Our Top 10 Alaska Cruise Tour Tips
After enjoying a fantastic adventure in Alaska on a Princess cruise tour – one week on land, one week at sea – we share our top 10 Alaska cruise tour tips, many of which apply to just an Alaska cruise, too. Our Alaska adventure included some of the best that Alaska has to offer and we learned a lot about how to get the most from an Alaska tour.
Since this was a big bucket list trip, we did a lot of research before going. And yet, there was so much more to learn as we experienced Alaska. Whether you are a first-timer or have been cruising Alaska for years, we hope that these tips & insights will help you travel smart and get the most from your Alaska adventure.
Note: we have included links to some of our recommended items. Some of these links may be affiliate links where we may earn a small commission from purchases.
Alaska Cruise Tour Tip 1: Start Your Journey on Land
There are several cruise tour options available. One of the biggest choices is whether to do the cruise before or after the land tour. We opted to do the land tour first and were glad we did.
To include stays at multiple locations in a week, you’ll be moving from lodge to lodge, packing in day trips and soaking up landscapes along the way.
We traveled from Fairbanks to the Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge then to the McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge and finally to Whittier where we embarked on the cruise. Staying two nights in each location while touring each area can be a bit tiring. Getting situated in each lodge only to pack up again a day later is different than being able to unpack once for the week on the ship.
While either cruise tour direction works, doing the busier land portion followed by the more relaxed cruise portion seemed like a great choice. After an action-packed land tour, you’ll be ready for some relaxing days enjoying views during the scenic cruising days you’ll likely have at the start of your cruise.
Alaska Cruise Tour Tip 2: Plan to Arrive 2-3 Days Early
For many people, getting to Alaska can be a long trip. With any cruise, it is a good idea to arrive the day before the cruise departs. With the potential for travel delays, it just makes sense to add some padding before your arrival. For Alaska, we suggest that you may want to add a pre-cruise stay of 2-3 days.
By arriving early, you’ll have time to acclimate to the time zone while exploring Fairbanks, which is an interesting city with so much to offer. Take some time to explore the Museum of the North, the Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum, or even pay a visit to the Trans-Alaska Pipeline. The city is pretty easy to get around and we found renting a car to be a great option.
We did our pre-cruise stay at Pike’s Waterfront Lodge and enjoyed exploring the Fairbanks area. It turns out that there is a lot to see in this small city. We were glad to have the opportunity to explore while ensuring we didn’t miss the start of our tour. For tips on what to see, check out our must-do Fairbanks attractions post.
If your schedule allows, tack on a day or two after your cruise tour in Vancouver. It was a great city to explore and a nice way to end this amazing Alaska adventure.
Alaska Cruise Tour Tip 3: Excursions
From Fairbanks to the Princess Denali & McKinley Lodges and at every port along the cruise, there are plenty of things to see and do. In some cases, like Ketchikan, you might be able to just walk around and explore the small but interesting town. However, to get the most out of your adventure, consider booking a few excursions.
One excursion that was included in our package was the Riverboat Discovery tour. With its inclusion of float planes, dogsledding, and Athabaskan culture, this riverboat journey offered a great introduction and opportunity to understand the Fairbanks area.
The Princess lodges are beautiful but can also be a bit remote. While there is transportation to Denali National Park from the Denali Lodge and you can do some exploring on your own, you may want to book or upgrade to the Tundra Wilderness Tour which takes you deep into the park. You’ll have the best opportunity to see beautiful scenery and wildlife on this tour.
The McKinley Lodge is pretty far from everything. While it is a great location for viewing the mountain and attending nature talks, if you plan to see anything beyond the lodge, you’ll need an excursion. We did the Beyer’s Lake Nature Walk which was an easy walk in Denali State Park. There are other options available including flightseeing tours and whitewater rafting adventures.
During the cruise, the ports are pretty walkable and have many interesting things to see and do. Depending on your interests, you may want to consider adding excursions. We found planning ahead ensured we got to include the excursions we wanted as sometimes popular tours can sell out.
We loved the White Pass Scenic Railroad in Skagway and enjoyed our helicopter ride to the glacier in Juneau. You might like to do a whale watching trip, fishing, or other adventures. Be sure to identify and book what you want to do in advance as tours can sell out.
There are so many other things to do, we’ll need to go back again. The one tour we wished we had booked was the small boat excursion for Hubbard Glacier – it enables you to get an up-close look at this amazing place.
We’d love to hear about what you loved best about your Alaska trip. Leave us a comment with your favorite adventure or excursion.
Alaska Cruise Tour Tip 4: Book a Balcony Stateroom
Alaska is beautiful. The reason many people visit is to see the scenery. While an inside room on a cruise ship is often a good choice, you may want to consider a balcony for Alaska. We had a port-side balcony room on the Baja deck. It was a great place to watch the scenery as we cruised through this beautiful area.
Depending on the weather, you can always bundle up and head outside to enjoy the beautiful scenery. We spent a lot of the day outside so we could enjoy views of mountains & glaciers. However, it was a bit cold and rainy during our adventure. It was nice to have a balcony view so that we could take a break without missing anything.
If you prefer the view from the cozy warmth inside the ship, finding a seat with a window view in one of the public areas of the ship is also possible. However, you may find that many other people have the same idea. We observed many people crowded into these areas on scenic cruising days.
Should you choose Port or Starboard? That depends on your preferences and itinerary. For our southbound inside passage, port-side was perfect for us. Do a little research to ensure you get the best room for your needs.
Be careful in selecting which deck your room is on. We noticed that on the Sapphire Princess, the balconies on decks below ours didn’t have the same shelter from the rain as the balconies on the Baja deck and above.
Alaska Cruise Tour Tip 5: Pack Layers For All Weather
Alaska’s weather is famously fickle. The weather we experienced in May in Alaska was highly variable. During our two weeks in May, the weather we experienced included sun, rain, and clouds. Throughout the day, things were always changing. The day might start chilly but be pleasantly warm just a few hours later.
Our approach was to wear layers including a t-shirt, sweatshirt, and rain jacket. We usually had gloves and a warm beanie along. Leave enough room in your backpack to be able to shed a layer as needed as the day may start cool and then get warmer. We found that having a light insulation layer, like a puffy vest, was also a good option for extra warmth.
At the Princess lodges, people dress pretty casually. Don’t be surprised to see a flannel shirt and jeans in the nicest of restaurants.
Once onboard the cruise portion of your vacation, you may like to be a bit dressier. However, it seemed as though even on the cruise, attire was more casual than what you might experience on a Caribbean cruise.
Men may choose to wear dress slacks or even nice jeans with a long-sleeve shirt while women may like either a casual dress or slacks. Some people opted to be more formal while others were pretty casual. You’ll likely experience a wide range on an Alaskan cruise.
For your excursions and other adventures, be sure to pack a comfortable pair of hiking shoes. We appreciated having our waterproof hiking shoes which helped us enjoy the Alaskan outdoors. Erling had a pair of Oboz while Judy brought the Keens that have seen many great adventures.
Alaska Cruise Tour Tip 6: Luggage and Baggage Handling
How does luggage handling work on a Princess cruise tour is probably one of the most frequently asked questions about an Alaska cruise tour. We’ll share our experience. You can also look for the latest on the Princess Cruisetour FAQ page.
A cruise tour includes both a land and sea component. You may be packing some of the same items for both but there may be some things you want just for the cruise. You’ll be able to bring two suitcases. One gets tagged for the land tour while the other goes to the ship. As you move between the lodges, you update the bag tags indicating where you are heading next. Princess does a great job of efficiently ensuring bags get where they need to go.
In addition to the main luggage, consider bringing a small daypack for items you’ll need when you can access your suitcases.
What Kind of Luggage
We are fans of using the luggage you have which is what we did. We had a large roller duffel bag, a smaller roller bag, and a backpack. If we were buying luggage, we’d opt for a medium size roller bag, a carry-on size roller bag, and a small backpack.
Baggage Transportation and Tags
When we arrived in Fairbanks to start our Alaska adventure, after retrieving our bags from the airline, they were transported to the hotel in a separate truck from the bus we were in. We had access to our bags in the hotel. However, before departing Fairbanks, we used the provided tags to identify one bag that would join us on the land portion while the other was sent to the cruise ship.
We tagged a bag with the “Join me onboard” tag and wouldn’t see that bag again until it was delivered to our room on the cruise ship. We used another tag “Join my tonight” to indicate which bag would be used during our land adventure. That tag is combined with a lodge specific tag indicating which lodge is your next destination. For example, from Pikes Lodge in Fairbanks, we were heading to the Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge so we added that lodge tag to our bags. After staying there, we would head to the McKinley Lodge so we needed to replace the Denali tag with a McKinley tag. Tags are provided as part of your check-in package at each lodge so you get them as you need them.
Early in the morning on each day you are departing from a lodge, you place your luggage in the hallway outside your room. It is picked up and transported to the next lodge. While you travel on a comfortable tour bus, luggage is transported separately.
Cruise Ship Luggage Tags
Once you get to the cruise portion of your vacation, your second bag will be delivered to your stateroom. But how does the cruise know where to deliver them? Before your trip starts, you print out luggage tags at home. But those are paper. They can get wet or torn. We discovered luggage tag holders that protect those paper tags. They are heavy plastic, seal well, and have a metal loop to hook them on to your luggage.
We purchased a set of CruiseOn Princess luggage tag holders. You can find them on Amazon. Unfortunately, each cruise line has different sized luggage tags so if you go on a different cruise line, you’ll have to get a different set. Fortunately, CruiseOn makes luggage tag holders for the major cruise lines including NCL, Carnival, Celebrity, Holland America, MSC, Princess, and Royal Caribbean. Here is an Amazon link to the CruiseOn Princess Luggage Tag Holders we used (affiliate link).
The luggage tags used for disembarkation are different. There is no luggage tag to print. You get tags from guest services and then write your information on it.
Disembarkation Luggage Tags and Pen
Disembarkation tags were supposed to be delivered to our room. However, we didn’t get them. We asked at guest services and they provided a set for us. Disembarkation is divided into different times. The tags you use will indicates the time when you need to leave the ship. However, there are only so many available for each time slot. If you need a specific time, be sure to get your tags from guest services early.
A frequent complaint is that the ink written on these tags tends to smear. We have found that a Sharpie works better than a regular pen. On this cruise, we tried the Sharpie Pro pen – which they claim to be jobsite tough – and it worked very well. Note: Amazon affiliate link. However, we sure wish the cruise lines would let you print these out in advance or make them so they fit in a luggage tag holder.
Alaska Cruise Tour Tip 7: Pack Lighter & Do Laundry
Since you are brining more layers than you usually might bring, packing light can be a challenge. We found that it was easy to do laundry along the way as the Princess Wilderness Lodges and the Sapphire Princess cruise ship all had self-service laundry facilities. You can expect to pay about $3 per wash and the same to dry. In some cases, you may need to install an app to pay for the washing machines.
In some of these, the washing machine feeds detergent automatically. As a backup, or in case you just want to wash out something in the sink, it can be helpful to have laundry sheets. These pack flat and are easy to include. When you have access to a washing machine, just add a sheet in place of detergent. If you need to wash out a pair of socks or a swimsuit, you can use part of a sheet in the sink and then hang things to dry in the shower.
While you can send things to the shipboard laundry, it tends to be expensive. Bringing a package of laundry sheets might be an inexpensive and convenient alternative. We usually travel with homevative fresh & clean laundry sheets which we found on Amazon (affiliate link).
We also usually bring a Tide To Go stain remover stick. These small stain removers come in handy when you have a small spill but aren’t able to do laundry.
One thing that was different about laundry on the Alaska cruise was that laundry can’t be done in some locations. For example, when the ship is visiting Glacier Bay, laundry facilities are closed. That means you might experience some limitations on getting fresh towels for your room. It also means that you won’t be able to use the self-service laundry facilities. If you plan to iron a shirt for dinner that night, plan ahead. We often bring Downy Wrinkle Releaser to help keep our clothes looking nice even when we can’t access laundry on a ship.
Alaska Cruise Tour Tip 8: Make Dining Reservations
You might be familiar with making specialty dining reservations on a cruise. Ships usually offer different dining options. If you want to eat at your favorite, you often need a reservation. Ship dining reservations can be made in the Princess app or by calling their dine line.
However, things work a bit differently on the land portion of your tour. Each Princess lodge has several restaurants. Just like on a regular vacation, you’ll need to consider breakfast, lunch, and dinner. However, you can book a dining package to cover breakfast & dinner for your lodge stays. This can help ensure you don’t have a surprise bill at the end of your trip. Know that beverages other than coffee & lemonade aren’t included. But, they will cover an appetizer, entree, and dessert. We enjoyed eating at the lodges and the dining plan helped keep costs in check.
Our itinerary made it appear as if we had reservations. Instead, we had suggestions of where we might like to eat each day. Unless your itinerary lists a specific time, you don’t actually have a reservation. And the restaurants are often full.
You can use Open Table to make reservations. Just find the lodge and restaurant you are interested in. For example, King Salmon at the Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge. Use Open Table to make a reservation. Your check-in package will include meal vouchers if you are on the plan. Just go and enjoy a nice meal. You’ll just be responsible for any wine or a cocktail you choose to add.
Once everything was reserved, we could relax into the vacation, not worrying that we were missing out on something we really wanted to experience.
Alaska Cruise Tour Tip 9: On Time is Late
You are on vacation, you can just relax, right? On your Alaska cruise tour, you’ll need to pay a bit of attention to the time. Whether you are catching transportation to your next lodge or heading out on an excursion, things can get busy.
Each tour or bus has a number. Your itinerary or tour ticket should list your number. There might be multiple buses on the same trip. Or, you might find multiple buses leaving for different places at the same time.
For example, on the Tundra Wilderness Tour we took from the Denali Lodge, we were on bus TWT-15. The fifteenth bus on the same tour that day.
As you gather in the lobby, it may feel like being on time is actually late as they may start boarding a bit before the designated time to ensure an on-time departure. When we headed out on the transfer from Denali Lodge to McKinley Lodge, the bus actually left a bit early. You’ll have to listen for announcements to be sure you hear when it is your time to board.
Our tip is to arrive 10-15 minutes early and know your bus number.
Alaska Cruise Tour Tip 10: Midnight Sun
In Summer, Alaska has very long days. As we started our trip in May in Fairbanks, it was still very light out at 11:00 pm. If you think that might impact your sleep, consider packing a sleep mask.
Alaska Cruise Bonus Tips
Just a few extra tips that might be helpful for your Alaska cruise planning.
It can actually be pretty sunny in Alaska. While the temperatures may not always be hot, consider sunscreen. Even if it is a colder day or you see snow, you can still get a sunburn.
Along those lines, consider packing a small first aid kit. You’ll be in some pretty remote areas. Be prepared to handle minor health issues on your own.
Of course for a trip this big, you’ll want to ensure you have travel insurance in place. Things can happen in life. Travel insurance can assist you during a trip or reschedule it if something prevents you from going. If you want the ability to cancel for any reason, be sure to book the insurance when you are booking the trip.
Our Top 10 Alaska Cruise Tour Tips YouTube Video
Check out Our Top 10 Alaska Cruise Tour Tips YouTube video where we share our top tips to help you plan your trip to Hawaii.
Summary
We really enjoyed our Princess Alaska Cruise Tour Adventure. Hopefully our top 10 Alaska cruise tour tips help you plan your adventure.
If you like this, be sure to check out the rest of our Alaska Adventure series.
Pike’s Waterfront Lodge Fairbanks
Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge
McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge
Alaska Cruise Itinerary & Ports
Sapphire Princess Alaska Cruise
What is your favorite Alaska cruise tip? We’d love to hear all about it. Please leave us a comment.
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