destination expertise.

Guaranteed Return to Ship: Take full advantage of your Alaska cruise activities when you book a shore excursion through Princess. Rest assured that we won’t leave without you, so you can focus more on the moment and less on the clock.

#PrincessCruises Alaska Connection

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The best cruise line in Alaska just keeps getting better! From top-rated cruises that visit Glacier Bay National Park to scenic rail travel and exclusive Princess lodges, you will find a seamless Alaska experience with Princess.

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Princess Reports Passengers' Favorite Alaska Excursions -- and We Report Ours

By Matt Hannafin

With the 2008 Alaska cruise season now past, Princess Cruises ( www.princess.com ) has announced the winners of its ninth annual C.R.U.I.S.E. service awards, which recognize Alaska's best shore excursions. Winners are determined by Princess's passengers themselves, through responses they gave in surveys throughout the season.

"It's always gratifying to receive so many positive comments about the experiences passengers have on their Alaska shore adventures," said Charlie Ball, president of Princess Tours. "These awards are to recognize and thank those who make the shore experience special for our visitors."

To add a little perspective, I went through and added some commentary to Princess's list -- sometimes agreeing, sometimes dissenting, and sometimes taking off in a different direction altogether.

For 2008, Princess's top-rated Juneau excursions (along with their operating companies) were:

• Alaska's Whales & Rainforest Trails (Gastineau Guiding Company): A small-group eco-tour that combines whale-watching with an easy hike on a rainforest trail near the Mendenhall Glacier.
• Mendenhall Glacier Helicopter Tour (TEMSCO Helicopters): Several different options take you up above the massive (and massively receding) Mendenhall Glacier, outside town. Seeing glaciers from above is a completely different experience from seeing them at the waterline, exposing just how big they really are.
• Rainforest Canopy & Zipline Expedition (Alaska Canopy Adventures): A trip through Juneau's rainforest canopy, along more than 6,000 feet of ziplines and suspension bridges. The trip begins with a high-speed water crossing of Gastineau Channel to the site of the old Treadwell Mine, and a trip up the mountain in a 4x4 vehicle.

Frommer's Commentary: Princess's passengers sure have it right about the Mendenhall Glacier helicopter flightseeing tours , which are among the very best shore excursions I've ever taken, anywhere. I rarely advise spending above your limit, but in this case it's worth taking a hit on your credit card to sign up for the Helicopter Glacier Trek ($399, 4.25 hr.) or Extended Helicopter Glacier Trek ($499, 6.5 hr.), which include 2 or 3 hours respectively of rugged hiking and climbing on the glacier surface, using special boots, helmets, parkas, and ice axes provided by the company. With climate change shrinking the glaciers at an alarming rate, it may be an experience neither you nor your children nor their children will ever get to do again.

I also like the 4.5-hr., 11-mile Bike & Brew Tour , which sets off outside town along Fritz Cove Road. offering views of picturesque Auke Bay and the Mendenhall Glacier. The ride ends at the Alaska Brewing Company ( www.alaskanbeer.com ) for a tour and sampling of the product. Don't miss tasting the smoked porter, which is produced in limited vintages each year. A tasting goes through several years, showing how the taste changes over the years, like wine. The brewery notes that, "As it ages, the smoke becomes more of a subtle background note. Around the third and fourth years the beer's other flavors such as sherry, currant, raisin, and toffee-like nuances come forward. The fifth year sees the reemergence of the smoky character to the forefront."

Also, don't miss the tours of Alaska's governor's mansion , where you can see Sarah Palin's collections of moose antlers and also polar bear trophies.

Just kidding.

In rainy Ketchikan, Princess's passengers liked:  

• Bering Sea Crab Fishermen's Tour (Commercial Fishing Adventures): The Bering Sea may be 1,000 miles from Ketchikan as the raven flies, but that doesn't stop this excursion from pretending. Aboard the F/V Aleutian Ballad -- a vessel featured on the Discovery Channel program Deadliest Catch -- the crew tells fish stories while sailing in calm waters and hauling in cages of crab and other sea creatures for viewing.
• Mountain Point Snorkeling Adventure (Snorkel Alaska): A quarter-inch-thick wetsuit and surprisingly warm water allow you to snorkel an area rich with marine life.
• Rainforest Canopy & Zipline Expedition (Alaska Canopy Adventures): More zipping, this time over eight ziplines and three aerial bridges suspended above a network of nature trails and boardwalks.

Frommer's Commentary: Princess passengers have the right idea getting out of too-touristy Ketchikan and into the surrounding waters and forest. Another great destination is Misty Fjords National Monument, which lies about 20 miles from Ketchikan and is only accessible by boat (or very small ship) or plane. The 2.3-million-acre, Connecticut-size monument starts at the Canadian border in the south and runs on the eastern side of the Behm Canal, which is bounded on its other side by Revillagigedo Island (where Ketchikan is located). It's topography, not wildlife, that makes a visit here worthwhile, with volcanic cliffs rising up to 3,150 feet and plunging hundreds more feet below the waterline -- a good reminder that this whole area is nothing but long-submerged mountains, and what's below the water was once green, forested valleys. The stock in trade of Misty Fjords is its quiet, unearthly serenity, its namesake mists imparting a storybook, Lord of the Rings kind of atmosphere abetted by dense hemlock and spruce forests, high ridges covered in alpine grass, and the occasional petrified lava flow reaching toward the shoreline.

Several excursions visit the area: a seaplane flightseeing trip that includes a brief water landing within the monument; a different flightseeing trip in which you fly to the monument and transfer to a boat for sea-level sightseeing and the trip back to Ketchikan; and a round-trip boat excursion.

A gorgeous island located about 265 miles southwest of Anchorage -- far off the usual Inside Passage and Gulf of Alaska route -- Kodiak is not a frequent stop on Alaska cruises, though it should be. Princess's great little Pacific Princess visits as part of her 14-night "Alaska Connoisseur" cruises, and other ships visit as part of Alaska-Asia sailings. In port, Princess's passengers liked:

• Near Island Sea Kayak Adventure (Orcas Unlimited Charters of Kodiak): A four-hour paddle trip along Near Island, a part of the city of Kodiak located just south of downtown. Participants paddle through a boat harbor and along the shoreline to watch puffins, cormorants, and sealife, and stop at a quiet beach for lunch. (Note: Tour not available on all cruises.)

Frommer's Commentary: Kodiak is a great town. In 1784, its namesake island became the first permanent European settlement in Alaska when Russian fur traders established a presence here. Today it's Alaska's seventh largest population center with 13,466 residents (some 11,000 of them in and around the city of Kodiak), but the Russian presence is more cultural than ethnic. The oldest Russian building left standing in North America sits on Marine Way, and now houses the Kodiak Baranov Museum and its displays of Russian and Native artifacts. Across the street, the modern Holy Resurrection Cathedral is home to Alaska's oldest Russian Orthodox congregation, established in 1796. Some cruise lines offer a very cozy little excursion that visits the Monk's Rock Coffeehouse & Bookstore ("Music, Coffee, Icons, Books"!), a tiny, funky spot opened years ago by the Brotherhood of St. Herman of Alaska. A group of mostly non-Russian amateur musicians called the Kodiak Russian Balalaika Players put on a performance accompanied by borscht and the shop's own coffee.

Of all the towns commonly (or semi-commonly) visited on Alaska cruises, Sitka is my favorite. Partly due to its location (in a sheltered spot on the Pacific coast of Baranof Island, and not on the Inside Passage itself) and partly due to the fact that its location cuts down on big-time cruise traffic, Sitka retains a more residential feel than other large Southeast towns. It's also got a tremendous history (it was the capital of Russian Alaska, and saw huge battles between the Russians and Tlingits) and a lovely physical setting. Among the excursions available there, Princess's passengers liked:

• 4x4 Wilderness Adventure (Greenling Enterprises): An off-road trip through the temperate rain forest on Sitka's Kruzof Island, using Yamaha Rhino 4x4 vehicles -- which are sort of a cross between an ATV and a golf cart.
• Sea Otter & Wildlife Quest (Allen Marine Tours): A water-jet-driven tour boat takes you in search of sea otters, whales, sea lions, porpoise, harbor seals, brown bears, blacktail deer, bald eagles, and a variety of marine birds, while a naturalist provides commentary.

Frommer's Commentary: I actually advise cruise passengers against taking shore excursions here. The town is lovely enough by itself, most sights are within easy walking distance of each other (and the docks), and the various attractions all have very good interpretive programs of their own. Highlights include:

• St. Michael's Cathedral: a Russian Orthodox church sitting right at the center of town, and filled with precious icons, paintings, vestments, and jeweled crowns.
• The Russian Bishop's House: The home of 19th-century bishop Innocent Veniaminov, with downstairs displays of Sitka history and an upstairs that retains the bishop's living quarters and chapel. National Park Service rangers provide surprisingly enjoyable and informative tours.
• Sheldon Jackson Museum: A fine collection of artifacts from the Tlingit, Aleut, Athabascan, Haida, and Tsimshian peoples, as well as the Native peoples of the Arctic. The core of the collection was assembled by the museum's founder/namesake, a Presbyterian missionary, during his travels around the territory in the 19th century.
• Sitka National Historical Park: In 1804, the native Tlingit people made their stand here against the Russians, holding off imperial gunboats and Aleut mercenaries for 6 days before finally melting away one night after taking heavy losses. The land was officially protected starting in 1890, and in 1910 the site was designated a National Historic Park, emphasizing the Native perspective. In the visitor center, exhibits explain the history and the art of totem carving, displaying 19th-century poles as well as new ones created in the on-site Southeast Alaska Indian Cultural Center. Outside, a rainforest trail winds along the coast of the 113-acre park past a collection of towering totems nestled among the spruce and hemlock.
• Castle Hill: Located in the center of town, this was where the first U.S. flag was raised on Alaskan soil, after the U.S. and Russia held a transfer ceremony here in 1867. You get a great panoramic view of town from the top.

Southeast Alaska's tourist central, Skagway in summer comes very close to being an Alaska theme park, but cruise passengers can take excursions out of town once they've gotten their fill of shopping and historic hokum.

• Dog Sledding & Glacier Flightseeing (TEMSCO Helicopters): A helicopter takes you from Skagway to a dog camp on the Denver Glacier, where guides introduce you to mushing. Participants can either drive the sled or just go along as passengers.
• Klondike Rock Climbing & Rappelling (Alaska Mountain Guides): A rock-climbing experience on the smooth granite walls of the White Pass, with dfferent climbing routes available for different levels of skill and fitness. At the top, all offer a view of the Skagway River, the White Pass & Yukon Route railway, and the surrounding forest.
• Takshanuk Mountain Trail by 4x4 (Takshanuk Mountain Trail): A high-speed catamaran takes you to the nearby town of Haines, where you transfer to the Takshanuk trailhead and strap yourselves in to automatic-transmission 4WD Kawasaki Mules -- yet another golf cart cum ATV. The trail drive up to 1,500 feet passes waterfalls, creeks, and forest. Try not to scare the squirrels.

Frommer's Commentary: My usual approach to Skagway involves walking into town from the cruise docks, taking a few minutes to admire the historic 19th-century buildings that have been collected along Broadway, then heading out. (Though I usually set aside a few minutes at the end of the day to pick up a bear-print oven mitt or other tsotchke, then duck in the Red Onion Saloon -- a former brothel turned professional former brothel -- for a beer.) Walking maps describing the town's historic buildings are available at the Arctic Brotherhood Hall on Broadway between 2nd and 3rd. You can also get trail maps that describe the network of 1- to 10-mile trail routes that branch out right from downtown into the thick forest. Most of them involve some fairly strenuous hill-walking.

A great shore excursion option that didn't make Princess's list is the Eagle Preserve Scenic Float & Wildlife Cruise , which, like the Takshanuk Mountain 4x4 excursion, involves a catamaran trip to Haines. From there, you head by bus to the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve ( www.dnr.state.ak.us/parks/units/eagleprv.htm ), then suit up in boots and a life vest for a gentle float by rubber raft down the Chilkat River. An expert guide both rows and provides commentary on the area's natural environment, steering the raft close to shore to spot animal tracks and keeping an eye out for moose, bears, eagles, and wolves.

And let's not forget the White Pass & Yukon Route Railway ( www.whitepassrailroad.com ), Skagway's major claim to fame. Built in 1898 during the Klondike Gold Rush, it crosses the White Pass Summit, the boundary between Canada and the United States, and continues on to the towns of Fraser (British Columbia), and Carcross and Whitehorse (Yukon Territory). Excursions on the train are a crap-shoot: If you book one and arrive on a very overcast day, you may not see a thing from the windows of your vintage parlor car. If it's nice, though, you'll glimpse waterfalls, mountains, and still-visible parts of the famous "Trail of '98" miners' route.

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My Alaskan Cruise Experience on Discovery Princess (Review + Real Photos)

This article’s recommendations may include affiliate links.

It was always my bucket list dream to visit every US state – especially the country’s largest state: Alaska! But Alaska being the largest state meant I also had no idea where to start when it came to planning an Alaska adventure. That’s why I booked an Alaskan cruise with Princess Cruises to help guide me.

Disclosure: I sailed to Alaska on Discovery Princess, hosted by Princess Cruises. This review is based on my own experiences.

In July, I went on a summer Alaskan cruise on Princess Cruises’ newest ship: Discovery Princess , and I am excited to tell you all about it and show you real photos too.

If you want to learn more about cruises to Alaska, an inside scoop on the new Discovery Princess, and insight on what it is truly like to be on an Alaskan cruise ship, you’re in the right place.

Alaskan Cruise Itinerary on Princess Cruises

Alaskan cruise route details

If you are thinking about taking an Alaskan cruise you are probably wondering which routes are better, and which departure ports and ports of call are best too. The answer is, they are all great options – it just depends on what your travel needs are. 

the Alaskan cruise route I chose:

• Route: Alaska Inside Passage
• Ports of Call: Ketchikan, Endicott Arm + Dawes Glacier (scenic cruising), Juneau, Skagway (we ended up rerouting to Sitka on my sailing), Victoria BC
• Ship: Discovery Princess 
• Duration: 7 days
• Departure Port: Seattle round trip

There are a number of Alaska Ports of Call options available to choose from on Princess Cruises, depending on the itinerary and ship you choose. 

• Definition: A cruise port of call is a stop along the voyage route.
• Aboard Princess’ newest ship: Discovery Princess and along the sailing route I went with, the 7-day Alaska Inside Passage itinerary provided an opportunity to explore glaciers, wildlife, culture and history, and local food.

Discovery princess Rooms and Review

What room to get on an Alaska Cruise

I stayed in a standard Balcony stateroom on the 11th floor (Baja deck) and wouldn’t change a thing!

If you are on a budget, the low price of an interior or ocean-view room may feel most appealing to you (after all, you can indulge in the Discovery Princess’ panoramic views throughout the ship). But if you have the ability to upgrade I would 100% recommend a balcony room at a minimum. 

Why I prefer a balcony room

An Alaskan cruise has tons of scenery. Imagine waking up to a stunning landscape as your captain pulls into the next port of call.

Marine wildlife sightings are sporadic. All of my whale sightings were from my balcony while I was getting ready for dinner. I would’ve missed it otherwise!

The balcony rooms are also quite spacious. My husband and I settled in nicely and I loved having a desk and refrigerator with plenty of closet room and walking space.

With a balcony, we were able to book a special romantic breakfast from our room too, set up for us with a scenic view.

Perks for your stateroom on Discovery Princess

You can order free robes for your room, and room service is complimentary too! There are also free laundromats on each floor.

We made the most of our closet and shelf space and immediately unpacked our bags to maximize space.

Be sure to allow your stateroom Steward to come in each day and evening to help put away extra decor pillows and turn down the room for bed — this makes it even more spacious.

Room Types on Discovery Princess

Interior Room: these are the lowest priced options and usually what the advertised price of a sailing shows on a website. You still get a comfortable bed, closet, bathroom, and tv, but you’ll have to enjoy the view on the top deck of the ship.

Oceanview: if you want a view but don’t need fresh air and a breeze across your face (or don’t mind an obstructed balcony), an ocean view window might suit you just fine. 

Balcony: there is a standard version, a deluxe version with a couch, or a premium deluxe version with a couch and a larger balcony. I stayed in the standard balcony stateroom, which I thought was a perfect size for us. For reference, I am 5’9 and my husband is 6’0, and both average weight.

Mini-suite: these offer larger balcony sizes, separate sitting areas with a sofa bed, and premium amenities.

Suite: you can choose from Vista, Premium, or Penthouse suites if you would like to splurge on your Alaskan cruise

Things to Do on Discovery Princess

What is there to do on a Princess Cruise to Alaska?

Activities on the Discovery Princess

For cruises longer than 3 nights (or farther distances), it is common to wonder whether there is enough to do on a cruise ship to stay entertained. Especially when there are multiple at-sea days.

I loved at-sea days on Discovery Princess because it was a good time to wind down, enjoy the ship’s facilities, and even book special services like a massage or pedicure (I did both!)

On the Discovery Princess Alaskan cruise, there are also lots of activities to enjoy from early in the morning through the evening. They include:

Active/Sports:

• Gym with fitness and meditation classes available
• Basketball court
• Mini golf 
• Running track on the top deck
• Outdoor ping pong tables

Wellness activities:

• Spa and salon services
• Non-surgical cosmetic services
• Sauna day pass at the Enclave
• The Sanctuary day pass
• Complimentary health and wellness workshops

Games/events:

• Competitions like bag toss, floating egg, and more
• Movies on the big screen on the top deck outside
• Cocktail presentations
• Evening shows at the theater
• Casino access

Dining Options with Discovery Princess

What are the dining options on Discovery Princess Alaskan cruise?

I was really impressed with the dining experience aboard the Discovery Princess. There is a nice mix of dining rooms and eateries included in the base price and a fantastic selection of specialty restaurants for an additional fee. 

My favorites were by far the French bistro, Crown Grille, and Sabatini’s Italian trattoria (all three are specialty dining), as well as Slice Pizzeria and the International Cafe (both included for free with your sailing).

Here is a breakdown of the dining options on the ship, including what is free and included in the standard sailing package, and what requires an upgrade or premium package.

Free Dining options on Discovery Princess

• 3 main dining rooms with a la carte dining (Ketchikan, Skagway, and Juneau)
• 2 bistros with buffet-style dining (World Market and Horizon Bistro)
• Gigi’s Pizzeria (a la carte dining)
• International Cafe (24 hours with pastries and rotating food items)
• Outdoor eateries on the top deck (Salty Dog Grille, Slice Pizzeria)
• Swirls Ice Cream
• The Pastry Shop

At-cost Dining with Discovery Princess

• Sabatini’s Italian Trattoria
• Bistro Sur la Mer (French bistro)
• Crown Grille (steak house)
• Ocean Terrace seafood bar (a la carte cost)

Other dining perks

If you have a full suite or mini-suite you get Club Class access to the Skagway dining room, which means you don’t have to make reservations and have dedicated waitstaff, exclusive menu items, and expedited service. On busy dinner nights this is absolutely worth it (I had access as press to check it out for myself and used it multiple times).

Shore Excursions with Princess Cruise – Alaska Options

Are the Princess Cruise shore excursions worth it for your Alaskan cruise?

It is no secret that the cost of excursions can add up when it comes to planning big adventures like an Alaska trip. The prices can range from approximately $15 to $800 from what I saw, depending on the excursion.

But, for most people on cruises, we want the help and guidance of a company like Princess Cruises who knows which Port of Call is best for which activities. The access, convenience, and expertise can make it worth it.

What kind of excursions are on a Discovery Princess Alaskan cruise?

Princess Cruises offer a mix of wildlife, local/cultural, food, and adventure tours. It is actually quite a large library of options and can get overwhelming if you aren’t sure what you want.

Read on for my tips on which ones to get…

The best tours to book on an Alaskan Cruise

I am still on cloud nine after some of my tours with Princess Cruises. Here are some I recommend out of the ones I tried, as well as any I would definitely choose the next time.

Helicopter Glacier & Dog Sledding Tour

I 100% recommend splurging on a helicopter tour over glacial planes and fjords in Juneau. That was top 5 most memorable things I’ve ever done. Paired with a dog sledding experience on this particular excursion, it is definitely bucket list worthy.

Seating note: Helicopters can load up to 5-6 passengers so you are not guaranteed a window seat. Make sure you have a good zoom lens if you want photos. I was in the middle with 3 other passengers and am glad I had a good camera!

Kayaking Tour

I did a sea kayaking tour in Sitka and, despite the rain, had so much fun! Kayaking of any sort is a great group activity that helps you get active without too much walking. The sea kayaking tour provided tandem kayaks which is super fun for a family or couples. 

Bear Watching Tour

Wildlife tours in general are perfect excursions for an Alaska cruise. I booked my tours too late and the bear-watching ones were sold out. If I was to do this tour again, I’d definitely sign up for a bear tour.

I thought I’d see them by chance (outside of a tour) but that didn’t happen, so doing a tour that takes you to a viewing platform where you can watch bears catch their salmon dinner would be so fun!

Culture Tour

There are thousands of indigenous peoples native to Alaska. You can take a culture tour for a low-impact experience that provides insight to the original people who still inhabit Alaska.

I enjoyed learning about the history of Totems and their significance in passing down stories across generations and about the Tlingit Nation.

Tips for choosing excursions with Princess Cruises

• Reserve your excursions early. I was shocked at how quickly tours booked up, and I selected mine about a month out.
• Choose activities you wouldn’t normally do; get outside of your comfort zone! My most memorable excursion was a helicopter ride over glaciers and fjords that landed on a dog sledding camp – like, what!? Amazing.
• Remember that excursions booked through the cruise have a guaranteed return (trust me, I saw it in real life). If your tour runs late the ship WILL wait for you if it was booked through the ship. That alone is super important because we definitely saw a tour show up late.

Discovery Princess Review: Costs, Value, and more

Cost, amenities, cruise facilities, etc.

My Alaskan cruise on the Discovery Princess really brought me up to speed on what cruising is like in 2022 and I loved it! I can’t wait for my next cruise adventure and am so glad I went during the summer.

Not exaggerating, my husband and I immediately went home and started looking up other cruise itineraries to enjoy for our birthdays, holidays, and more. Our text messages and my DMs were full of questions and people excited about the prospect of cruising for themselves. 

Check out my three Instagram videos from the trip here:

• About the ship
• About the experience
• About one of my tours

My highlights of this Alaskan cruise

• A sailing route to multiple cities I would’ve otherwise not have visited
• A stunning balcony room with 24/7 serene views
• Award-winning chefs with delicious dining options
• Access to bucket list excursions
• Life at sea!

What does an Alaskan Cruise cost?

This was a common question I received, though there is no set answer because it depends on the season, itinerary you choose, packages onboard, and shore excursions.

Yes, you can totally do this cruise for less than $1,000 if you don’t add on tours and extras (I recall the base price for an interior room on my sailing was $499, for example). But….you can also do it for significantly more. It all depends on your needs, which is what I love because there are so many options.

That said, if you wanted to do close to the exact trip I did, I recommend you estimate about $2,500 per person for the experience.

This will account for:

• standard balcony room
• plus drink package
• wifi package
• specialty dining costs
• shore excursions
• crew gratuity
• taxes and fees

Is cruising a great deal?

Yes! With the costs of travel accommodations skyrocketing for some destinations, cruising is more appealing than ever.

Expert tip: if you want to make the most of your sailing experience, be sure to look objectively at cruise offerings. I recommend the following to consider adding on to your booking:

• Beverage package: I got the Plus Beverage package for up to 15 drinks per day (valued at $12 max each), which was more than enough!
• Wifi package: there are multiple options here depending on the number of devices, but it is totally worth having so you can check emails, make calls, text while at sea.
• Specialty dining: I found that most specialty restaurants are $29/pp and gelato and sushi run for about $3.50 a piece. 

To save money on these essentials, I suggest upgrading to Princess Plus so that your drinks package, wifi for 1 device, and tips for the crew, are included. There’s also Princess Premiere if you want more (like 2 specialty restaurants per guest, more wifi devices, a higher drink limit, and unlimited photo package).

More ways to save on Princess Cruises

I definitely recommend getting on the Princess Cruises newsletter to be alerted about sales and last-minute availability on sailings.

I would also recommend inviting a 3rd or 4th person in your room so you can split your costs (they are often discounted or free ).

Last, I recommend you become flexible with dates ! Some dates will be cheaper than others, depending on the season.

What about COVID + cruising?

[This answer is about my sailing specifically. Check with Princess Cruises for up-to-date information.]

For my sailing during 2022, Princess Cruises took heed to CDC regulations: they required us passengers to show proof of vaccination and a negative PCR or Antigen test in order to board the ship. 

There were also hand-sanitizing stations throughout the ship and the buffet bistros had hand-washing stations at each entrance. 

Ship staff all wore their masks, though masks were optional for passengers. I personally chose to wear my mask throughout the ship and only removed it in my room, the spa, and at meals or outside areas. 

Update 2023: unless traveling to destinations that specifically require it, most cruises have returned to normal operations without vaccine and testing requirements.

Would I do this cruise again?

A few people have asked me this too! The answer is yes. I would do an Alaskan cruise again (next time, a glacier/national park route!) and I would totally sail with Princess Cruises again. It is one of our fondest travel memories as a couple and we know of a few people who were inspired by our trip and booked one for the next year!

I like that Princess Cruises had plenty of activity options for adults, and there wasn’t an overwhelming amount of children (it didn’t feel like a theme park). This crowd had more couples and adult singles, and if there were kids they were old enough to hang in the kids/teen area on their own. 

Enjoy your Alaska cruise!

I hope my real review of my Alaska cruise with Princess Cruises gave you a taste of my experience and helped answer any questions you might have! Let me know what cruises you are considering with Princess Cruises, and be sure to try the new Discovery Princess.

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wow what a beautiful fulfilling trip. Thank you for sharing this.

yes so beautiful!

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The 11 Best Alaska Cruise Excursions in 2024

The best Alaska cruise excursions can range from the thrilling to the serene. Passengers can fly on sleds led by huskies , ogle bald eagles and salmon-gobbling grizzlies , and soar over towering glaciers in a helicopter. And the best part? All these activities are planned for you as part of the cruise itinerary—as a way for travelers to sample the diverse wonders of The Last Frontier in one fell swoop.

Wildlife sightings may be the more popular Alaska cruise shore excursions, but travelers shouldn't overlook incredible opportunities to learn about the state’s Indigenous cultures , as well as culinary experiences centered around local delicacies such as fresh salmon, halibut, berries, and craft beer.

Just know that the real Alaska , teeming with natural beauty and wildlife, primarily lies away from crowded touristy ports. (Pro tip: for fewer people and more animals, the best time to cruise Alaska is in the spring.) Know, too, that different cruise lines can offer similar excursions, so first choose a ship that speaks to you, then immediately book excursions (popular ones sell fast). Here, an array of Alaska-bound ships with the best cruise excursions, sure to resonate long past your vacay.

Take in Alaska's glaciers and ice fields from above during this Princess Cruises excursion.

Princess Cruises: Dogsledding and Glacier Adventures by Helicopter

Family-friendly Princess Cruises, in its 55 th season plying Alaskan waters, delivers exemplary excursions that include learning about gold rush history and gold-panning, as well as fishing trips on which one of the ship's chefs cooks your catch. The Dog Sledding and Glacier Adventure by Helicopter, created by an Iditarod musher (they lead huskies on annual 1,000-mile races over Alaska’s roughest terrain), combines two top-notch thrills. Don glacier overboots, board a helicopter, and fly over the Alaskan ice field as the pilot points out icefalls and rock formations. After landing on Norris Glacier, meet top Iditarod race veteran mushers and their dogs. Soon you’ll be whisked on a sled pulled by a team of exuberant huskies for the ride of a lifetime.

Ships and sailings to know: From May to September 2024, Princess offers Alaskan cruises ranging between 7 and 17-days on seven ships, including the 3,660-passenger Discovery Princess .

Assist crew in pulling in crab pots and indulge in fresh Dungeness crab during this popular Celebrity Cruises excursion.

Celebrity Cruises: Wilderness Exploration and Crab Feasts

Adventurous couples relish Celebrity’s adult-oriented amusements, including inviting bars and lounges, fine restaurants, and relaxing spas. Big spenders book the Retreat, a luxurious private enclave—its Luminae restaurant showcases dishes by famed French chef Daniel Boulud. In Ketchikan , a four-hour Wilderness Exploration and Crab Feast in Tongass National Forest (America’s largest national forest) scores big buzz. Drive past jaw-dropping sights, like Native Alaskan totem poles, snowcapped mountains, and thunderous waterfalls. Relish a sightseeing vessel ride, assist crew pulling in crab pots (if you like), before tearing into unlimited fresh Dungeness crab with warm clarified butter, and cheesecake drenched in Alaskan blueberries.

Ships and sailings to know: Three premium ships, Celebrity Summit , Celebrity Solstice, and Celebrity Edge , cruise in Alaska from May until September 2024. The newest and most glam, 2,918-passenger Celebrity Edge, on its maiden Alaska season, offers eight-day voyages between Vancouver and Seattle .

Several cruise lines operating in Alaska offer whale watching excursions.

Holland America Line: Mendenhall Glacier and Whale Quest

Holland America Line serves sustainable wild Alaskan seafood, with park rangers and local Indigenous tribe members often boarding for presentations. In Juneau, Mendenhall Glacier and Whale Quest rocks everyone’s boat. Gawk at one of North America’s most spectacular glaciers and learn about glaciers’ remarkable force in a compelling visitor center. Ride to Auke Bay and board a water-jet-powered expedition vessel designed for superior wildlife viewing. When sailing Stephens Passage—renowned as a summer breeding ground for humpback whales—you may well get close enough to hear these giants breathe.

Ships and sailings to know: This cruise line has plied Alaskan waters for more than 75 years, with seven ships sailing 6-19 day itineraries from May to September 2024.

The Klondike Highway runs from the Alaska Panhandle to Yukon, Canada.

Crystal: Klondike Highway and White Pass

Formerly Crystal Cruises, the ultra-luxury two-ship Crystal, now owned by global travel leader Abercrombie & Kent, has been beautifully remodeled while maintaining its primary lures: beyond-attentive crew and superb dining. Note this sensational Skagway outing offered on Crystal Serenity Alaskan cruises: Motor along on iconic Klondike Highway to White Pass, reaching its 2,865-foot majestic summit and the Yukon Suspension Bridge. Take an exhilarating walk on this iconic bridge, suspended some 57 feet above Tutshi River’s churning rapids below, if you dare. (Make sure somebody gets a pic.) Even if you beg out, you still get the astonishing view and a hearty bison chili lunch.

Ships and sailings to know: The 740-passenger Crystal Serenity offers eight-and-nine-day Alaska voyages in July and August 2024.

Several cruise lines offer bear viewing and photography excursions.

Seabourn: Anan Creek Bear Viewing and Photography

The outings on this adventure-minded Alaskan cruise exceed typical cruise ships, featuring Ventures by Seabourn excursions with Zodiac explorations, kayaking, and hiking led by expedition experts. In Wrangell, sign up for Anan Creek Bear Viewing and Photography, joining the expedition team bear expert and a photography specialist for this rousing small-group bear-viewing experience. Travel by boat to the Anan Estuary and Wildlife Observatory in the Tongass National Forest (Anan Creek has Southeast Alaska’s largest pink salmon run) and climb to the observation deck overlooking cascading waterfalls. Expect an electrifying view of salmon jumping and black and brown bears snatching their next meal.

Ships and sailings to know: The ultra-luxury 458-passenger Seabourn Odyssey offers seven-day sailings between Vancouver and Juneau, as well as 10- and 11-day roundtrip Vancouver cruises from May to September 2024. Seabourn fares include all-suite accommodations, dining, alcohol, WiFi, gratuities, and 24-hour in-suite service.

Several Alaska cruises stop in Icy Strait Point, a remote area ideal for observing wildlife in their natural habitats.

Norwegian Cruise Line: Spasski River Valley and Wildlife

Looking to cruise Alaska with your family in tow? Consider Norwegian Cruise Line. On offer are children and teenage clubs, plus families can come together to play video arcade games, laser tag, and race cars. During a Glacier Bay passage, a park ranger hops aboard to narrate scenic sights. Explore majestic Icy Strait Point—one of the world’s few places where wildlife outnumbers humans—with family-minded excursions like the Spasski River Valley and Wildlife tour. Motor to an elevated observation area in a postcard-perfect remote valley to safely observe bears, deer, and bald eagles in their natural habitats. Learn, too, about Tlingit Indigenous Alaskans who reside in nearby Hoonah, Alaska’s largest such settlement.

Ships and sailings to know: NCL primarily offers seven-to-10-day voyages, April through October 2024, on multiple ships.

Passengers on Seven Seas Explorer Alaska cruises can enjoy fresh-caught salmon at the Taku Glacier Lodge.

Regent Seven Seas Cruises: Taku Lodge Feast and Seaplane Discovery

The Alaska-sailing 746-passenger Seven Seas Explorer is mega glam, with a museum-worthy art collection. This writer gives a shoutout to the Taku Lodge Feast and Five-Glacier Seaplane Discovery excursions. Soar by floatplane over the majestic Juneau Icefield, land in a river near Hole-in-the-Wall Glacier, and feast on fresh-caught wild salmon by a roaring fire at a 100-year-old lodge. On this outing, I inhaled two salmon filets that slid down my throat like silk. Spoiler alert: After this culinary escapade, I couldn’t eat salmon for two years anywhere else.

Ships and sailings to know: Regent's Seven Seas Explorer mostly offers eight-day cruises running between Seward and Vancouver, from May to September 2024. On this ultra-luxury line, fares include airfare, unlimited shore excursions (other than select tours), alcohol, dining, WiFi, valet laundry, and gratuities.

The Kroschel Wildlife Refuge in Haines, Alaska is home to orphaned and rescued animals.

Royal Caribbean International: Kroschel Wildlife Refuge

Animal lovers of every age relish visiting the Kroschel Wildlife Refuge in Haines, a popular excursion among Royal Caribbean Alaska cruise passengers. Steven Kroschel, a wildlife expert who devoted decades to training wild animals for TV and films, owns the center that is home to orphaned and rescued animals, like lynx, Kodiac bears, arctic fox, porcupines, and wolverines. It’s also interactive; get close for photos and learn how the refuge protects these animals.

Ships and sailings to know: Royal Caribbean's nearly 4,000-passenger megaships, Quantum of the Seas and Oasis of the Seas , thrill families via free-fall skydiving, outdoor movies, and escape room games. Their Alaska cruises run from 8-14 days, April to September 2024.

The Alaska Railroad is one of the most scenic train journeys in the US.

Viking: Scenic Train and Rafting

The Scenic Train and Rafting excursion delivers an inspired eight-hour shore tour, beginning with a train ride on the Alaskan Railroad through the vast wilderness. Gaze out windows, eying otherworldly views of the Placer River Valley and soaring peaks of Spencer Glacier, while enjoying a box lunch. Then meet guides to go rafting, paddling between dramatic icebergs and down the serene and scenic Placer River.

Ships and sailings to know: Viking’s adults-only 930-passenger Viking Orion sails 11 days May to September 2024, between Seward, Alaska and Vancouver. Viking ocean-liner fares include amenities like king-bed accommodations with spacious baths equipped with heated floors and anti-fog mirrors, dining, complimentary wine and beer with lunch and dinner, and spa access.

Silversea’s lauded S.A.L.T. (Sea and Land Taste) program highlights Alaskan ingredients and recipes.

Silversea: Sitka Culinary Adventure

Silversea’s lauded S.A.L.T. (Sea and Land Taste) program features Alaskan ingredients and recipes on all its S.A.L.T. Kitchen menus, S.A.L.T. Lab culinary classes, and S.A.L.T Bar mixology offerings. Soon-to-be-scheduled S.A.L.T excursions will showcase regional chefs and ingredients. Meanwhile, foodie fun unfolds with Sitka’s Culinary Adventure shore excursion. Visit a tap room, tasting beers made with filtered glacial water. Then graze about town, tasting pelmeni (popular dumplings evoking Sitka’s Russian heritage), and other local goodies like chowders, shrimp, black cod tips, and “reindeer dogs.”

Ships and sailings to know: Three ultra-luxury Silversea ships offer 7-16 day sails from May to September, but only the 728-passenger Silver Nova presents Silversea’s lauded S.A.L.T. (Sea and Land Taste) program. Fares include all-suite accommodations, butler service, most dining, alcohol, a shore excursion in each port, caviar, WiFi, and gratuities.

Through this UnCruise excursion, passengers can explore one of the most remote national parks in the US.

UnCruise Adventures: Explore Glacier Bay National Park’s Rarely Visited Outback

Attracting high-energy explorers drawn to less conventional shore excursions, this expedition-driven small-ship line visits bays and coves inaccessible to larger cruise ships. Traditional ships just cruise UNESCO World Heritage Site Glacier Bay; on Wilderness Discoverer , the captain drops anchor in Fern Harbor, Sawmill Bay, and Dundas Bay during the Explore Glacier Bay National Park’s Rarely Visited Outback excursion. Count on a full day of activities like kayaking, paddle boarding, skiff expeditions, and beach strolls. Expert-led hikes take you deep into the breathtaking beauty of the backcountry of one of Alaska's most remote national parks . Few Alaskan cruisers can ever claim this experience.

Ships and sailings to know: The 76-passenger Wilderness Discoverer offers eight-day voyages from April to August 2024.

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• Princess Cruises

Princess Alaska Shore Excursions--what's your favorite?

By no1racefan1 , February 17, 2023 in Princess Cruises

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no1racefan1

DH and I are thinking of booking Alaska in 2024 for our 15th anniversary. I'm wondering what is everybody's favorite Princess sponsored shore excursion in each of the Alaskan ports? I know a lot of people on these boards prefer independent excursions, and that's fine, but we have enjoyed every ship-sponsored excursion we've done and prefer to book that way for the convenience. Thus, I'm only looking for Princess shore excursion recommendations 🙂

Our very first cruise was to Alaska and we did helicopter/glacier dogsledding in Juneau, white pass railway in Skagway, and no excursion in Ketchikan. Looking for things that are different than those, and a bonus if they include being outside hiking, exploring, etc. We would probably be going end of May so I don't know if some excursions only operate certain time of year?

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_rusty_shackleford

We did hiking (a couple of excursions, a few on our own) in Skagway (Chillkoot hike and float as well as the Laughton Glacier Hike a separate time) and have done our own trails in Whittier and Sitka. This time around we're doing a guided hike to Mendenhall in Juneau (have done the helihike before) and trails in Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan. We've also done the smaller boat to get nearer to glaciers. Neat, but expensive to the point I wouldn't do it again.

We both would highly recommend the guided hikes for Laughton and Chillkoot for sure. Well put together and excellent guides.

This is great, thanks! I was looking at that Chilkoot hike and you've sold me on it.

Just curious... Why do you limit yourself to Princess only shore excursions?

sandyoftheseas

Back in 2000 we went to Alaska and enjoyed the River Float  in Haines it is like river rafting but in calmer water.  We seen lots of eagles and they would throw fish they were inflated with air so the fish would float and you could see the eagles swoop down and pick them up. We also really enjoyed the helicopter flight to the dog sled team on top of the glacier it was expensive and they may not fly in bad weather but the scenery in the helicopter was beautiful and you got to mush dogs on the glacier (I am a huge Iditarod fan)  

We're taking our first Princess cruise in September (21 on other lines). We were in Alaska on Celebrity in 2019 and planned to go back in 2020, but we all know what happened to that idea!

We independently did the ' Deadliest Catch ' tour in Ketchikan' and Tracy's Crab Shack is a must if you like King Crab. Skagway eans the White Pass & Yukon Railroad up into the Yukon and in Juneau, look at Wings Airways for a float plane flight over seven glaciers (with or without lunch at Taku Lodge).

Rick&Jeannie

Well...you've already done the "big" ones!  I really like the White Pass Railroad and also very much enjoyed the helicopter flight to glacier in Juneau.  The Lumberjack Show in Ketchikan is very entertaining...it does not take a lot of time.  The cable car in Juneau to the top of the mountain is also interesting.  And of course...whale watching (depending on time of year.)

My favorite one ever was a train/snow shoe hike we did in Skagway. We took the train partway up then got off, put on snow shoes and hiked up to a glacier overlook. It was warm, the snow was soft and melty, and I fell down about a gazillion times. Wouldn't and couldn't do that these days, but it was a real highlight of that trip.

This sounds awesome!

Mary loves to travel

Different from what you've already done (as those are great ones):

Juneau:   float plan to Taku Glacier Lodge with fresh grilled salmon.   It's a beautiful place, nice sightseeing flight in, just a great excursion overall.

Skagway:  Hike & Float the Chilkoot Trail (we also did the helicopter glacier walk in the morning).

Ketchikan:   a tour to one of the totem parks would be good.   We did this in conjunction with a beautiful guided hike (but not a Princess Tour).   Then lunch at Alaska Fish House & walked along the salmon ladders on our own.

an earlier time in Juneau, we took the Mt Roberts Tram and hiked around - beautiful!

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The 16 best alaska cruise excursions for 2024.

Venture off the boat to see wildlife, glaciers, railways and more.

The Best Alaska Cruise Excursions

Courtesy of Bering Sea Crab Fisherman's Tour

A cruise to Alaska is one of the best ways to visit many parts of the 49th state, including the Inside Passage and the southeastern port towns of Juneau, Ketchikan and Skagway. You can also see dozens of glaciers on a cruise, plus remote places reachable only by water, like Glacier National Park & Preserve. Traveling by ship allows you to get closer to one-of-a-kind experiences in Alaska's interior, especially if you extend your vacation with a cruisetour (a package that includes the cruise and a land portion either before or after your voyage).

When it comes to excursions, many cruise lines offer the same experiences ashore for larger ports of call, often with a slight variation in the itinerary. The most popular tours highlight the best activities and attractions, such as the Mendenhall Glacier Ice Adventure Tour in Juneau, the Misty Fjords National Monument in Ketchikan and the White Pass & Yukon Route Railway in Skagway. You'll also find entertaining offerings from cruise lines that call on smaller, less visited ports, like Icy Strait Point (Hoonah), Sitka, Seward and Haines.

While some tours cost less than $100, don't be surprised to find over-the-top experiences that run about $750 per person – such as heli-flightseeing tours, where you'll land on a glacier and go dog-sledding with a team of Alaskan huskies. If you're comfortable with going it on your own, you might find lower prices on some excursions by booking directly with tour operators. Alaskan outfitters are used to working around cruise ship arrival and departure times, so their tours tend to fit into those schedules.

U.S. News has compiled this list to help you find the best Alaska cruise excursions, from the most popular (and affordable) options to once-in-a-lifetime adventures.

Icy Strait Point (Hoonah)

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Even though it's surrounded by water and mountains – and there's no road into town – Juneau is one of the most visited ports in Alaska, welcoming hundreds of thousands of visitors each summer. You'll find plenty to do in Alaska's capital, including whale watching tours, salmon bakes and more.

Mendenhall Glacier

The Mendenhall Glacier is one of the top attractions in Juneau, so many tours include a visit to the Tongass National Forest to view the 12-mile-long sheet of blue ice. Some cruise lines, like Princess Cruises , offer self-guided trekking excursions that include a ride on the Juneau Goldbelt Tram, which affords views of the Chilkat Mountains and other panoramic scenery. You can also opt to see the glacier from the water by boat or kayak, or on a float trip.

However, if you're going to splurge on any one excursion, it's this one: Sign up for a helicopter landing on Mendenhall Glacier, followed by a dog-sledding adventure with a team of Alaskan huskies. During the approximately 30-minute helicopter ride, you'll fly over rainforests and spectacular summits, but the real fun is when you arrive at the camp to go zipping through the snow led by your team of dogs and a professional musher.

The Mendenhall Glacier helicopter excursion is offered on Holland America Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean International, Carnival Cruise Line, Viking Ocean Cruises, Seabourn Cruise Line and Silversea Cruises.

Whale Watching and Wildlife Quest

Whale watching is another top activity when visiting Juneau, and many cruise lines offer several options for tours. Holland America Line has a five-hour, small-group excursion for just 20 guests; you'll search for humpback whales on a safari vessel, then hike on Mendenhall Glacier where you can look for beavers, Arctic terns, porcupines and black bears. If you prefer an even smaller group, Princess Cruises offers a 3.5-hour private whale watching tour for six people. Possible sightings include humpback whales, orcas, sea lions, eagles, harbor seals, lighthouses, glaciers and maybe even a bear along the shoreline.

One of Viking Ocean Cruises ' excursions, the Best of Juneau, lasts more than six hours and takes guests on a naturalist-led whale watching cruise by catamaran. Before heading back to shore, you'll have a lunch of local wild-caught Alaska salmon on remote Colt Island, followed by a scenic drive to Mendenhall Glacier to end the day.

Alaska whale watching and wildlife excursions are offered on Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Royal Caribbean International, Norwegian Cruise Line, Celebrity Cruises, Carnival Cruise Line, Viking Ocean Cruises, Silversea Cruises, Regent Seven Seas Cruises and Seabourn Cruise Line.

Taku Lodge Salmon Bake

Norwegian Cruise Line offers a 3.5-hour Taku Glacier Lodge Flight & Feast excursion that will tick several quintessential Alaska adventures off your bucket list. After flying over the Juneau Icefield (the fifth-largest ice field in North America) in a classic De Havilland seaplane, guests will land in the river at the historic Taku Glacier Lodge across from Juneau's largest glacier, the 5-mile-wide Taku Glacier.

A traditional Alaska salmon bake (with all the fixings) and drinks made with glacier ice are another highlight of the day. You might even see a black bear sniffing around for leftovers after your feast. Following lunch, take a walk in the lush Tongass National Forest before heading back from the wilderness.

Salmon bake excursions are offered on Norwegian Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Viking Ocean Cruises, Silversea Cruises, Regent Seven Seas Cruises and Seabourn Cruise Line.

Ketchikan sits at the southernmost entrance to Alaska's Inside Passage. It is one of the most visited ports in Alaska, according to the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA). Visitors come to this part of the state for the beautiful scenery, Alaska Native culture and fresh seafood, including Alaska salmon and king crab. And they just might enjoy an entertaining lumberjack show or floatplane ride to kick off their day while in town.

The Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show

Watch Alaska's hearty lumberjacks battle British Columbia's tough woodsmen in a head-to-head competition to see who can win the title of "Bull of the Woods." The thrill-a-minute show – a guest favorite – features a 50-foot tree climb, ax throwing, log rolling, buck sawing and springboard chopping, along with plenty of lumberjack lore. Some lines, like Princess Cruises, offer just the show; it lasts a little over an hour, so there will be plenty of time for a self-guided tour of Ketchikan before heading back to the ship. You may also be able to book a combination tour that includes the show and an ax throwing lesson (plus a competition of your own), or a trip to Totem Bright State Park, where you'll learn about the significance of totem poles and the Native Tlingit and Haida cultures.

Holland America Line offers a tour with the lumberjack show and a feast of local Dungeness crabs. For another culinary option, check out the 3.5-hour excursion with Norwegian Cruise Line . It includes a visit to Saxman Native Village, where you'll sample smoked wild game meats, dine on chef-selected dishes prepared with regional ingredients, and taste local wines and beers.

Lumberjack shows are offered on Alaska voyages with Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, Celebrity Cruises , Royal Caribbean International, Carnival Cruise Line, Regent Seven Seas Cruises and Silversea Cruises.

Bering Sea Crab Fisherman's Tour

Embark on the Aleutian Ballard, the Bering Sea fishing boat made famous by the Discovery Channel's "Deadliest Catch" television series. The approximately three-hour excursion gives guests a firsthand experience of what it's like to sail on the vessel as a Bering Sea crab fisherman and catch massive king crabs, octopuses and other marine life with 700-pound crab pots. The boat may also stop at nearby Annette Island, where you'll have the chance to see whales, sea lions, seals and bald eagles soaring overhead (one may even try to snag your catch!). You may also get to watch local fishermen at work.

Some lines that offer the fisherman's tour include Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, Celebrity Cruises, Royal Caribbean International, Carnival Cruise Line, Viking Ocean Cruises, Seabourn Cruise Line, Regent Seven Seas Cruises and Silversea Cruises.

Misty Fjords by Floatplane or Cruise

The more than 2 million-acre Misty Fjords National Monument is one of the top attractions in Alaska . Described by naturalist and author John Muir as "the Yosemite of the North," the awe-inspiring destination is best viewed from above on a floatplane. From the sky, you'll see towering 1,000-foot waterfalls, the volcanic Revillagigedo Island, snowcapped peaks, verdant forests and 3,000-foot walls of granite descending into the fjords. On a floatplane tour, you'll also have the chance to land on the water and take in the spectacular scenery from another viewpoint.

If you're not a fan of small planes, some lines offer the option of taking a cruise from Ketchikan's harbor. You'll sail into Behm Canal surrounded by the scenery of Misty Fjords, and you may even see wildlife or bald eagle nests. You'll also cruise by Eddystone Rock, a massive volcanic spire emerging from the sea, as well as waterfalls and 3,000-foot cliffs sculpted by glaciers.

Cruise lines that offer floatplane or cruisetours of Misty Fjords include Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Celebrity Cruises, Royal Caribbean International, Viking Ocean Cruises, Regent Seven Seas Cruises and Silversea Cruises.

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Skagway is another busy and popular cruise port in Alaska. It's one of the most popular towns on the Inside Passage itinerary; its fascinating Klondike Gold Rush history dates back to 1897. Take notice of the historic false-front shops reminiscent of the gold rush days as you explore. Many of these buildings are part of the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, and you may even see people strolling down the streets dressed in period costumes.

White Pass & Yukon Route

One of the top-rated attractions in Skagway is the White Pass Summit Scenic Railroad journey through Alaska's wilderness. The narrow-gauge railroad is an International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark – an honor shared by the Panama Canal, the Statue of Liberty and the Eiffel Tower. Dating back 125 years, the historic railway features vintage rail cars and climbs to a steep 2,865 feet at the summit over just 20.4 miles. Along the way to the summit – located at the official international border between the U.S. and Canada – you'll listen to the history of the Klondike Gold Rush while passing by Inspiration Point, Dead Horse Gulch and Bridal Veil Falls. After making a loop at the top, the train will head back down the mountain. You might even see snow on the ride if your cruise to Alaska is early in the season .

Excursions on some lines combine the rail journey with other activities, like biking on the Klondike Highway from the summit or visiting Liarsville, a gold rush trail camp. Others include a stop (and a cold beer) at the Skagway Brewing Company. In addition, some cruise providers offer the train ride in a luxury class rail car, which includes complimentary beverages, snacks and a private guide who will explain the history of the railroad as you watch the scenery pass by.

Norwegian Cruise Line's six-hour excursion features a ride on the White Pass & Yukon Route, a salmon bake at Liarsville and an adult beverage with one of the "madames" at the renowned Red Onion Saloon. Meanwhile, Silversea Cruises ' new 5.5-hour tour includes the train ride; a trip to the Yukon Suspension Bridge, which sits 65 feet above the white water rapids of the Tutshi River; and a hearty lunch of bison chili.

Cruise lines that offer the railroad (and combination) tours include Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, Carnival Cruise Line, Silversea Cruises, Viking Ocean Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises.

Musher's Camp and Sled Dog Discovery

If you want to cuddle with Alaskan husky puppies, then this excursion is for you. Norwegian Cruise Line's approximately three-hour excursion takes guests to a professional musher's summer camp in Dyea Valley, where they train sled dogs for the Yukon Quest and Iditarod races. After a thrilling ride into the rainforest on a four-wheel-drive vehicle, you'll head out on a summertime dog sled with 16 Alaskan huskies at the helm. Before puppy play time, you'll learn how the mushers care for the dogs and prepare for the races. Depending on the cruise line, some tours may end with roasting s'mores by the fire.

Some lines that offer this excursion are Norwegian Cruise Line, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, Royal Caribbean International, Carnival Cruise Line and Regent Seven Seas Cruises.

Chilkoot Trail Hike and Float Adventure

The historic Chilkoot Trail was the main route for those in search of untold riches during the famous gold rush years. Today, the trail, located in Gold Rush National Historical Park, is a rainforest full of birds and wildflowers. Excursions to the park include hikes with river floats on the Taiya River (there are no rapids) or bike tours of the trail. There are also wilderness kayaking outings to Chilkoot Lake, which is home to the five species of Pacific salmon, waterfowl, bald eagles and one of the largest brown bear populations in southeast Alaska.

Some cruise lines that offer these excursions include Norwegian Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Celebrity Cruises, Carnival Cruise Line, Silversea Cruises, Viking Ocean Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises.

Sitka is the only community in the Inside Passage that sits on the Pacific Ocean. The small city – home to just 8,500 residents – was owned by Russia before the U.S. purchased the land in 1867. Today, you'll find remnants of this Russian heritage, like onion-shaped domes and Saint Michael's Russian Orthodox Cathedral. Sitka also has a strong Tlingit culture. In terms of shore excursions, you'll find plenty of opportunities for wildlife viewing surrounded by pristine landscapes.

Sea Otter and Wildlife Quest

Royal Caribbean International's three-hour jet boat cruise on Sitka Sound features panoramic scenery (including snow-capped peaks) and the chance to see abundant wildlife. During the tour, look for playful sea otters, whales and brown bears walking along the coast. The line also offers another tour – Sea Otters, Raptors and Bears Oh My – that features a naturalist-guided catamaran cruise followed by visits to the Alaskan Raptor Center (a rehabilitation center for birds of prey) and the Fortress of the Bear (a rescue operation for orphaned bears).

In comparison, Carnival Cruise Line 's VIP wildlife quest in search of whales, sea otters, coastal brown bears and more concludes with a feast of wild salmon cooked over a wood-fired grill, Alaska crab and prime rib at the Fin Island Lodge. Following a wildlife Zodiac cruise around the archipelago, Holland America Line's version of this excursion also visits the lodge for lunch in partnership with Food & Wine magazine.

You can find this excursion on Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Carnival Cruise Line, Celebrity Cruises, Silversea Cruises, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Viking Ocean Cruises and Seabourn Cruise Line.

The Best of Sitka

Several cruise lines offer a version of this tour, which features an exploration of the top attractions in Sitka. On this excursion, you'll visit the Fortress of the Bear in Tongass National Park to learn about the facility's work with orphaned bears. There's also a stop at Sitka National Historical Park, where the 1804 "Battle of Alaska" between the Russians and the Tlingits was fought. Here, you'll see handcarved totem poles created by skilled Tlingit artists and get to meet local Native artists to learn more. The excursion also includes a visit to the Alaska Raptor Center.

Lines that offer this excursion include Norwegian Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, Viking Ocean Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises.

Icy Strait Point in Hoonah may be a much smaller port than others on this list, but it is a jumping-off point for endless outdoor explorations, including whale watching tours and searching for coastal brown bears. Icy Strait Point is Alaska Native-owned and -operated and is home to the largest Native Tlingit village in Alaska. While here, explore the wilderness areas of Chichagoff Islands, visit the 1912 cannery museum, and grab lunch with fresh Alaska king and Dungeness crabs before taking a ride on the world's largest ZipRider. (Or, play it safe and plan to take that ride down the mountain before lunch.)

Whale Watching & Bear Search

The waters surrounding Icy Strait Point host the largest summer population of humpback whales in the state, especially around the Point Adolphus area. If you purchase a tour directly with the Icy Strait Point website, they'll even guarantee you'll see whales – or they'll refund your money. During the tour, look for orcas, Steller sea lions, porpoises and seals. But be sure to also gaze overhead for bald eagles and search along the shore for bears; the Spasski River Valley in the remote wilderness of Chichagof Island has one of the highest densities of coastal brown bears in the world. Some cruise lines offer a variation of this excursion that includes a boiled seafood feast back on shore at Icy Strait Point.

You can find this excursion on voyages with Princess Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, Carnival Cruise Line, Viking Ocean Cruises, Silversea Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises.

Scenic Mountain Ascent & World's Largest ZipRider

Thrill-seekers (who love heights) will jump at the chance to ride the world's largest and longest zip line, which sits more than 1,300 feet above sea level at the top of Icy Strait Point. The ride to the summit on the SkyGlider mountaintop gondola is also a rush, but the real excitement comes as you zoom down 5,330-foot zip lines with five other riders at 60 mph – with views of the forest below and Glacier Bay National Park in the distance. A break-activated landing on the beach brings riders safely back to the ground. The price also includes unlimited rides on the gondola.

Cruise lines that offer this excursion include Norwegian Cruise Line, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, Carnival Cruise Line, Silversea Cruises, Regent Seven Seas Cruises , Viking Ocean Cruises and Seabourn Cruise Line.

A less visited port than some others on this list (according to CLIA), Seward is the ancestral home to the Alutiiq, or Sugpiaq, people. Its breathtaking natural beauty – with mountains on one side and Resurrection Bay on the other – has been shaped by glaciers over thousands of years. Top attractions in Seward include the Alaska SeaLife Center and a charming downtown area. It also offers access to Kenai Fjords National Park.

Kenai Fjords National Park Cruise

During your stop in Seward, take a full-day excursion to see the astounding beauty of Kenai Fjords National Park. The impressive fjords are surrounded by mountains standing more than 6,000 feet tall and an ecosystem rich in wildlife. While there, watch for a variety of whale species, sea otters, porpoises and sea lions, and onshore, you might see bears and mountain goats. There are also 191 documented species of birds in the park and many glaciers. As you get up close to Holgate Glacier, listen as chunks of blue ice calve into the water.

Some cruise lines, such as Viking Ocean Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises, offer this as an individual tour, while others like Holland America Line include it as part of a cruisetour. You can also book the excursion directly with a local tour operator if you're embarking or disembarking in Seward.

Haines, a small port about 20 miles north of Skagway, is best known for its Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve. The 49,000-acre preserve has the largest natural gathering of eagles during the late salmon runs and boasts pristine forests, marshlands and rivers brimming with wildlife.

Glacier Point Wilderness Safari

Norwegian Cruise Line's five-hour excursion takes guests on an adventure into the wilderness by boat while cruising North America's deepest and longest fjord, the upper Lynn Canal. You might even see breaching whales and playful sea lions en route to Glacier Point, where you'll disembark at the beach upon arrival. After a drive through the forest and a hike in the woods, you'll have unforgettable, up-close views of the Davidson Glacier by canoe.

Lines that offer this excursion include Norwegian Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Carnival Cruise Line and Silversea Cruises. Holland America Line offers this excursion from Skagway.

Eagle Preserve Rafting Float Adventure

Look for bald eagles soaring overhead as you raft down the gentle Chilkat River through the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve. The waters are overflowing with salmon that come to spawn, serving as food for as many as 400 bald eagles living in the Chilkat Valley. Don't be surprised to see brown bears or 1,600-pound moose coming to feast along the riverbank during your rafting adventure.

Some lines that offer this excursion include Norwegian Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Carnival Cruise Line, Silversea Cruises and Seabourn Cruise Lin e. Holland America Line, Regent Seven Seas Cruises and Viking Ocean Cruises host this excursion from Skagway.

Why Trust U.S. News Travel

Gwen Pratesi is a U.S. News & World Report contributor and an avid travel adventurer who fell in love with Alaska on her first visit to the state many years ago. She's returned several times both by land and sea to view wildlife and chase the northern lights in one of the best places on the planet to view them. She's even considered moving to The Great Land as a full-time resident. Pratesi used her deep knowledge of Alaska and the cruise industry to write this article.

You might also be interested in:

• The Top Things to Do in Alaska
• The Top Alaska Cruise Lines
• Alaska Cruise Packing List
• The Best Alaska Cruises for Families
• The Best Cruise Insurance Plans

Most Beautiful Landscapes in the World

Tags: Travel , Cruises , Alaska Vacations

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• # 4 Bora Bora

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The Best Alaskan Cruises For Families, According To Customer Reviews

A n Alaskan cruise is a bucket-list trip for many of us. While far removed from the bright sunshine and warm seas of the Caribbean, a cruise to Alaska offers so much more. You'll float among glaciers, watch wildlife from the boat, and have the chance to experience some of the most interesting shore excursions around (think visiting a Husky Puppy Camp or taking a helicopter up onto a glacier).

However, Alaskan cruises have a reputation for catering to an older crowd, which can keep families with kids and teens away. But that's a huge shame, and the reputation is largely undeserved, with cruise lines increasingly catering to young and older guests alike. By choosing the right itinerary and ship, families of all ages can have a blast cruising in Alaska. As most cruise lines offer similar excursions when visiting the state, the onboard activities are what set the lines apart, especially when it comes to entertaining children. We've scoured customer reviews across multiple sites to find out which Alaskan cruises are best for families, from those with young kids to groups taking a multigenerational cruise.

Read more: 75 Things Every American Should Do In Their Lifetime

Norwegian Cruise Line From Seattle

Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) is our first pick for families wanting to explore Alaska. You're looking for the Bliss and the Encore, two very similar ships that sail out of Seattle on seven-day Alaskan cruises. These mega-ships have everything a family could want. In Reddit's r/Cruise subreddit,  u/Beaglescout15 traveled on the Bliss with children aged 11 and 13 and wrote: "They absolutely loved it," citing laser tag, arcade, and the kids' club (called Splash Academy) as favorites, plus the fun shore excursions.

In the same subReddit, u/New-Wing5164 wrote: "If you want a ship the kids will love - go on the Encore. Sooo much for kids to do." Finally, on Tripadvisor , Mark H praised the entertainment and activities on the Bliss, particularly the water slide, and said that the "safe environment allowed the older kids some independence." There really is so much to do on the Bliss and the Encore that the chances of hearing the dreaded, "Mom! I'm BORED!" are close to zero.

NCL is one of the more reasonably priced options, and some of its itineraries include Glacier Bay, a must-visit  where you can get up close and personal with incredible glaciers . Prices start around $980 per person with an offer for additional guests to get a discount. However, many cruisers warn that while the base fare on NCL can be low, the price really starts to creep up once you add all of the extras.

Princess Cruises From Vancouver

Our second pick for families heading to Alaska is Princess Cruise's 7-Day Inside Passage cruise out of Vancouver. Taking a round-trip cruise from the Canadian port has a couple of advantages over going from Seattle, one being a smaller chance of getting seasick (due to the calmer waters). The ships usually follow the gorgeous Inside Passage between Vancouver Island and the mainland, navigating calm waters and offering more views of the land rather than the Pacific Ocean. The Inside Passage is also one of the must-see places in Alaska . Another advantage of Princess is that many of the cruises go to Glacier Bay.

Princess is an excellent choice for older kids, teens, parents, and grandparents! In Reddit's r/Cruise forum,  u/AdApprehensive8392 writes: "Princess is positioning itself as intergenerational ... I took my kids ages 5-15 ... and they loved it—particularly my 5 and 7 year old because the programming in the youngest kid club was so good ." In the same forum, u/StillWaterDrinker wrote that there were few little kids on their Princess cruise, but lots of teenagers, allowing their teens to make friends.

One thing to bear in mind is that Princess ships lack the water slides, go-karts, and other big-ticket activities of ships like Norwegian's Encore and Bliss. However, there are dedicated areas for kids of different ages to hang out, and family suites are available, providing convenient accommodations. Prices for this cruise start around $935 per person.

Disney Cruises From Vancouver

Surprise! Disney sails to Alaska. If you're looking for a cruise line that goes all out to cater to children, you can't beat Disney. Disney cruises offer several itineraries sailing out of Vancouver aboard the Disney Wonder. And what a wonder the ship is! There are Disney characters galore (Captain Hook prowls the ship alongside other favorites), and there are many live shows, including "Frozen, A Musical Spectacular." Kids can join the Marvel Superhero Academy or go for a pampering session at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique.

But what do the reviews say? In Reddit's r/Cruise forum,  u/TamiPeakTravelAgent writes, "Disney has EPIC kids clubs that are included in your cruise fare." Note that the nursery for kids aged six months to three years costs extra, as well as any services at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. Over on Cruise Critic, user  Artemis595 loved the food, the onboard entertainment, and how friendly the crew was. The restaurants are themed, with outlets like Triton's (an "under-the-sea" dining experience) and Pinocchio's Pizza.

The itinerary is pretty typical for Alaska (read: awesome), though prices tend to run higher for Disney than other lines, with a seven-night cruise starting around $1,750 per person. But it's worth it for young children, as u/ggkimmiegal writes in the same Reddit forum: "My kid had the time of his life." Be warned: Your littles might never want to leave the ship.

Royal Caribbean From Seattle

If you fancy the idea of a big ship like Norwegian but are a loyal Royal Caribbean cruiser, check out the line's sailings from Seattle. Many family cruisers recommend the Quantum of the Seas, an enormous ship with a gigantic amount of entertainment, including skydiving and surf simulators, bumper cars, rock climbing, and an arcade.

In the r/Cruise forum, Reddit's  u/So_angry_right_now writes, "We did Quantum ... with my 6 and 4 year old this summer. It was fantastic! They had plenty to do." In the same forum, u/Available-Anteater48 responded to a question asking which line to take kids aged four to eight on: "Quantum all the way ... I took my kids (5,7,11) on it last summer and they loved it."

A seven-night Alaska cruise from Seattle on the Quantum of the Seas costs around $900 per person. Note that Royal Caribbean has a "Kids Sail Free" promotion, allowing children under 12 to sail for free on certain dates. However, one thing to bear in mind is that certain activities onboard are not included in the fare, including the surf and skydiving simulators. If your kids want to do it all, things can really start to add up. 

UnCruise Adventures From Juneau

Our final pick is a lesser-known line, but it's perfect if you and your kids are the outdoorsy types (and you're ready to splurge). UnCruise offers all-inclusive, small ship cruises that take you where the larger ships can't go, along with decidedly adventurous excursions. In Reddit's r/Cruise forum, u/3664shaken writes that they have taken their grandchildren on several cruises, but "[the kids'] favorite cruise of all time was on UnCruise. They got to kayak, hike and even do the polar plunge in Glacier Bay." Brrr! With kids, you should consider visiting Alaska during the high tourist summer season , because that means better weather, longer days, and more time to explore. Not a bad thing with UnCruise, where the activities seem limitless. 

Bloggers 2TravelDads took their children on UnCruise's special Kids in Nature, Wild Woolly & Wow sailing, which they loved. There are kid-friendly food menus, organized games, and an onboard naturalist to give your children an insight into the local wildlife and nature. With an itinerary and activities curated for kids, the experience really can't be beat. You can paddleboard and snorkel (yes, in Alaska!), head out on a skiff to get up close to the glacier, and go bushwhacking. Taking an UnCruise is fantastic for active families. The Kids in Nature, Wild Woolly & Wow cruise costs upwards of $6,300 plus taxes per person based on double occupancy.

Methodology

Cruising as a family entails different requirements from cruising in an adult-only group. The onboard activities are paramount for keeping children entertained. We explored the market to find the cruises that travelers said were best for kids specifically. We relied on independent sites rather than the cruise lines' own websites to ensure the reviews were unbiased.

We looked at Reddit's r/Cruise subreddit, an increasingly popular place for real travelers to post reviews and advice, looking for cruise lines and ships that were mentioned many times. Along with this, we also took into account any upvotes or comments that supported these recommendations. We also looked at reviews on TripAdvisor and CruiseCritic, two other independent sites, searching for reviews that mentioned keywords like "family" and "children."

Read the original article on Explore .

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Despite protests, Princess Cruises announces largest ever Alaska schedule for 2026

Princess cruises announces 2026 alaska schedule.

This week, Princess Cruises announced its biggest-ever Alaska season for 2026. The cruise line’s newest ship, Star Princess , leads the eight-strong fleet, and the schedule includes 180 departures to 19 destinations. The announcement comes despite the tension in Juneau, Alaska, where locals — worn out from tourism — campaign for “Ship-free Saturdays.”

The 2026 Princess Cruises Alaska itinerary immerses guests in America’s last frontier , whether viewing the stars from on deck or taking part in on-shore adventures. That’s especially true on the Star Princess , a Sphere Class ship with leading-edge details, discussed below.

Princess Cruises Alaska 2026: Luxury among the glaciers

Alaska comprises expansive, open country, with so much to explore. In 2026, Princess Cruises will offer next-level experiences in The Last Frontier. Whether sailing through Glacier Bay National Park or taking a helicopter trip through the mountains, passengers get to experience the unspoiled, natural wonder of AK, while living in luxury.

The Star Princess — the second Sphere Class ship by Princess — features The Dome, a geodesic roof structure, and The Sphere, a suspended glass piazza. World-class culinary options include more than 29 bars and restaurants for a world of flavor at sea. 

John Padgett, Princess Cruises President, stated, “2026 will reinforce Princess’ leadership in Alaska vacations. The deployment of the magnificent Star Princess to Alaska for the first time will offer guests unprecedented views, luxurious accommodations, and the finest food, beverages and entertainment ever seen in the Great Land. Our guests will experience Alaska like never before aboard our innovative Sphere Class ship.”

“Whether you’re a first-time cruiser or a seasoned traveler, Princess is the ultimate choice for luxury and adventure, with awe-inspiring glaciers, unforgettable wildlife encounters, and the freshest seafood imaginable.”

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Hurricane Beryl is on a path toward the Caribbean, causing several cruise lines to alter routes. The Category 1 storm (74-95 mph winds) made landfall in Texas today with powerful wind and rain causing power outages for thousands. Cruise ships must find a way to steer clear, whether switching course or rescheduling port calls.

By adopting contingency plans, cruise lines like Royal Caribbean, Carnival, and Norwegian aim to keep passengers safe and avoid ship damage. Here’s what their plans include. Steering clear of Hurricane Beryl: Each cruise line’s strategy

The Aston Martin nameplate evokes images of style, sophistication, and performance. From the legendary DB5 to today’s Vantage, the company’s vehicles have a combination of muscle and verve that’s hard to match. Sultry bodywork and roaring powerplants make a scene, whether on the road or track.

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Japan Warns of Elevated Risk of Giant Earthquake After Strong One Hits

The official warning came after a 7.1-magnitude temblor struck off the coast of southern Japan on Thursday.

Strong Earthquake Hits Southern Japan

Shake intensity.

By River Akira Davis Kiuko Notoya Hisako Ueno and Victoria Kim

River Akira Davis, Kiuko Notoya and Hisako Ueno reported from Tokyo, and Victoria Kim from Seoul.

Japan’s meteorological agency said on Thursday that there was a higher-than-usual chance that an immense earthquake could hit the country in the next few days, following a 7.1-magnitude temblor off the southern island of Kyushu.

Japan has long expected a major earthquake to occur along the Nankai Trough off its eastern coast. As of last year, researchers said there was a 60 percent chance that an earthquake of magnitude 8 to 9 — even more devastating than the one in 2011 that laid waste to the country’s northeast coast and knocked out cooling systems at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant — would occur in the trough area over the next 20 years.

After the 7.1-magnitude quake on Thursday, Japan’s meteorological agency convened a group of experts to evaluate whether it could be related to the long-anticipated bigger disaster, called a “Nankai Trough megathrust earthquake.”

Experts warn that an earthquake between two tectonic plates that converge along the Nankai megathrust fault, which runs from Kyushu north through Tokyo, could cause devastation. It could extensively damage cities throughout Japan, potentially cause a tsunami and lead to hundreds of thousands of deaths.

“The possibility of a large-scale earthquake occurring in the area of ​​the Nankai Trough is relatively higher than usual,” the meteorological agency said in a statement late Thursday.

The risk that an earthquake of magnitude of 8 or higher would occur after one with a magnitude of 7 is particularly elevated for about a week after the initial temblor, the agency said.

Japan’s meteorological agency issued a “caution” level of warning on Thursday. The next step up would be an “alert,” which would advise residents to evacuate from areas deemed a tsunami risk. The agency said it was the first time Japan had issued a “caution.”

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida urged people to ensure that they were ready at all times in case an earthquake occurred and they had to evacuate. He told reporters that the government was on high alert.

Earlier on Thursday, a tsunami advisory was issued for coastal regions on the southern Japanese islands of Kyushu and Shikoku after the 7.1-magnitude quake. As of late Thursday evening, the maximum height of waves recorded reached about a foot and a half off the coast of Miyazaki Prefecture on Kyushu.

A handful of injuries but no deaths were reported related to the earthquake. Footage showed images of strong shaking in buildings in Miyazaki Prefecture, but damage in the area appeared to be minimal. The earthquake occurred less than 20 miles off the coast of Miyazaki, according to the United States Geological Survey.

Bullet train service was temporarily halted on Kyushu, and the Miyazaki Airport suspended takeoffs and landings to inspect runways for any damage. Both bullet train and airport operations resumed later Thursday evening.

The Kyushu Electric Power Company said its nuclear power plants were operating normally.

Separate from the heightened possibility of a Nankai Trough earthquake, Japan’s meteorological agency advised being alert for aftershocks of a similar magnitude off the eastern coast of Miyazaki Prefecture over the next week. It said that landslides could also be a risk if there is rain in the coming days.

An earlier version of this article used an incorrect map showing an earthquake on Japan’s west coast. The earthquakes occurred on Japan’s east coast.

How we handle corrections

River Akira Davis covers Japan, including its economy and businesses, and is based in Tokyo. More about River Akira Davis

Kiuko Notoya is a Tokyo-based reporter and researcher, covering news and features from Japan. More about Kiuko Notoya

Hisako Ueno is a reporter and researcher based in Tokyo, writing on Japanese politics, business, labor, gender and culture. More about Hisako Ueno

Victoria Kim is a reporter based in Seoul and focuses on breaking news coverage across the world. More about Victoria Kim

Around the World With The Times

Our reporters across the globe take you into the field..

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Venezuela’s Political Crisis: President Nicolás Maduro believed the Venezuelan government’s control of all levers of power would give him an election victory. Then came the shock .

Summer Camps in Ukraine:  As the once carefree summers of Ukrainian childhood and young adulthood are forever altered by war, traditional camps have taken on a more patriotic tone .

A Beloved Italian Path Reopens:  After 12 years and a 24 million euro makeover, officials hope the reopening of the Via dell’Amore in Cinque Terre will be an opportunity to rethink tourism in the popular area .