How to Spend Your Limited Time When Cruising to the Gulf of Alaska
Without question, one of the best ways to visit the Gulf of Alaska is with a cruise. By cruising through the Gulf of Alaska, you’ll be ferried around the region in the comfort of the ship’s various lounges as you go from port to port where you can disembark to visit crystal blue glaciers, pristine temperate rain forests and a wide variety of wildlife including whales, bear, bald eagles, seals, otters and more!
With so many options and so little time at each port, how do you decide what excursions and tours to include on your Gulf of Alaska itinerary? That’s where this article comes in.
In this article, I give you my recommendations based on our itinerary. We selected several amazing excursions based on different factors such as cost, time and what was available at each port of call. Keep reading to get inspired for your Gulf of Alaska cruise!
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Gulf of Alaska Itinerary at a Glance
Below is just one of many itineraries your particular cruise may use. This was our itinerary when we sailed on Norwegian Cruise Line’s Encore in August 2022.
Even if your itinerary doesn’t follow this exact route, you can still mix and match based on my recommendations throughout this article to fill out your dream trip to the Gulf of Alaska.
- Day 1 – Departure from Seattle
- Explore Seattle Waterfront
- Board ship
- Day 2 – At sea
- Relax and enjoy the ship!
- Day 3 – Juneau
- Mendenhall Glacier Explorer
- Goldbelt Tram
- Explore downtown Juneau
- Day 4 – Icy Point Strait/Hoonah
- Whale and Marine Mammals Cruise
- Hoonah Cannery Museum
- Walk along the bay
- Day 5 – Glacier Bay National Park
- Relax while you sail through the park
- Day 6 – Ketchikan
- Ketchikan Kayak Eco Tour
- Day 7 – Victoria, British Columbia
- Explore downtown Victoria
- Day 8 – Return to Seattle and depart
Gulf of Alaska Day #1 – Departure from Seattle
The Seattle Waterfront
If you arrive early enough, you should have some time to explore Seattle’s waterfront before boarding your ship. Don’t worry about having to figure out what to do with your luggage. You can drop your bags off with the cruise line a few hours before boarding where they’ll be held and then taken to your room for you.
You will want to stay around the waterfront so that you’re just a short walk to the ship in case anything happens. Fortunately, the Seattle Waterfront has plenty to do! I recommend visiting the Seattle Aquarium. You can expect to spend around two hours here.
With whatever time you have left, you can wander around Pike Place Market for some pre-cruise snacks.
Boarding Your Ship
Once you’ve had your fill of the waterfront, it’s time to board the ship and get into vacation mode. Boarding is a bit of a process, so be prepared for a lot of waiting in line and documentation checks. Make sure to have all your identification and boarding passes on hand to make the process go smoothly.
After you get through registration, you can start enjoying most of what the ship has to offer. Grab a drink and post up by the pool if it’s warm enough. If it’s cold or rainy, your ship should have plenty of indoor lounges and bars to keep you entertained.
The one thing you need to do now is finalize your itinerary at each stop of the cruise. Ideally, you would have done this already, but you can make any changes or confirm excursions now.
There is also the possibility that the ship’s itinerary may have changed due to unforeseen circumstances, too. For instance, when we sailed, our itinerary included Skagway. However, as we were registering, we were told that this would no longer be possible due to a landslide blocking the port. Instead, we would be sailing to Icy Strait Point.
As a result, we had to make plans for our time in Icy Strait Point after check-in. If this happens to you, don’t hesitate to book new excursions because popular ones will sell out quickly since everyone will be booking at the same time.
Gulf of Alaska Day #2 – Day at Sea
Today is your first full day aboard the ship! There isn’t much to do today beyond simply relaxing and enjoying the ship’s amenities.
Our ship on Norwegian Cruise Line offered an hour-long presentation on the ship’s itinerary with information on each stop and the different excursions available. If your ship does something similar, I recommend checking it out. It might provide some background information on each stop that you might not get otherwise.
At the very least, it serves as a nice way to get excited for the rest of the week, but you might decide to change your itinerary up a bit based on the information provided during the session.
Gulf of Alaska Day #3 – Juneau
Juneau is the capital of Alaska and the state’s third largest city with a population of 32,000. It has a history dating back thousands of years when the area was inhabited by the native Auke and Taku tribes. Juneau as we know it today came into being during Alaska’s mining era in the late 19th century.
Now, Juneau is a popular stop for cruises with passengers enjoying its historical attractions and the natural beauty around the city.
Mendenhall Glacier Explorer
| Length of Tour | 3 hours |
| Cost | $89 per adult $49 per child |
| Highlights | Mendenhall Glacier, Nugget Falls, spawning salmon (July to September) |
One of the top attractions in Juneau is Mendenhall Glacier. This impressive glacier is one of the few in the world that can be easily driven to. It also sits in an impressive glacial valley surrounded by Alaskan rain forests and a large, silent lake. These two facts help explain why it’s so popular with visitors.
As such, there are many options to choose from to visit the glacier. We booked the Mendenhall Glacier Explorer through the cruise line. The experience was relatively straightforward, but it was a fun one.
The bus picked us up just outside where the ship docked. From there, the driver took us to the glacier through town while the driver provided information on Juneau amid a steady stream of dad jokes. Along the way, keep checking out the streetlights for bald eagles. We must have seen at least 10!
Once you reach Mendenhall Glacier, you have 2.5 hours to explore the area on your own. Skip the visitor center and make the short 2-mile hike to Nugget Falls instead. This easy hike takes you to a small beach where you can get as close to the glacier as possible from land without actually being on it. If the glacier isn’t enough, the powerful Nugget Falls is also here.
When you return to the parking area, check out Steep Creek Trail before you have to go back to Juneau. This small boardwalk takes you over a stream where you can see salmon spawning from mid-July to September. If you’re lucky, you may even see a bear prowling the area!
Goldbelt Tram
Back in Juneau, you can take the Goldbelt Tram up Mt Roberts for $50. From the tram station, there are a few different things to do. There is a visitor center with a gift shop, a restaurant and a theater showing a free documentary that describes the native Tlingit culture. If you want to do some hiking, there are also a handful of trails of varying lengths.
If you have no interest in exploring the town of Juneau, the tram is worth the cost. The views are great, and you should have enough time to do a short hike before you have to be back at the ship.
On the other hand, if you want to walk around Juneau, I would skip the tram. I enjoyed our short time on Mt Robert, but we were only up there for about 30 minutes before we had to head back down to see Juneau. That’s a very short visit considering how expensive it is.
Explore Juneau
Juneau itself is a fun little town. Its main street has many gift shops and jewelry stores if you want to do some window shopping. Some of the gift shops are quite nice, but you can still expect to see lots of kitschy souvenirs.
Besides all the shops, Juneau also has a number of restaurants and bars to entertain visitors. Probably the most popular is Red Dog Saloon, a vividly red building with swinging doors and floors covered in sawdust like something from the Old West. It’s touristy, but they lean into that fact in a fun way that merits coming in for at least one drink. Red Dog Saloon is known for their Duck Fart shot. Besides being tasty, it’s just downright fun to order!
I also recommend stopping at Alaskan Brewing Company for a taste of some locally made brews. Besides beer, they have a food menu if you’re feeling hungry – try the salmon chowder! In warmer months, Alaskan Brewing Company has a large outdoor beer garden to enjoy your beer in.
Other Options
- Dogsledding on Mendenhall Glacier via Helicopter
- Mendenhall Glacier by Helicopter and Guided Walk
- Various boat or canoe tours to Mendenhall Glacier
- Various whale watching tours
Juneau is widely regarded as having the best whale watching in Alaska. For various reasons, we decided against this activity while at this port, though. Nevertheless, if you want to do whale watching and see Mendenhall Glacier, there is an excursion for that, too!
Gulf of Alaska Day #4 – Icy Strait Point
Icy Strait Point is a small port that has been effectively purpose-built for cruise ships. But don’t let that fool you into thinking it’s all tacky tourist attractions.
This small village is privately owned by a group of indigenous peoples with ties to the area. Owing to this, they have developed the area in such a way as to preserve the dignity of the region. It’s a delightful spot known for its whale watching, terrestrial wildlife, the Tlingit culture and its ties with the salmon fishing industry.
Whale and Marine Mammals Cruise
| Length of Tour | 2.5 hours |
| Cost | $189 per adult $129 per child |
| Highlights | Whales (of course!), educational guide, coastal views |
The whale watching tour we booked through the cruise was an incredible experience! I was a little reluctant to book this tour because I assumed, correctly, that we would see whales from our ship. Yet, the experience of seeing a handful of whales from a distance in a big ship was far different than seeing multiple whales a little more up close and personal.
You board the small boat at the same dock you disembark the ship from. While waiting, keep an eye on the water right below the pier and farther out in the bay. There’s a good chance you might see whales and an even better chance you’ll see other marine life like starfish and jellyfish.
The tour itself is 2.5 hours long, but only about an hour of that time is spent sitting still looking for whales because of a law restricting what these tours can do. Even so, it’s fun to watch the rugged coastal landscape go by as your boat takes you to the spot where whales are commonly found. During this time, you still have the opportunity to see whales and other wildlife, such as the sea otter we saw lazily floating along on his back.
Once you reach Adolphus Point, it’s time to keep your eyes peeled for whales. We were treated to an absolute show during our tour, as a pod of orcas was actively playing with and eating a sea lion about a hundred yards away.
Several young and adult orcas could be seen cresting along the surface of the water, and at one point, one of the larger whales fully breached the water. If that weren’t enough, there were three other sea lions just a little farther away from the whales who kept popping their heads out of the water to warily watch for danger.
The whole scene, which lasted about 30 minutes, was like watching a nature documentary. In fact, at one point our guide commented to those of us around him on the rarity of this event. I forget his exact words, but the gist was that seeing a pod of orcas here only happens once or twice a year. Further, seeing them feeding and watching an adult fully breach is even less common.
Hoonah Cannery Museum
This free museum in Icy Strait Point is a pleasant stroll through the area’s history with industrial fishing. There are exhibits describing the rise and fall of the industry, the salmon canning process and how the salmon was marketed to consumers.
It sounds a bit dry, but the information is presented in a fun way to keep visitors engaged. I enjoyed our 15 minutes or so walking through its exhibits more than I expected.
Explore Icy Strait Point
At this point, if you still have time to spare before getting back on ship, Icy Strait Point has a few things you can do. A must is having some local crab from The Crab Shack. It’s expensive but it’s worth it. Get some shrimp, too: You won’t regret it!
We also walked part of the way to Hoonah and then through the forest along the shoreline. Neither of these walks were anything amazing in terms of must-see sights. Rather, they were just pleasant strolls away from the rest of the tourists. If you’re going to pick one, I recommend going through the forest to see some of the native flora.
Other Options
- Discovering the Birds of Hoonah Tour
- Explore Hoonah
- Gondola to the top of Mt Hoonah (and take the ZipRider back down)
- Tribal Dance and Cultural Legends show
- Whale Watching and Bear Search excursion
Gulf of Alaska Day #5 – Glacier Bay National Park
This entire day is spent cruising through Glacier Bay National Park. While that may sound uneventful, it is likely going to be several of the most memorable hours of your trip.
Your tour through this unspoiled natural landscape begins early in the morning. Depending on what time you wake up, you’ll likely already be within the confines of the park. Have your breakfast; get some warm, comfy clothes on; and then get ready for a day of viewing some of the best landscapes nature can offer.
If you’re on Norwegian Cruise Line, they have a few things lined up for today to make your visit here just a little extra special. The first is an amenity offered by the National Park Service to all cruises coming into the park.
Because Glacier Bay National Park is so remote, most people visit by cruise. To accommodate for this, the National Park Service sends rangers onto the ships with educational materials, passport cancellation stamps and their own expertise to answer any questions visitors have about the park.
In addition to the park rangers’ programming, Norwegian Cruise Line also opens up the bow for people to go out for views of the park’s landscapes as the ship approaches them. To be honest, going out to the bow is neat for a quick photo op, but it is crowded from everyone else trying to do the same thing. Go out, get your photo and then head to one of the side decks.
From the side decks, you’ll have the park mostly to yourself as most people will likely be in the observation deck or one of the many interior lounges. It is cold, but if you’re there in summer, it isn’t unbearable as long as you dress warmly. To help with the weather, the ship will have waiters going around with hot chocolate, coffee or, if you’re feeling feisty, either of those options with some added Baileys.
For a totally different national park experience, consider doing a road trip through the American southwest along the Grand Circle!
Gulf of Alaska Day #6 – Ketchikan
Known as the “First City,” Ketchikan is the first city cruise ships pass as they move into Alaska’s Inside Passage. It’s this location that earned it the “First City” moniker. Like many cities in Alaska, Ketchikan is known for its indigenous heritage, mining history and fishing industry.
Beyond that, the town of Ketchikan has an adorably picturesque waterfront that invites visitors to wander its streets, if you have time. More on that shortly, though.
Arrival in Ketchikan
Unlike the other stops in Alaska, the main town of Ketchikan is about a 15-minute walk from the port. They also offer a shuttle bus that goes back and forth throughout the day. Because of this, there is a large welcome center in a repurposed wood mill for cruise passengers to do some shopping while waiting for the shuttle or to be picked up by their excursion operators.
The welcome center also has a couple museum-like exhibits describing the Ketchikan area, as well as a small bar featuring Alaskan beer. It isn’t much, but it is a nice area to mill about for a bit either before or after your chosen excursion.
Ketchikan Kayak Eco Tour
| Length of Tour | 4 hours |
| Cost | $139 per person |
| Highlights | Tour guides, wildlife encounters, coastal rainforest views |
Our last Alaskan excursion gets us out on the water for a bit of kayaking around a majestic lake set in an inlet bounded by the Tongass Rainforest. The small-group tour with Ketchikan Kayak Company is led by two of the company’s expert and entertaining guides. In our case, David and Zach both added their own bit of personality which made for a fun and educational experience.
Tours are generally a little over two hours long and take you around the coastline and a couple small islands. Along the way, you’ll have great views of the pristine rainforest and the potential to see a wide range of animals including starfish, bald eagles, seals, sea lions, whales and other marine and coastal wildlife. Dry bags and life jackets are provided, but make sure to dress appropriately for cooler weather and the likelihood of getting wet.
The highlight of our tour was a female sea lion who spent about 10 minutes with us. We saw her slide into the water from a small buoy, and she proceeded to keep popping out of the water to check us out. At one point, she was so close to Michelle and I that we could easily make out her large, sharp teeth. At times when we didn’t know where she was, she would startle us with her haughty breathing to let us know she was still there.
David and Zach both remarked several times how surprising it was that she stuck with us for so long. So, not only did we see the rare occurrence with the orcas, but now we had a sea lion hang out with us like she was part of the group. How lucky!
After the tour is over, you’re treated to some delicious smoked salmon and salmon dip back on the pier before being driven back to the welcome center.
Unfortunately, this excursion has one major downside: It takes up most of your time in Ketchikan. As a result, you won’t have any time to go visit town.
It’s a tough choice. Without the sea lion, despite enjoying the rest of the tour, I probably would have regretted not seeing Ketchikan. It all hinges on the unpredictability of seeing wildlife.
Other Options
- Black Bear and Wildlife Exploration excursion
- Explore Ketchikan
- Ketchikan Pub Crawl walking tour
- A totem pole experience (Saxman Native Village, Totem Bight Park or Totem Heritage Center)
- The Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show
Gulf of Alaska Day #7 – Victoria, British Columbia
Most of this day is spent at sea, which means you don’t get into Victoria till late in the afternoon. This only leaves you with about four hours to wander around Victoria’s downtown or to cram in an excursion.
We opted to just walk around the downtown harbor area. The Butchart Gardens tour sounded and looked lovely, but at this point in the trip, we just wanted to relax on our own without having to rush around on an excursion.
Once you get off the ship, you can grab a taxi (they’re sitting near the exit to the port waiting for cruisegoers) into town to maximize your time in Victoria. Ask to be dropped off near the parliament building, and from there, walk down Government Street to see The Empress Hotel and the harbor.
After passing the waterfront, Victoria has a variety of restaurants and bars to pass the remainder of your time in till you have to be back at the ship. Just make sure to leave yourself plenty of time to admire the parliament building when it’s all lit up before you head back!
Gulf of Alaska Day #8 – Return to Seattle
After an epic trip through the Gulf of Alaska, you’re back to where it all began. The breakfast buffet is still open, but other than that, there isn’t anything else to do on the ship.
Depending on when you have to catch a flight, you could spend some time seeing Seattle. If you didn’t get to see the Seattle Aquarium or Pike’s Place Market before the cruise, do so now. A couple other things worth seeing are the Museum of Pop Culture and Starbucks Reserve Roastery.
A Note on Booking Tours
With the exception of the kayak tour in Ketchikan, all these excursions were booked through Norwegian Cruise Line. Even tickets for the gondolas can be purchased through the cruise line if you really want to plan in advance. Though, to be fair, smaller activities like that can almost certainly be purchased in the heat of the moment pending on what you feel like doing once you arrive in the area.
Booking through the cruise line is convenient because it keeps all your ticketing and receipt information in one place. This makes it easy to keep organized and to make any last-second changes.
Nevertheless, don’t feel like you have to book exclusively through the cruise line. Like our kayak excursion, there might be something you want to do that doesn’t coordinate with the cruise line. Feel free to explore your options before booking excursions.
The most important thing to remember when booking any tours that involve wildlife viewing is that there is no guarantee you will see anything. It can be frustrating to spend a lot of money on these tours if you don’t see wildlife, but that’s part of the deal with these sorts of things. If you’re not willing to take that chance, you should consider a different type of excursion like the various totem pole tours in Ketchikan or the tribal show in Icy Strait Point.
Two Things I Would have Done Differently
Which Gondola?
In hindsight, I would have rather done the gondola in Icy Strait Point versus the one in Juneau. After the whale watching tour, the cannery museum and lunch, we still had plenty of time to kill but there wasn’t much to actually do besides the gondola. However, we didn’t want to spend money on another gondola ride.
This is different from Juneau where we actually had less time available after getting back from Mendenhall Glacier despite the town having more things we wanted to do.
We felt like we wasted money on the gondola in Juneau because we didn’t have time to do anything at the top if we still wanted to walk around town. As a result, we were reluctant to spend more money on the gondola in Icy Strait Point.
Helicopter Tour and Dogsledding on Mendenhall Glacier
Seriously, though, how awesome does that sound?!
Unfortunately, it’s also pretty expensive, coming in at $700 per person. While I wish we could have done it, this tour wasn’t financially realistic.
So, maybe it’s a pipe dream, but if money weren’t an option, I would have done this over the bus to Mendenhall Glacier.
Best Time to do a Gulf of Alaska Cruise
The best time to visit Alaska is from June to September when the days are longer, warmer and drier.
Typically, I’m a big fan of traveling in shoulder months when places are less crowded and the summer heat has abated, but none of that really applies to cruising through Alaska. For starters, even though it’s summer in Alaska, it rarely gets uncomfortably hot. On the other hand, it does get cold the rest of the year.
As far as crowds are concerned, they aren’t bad at all. The entire state of Alaska is incredibly remote. Juneau, the third largest city in Alaska, doesn’t even have road access. As a result, most visitors are coming by cruise, and only so many ships can dock at once. In other words, crowds aren’t a problem like they are in other popular cruise destinations.
Things to Bring for a Gulf of Alaska Cruise
Warm Clothes are a must for cruising in Alaska. Being on deck while the ship is moving can get cold. More importantly, you’ll need warm clothes for the whale watching tour. You’ll want to be on deck for the best opportunity to see unobstructed views of any whales. It gets frigid out there!
Binoculars were very helpful during our cruise. They were nice to have on the ship to scan the water for whales or coastline for bears. They were particularly helpful on the whale watching tour. The boats are only allowed to get so close to the whales, so it helps to have binoculars if you want to get a closer look.
A high-quality camera with good zoom and fast shutter speed. All my photos were taken with an iPhone 13 Pro which usually works like a charm for me. However, the whale watching tour showed me the limitations of iPhone photography. Because the whales were far away and moving, most of my photos are a bit blurry and not the quality I was hoping for.
Cash can be handy in smaller towns where it isn’t guaranteed cards will be accepted. It’s also good to have cash on hand to tip your tour guides.
Walkie talkies can be surprisingly useful on a cruise ship. The Wi-Fi is both spotty and not free, and don’t expect to have a good wireless signal. Trying to rely on your cell phone, then, to tell your friends and family where you are on the ship is next to impossible. Having walkie talkies lets you keep in touch with them in case you get separated.
My friends Stephen and Andie go into much more detail about the importance of walkie talkies and other cruising necessities!
More Posts for Cruising Into the Gulf of Alaska
Here are some other articles I’ve written to help with planning your cruise.
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Resources to Book Your Trip to Alaska
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