What I did before my Alaska cruise mattered more than I expected.
Cruising to Alaska seems to involve a few extra considerations in planning compared to a Caribbean sailing. I went into my 7-night cruise knowing that I had to approach it differently this time from my previous trip.
It had been 4 years since my last trip, and I was determined to make this one the best yet by avoiding mistakes I made before and changing other things to make it even better.
After cruising a few times to Alaska, you quickly pick up what you should do to make it even better.
Here are 4 things I did differently when I went back to Alaska this year.
I brought two warm layers to alternate between
It can seem overwhelming trying to pack for an Alaska cruise because of how many temperature changes and weather logistics you try to account for.
I made a decision to not go over the top with my cold weather gear.
Here's a truth about Alaska: you don't need to bring parkas or a week worth of jackets.
I brought a heavier hoodie and a thermal fleece with me, and that's it. I also had my rain jacket which could add an extra layer in a pinch.
This was more than enough for almost every day of the cruise. Even in early June, it never got cold enough where I felt either option felt insufficient. Moreover, alternating between the two was plenty and because I wore clothes underneath them, I didn't think they were soiled.
The only day where it got truly cold was on our glacier viewing day. For that, I double layered and it worked well.
I saw some people on the ship's helipad with heavy jackets, but I cannot imagine how much space that took up in their luggage.
Suffice to say, rely on re-using your warm layers and don't feel compelled to bring many of them.
I booked a private tour to see everything in one stop
What to do in Alaska is also a common source of "indecision paralysis", but I went all-in one Alaska shore excursion to ensure we had one tour that wouldn't disappoint.
I booked a private boat tour in Sitka that would take us on a wildlife viewing tour to see every animal we could by boat.
Going with a private excursion meant it would be personalized exactly to what we wanted without compromising on slow group pacing or competing with others for the perfect view.
Admittedly, this is an expensive option. But Captain Patrick took us out and delivered the kind of excursion that checked all the boxes.
We saw two kinds of whales, sea otters, sea lions, and plenty of eagles too. He catered exactly to what we wanted, and it was easily the highlight of our entire cruise.
Spending a lot isn't the only way to have a great tour. There are some really good cheap and free Alaska excursions that won't disappoint. But in this case, I think the investment for a private tour was well worth it.
I planned dinners in the ports because of our late departure times
In both Juneau and Ketchikan, we found a restaurant in town to have dinner instead of going back to the cruise ship.
Our Serenade of the Seas cruise had a lot of late port stays, where we didn't sail away until after 7 or 8pm.
I took advantage of this by purposefully staying in town after our tours to eat dinner.
I believe you have to maximize your time in the places you visit on any cruise, so staying late is a good excuse to check out the local cuisine.
I probably could have researched a bit more to find a better restaurant, but I liked getting a break from the usual cruise line food and indulging in something different.
I paid extra for direct flights to make travelling easier
Paying extra for a direct flight is always worth the expense.
Sailing from Vancouver leaves far fewer flight options than Seattle, but I think prioritizing direct flights made for a much easier journey back and forth.
Living on the east coast of the United States, it's about six hours of flight time in addition to the transit time to and from the airport. It's almost a full day of travel, but I was grateful I minimized my time in flight and in the airport.
I really think it helped ensure we weren't as tired, and it reduced the chances of flight delays or cancellations.
Just like the private tour tip earlier, you don't have to overspend to have a successful trip. But sometimes paying more gets you a lot better results.
