What’s the ideal family vacation? Road trip? A flight? Even a walk can cause a challenge, or worse – so where’s that perfect solution?
A family cruise can be a fun bonding experience that offers something for everyone with constantly shifting scenery and diverse shore excursions. So, consider a leisurely voyage (sans family drama) through the Inside Passage, an entrancing 1,000-mile network of islands, coves and fjords running from Seattle along the British Columbia and Alaskan coasts to form one of the planet’s most intriguing and breathtakingly scenic regions.
A “shoulder season” Inside Passage cruise – that is, leaving port in late September or even in early May – offers calmer seas, mild weather and extended hours of Alaskan sunlight in which to enjoy boundless natural beauty prior to winter. Shore excursions include everything from fishing, ziplining and riding scooters to seaplane or helicopter flights landing at remote glacier lodges, train rides through the Klondike and dogsledding with Alaskan huskies.
The Inside Passage
Protected from the harshest weather of the open ocean and connecting countless coastal and island communities, the Inside Passage has long been treasured by travelers and mariners. It’s home to the Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian Indigenous peoples, whose vibrant histories and cultures permeate the region. During the 1890s Klondike Gold Rush, hardy prospectors plied the route in search of riches, with traces of their endeavors everywhere.
Today, the Inside Passage is popular for cruise vacations with convenient round trips from Seattle (Vancouver, Canada departures are also available, but U.S. residents will require a passport), majestic glaciers, vast forests, quaint settlements and wildlife including whales, porpoises, bears and bald eagles.
Cruise Options
Inside Passage cruisers can choose from an array of vessels and itineraries, from massive mass-market ships to exclusive luxury liners with 4,500-square-foot suites and Picasso artworks. Pricing will depend on departure date, room category/view and whether you opt for “cruise-only” pricing or a package including popular amenities like Wi-Fi and drinks.
Inside Passage cruises start at well below $1,000 per person and can run to much more for the best suites on the most opulent liners. The good news for cruise shoppers is that California’s new “Honest Pricing Law” requires major cruise lines to include taxes, fees and port expenses in their pricing as of July 1. Some luxury itineraries include complimentary shore excursions, but more typically expect to spend anything from under $100 per person for straightforward sightseeing tours to over $750 each for elaborate outings, especially those involving flights.
“Mega Ships”
The largest cruise ships plying Inside Passage waters enjoy economies of scale which can make for the most affordable options, starting below $700 per passenger for a seven-day itinerary. Royal Caribbean offers the seven-night Alaska Experience Cruise aboard its 4,900-passenger vessels, including a stop in the formerly Russian island community of Sitka, with its distinctive blend of cultures and a chance for the whole clan to get up-close with native birds of prey at the amazing Alaska Raptor Center.
Carnival Cruise Line has seven-day cruises aboard the 2,100-capacity Carnival Spirit with optional shore excursions, including an evocative steam train trip through the Klondike, helicopter “flightseeing,” dogsledding and gold panning.
Premium Experiences
Premium cruise lines can also be surprisingly reasonable for a family, but remember to factor in costs not included in your fare, including optional activities ashore. The seven-night Alaska Dawes Glacier itinerary with Celebrity Cruises includes weighing anchor at Ketchikan, the “Salmon Capital of the World,” where more adventurous family members can take a canoe or wilderness trek while others marvel at the world’s largest totem pole collection.
Disney Cruise Lines’ Alaska cruises depart from Vancouver, Canada. At their Juneau stop, soar by aerial tramway to the top of Mount Roberts or hike the stunning scenery of Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area.
A seven-day Holland America Line Inside Passage cruise, departing from Vancouver, includes some of the world’s most dramatic scenery amidst the creaking ice of Alaska’s vast Glacier Bay, where experts come aboard to point out the best scenery and wildlife. (No matter what time of year, pack warm gear and binoculars!)
Princess Cruises offers budget-priced, four-day Alaska Sampler cruises, departing from Vancouver and ending in Seattle or vice versa, including opportunities to experience Ketchikan’s rich native heritage and 40-acre Alaska Rainforest Sanctuary. There are also hybrid Princess “cruisetours,” including seven days of cruising and three days traveling by coach or train to remote wilderness lodges and an overnight stay in Alaska’s aptly named largest city, Anchorage.
Luxe Cruises
For a really special occasion, celebrating a milestone, graduation or maybe even that last family trip before the kids fly the coop to college, a luxury Inside Passage cruise won’t disappoint, but expect to spend from $3,000 to well into five figures per passenger for a seven-night trip.
All-inclusive luxury cruises aboard Regent Seven Seas’ 746-passenger Seven Seas Explorer, between Seward, Alaska and Vancouver include complimentary shore excursions. In Skagway, Alaska, board the historic White Pass & Yukon Route Railway for a memorable, winding climb through picturesque mountains.
The 11-day “Alaska & the Inside Passage” itinerary with Viking Ocean Cruises includes one complimentary shore excursion in each port of call. In Juneau, go whale watching, fish for wild salmon or take to the air on a seaplane or helicopter for glacier flightseeing. The most affordable luxury Alaska cruises are with Oceania Cruises’ seven-day Seattle to Seattle itineraries, during which a stop in Victoria, Canada includes opportunities to explore lavish Craigdarroch Castle or to learn how our ancestors sailed the Inside Passage at the Marine Museum of British Columbia.
-Paul Rogers