Why Families Choose NCL for an Alaska Cruise Vacation

If you're looking for a vacation that departs from the traditional beach-filled island cruise, Alaska is the perfect answer. Over half of the state's tourists arrive by cruise, as Alaska welcomes around 1.67 million cruise visitors in a year.

Norwegian Cruise Line offers an abundance of action-packed itineraries that are fit for the whole family. If you're looking for a vacation destination that will delight everyone from your young children to your parents, an Alaskan cruise is sure to fit the bill.

Alaska is a diverse destination that's perfect for multigenerational travel. You'll find breathtaking beauty along the Alaskan coast with untold wonders awaiting you. Even your days at sea are stunningly memorable as you sail alongside scenic views like Glacier Bay and Hubbard Glacier.

Alaska's shoreline offers stunning scenery with mountains reaching 3,000 feet into the sky and lush rainforests along the shoreline. Humpback whales, orcas, gray whales, and sea otters swim in the surrounding waters as walruses lounge on the rocks. Bald eagles soar over a landscape that's home to wolves, caribou, moose, and both brown and black bears.

You can enjoy a peaceful, picturesque train ride, take a wild adventure with sled dogs, and sample seafood fresh from the ocean. Whether you're entertaining younger children who need easily accessible excitement or catering to adults who want a more refined shore excursion, there's something for you in the wilds of Alaska.

Norwegian has five ships cruising to Alaska, with itineraries ranging from seven to 20 days. Longer itineraries package land-based cruise tours with your cruise vacation, so you get the best of all worlds. With so many options, there's sure to be a trip that meets your family's needs. Consider some of these options:

For a simple, round-trip itinerary, you'll embark and debark in Seattle, Washington. These are typically seven- to ten-day cruises with stops at prime Alaskan ports like Sitka, Skagway, Juneau, Icy Strait Point, and Ketchikan. You can expect two to three days at sea with stunning sights like Dawes Glacier. 

You can cruise between Whittier, Fairbanks, or Anchorage and Vancouver, British Columbia. Vancouver is a prime cruise port for an Alaskan vacation that adds a touch of big-city excitement to your trip. Queen Elizabeth Park and the Vancouver Aquarium are popular sights if you have time to spend in Vancouver. These itineraries include Alaska's Inside Passage, a scenic waterway carved out by glaciers and surrounded by wildlife. 

If you can't quite imagine a cruise without warm beaches and swaying palm trees, you can add Hawaii to your itinerary for the best of all worlds. Cruise between Vancouver and Honolulu to add ports like Hilo, Kahului, and Nakiliwili, Hawaii to your itinerary. You'll spend about five days at sea between Alaska and Hawaii, before embarking on the second leg of your journey in a drastically different landscape.

Add an exotic touch of international intrigue to your vacation and sail to or from Tokyo on your Alaskan cruise. You'll spend around eight days at sea, giving you plenty of time to enjoy the exquisite dining, entertainment, onboard spa, and other amenities on your Norwegian cruise ship. 

Alaska offers a unique landscape that serves up a wide range of experiences. It's the perfect destination for a historical journey that's so intriguing the kids don't even notice that it's also educational. You can hike, ride, and taste your way through the state with signature experiences that you simply won't get on any other kind of cruise.

The White Pass Railway is a popular feature on several of Norwegian's shore excursions in Skagway. Known as the "Scenic Railway of the World," this route takes you back in time to the era of the Klondike Gold Rush. Built in 1898, the rails originally provided transportation for those headed to the Yukon Territory to mine the Klondike gold fields. The narrow-gauge railway spans 110 miles and was miraculously constructed without any heavy machinery.

The White Pass and Yukon Railroad station is just a short walk from Skagway's cruise dock, making it the perfect addition to your vacation. Among the most popular trips, the White Pass Summit Excursion offers views of Bridal Veil Falls, Dead Horse Gulch, and Inspiration Point. Fascinating narrations bring these sites back to life as they were a century ago. 

A trip on the White Pass Railway is perfect for guests of all ages, making it a great choice for multigenerational parties looking for something that's the right speed for everyone from toddlers to grandparents. You can customize your experience by choosing an excursion that pairs the White Pass Railway with other highlights like a visit to a dog musher's village, a stroll through the village of Carcross, or a walk across a suspension bridge hanging 60 feet over the rapids.

The glint of gold runs deep in the veins of Skagway. It's impossible to appreciate the area's history without hearing about this precious metal. Try your own luck at gold panning on one of several shore excursions organized for just this purpose. If you're looking for a fresh way to get the kids excited about your trip, a literal treasure hunt is a great place to start.

Gold panning excursions let you use a traditional sluice, so you can have an authentic historical experience. Gold panning tours are available along Gold Creek and Last Chance Basin, with a costumed guide to walk you through the process. Clad in 19th-century dress, your personal prospector adds the perfect touch of authenticity to the experience. You're guaranteed to take home a bit of gold on most adventures, giving you a great souvenir from your vacation.

Alaska's wilderness is home to an abundance of wildlife. You never know what you'll spot on your adventures, but there are several excursions that maximize your chance of seeing native animals in this stunning habitat. From the Skagway port, you can head into the Chilkoot Valley seeking bald eagles and bears. Mountain goats are a common sight in the distance. En route, you'll travel along the coast, where you're likely to see sea lions, seals, porpoises, and whales. 

In Sitka, you can take a wildlife cruise through the Sitka Sound. The waters teem with sea otters, harbor seals, and whales. Along the coastline, your guide will point out wild residents like black-tailed deer, brown bears, and bald eagles. 

The Exclusive Whales & Rainforest Trails tour from Juneau is recommended by Jean-Michel Cousteau's Ocean Futures Society. The society purposely seeks out experiences that are designed to inspire both young and old with the majesty of wildlife. This tour includes a mile-long hike followed by a boat cruise where you may see and even hear whales thanks to the hydrophone onboard. Juneau offers other whale-watching tours as well, in search of humpback whales, orcas, Steller sea lions, Dall's porpoises, and more.

Dog sledding is one of humanity's oldest forms of transportation. Some historians believe dog sledding dates back 3,000 years. In snowy conditions, dogs and their sleds can travel where horses and carriages cannot. During the Klondike gold rush, sled dogs proved invaluable. 

The modern Iditarod dog sled race is a tribute to the 1925 Serum Run. The town of Nome, Alaska, was beset with a diphtheria outbreak that threatened the lives of Nome's small population of just 1,400. A relay of 20 mushers and their sled dogs assembled to cover 674 miles from the Nenana rail station to Nome to deliver the antitoxin needed to cure diphtheria.

Today, dog sledding is the state sport of Alaska. Visitors can meet real working sled dogs and take a ride behind them. Modified wheeled sleds are available for summer tours, so you can cozy up with the sled dogs year-round. You can visit a musher's camp, see the dog kennel, chat with the dogs' dedicated veterinarian, and even pet some puppies. On some tours, you'll even witness a dog sled race. 

Wild Alaskan-caught salmon is a must-try delicacy if you want a real taste of Alaska. You'll find plenty of shore excursions ready to provide a veritable feast for your family. At the Liarsville Salmon Bake, you'll enjoy salmon grilled over an open alder wood fire and served alongside pasta, chicken, beans, slaw, cornbread, and blueberry cake. The Gold Creek salmon bake is an al fresco affair, complete with live music to accompany your all-you-can-eat meal. In Juneau, you can take a floatplane to the Taku Lodge for a salmon bake surrounded by the Tongass National Forest. 

Norwegian has five ships currently sailing to Alaska. Norwegian Encore, Norwegian Bliss, and Norwegian Jade all boast their own speedways at sea. These ships also feature interactive Kids' Aqua Parks with enough water cannons, fountains, and splash buckets to keep the kids entertained all day. You can play mini-golf on Norwegian Bliss and Norwegian Joy for an afternoon of family fun. Norwegian Encore boasts the Galaxy Pavilion virtual reality arcade, complete with escape room puzzles and immersive simulator rides.

Norwegian Jade and Norwegian Spirit are smaller ships, but they're no less accommodating for families. Norwegian Jade, like most Norwegian ships, has dedicated kids' clubs for different age groups. Guppies is a play space for babies and toddlers from six months to three years of age. Splash Academy offers organized activities and a friendly youth staff for kids aged three to 12 years old. Entourage is a teen club that caters to the 13- to 17-year-old set. Norwegian Spirit has a rooftop pool, hot tubs, and a sun deck where the family can splash the day away. 

Are you ready to experience the wonders of Alaska with your family? Book an unforgettable cruise vacation with Norwegian and start the countdown to this wild adventure. With dozens of Alaska cruise itineraries to choose from, you can build a personalized cruise experience like none other.