If you had a chance to read my earlier blog post about the Canadian Rockies then you already know I was lucky enough to visit one of the most “bucket-listed” places in North America.

The second half of our honeymoon was a 10 day Alaskan cruise tour that left from Vancouver, British Columbia and ended in Anchorage, Alaska. We chose to cruise with Princess cruiseline and were quite happy with every aspect of the vacation. I know it might seem strange to take a cruise to Alaska for your honeymoon and we were definitely one of the youngest couples on board but we wouldn’t trade our honeymoon experience for anything. In fact, the only thing I wish I could have changed was to stay in the interior of Alaska longer 🙂

Our cruise had stops in Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay National Park and ended in Whittier, Alaska. There are several itineraries that cruise ships can choose to follow and numerous options for shore excursions, but here are some fun ideas to get you excited about visiting the 49th state of the United States:

Ketchikan, Alaska– Famous for its totem poles and its location close to Misty Fjords National Monument, there are no shortage of things to do in and around this town. There are several restaurants, shopping (as in most cruise ports) and the famous Creek Street, actually a boardwalk over Ketchikan Creek. We chose to check something else off of my bucket list and take a float plane to the George Inlet Lodge and indulge in their all-you-can-eat crab feast. Fun fact about me, I have been eating crab legs since I was very young and nothing really compares to fresh crab from Alaska. Needless to say I skipped most of the side dishes and just stuck to eating the Alaskan king crab legs.

Juneau, Alaska– Although it is the capital of Alaska, there are actually no roads that lead into the city and has to be reached by boat or plane. The most popular tourist attraction at this port is the Mendenhall Glacier and we didn’t pass on the chance to see it. There are options to take guided hikes onto the glacier but we opted just for transportation to the visitor center and took the Nugget Falls trail to get an up close view of the glacier. It is about 2 miles round trip and only takes about an hour to complete. After returning to downtown Juneau, we rode the Mount Roberts Tramway to get a birds eye view of the city. As you can tell from our pictures, it was very cloudy, rainy and cold the day we were in Juneau. I don’t think it is readily advertised that the Inside Passage of Alaska is partly located in a temperate rainforest, resulting in lots of rainy days.

Yukon Territory– If you take a cruise that stops in Skagway, Alaska, it is fairly easy to reach the Yukon Territory. While the town itself is rather small, it is a great spot to catch the White Pass and Yukon Route Railway, easily the most popular excursion from Skagway. Because the railroad typically stops in Carcross, we opted for a driving excursion that went farther into the Yukon Territory. We went all the way to Emerald Lake (seen below) and were treated to a stop at a home for retired sled dogs. The Yukon Territory is massive, wild and sparsely populated. The whole territory has about 35,000 people, of which about 25,000 live in Whitehorse, the only designated city.

Glacier Bay National Park– We didn’t technically dock anywhere on this day, but Glacier Bay just might be one of my favorite parts of cruising the Inside Passage. Our cruise took place in early July and we were one of the first ships able to reach the Grand Pacific and Margerie Glaciers that year. If you go earlier in the year, you can probably expect to have to stop short of these two glaciers due to too much ice in the inlets. We also got to witness several glaciers calving, always a unique experience.

Denali National Park– This park covers over 6 million acres, yet there is only one main road that enters it. The only way to enter the park in a vehicle is to do so on one of the designated tours on park buses. If you have the time, I recommend going all the way to Kantishna, about 90 miles into the park, but there are several other shorter options as well. I think people expect to go to Denali and see a large amount of wildlife, but the reality is that the size of the park keeps the animals spread out and more difficult to spot than you normally think. Another point that is not commonly conveyed as you are planning a trip to Alaska…Denali (the mountain) is often hidden by clouds. You only have about a 30% chance of seeing the mountain and we just witnessed the very top of the peak. Try not to be disappointed if you only see the beautiful landscape of the park 🙂

Tips and Tricks–

1. Be prepared for the cold. This might seem like common sense when going to Alaska, but we found the Inside Passage much colder than the interior of Alaska even though the latter is farther north. If you are on a cruise, you want to be able to sit out on the deck without freezing!
2. Be prepared for rain. Also might seem obvious, but like I mentioned earlier, you are traveling through a temperate rainforest. I made the mistake of only looking at the weather forecast for Denali and Anchorage which are very different climates than that of Ketchikan and Juneau.
3. Spend as much time as you can on land, specifically around Denali National Park. The vast landscape really is unique and beautiful.
4. If at all possible, spend money on the shore excursions or plan ahead and set up your own. The towns in Alaska tend to be very small and full of tourist shopping areas. Unlike cruise ports in other countries, those in Alaska are typically chosen because of their proximity to natural wonders.
5. Just do it!! A lot of couples save Alaska until they are much older or retired; however, the hikes and scenery that can be accessed through an adventurous trip to Alaska is truly a life changing experience.