From the Arctic north to the Inside Passage, a trip to Alaska can take you from the depths of the wilderness to the peaks of mammoth glaciers, from surprisingly metropolitan cities to quirky small towns. Believe us when we say this place is big and there’s no way you can see everything in one trip, but the best way to get a sense of the state’s heritage and diversity is by taking an Alaskan cruise. Bookings for Alaskan cruises have skyrocketed over the last few years, with more and more cruise lines offering more and more itineraries that take you to several quintessential Alaskan towns and national parks.This fall, I traveled with Princess Cruises on the Star Princess, a two-week journey that took me from Anchorage to Vancouver, with stops in Skagway, Juneau, and Ketchikan (and an extended detour to Denali National Park along the way).
It’s no Caribbean vacation, of course, but the weather during cruise season here (May through September) is actually quite nice. June and July give you nearly 20 hours of daylight, and temperatures can often reach the 80s. Perhaps the best way to enjoy the sunny views of Yakutat Bay and Glacier Bay National Park on your cruise is to spring for a balcony room. There’s nothing quite like watching the magnificence of Hubbard Glacier and Margerie Glacier, some of the largest glaciers in the Northern Hemisphere, while on your own private balcony. It’s also a much more comfortable way to watch for calving—that’s the thunderous process of large chunks of glaciers falling off into the ocean.
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