ALASKA CRUISETOURS

Best of Both Worlds: Alaska CruiseTours

Sponsored by Celebrity Cruises

It’s a place of epic wonder. A place where awe-inspiring glaciers calve into the sea, where whales explode out of the ocean and hang in the air before crashing down back into the cobalt waters, where bald eagles circle high overhead and grizzlies calmly fish in rapid rivers. In short, it’s a place you must experience firsthand to truly appreciate all it has to offer.Experience the very best of Alaska — both its stunning, glacier-packed coastline and it’s wild and wondrous interior — on a cruisetour that combines a 7-day cruise with an inland tour.

Wildlife abounds in Alaska

But experiencing all it has to offer is not as easy as you think. Many travelers are fortunate enough to take a cruise north- or southbound through the straights and passages, falling in love with the state’s rugged coastline along the way. While others choose instead to journey deep into the heart of the wild country, to Denali and beyond. Thankfully you can now explore both sides — the gorgeous coast and wild interior — quite effortlessly on a cruisetour.

A typical cruisetour takes a seven-night Alaska cruise and adds a three- or four-day inland extension, all with the same company and level of comfort. Your cruise departs from enchanting Vancouver, threading northbound through the Inside Passage. Along the way you see Hubbard Glacier carve the coast, pan for real gold in Skagway and visit charming coastal towns like Ketchikan and Seward.

Enjoy 360-degree views from a luxurious railcar

At the end of your cruise, you leave the coast onboard a luxurious railcar, enjoying 360-degree views from dome windows and reclining leather seats. You arrive in an authentic mountain lodge in Talkeetna, right on the doorstep of Denali National Park, where you learn about the indigenous people of Alaska, their culture and their customs at the Alaska Native Heritage Center.

You spend several days in Talkeetna, exploring the state’s natural beauty and culture with Tour Directors chosen for their deep roots and connections to the local communities. Of course, you spend most of this time exploring Denali in depth. North America’s highest mountain is massive, a formidable eruption of snow and granite that towers protectively over the surrounding area like a rock-hewn lion.

Celebrity Millenium near Hubbard Glacier

Your time here could include a helicopter flight-seeing tour over Denali’s changing terrain, landing high up for a thrilling glacier walk; being pulled by a team of excited, bushy-tailed huskies, discovering how important these animals are to the locals; kayaking in the calm waters of Nenana River, watching for bears and moose on the riverbank; or even teeing off at the nine-hole Denali Black Diamond Course. 

However you spend your time, you will return home filled with many, many stories about both the incredible coast and impressive wilderness, thanks to being able to explore both in one, action-packed journey.