Alaskan Cruise Tips and Questions Answered

Since you've asked, here are your Alaskan Cruise Tips and Tricks!

What cruise line did you use?

Royal Caribbean cruise line and Quantum of the Seas Ship.

What cities were on your cruise? What was your itinerary?

Royal Caribbean thought? Itinerary would you do differently?

I wouldn't change anything. I loved the stops we made and the excursions we chose.

We are leaving on the Quantum of the Seas in July. How are formal nights? Also, ideas on cores to pack?

Pack comfortable walking shoes and layers for most days. Formal nights are flexible. You can wear tuxedos and sparkly dresses or button up shirts and casual dresses and/or dress pants.

How does Royal Caribbean compare to Carnival Cruise Line?

I haven't gone on a Carnival Cruise, so I cannot speak from personal experience. My family just went on a Carnival cruise and said it was a lot of fun, but the food was sub-par.

What type of clothing did you pack for your formal nights and evenings on the ship? You mentioned a formal party/dinner. We want pics and more deets please.

Here are the two outfits I wore for formal night. The other night we wore business casual, usually jeans and a nice top.

Would you want to share how much this cruise cost?

Last year's 7 day cruise in the Caribbean was $610 per person. The price of a cruise depends on the time of year and type of room you choose. We wanted a balcony for this Alaskan cruise because there are so many stunning views. With that said, here were the numbers for this cruise:

Balcony Room Cruise for 2: $3198. Internet for 2 Devices: $237. 3 Excursions (6 tickets): $690

Is the drink package worth it?

Not to us. You get coffee, water, and tea for free. For the pop plan, you get a refillable cup that you can use at Coke stations. I don't like carrying the cup around. If I want a pop, I just buy a canned Diet Coke at the cafe. For the alcohol package, it all depends on how much you plan to drink. If it's just a couple drinks a day, it wouldn't be worth it. Also, there are 25-35% off discount offers you'll get after you book your trip.

Did you plan your own trip or travel agency?

We booked it ourselves as I feel booking a cruise is super easy. However, travel agents typically have great tips and aren't an "extra cost."

We go next June. Do I need a heavy coat or layer with sweaters and a light jacket?

I'd say layer with sweaters and/or a light jacket.

What was the average temperature? Looks like you always have a sweater or jacket on.

The mornings were in the 40s and the highs for the day averaged 55-70. Wearing layers that you can remove is ideal.

How many nights is good for an Alaskan cruise?

I felt 7 nights was excellent!

Did you cruise both ways to Alaska?

Our path was longer cruising on the front end and more stops afterward.

Can you always see land from the boat?

Not the whole time, but the Alaskan cruise definitely had more land in view for a longer period of time versus the Caribbean cruises we've done.

Did you have any nausea? How often were you seasick and what did you do to feel better?

I don't "typically" have any nausea or seasickness. However, on this Alaskan trip, one day the winds were up to 70mph with 13-17 foot waves, so that day I was feeling very sensitive. To combat what I felt "coming on," I took 2 Dramamine, and they leveled things out. They also made me super sleepy! There are lots of medications and methods that can help. Scopolamine is a patch that a lot of people on the ship were wearing. It's used to help prevent nausea and vomiting caused by motion sickness and applied at least 4 hours before its effects will be needed to leave in place for up to 3 days.

Did you fly into Seattle or Vancouver?

Seattle, WA

How was the food?

Super delicious! We always eat breakfast and lunch in the Windjammer. This is a buffet set-up large room. As a creature of habit, every day I get muesli and a made-to-order omelet for breakfast and lunch I'll make a salad from the salad bar and pick a protein to go with it. I love the food in the main dining room for dinner.

I've heard many people say it can be very boring. I don't see how LOL.

In my opinion, it's only boring if you let it be. Every day there are SO MANY activities on the ship to choose from. I will say, there are a lot of "sales pitch" style activities, but then there are lot of casual, relaxing, fun activities. The entertainment at night is usually top notch. There was one comedian that didn't knock it out of the park for me this time, but the rest were great. Bottom line, the cruise is what you make of it. If you stay in your room...boring for sure!

Did you guys go to Glacier Bay?

We did and it was BEAUTIFUL!

What animals did you see?

Unfortunately, we only saw otters and seals. Our friends did see whales as well.

What was your favorite part of the cruise?

My favorite part of the cruise is the time with family. I especially love that there's variety of activities to choose from and everyone can find something fun to do.

Would you move to Canada?

Not unless a job moved our family there. It was beautiful though!!

What excursions did you choose? What type of excursions did they offer? Something for everyone?

There's something for everyone for sure! We didn't do an excursion in Sitka. We explored their city and ate king crab. The white pass train ride in Skagway was my favorite excursion. Mendenhall Glacier was a stunner in Juneau. It came with a yummy salmon bake dinner. The e-bike tour in British Columbia was a lot of fun. Since we only had a few hours there, the bikes allowed up to maximize all of the hot spots to check out. Excursion are typically as low as $80 per person and up to $1000. A helicopter tour in Skagway or Juneau would be amazing! Obviously, we were having a lot of fun on the way down the mountain...

What activities did they have on the ship?

SO MANY! There are lots of music venues, rock wall climbing, bumper cars, air hockey, walking track, pools, jacuzzis, trivia, bingo, etc. There are also fantastic shows like a strongest man competition, love and marriage game show, and singing competitions. Each night there are scheduled shows (singers, musicals, broadway shows, magic shows) that are usually great.

I don't eat seafood or fish. Will I starve?

Absolutely not! There are foods literally of all kinds! You'll have plenty to choose from.

With a balcony room, do you feel less motion?

The middle of the ship and not at the highest level is your best bet. A balcony room for a view and fresh air can help as well.

Final Tips

• You can either make reservations at different times each day or choose 5:00 or 8:00 dinner time. We always choose the 5:00 dinnertime as we like the consistency and having the same table/waiters every night.
• The beds are rather firm, but once you get there, you can request a comfortable topper for the bed and extra blankets.
• The coffee at the cafe on the main level is so delicious! You can buy a coffee punch card to save money or you can pay per cup.
• Bring binoculars! They sell them on the boat if you forget them.
• Book excursions early because they sell out!
• Sometimes cruises have shows you need to make reservations for. This can be done on the app.
• Your sea pass card is your golden key for the week. You scan it everywhere you go, getting on and off the boat and any purchases you make on the boat.