A little fun fact about me: I’ve been to 80 countries (by the time you’re reading this, probably many more), but I had never ONCE stepped foot on a cruise. For the longest time, the desire simply hadn’t been there, but when I had the opportunity to travel through Alaska via Holland America Line on their Eurodam ship, I knew it was time to pop my cruise cherry and finally tick the bucket list travel-style that so many others have had.
I didn’t fully know what to expect on a cruise, and in many ways, I felt like a novice traveler. I learned a lot about the ins and outs of cruise travel, specifically through Alaska (which can have temperamental weather). If you want to cruise through Alaska, which I’d highly recommend, especially with Holland America Line, here’s what to know before you go.
The time of the year matters
While you can technically travel to Alaska at any time of the year, when you go is going to be crucial in many factors, specifically weather and hours of daylight. When I arrived in Juneau, I talked to a local who told me most businesses are completely closed by October, so though some cruise options have October travel dates, keep in mind you might not have as much to do should you choose to travel then.
Prime travel for Alaska is typically is in the summer, from June to August. But with that being said…
Alaskan weather is temperamental (and slightly unpredictable)
I’m going to Alaska, so I’ll bring my amazing purple snowsuit! I thought… then I checked the weather app. Packing for Alaska is kind like packing for those weird in-between lulls when it’s 50-60 degrees outside and not quite warm but not quite cold. The key is packing layers. For example, when we stopped in Juneau, it was rainy and freezing, to the point I thought I was going to get sick from walking around in it all day. However, two days later in Sitka, it was 70 degrees and sunny. Bringing layers can help you plan accordingly.
Packing Tips:
For smooth sailing, you’ll want to bring:
- A scarf
- A good coat that’s not too heavy
- Sweaters
- Sweatshirts
- Leggings
- Good socks
- Hiking boots or snow boots
Checking in is kind of like checking in at an airport
I naturally had some anxiety going into this since I had never been on a cruise before. I was surprised to see that when I arrived to the port in Seattle, I was greeted by someone who said they would tag my bags and my bags could simply meet me in my room. At first I had agreed to this, but then when I saw the line was of people who also wanted to take advantage of this feature, I decided to just carry my bag myself.
You also have to go through security, though it’s not nearly as intense as airport security. Finally, you have to show your passport and boarding pass, and for Holland America specifically, there were face scanners. If you are missing any information from your profile (like I was–oops!), you are asked to go to a separate line to confirm whatever information is missing. The process was super smooth–much better than an airport, to be honest.
Booking shore excursions
Where I believe I went wrong on my cruise was overbooking shore excursions. It can feel tempting to want to go whale-watching, kayaking, do food tours, and fully take advantage of what’s offered, but with that, I missed out on something much simpler: just walking around towns and exploring on my own! I’d say, if there’s something you really want to do, book it; if there’s something you have even the slightest of reservations about, wait. I did take a Juneau Food Tour that ended up being my favorite part of my entire Alaska experience. However, I’m a personal advocate for food tours in general since they’re a great way to get to know a place both through the culinary scene, AND because you get to walk around (and if you have a good guide, they’ll give you tidbits on the history of the town).
Be clear on what’s included prior to traveling
Cruise lines are in a unique predicament in that they can upcharge for certain things out of convenience. Different cruise companies and lines offer different packages; some are all-inclusive, some are not. For my particular cruise with Holland America Line, food was included (with the exception of a few additional up charges for items like lobster), but drinks and specialty coffees (like espresso) were not. Because I knew this going into it, I made sure to take advantage of things like the cruise’s happy hour, however, I could have also purchased a drink package, which, depending on how much booze you plan to consume, can end up saving you some cash in the long run.
Be weary of what you purchase on land: not everything is allowed back on board
When you stop at a port, shop with caution. While this might vary from cruise to cruise, for Holland America Line specifically, we weren’t able to bring back opened food (so leftovers were a no go, and I purchased fudge in Juneau, but was advised not to open it until I was back on the ship unless I planned to consume the entire thing). This also includes liquor and wine. While you can bring some alcohol with you when you first get ON the cruise, cruise staff will typically hold your booze (similar to purchasing alcohol at a Duty Free) until it’s time for you to disembark from the entire trip.
Cruise lines have some seriously incredible amenities
The amenities available on my cruise was my most surprising factor of cruise-travel. I have a GoPro camera that had been acting up and was bummed I wasn’t able to get it checked out prior to traveling to Alaska; to my surprise, Holland America Line sold GoPros right on board the Eurodam (along with DJI products like gimbals). Not only that, there were two pools, an outdoor hot tub on the roof deck, a library, a spa, a gym, tons of restaurants, ranging from fine-dining to buffet, live music, and plenty of activities like yoga, informational seminars, comedy shows, themed parties, wine tastings, a singles’ night, mixology classes, and so much more. I would take the amenities available into consideration when choosing a cruise carrier to book with, as they can make a huge difference in your onboard experience.
Where you’ll go in Alaska (and what to do at each stop)
So, where on earth will you go in Alaska? While I can’t speak for every cruise line, I can tell you many of the ships stop at the same ports. Here’s where I went and the highlights from each:
Juneau
This was my first stop in Alaska. I booked a food tour via Juneau Food Tours (which was offered as a shore excursion), and I would highly recommend booking this exact tour if you have the chance. We stopped at several places, trying local delicacies like crab chowder, smoked King salmon, spruce tip jelly, ceviche, and even a blueberry mojito (Alaska makes great blueberries!). Aside from the food tour, a popular thing to do here is ride the Mendenhall Glacier Express, a gondola that takes you to the top of the city to get views of the glaciers. Note, however, cloud coverage will effect your viewing, and on the day I was in Juneau, visibility was poor so I didn’t do it.
Icy Strait
Icy Straight is a small town with a lot of trees, and possibly the most picturesque spot we stopped. I signed up for a shore excursion here, as well, which was whale watching. Icy Strait is particularly great for viewing animals, and there’s not a whole lot going on in town, so this is a great opportunity to either take it low key or sign up for an excursion to take your chances at seeing some wildlife. I saw plenty of orcas and humpbacks and it was quite magical!
Sitka
Sitka, on a historical front, was the coolest town we visited. It’s the oldest town in Alaska, dating back to over 10,000 years, and it was under Russian occupancy until 1867 when it was sold in the US. Not only that, but Sitka is where the actual signing of the Alaskan trade over the United States occurred. Sitka is also the largest city in the USA by landmass (spanning over 2,000 square miles), though note, the population is only around 9,000. There’s a lot of Russian influence in town, and it’s an enjoyable experience to simply walk around. Note that the cruise terminal is about a 15-minute drive from the town itself, but Holland America Line provided free shuttle buses for us.
Ketchikan
Oh, my beloved Ketchikan. I woke up on the day of Ketchikan with a bit of a stomach ache, so though we got there around 7 a.m., I tried to sleep a little more to fight the bug off. Well, that worked out remarkably, because I woke up at 9 a.m. feeling much better, and ready to go eat. Ketchikan is the salmon capital of the world, so I knew I wanted to try salmon, but I had also yet to try King Crab in Alaska, and as this was our last stop in Alaska, I knew, stomach ache or not, I had to seize the opportunity. I went to Annabelle’s, a restaurant established in 1927, and paid $85 for a King crab leg. The verdict? Worth every penny.
I also went to a small fish shack right by the cruise terminal called D’Fish & Chips Shack, and got salmon fish and chips, which cost around $25 pre-tip. Overall, Ketchikan is truly adorable and simply walking around and seeing what speaks to you here is the way to go. This was many passengers’ favorite stop.
Victoria, Canada
There’s a good reason even US-based cruises make one international stop, and it has a little something to do with a law from the 1830s called The Jones Act. In simple terms, cruise carriers cannot hire international laborers and would also be subject to US taxes if they do not make at least one international stop. Therefore, many Alaskan cruises will stop in Victoria, Canada. For our particular cruise, we got in late at night and it was raining, and since we were only there for about three or so hours, I decided to stay onboard. Regardless, if you plan to take an Alaskan cruise, you will indeed need a passport.
Bring money–Alaska is not cheap
Finally, though you’re paying for your cruise ahead of time and therefore most of your major expenses will be covered already, you should still be prepared to spend some money when on the ground in Alaska. Alaska needs a lot of things imported due to its remote location, so similarly to Hawaii (which was my first ever solo trip) a visit here does not come cheap. As you read above, my cost for even locally caught fish was quite pricey.
DISCLAIMER: I might make a small commission from some of the links throughout this article, but the price is the same for you. This helps keep my business running so I can continue to provide free travel tips!
DISCLAIMER II: Holland America Line hosted me on a 7-day cruise through Alaska.