One of the popular ways to explore the stunning and varied beauty of Alaska is by both land and sea in vacation packages that include trips on both cruise ship and train called Cruise Tours. Alaska Cruise Tours are offered by a variety of companies, with the land part of the itinerary either done before or after the cruise. Packages vary a great deal from company to company.
According to AlaskaCruises.com, the six main reasons that bring people to Alaska are wilderness, wildlife, glaciers, mountains, culture and history. A cruise tour gives travelers the opportunity to enjoy all of these Alaskan marine and land features. A cruise and train tour through Alaska usually offers travelers comfortable and luxurious travel and accommodations. Cruise tours also give travelers flexibility by offering a huge number of vacation packages from which to choose. Enjoy flexibility in terms of length of trip--from three to 12 days--as well as itinerary. Enjoy adventurous activities such as white-water rafting, hiking, or mountain biking. Or make your trip more relaxed with sightseeing tours or fishing.
There are two different routes for touring Alaska, northbound and southbound. Most northbound tours leave from Vancouver and end up in Seward, at which point the train part of the Alaskan trip begins for an exploration of Alaska's interior. Southbound cruises will begin with the land part, usually starting in Anchorage or Fairbanks, then from Seward travelers go by cruise ship to Vancouver. Both tours have benefits. A southbound tour is good for travelers who want to get the physically demanding parts of the vacation over with and then relax for the second part. Northbound tours are popular due to the cheaper cost, oftentimes saving travelers hundreds of dollars.
Several cruise lines offer similar cruise tours of Alaska. Others offer smaller-sized vessels and land tours which are "expedition-style" and made for adventure-type people. Cruise companies to check into include Celebrity Cruises, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian Cruise Line, Cruise West, Holland America, and Princess Cruises.
Each Alaskan cruise tour has its own features, but there are common features to be found in the two parts of the vacation---the land travel and the cruise. The Alaska land tour usually includes accommodations in all the cities along the tour, railway transportation on domed trains that offer beautiful views and ultimate comfort, and sometimes even a knowledgeable guide The cruise tour usually offers a seven-night cruise, luxurious accommodations, all meals aboard the ship, entertainment, casinos, standard non-alcoholic beverages, and port fees and taxes.
Alaska cruise and train trips typically don't include meals or beverages in the land part of the tour, excursions and sight-seeing tours, special cruise services, alcoholic beverages or bottled water, airfare or travel insurance. You can usually request airfare and travel insurance, however.
Cruise and train trips to Alaska can occur all year long, but they are more numerous from late May until the end of August. The beginning and end of this popular travel season are good times to go due to cheaper rates and fewer crowds. Traveling during the early part of the season has advantages such as good weather---warm days with long daylight---making viewing wildlife better because flowers will be in bloom and larger Alaskan animals will be migrating. The end of the travel season is also a good time to visit Alaska due to the beauty of the autumn foliage. Larger animals will start to feed during this time of year in order to gain winter weight, making viewings more common. The weather during the day will be warm and at night, temperatures will be cold. If it's dark enough outside, you'll also get to see the Northern Lights at this time of year.
