Alaska Cruise Ports

Alaska Cruise Ports is a travel guide. It covers the 19 ports that Alaska Cruise ships visit during the cruising season. No single ship will visit all of these ports. In fact the usual Alaska cruise is a seven day northbound or southbound cruise and normally stops at three or four ports plus several notable glaciers with commentary by Park Rangers. Some Alaska Cruises include a land cruise tour and these can run from 2 to 5 days with stops in the interior. Since many of these stops are not port cities they are not covered in the book.

The book is focused on those ports that welcome cruise ships. Four of these ports, Seattle, Vancouver, Seward and Whittier are ports where passengers usually embark or disembark from and even though most travelers will only pass through these ports without spending any time in them I have included attractions that are easily visited from the harbor. I hope this will encourage more passengers to explore these intriguing towns and cities before or after their cruise.

In each port I have laid out a short walking tour that will take passengers from the ship to the major attractions in the port city. No one needs to visit all of these attractions so feel free to skip ones that do not interest you. I have also included hiking trails where appropriate that are an easy to moderate level. There are a few trails that are difficult and have been included because they are the only way to get to a particular location or vista. In the larger port cities like Anchorage or Juneau, I have included information on the transit system in case you want to explore beyond the downtown core area.

Lastly I have included local tours and excursions that you might be interested in if you do not want to take a ship excursion. Not everyone likes to explore a new location on their own and in many cases it might be best to go in a group or with a guide. Each of you will have to make this decision for yourself. In any case there are always alternatives to the ship excursions. The book has over 150 color pictures of Alaska and the key attractions, plus local tips to make each attraction more enjoyable.