Alaska

Places to Stay

Cruise all the way! I took the ship Norwegian Pearl which left out of Seattle, WA. I actually stayed in Seattle for a day too to check that out. The cruise left on a Sunday and returned the following Sunday.

Truthfully, I think the cruise was the best decision because we were able to see so many different areas in Alaska. My most favorite parts of the trip were just cruising through the most beautiful scenery I have ever seen, including glaciers, and seeing it all right from the ship!

View of a glacier right from the ship

Things to Do

NOTE: Packing is hard for this trip. I went in May and packed for all sorts of weather. It ended up being 30 degrees one day, and in the 70's the next. Plan accordingly depending on the time of year you go.

• Glacier Tour

I don't remember exactly which one I did but definitely do your research and pick some sort of glacier tour! If I were to go back I'd do one that you can go into a helicopter and land on an actual glacier. When I went years ago my family and I did a tour just on land. Absolutely beautiful sights though!

• Train Tour

Take a scenic train tour. We did one that was on a really old train and it drove up the entire mountain. As everywhere in Alaska, the scenery was just gorgeous.

• Explore the towns

Wherever your ship docks, explore the town as much as you can. The towns are really small and so interesting. One of the towns we stopped at was Skagway which only has a population of a few hundred people!

• Stay up for the sunset
If you go any time around the time that I went (May), the sun set as late as 10:45 PM! Felt very weird at first but was really amazing to see.

• Do a Spa package on the ship

I have never done this before until Alaska. The reason my family and I chose to do this was because it was pretty cold most days on the ship so while at sea we were looking for indoor things to do. The spa on my ship was located in the very front with all glass windows showing the entire view of the outdoors. The spa was extremely relaxing! Gorgeous pool, hot tubs, HEATED lounge chairs, all while viewing the beautiful ocean as you cruise along-side glaciers. Keep your eye out for whales, sea otters, etc. I saw so much sea life while at this spa! It was a little pricey but so worth it for us. We made a point to go almost every day! (Well, when we weren't docked and going on excursions. Or we still made time to go before and/or after leaving the ship)