Trip Planning for Alaska. The Adventure of a Lifetime!
Unfortunately it only took us two visits to make it all happen.
Going on an Alaskan cruise was a dream of mine for as long as I can remember. Not only do I love cruises, but I’ve always wanted to travel to Alaska and see that beautiful land.
Another goal of mine has always been to visit all 50 states. When James and I started traveling full-time four years ago, we began working through the few states we had left to reach that goal. We knew Alaska would be number 50 on our list, and we planned to do it in my 50th year.
I was so excited!
But we never dreamed that travel restrictions would still be so strict in some areas in 2022 because of the pandemic, and, unfortunately, my dream of getting to Alaska and going on a cruise was not to be in my 50th year. 😦
Thankfully, things improved in 2023, and we finally booked an epic journey to Alaska. To say I was excited for this adventure would be one of the biggest understatements of the year and my life!
We wanted to see as much of the state as we could (which would still be a tiny fraction of it, considering how MASSIVE this state is), so we flew into Fairbanks to start our journey in the north and work our way south.
Fairbanks
We visited a variety of things in the Fairbanks area:
Downtown Fairbanks
Morris Thompson Cultural & Visitors Center
Golden Heart Park/Plaza
North Pole, Alaska, and the Santa Claus House
We even met up with some friends stationed at Fort Wainwright, and they took us to see the Trans-Alaska Pipeline and to a couple of amazing breweries — Silver Gulch and HooDoo Brewing Company. Such a fun time!
Train Tour of Alaska: Fairbanks to Anchorage
After spending a couple of days exploring Fairbanks, our amazing friend dropped us off at the train station, where we rode the train south to Anchorage, with a two-night stop in Denali National Park along the way. We booked this through Gray Line Alaska, and we couldn’t have been more pleased. We enjoyed epic views on both legs of the journey — all the way to Anchorage.
Some of the awesome things about the train trip were:
Amazing views the whole way south.
On the first leg, we had the option to head to the upper deck to see the view from the glass-domed car.
Transportation to our lodging in Denali Park, as well as luggage transfer, was provided.
On the second leg, there was dining service on the lower level of our train car, and our regular seats were on the upper level with a glass dome roof for fantastic viewing.
Bar service on the second leg with an excellent bartender
There was a tour guide on the second leg and she made the trip SO fun! She was entertaining, shared great information, and even played some fun games with us.
Denali Park
As I mentioned, we had a two-night stop in Denali National Park so we could explore it a little. I can tell you right now that I would love to go back and spend a LOT more time here. There is a lot to do in the area, and while we made the best of just a couple of days, there was so much more we could have done.
As part of our trip package, we were provided a super cool cabin at Denali Park Village. This place was amazing. It had a lodge with rooms in the main building, a few more traditional hotel buildings, and lots of little cabins, which is what we got. It was so much fun!
During our two-day visit, we enjoyed a variety of things in the area.
Denali National Park — we visited the visitor center and the learning center, then wandered the immediate area. (There is SO much to do here if you have a lot more time!)
Sled Dog Demonstration that is done for FREE in the park- this was AMAZING!
ATV adventure in Healy — also AMAZING!!
Music of Denali Dinner Theater at McKinley Chalet Resort, which was included with our trip package — this was so much fun!
Exploring/hiking around Denali Park Village, where we stayed.
Anchorage
After our stop in Denali Park Village, we finished our train tour by heading down to Anchorage, where we booked a little Airbnb with a lovely host. Her home was small and cozy, with everything we needed for a pleasant stay. One of the things we loved about this place was borrowing her e-bikes and going for amazing bike rides in the area. I hadn’t ridden a bike in YEARS and it was so fun! Especially since they were electric and helped out a lot.
We mostly walked or rode our bikes to the places we wanted to explore, since the house was within walking distance of downtown, but one day we rented a car through Turo and drove a little farther out to see the area.
This was our first experience with Turo and we were very pleased with it! It was so much cheaper than a regular rental car, and the renter lived within walking distance of our house, so we could walk over, pick it up that morning, and take off on our fun!
The things we loved exploring in Anchorage were:
Downtown Anchorage — shops, breweries, restaurants, etc.
Tony Knowles Coastal Trail — an amazing way to enjoy nature and see some incredible views, including an eagle and a moose
Potter Marsh — a beautiful nature area
Beluga Point — great way to see the Turnagain Arm and some sea life
Resolution Park & James Cook monument — cool history of the area
Earthquake Park — a good way to try to view Mt Denali
Kincaid Park — a beautiful park area with walking paths to explore
Ship Creek — great way to go up in elevation and see some views of the city and the surrounding area from above
Tour Bus to Seward
We spent almost a week in Anchorage exploring the area, and then it was time to move south again. We booked a full-day bus excursion with ACT Big Bus and enjoyed incredible views all the way to Seward, plus many adventures along the way.
The tour bus excursion included:
Pick up that morning at a hotel that was only a block or two away from the house we stayed in
A couple of stops at scenic viewpoints so we could get out and take pics
A stop at the Wildlife Conservation Center to see many amazing animals
Lunch (provided at the conservation center)
A visit to Exit Glacier, which is part of Kenai Fjords National Park, with time for a hike
Transportation directly to the cruise terminal with luggage transfer
It was an incredible day! We saw so many amazing things and had such a great time.
Our tour guide was fantastic and shared lots of interesting things about the area as we traveled south. Having the chance to get off the bus and explore several regions was also really lovely. It made the day so enjoyable, as if we were really experiencing the area rather than just driving through.
The Cruise That Never Left
This is where the story turns sad, and that’s why I shared at the beginning that it took two tries to make this trip of a lifetime.
As we drove south to Seward, we had no cell service for most of the way. This is a pretty remote area, so we were completely cut off from the outside world and just enjoying the experience.
Sadly, as we left the National Park and drove into the cruise terminal, we regained cell service, and many phones chimed and received notifications at once. While we were enjoying our day, our cruise ship had struggled into Seward, and we learned the issue would not be fixed in time for our cruise to proceed.
It was cancelled.
To say I was devastated would be an understatement. This had been a dream trip of mine for most of my adult life, and as amazing as the rest had been, the cruise was to be the highlight.
I was crushed.
We arrived at the cruise terminal on Friday afternoon, and even though we learned the cruise had been cancelled before we boarded, they still let everyone on and let us enjoy the ship. We were told we had until Sunday to make arrangements and leave the boat, so at least it wasn’t an immediate dismissal.
But let me tell you, it was complete chaos!
When thousands of people expect to cruise from Seward, Alaska, to Vancouver, British Columbia, it creates quite a headache for travel. We all had to scramble to figure out what to do. We had to get back to Anchorage, then figure out how to get home from there, since we had flights booked from Vancouver for a week later.
We eventually got our wits about us and put a plan together, but it was so upsetting to miss the final leg of this fantastic trip. Thankfully, Royal Caribbean took good care of us all and made the situation as bearable as possible under the circumstances. As I mentioned, we were allowed to stay on the ship free of charge for a couple of days and they provided compensation as follows:
Free drink packages and free internet for everyone on board for the two days until we had to leave
Transportation back to Anchorage
Help with flights if we wanted them to book and reimbursement if we booked ourselves (this didn’t go quite as easily as they said, but we did end up getting it all resolved eventually)
Full refund for the cruise
FCC (future cruise credit) for the amount of the cruise fare (less taxes and fees) to be used on another cruise booked within a year
After we got home and started looking for options to try again, we found the same cruise itinerary for May 2024—and even at a lower cost! — So we booked that with our FCC and planned to go again.
Because this booking was at a lower cost, we had additional credit left, which we used toward a cruise we took in July 2024 out of Florida. That made the situation a little better, at least.
The Triumphant Return to Alaska
So fast forward from September 2023 to May 2024 and we were off for the final leg of our dream trip. Again.
We took an epic road trip from Oklahoma to California, visiting National Parks along the way (Kings Canyon, Sequoia, Yosemite, and Redwood), then all the way up the coast to Seattle, where we caught a flight to Anchorage.
From Anchorage, we took the bus back down to Seward — this time we took the quick route that went directly to the cruise terminal, with no stops. We arrived that morning and boarded the ship as soon as boarding opened.
I’m not going to lie, this ship (Radiance of the Seas) had some problems again a few weeks before this cruise, and I was SO nervous that something was going to go wrong. I don’t think I really relaxed and felt it would be okay until at least halfway through the cruise.
But the cruise was fantastic and went off without a hitch, and we enjoyed every moment of it. Our stops were as follows:
Hubbard Glacier
The first full day was just a day of cruising, and we got to see Hubbard Glacier. It was also our 33rd wedding anniversary, so it was fun to celebrate that while enjoying our time on the ship.
Juneau
In Juneau, we enjoyed walking around downtown, strolling the boardwalk, and heading down to the area to see the humpback whale statue — The Whale Project. Juneau is a beautiful town and one we really enjoyed!
Skagway
In Skagway, we booked an excursion to explore White Pass. We chose the bus option over the train—partly for cost, but also because it promised a little more of a tour of the area, and you can get out and see things along the way. While it was enjoyable and we had a good time, I think if we did this again, we would try the train instead. The weather wasn’t as great at this stop, so the views were beautiful, but I do wonder what they would have been like if it hadn’t been so cloudy and drizzly.
After the excursion, we wandered the town and learned a little about its history. One of the interesting things about this town is that it’s the only town that hasn’t been burned down at some point, so it’s all original buildings. It was so cool to walk the old boardwalk sidewalks and see all the old buildings and wide streets. Such a beautiful place!
We checked out Klondike Gold Rush National Historic Park, a museum all about the gold rush; we visited one of the local breweries, shopped in some of the touristy shops, and just enjoyed the beautiful views of the town. It’s a fun little place!
Haines
This was a day with two ports, so we arrived in Haines in the evening and spent just a few hours there. It was a beautiful sight as we arrived at the port. I thought we were looking out over the town, but it was actually Fort Seward that we saw. The city itself lay to the right, so we set out to walk around and explore it a little.
This was my least favorite port, as there didn’t seem to be much to see or do here, especially so late in the day, but it was still a beautiful place with amazing views.
Icy Strait
This was my FAVORITE stop!! I could write an entire post just about this place (and I just might!) because it was that great and there was so much amazing stuff to see. For this post, I’ll say that we did a whale watching excursion and saw some incredible wildlife, such as sea otters, humpback whales, orcas, and eagles, and we had such a great time.
It was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced.
We also went ashore and explored the Adventure Center and the surrounding area, rode the gondola to another location, hiked the nature trail back to our port area, and walked along the shoreline, where we saw incredible sea life. It was truly a fantastic experience and one I will never forget.
Ketchikan
This was a really cool little town. We enjoyed wandering around the downtown area and visiting the shops. We checked out the Creek Street area and marveled at how it’s all built above the river. Even though it wasn’t the season for the salmon to be running, we had fun seeing the salmon ladder and where they go upstream.
We also explored the Discovery Center and learned about the area's history. Alaska is definitely a fascinating place with a rich history.
To wrap up the cruise, we sailed through the Inside Passage and on into Vancouver. Since much of this segment took place at night, we didn’t get to see many of the views and truly enjoy this portion of the cruise. But the views all along the way on this cruise were just incredible. I couldn’t get over the beauty at every turn.
Even though it took us two tries to get this trip of a lifetime in, it was well worth it. This was the adventure of a lifetime, and Alaska's beauty is unmatched in my experience thus far. There are lots of beautiful places on this earth, and Alaska is one of the best in my opinion!
Have you been to Alaska? What was your favorite part?