janiebutz

We’ve planned on a trip to Alaska for July, 2020. Our hope is to find a company that has a land/sea trip on a smaller ship. We’ve read about Uncruise, Road Scholar, Lindblad, Alaskan Dream Cruise and Windstar thus far. Would anyone like to comment, recommend, NOT recommend any of these? We would also appreciate any other ideas for this big (and costly!) adventure. Thank you in advance for your help.

UTMike Loc: South Jordan, UT

Lindblad is my choice. Been twice with them. They pair with National Geographic and their smaller boats with zodiacs get you places the big ships cannot go. Also, very good food.

janiebutz

Thanks! Appreciate the advice!

Wingpilot Loc: Wasilla. Ak

I can’t comment on any of the cruise companies, but there is an alternative, albeit an expensive one. Assuming it’s back to its full schedule again next summer, the Alaska Ferry system/Alaska Marine Hwy, is a neat way to go. You can pick up the ferry in Bellingham, Wa, put your car on, and you’ll have an opportunity to get off the ferry at some of the stops along the way. You can take it as far as Haines or Skagway, drive off the ferry, and drive up through Canada into Alaska and conduct your own tour of the state. You then have the option of either catching the ferry again at Haines or Skagway, or driving back via the Alaska Hwy. Of course this is only if you have plenty of time for such an adventure.

janiebutz

Sounds fantastic! Thanks. We’re coming from Wisconsin so that would add a lot of travel time for us.

pmorin Loc: Huntington Beach, Palm Springs

Depending on how big your budget is, there are small boats, then there are the 100’ yachts that also do 1 week cruises in and around the inner passage in Southeast Alaska. INCA Tours is one of them. Custom Alaskan Cruises is another. They are expensive, but that is where I got to watch humpback whales bubble net feeding for about 2 hours. We had whales on both sides of our boat, The Alaskan Song, for more than an hour. Caught my first King Salmon there too.

David in Dallas Loc: Dallas, Texas, USA

I did a tour in 2014 with John Hall's Alaska (www.kissalaska.com) that was 13 days land and 7 days on a small ship--it was great! I had done an earlier tour with them in 2007 that included land and the usual big-ship cruise. It was wonderful, too. I recommend this company--they set up fabulous tours. Photos of both tours are here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/8712554@N02/collections/72157702714958041/.

wingclui44 Loc: CT USA

I and my family have been in two cruises to Alaska in 2014 & 2015, first was on sea only and second was sea/land with Holland America Line, They were very enjoyable, especially the Sea/land one.
Just talk about the sea/land cruise. It was a 10 days cruise (Actually 12 days.that was including air travelling from East coast to west and hotel staying before the trip. Just make the story simple and short, we started from Vancouver on the cruise ship going north through the inside passage passing Tracy Arm > Juneau> and then Skagway (2&1/2 day on sea). from Skagway we took rail train to Whitehorse Yukon Canada; then changed to bus heading to Dawson City, after that we headed west to Fairbank USA by air, then bus ride to Denali Park and started all the wild-life adventure for few days, after that going south with the Alaska Railroad train to Anchorage and heading home! That was a unforgettable trip. I toke home over 1500 pictures.
Good Luck to your trip and enjoy it!

rplain1 Loc: Dayton, Oh.

My wife and I took this route about 10 years ago (only in reverse - we drove up and took the ferry back). And what Wingpilot says is true. You can get off at any of the stops and actually spend as long as you want there. Just catch the next ferry and your car will be waiting for you when you arrive. And not that expensive. You can get a stateroom which will cost more, but we just went without. You can sleep in the movie theater (the movies end around 10:00). Or you can sleep in either of the observation areas. There is also a deck at the rear with cover and heaters where you can set up camp. The food is also great - they have two facilities. One is a full dining room with excellent menus. The other a more casual one with breakfast, burgers, sandwiches, etc. The prices are state controlled so are very reasonable. And tipping is not allowed. It was ten years ago so it might have changed some. The price depends on whether you need a stateroom and the size of your vehicle. We had an SUV (Hyundai Santa Fe) which qualified as a small vehicle and I think we paid around $800 for the trip (that's probably more now but you can google it). We drove out from Wisconsin also (actually Ohio but we stopped in Racine to visit a niece). Went up through Glacier NP, then up to Banff and then on to the highway. Well worth every penny.

DougS Loc: Central Arkansas

I echo wingpilot. If you drive/use the ferry's, you can stop when you want, and visit locations unavailable via the cruise ships. We used the ferry's in 2014, and loved it! You can explore MUCH more, if you can control when, and where to stop! I spent my waking hours on the outside decks! Its amazing how uncrowded the cruise ship towns are before and after passengers disembark and embark! If you want to take lots of photos, this is the way to go!

SonyBug

The expensive part is to have the car. The ferry is pretty cheap, but if you do this be sure to reserve a room. The ferry will let you on without a room rez, but you will have to sleep on the deck or a chair or bring a tent to pitch. Yea, that is right, pitch a tent. I went from Haines to Bellingham and had the time of my life about 5 years ago. The Motor home I took with me went on for about 2400 dollars, but I was really DONE with the Alcan. Good luck!

ottopj Loc: Annapolis, MD USA

Check out Seabourn.
https://www.seabourn.com/en_US/cruise-destinations/alaska.html

rplain1 Loc: Dayton, Oh.

This would be another way - take the ferry up and rent a car. Don't know how much car rentals are in AK but would be worth checking out. My wife and I were quite comfy without a room - just a sleeping bag and pillow. No one bothers you - we slept in the theater in comfy reclining chairs or on the observation decks on benches. But mostly we stayed awake and watched. It was light a good part of the night until we got close to the States. Saw whales, dolphins and lots of scenery along the way. If you do reserve a room, they have different rates. Cheapest is bring your own sheets and pillows. Or you can reserve a fully equipped stateroom.

Goober Loc: Southeastern PA

My wife and I did Alaska and the Galapagos both in 2016 with NatGeo/Lindblad. Both trips were awesome and we both look forward to more trips with them. Alaska was 52 passenger ship which is a perfect size. Lots of wildlife, hiking and kayaking as well as great food and overall good time. A little pricey but worth every penny.

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

I think I would drive up the Alaskan Highway and see all the sights. Then take the boat back. Get a rest from driving at the end of the trip, not the start.

Drove the highway in 1966. Except for about 30 miles around Whitehorse, the road was not paved. We messed up our schedule and had to drive back instead of taking the boat. Driving 1200 miles a second time on that road was not as enjoyable as the first trip.