How To Take Cheap Alaska Cruises

Want to learn how to take cheap Alaska cruises and experience the stunning nature of “The Last Frontier” without breaking your budget?

Listen in now to get the inside scoop on planning your own Alaskan cruise adventure.

Today You’ll learn:

  • How to budget travel brings you closer to a place
  • The best way to tour Scotland
  • How to take advantage of the Alaska ferry system
  • What kind of accommodations to expect on cheap Alaska cruises
  • What you can bring on an Alaskan cruise (you’ll be surprised)
  • A traveler’s best friend
  • How to get around each small town in Alaska
  • The overall cost of a cheap Alaskan adventure

The resources below provide a summary along with all of the links you need to get started today.

To get an overview of all transportation around Alaska, check out the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities.

In Alaska, the locals get around by plane and ferry since there are very few highways.  You’ll want to create your Alaskan dream cruise using The Alaska Marine Highway System.   This will take you to the same ports as the fancy cruise lines for 60-80% off (and when you get off at these ports, you’ll be with locals and other budget travelers instead of thousands of people).

You’ll want to explore three main coastal regions:

  • Southeast- The Inside Passage: Juneau, Gold rush history, Glaciers, wildlife and whale watching
  • South Central- Gateway to Denali: Access to Denali, Glaciers, kayak/rafting, hiking, cycling, fishing, pioneer history, wildlife
  • Southwest- Kodiak and the Aleutian Chain: Russian and WWII history, birding, volcano, whale and bear viewing, Native culture

Once you’ve figured out where you are going and what you want to do, choose your sailing dates!  You only pay for what you use, so you can purchase individual legs of the trip meaning you can stay overnight in a port town and catch a later ferry.

The Alaska Marine Highway System makes it so easy to choose your route, decide on amenities, figure out what food to bring/purchase, where to stay (camp, cabin, or chair), and what entertainment to expect (mostly scenery and wildlife).  Check out the travel policies for specifics.

Here are some important things to consider when choosing your routes, your amenities, your vessels, and your disembarkation ports:

  • Pay attention to the time that the ship arrives in port as sometimes they land in the middle of the night.  Find out when the Sun will be coming up and maybe you’ll want to disembark
  • Book early for cabins
  • Make sure the ship has the amenities you want
  • Most popular ports:  Juneau, Sitka, Skagway, Ketchikan, Whittier, Homer, Kodiak
  • Side trips can be arranged to view Grizzly Bears.  The best time is during the salmon run which begins in July
  • Bring lots of layers and a good hat and/or ear muffs (as it can be cold even in the summer)
  • Don’t forget to pack binoculars
  • If you have a vehicle, you are usually only allowed to go to it once a day
  • Only go one way.  You will have seen enough nature and wildlife and don’t need a round trip.

Ways to access the ferries:  fly into Seattle and take a train to Bellingham, Washington, start in Vancouver and take a train to Prince Rupert, or fly into Juneau for the Inside Passage area ferry.  If you want Alaska’s heartland and Denali, you can fly into Fairbanks or Anchorage.  Same for getting out to the Aleutian Chain, or catch a plane to Kodiak.

Now go book your Alaskan adventure! What are you waiting for?

Additional resources:

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