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Alaska without the Cruise Ship Part 1
For most people, "Alaska" is synonymous with "cruise ship." In fact, of the 1.6 million tourists who visited Alaska last year, 1 million did so by cruise ship. For whatever reason, it has been drilled into our heads that there is no other way to see the 49th state.
This is absolutely not true.
While cruise ships certainly have their advantages, there is so much more to gain by traveling without one.
To the novice who has never been to Alaska, non-cruise ship travel may conjure up images of fighting off bears, sleeping in igloos, and otherwise enduring Survivor–like ordeals. Sure, such a vacation is certainly doable if you want to fly into the middle of the interior, but the reality is that one can easily enjoy Alaska on their own with all the comforts, safety, and ease of traveling by cruise ship, but without all the accompanying passengers and tight itinerary. The trick is to shadow the same route of the cruise ships, but to do so on your own steam. I call this, the Land Cruise.
Last June I headed out with four friends to do just that. None of us had been to Alaska before and so we decided to mirror a popular cruise ship itinerary through the southeastern part of the state. The week long trip through Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway proved a wonderful sampler of what Alaska has to offer.
In addition, the Land Cruise gave us the freedom to leisurely enjoy all the adventures we wanted to explore without rushing back to a departing ship. Sure, we missed out on the all-you-can-eat buffets, but nothing quite beats the experience of dining on local food in local restaurants and then washing it all down with a local beer in some 100-year-old bar. Most importantly, we were able to experience Alaska in the off-hours, when the cruise ships have left port and an entirely different atmosphere settles over the small towns as they revert back to their mellow, ambient selves. 
Exploring Alaska without the Cruise Ship is a 17-part daily series here on Gadling. Over the next two weeks we will take you with us on the Land Cruise, share its rewards and highlights, and walk you through the surprisingly easy way of doing it yourself--even if you're the type of person who would normally never do such a thing.
Tomorrow: Quaint Ketchikan
Filed under: United States, Alaska without the Cruise Ship
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Ellen Feb 22nd 2008 6:43PM
We cruised the Inside Passage last summer. Something nice about unpacking once, but no matter how you go, if you have the opportunity, TAKE IT! Alaska is a whole other world that needs to be seen and appreciated.
Laura Jun 1st 2007 11:41AM
I think you have a great idea for a story here. I visited Alaska by cruise ship in September 2004. After that tip, my husband and I had a good idea of where we would like to return on a future land-only trip. We loved Ketchikan, enough to even dream of living there one day. Kudos to you. I will be reading!
Dustin Jun 1st 2007 12:03PM
I have never been a fan of the cruise ship idea, but alaska has always been at the top of my list of places to go. So when I was offered a FREE trip on an alaskan cruise with some of my family this coming August, I jumped right on it. Although I hardly give any thought to the time on the boat. I have been reading everything I can about the places I will be visiting in Alaska, and I am very excited to see Gadling doing a daily feature. I look forward to reading about your trip.
Rita Thieme Jun 1st 2007 9:36AM
First observation: the wolf is smiling.
I'm looking forward to this series.
Rita
Adrienne Jun 1st 2007 10:53AM
Thank you Neil! I've been wanting to go to Alaska with my family, but my mom wants to do the cruise and I want to go by land. I'll have to forward her the links.
A
Neil Jun 1st 2007 12:08PM
Thanks all! I hope this series will serve as inspiration to go!
lthacker Jun 2nd 2007 4:13PM
I stumbled upon your site and am so thankful. My friend has been wanting to take me on an Alaskan cruise. After reading your article and viewing your beautiful pictures, I am convinced that Alaska by land is the better way to go.
I appreciate your well-written documentary. If you decide to present your writings in book form, put me on the list to buy a first edition.
Joanna Jun 4th 2007 1:35AM
I too just stumbled on your series. It makes me smile because I did the inside passage cruise to Alaska in 05. My favorite port was Skagway. I hope you are doing a piece on that quaint little town. After doing the cruise I would love to go again and spend time, days, in each town not just hours. To really get the feel of what life is like their. Going by ship, aside from the tours, all you have time to do is shop and that gets pretty old. Alaska is beautiful and and it has the lovely feeling of going back in time.
I'll be looking forward to your future articles.
Thanks
An Alaskan Jun 14th 2007 5:35PM
Interesting that people think that Alaska consists of just the southeast portion of the state. Look at a map. There's more to the state and just the southeast.
Skagway was the only place I've ever observed tourists that are stupid enough to ask "What's the elevation here?!" right after they had stepped off a cruise ship.