When we went on a cruise, I took a bunch of notes of things that I wish I would have known before we went on our first Alaskan cruise, so I could have avoided a few mistakes.

In this video, I'm going to give you 10 tips that I learned from our cruise that I want to pass on to you so you can avoid those mistakes on your Alaskan adventure.

You want to make sure you consider your itinerary carefully because not all itineraries to Alaska are equal.

There are two itinerary options.

One is a round trip that takes you out of Vancouver or Seattle.

The other is a one way, either going from Vancouver or Seattle up the coast to Anchorage or Whittier, or you could do a southbound flying into Anchorage or Whittier and then traveling down the coast and flying out of Vancouver or Seattle.

Sailing round trip is appealing to first time cruisers and first time to Alaska because you're going to Seattle, you're going to Vancouver, you can fly in and out of the same airport.

The benefit of sailing out of Vancouver is that you go through the inside passage, which is protected water.

It's not in the open ocean like when you go out of Seattle, which can make for a smoother ride.

If you're worried about seasickness, that might be the way to go.

One downside of going out of Vancouver is it's infamously long and chaotic port.

When you check in, it took us about an hour and a half.

So be sure to book the earliest embarkation time you can and be sure to pack snacks, which might include some cookies.

You might choose to do a one way.

That's what we're doing this summer.

We did a round trip last year because that was our first cruise and our first cruise to Alaska.

So this year we're doing something different.

We are going to go from Vancouver and go up to Whittier.

Then the nice part is not only do you get to see this additional part of Alaska, but you also have the opportunity to do what they call a cruise tour, which means adding a land portion to your cruise.

So we went through Princess Cruise Line and we're doing a three day addition where they take care of all your lodging and your transportation.

One thing to know is that it is really expensive, that land portion.

So just those three days for the transportation and lodging cost as much or almost as much as the cruise itself.

And it doesn't include food and it doesn't include entertainment.

Common mistake to avoid is not paying attention to how long your cruise ship is in your ports.

Alaska is all about excursions.

And if you're only in port for a couple hours, that will make booking your excursions tough.

So make sure that whether you book a round trip or a one way, your port stops are long enough to do the excursions that you want to do.

And be sure to leave enough time to do some extra exploring on your own.

Another common mistake is not considering what glacier you're going to.

So there's different glaciers.

There's Hubbard Glacier, there's Dawes Glacier and there is Glacier Bay National Park.

When you're choosing which cruise line to go with, I think it's best to go with a cruise line that goes to Glacier Bay National Park.

Only a few cruise lines like Holland America, Princess and Norwegian cruise lines go to Glacier Bay National Park.

This was an amazing experience with park rangers coming aboard and sharing information about the glaciers and wildlife.

Whether you choose to do one way or round trip, there are three main ports that your cruise ship is going to stop at.

That is Juneau, which is the capital of Alaska, Skagway and Ketchikan.

Let's say you've considered your options and you've decided on a round trip out of Vancouver that sails through the Inside Passage and it goes to Glacier Bay National Park.

Great.

Now you've decided on a round trip.

If you can afford it, book a balcony.

You'll be able to have your own private viewing of the glacier on glacier days.

And every day in Alaska, there's something to see.

You'll never regret getting a balcony cabin.

If you're not quite able to afford a balcony cabin, an ocean view is nice too.

You're closer to the water.

So you'll be able to see if there's any wildlife like otters.

They like to hang out by the ships or even a whale might come by.

You'll be able to see him out your window.

The least expensive option is an interior cabin.

That's what we went on.

And you know, it was fine.

It was great.

You're in Alaska.

We just get up and go out on the ship earlier in the day.

And we didn't spend a lot of time in our cabin.

And, you know, I don't know if I would anyway.

The other part of it that's nice is that since it is more budget friendly, you have more money in your pocket for excursion.

Alaska's cruising season is short because it's cold there in the winter.

And it's dark there in the winter.

The season goes from May to the end of September.

And some cruise lines do even do the beginning of October.

The shoulder season for Alaska is May, September.

And if they're still sailing the beginning of October, that means the cottage, you're going to spend less money.

However, it will be colder during those months, depending upon which month you choose to go, the scenery will be different.

So think about it.

If you go in May, there's going to be a lot more snow up on the mountains because it just hasn't started to melt yet.

Additionally, you may see different animal, different wildlife.

Orcas are earlier in the season.

Humpback whales are later in the season.

Salmon runs are in July.

Who comes to eat the salmon?

The bears, that's July.

So that's something else to consider when you're making your choices of what month to sail.

The next mistake is not considering the excursions that you're going to go on in Alaska.

One thing to know is the excursions in Alaska are expensive.

They're not like your $40 bus ride if you're in the Caribbean.

No, these excursions are expensive.

So you want to make sure you budget for your excursions and you also want to book your excursions early because those once in a lifetime bucket list items, you don't want them to sell out before you get your seat.

Plan on spending more than $500 per person on the different excursions in the different ports.

Whale watching in Juneau is very popular.

Be sure to budget at least $200 US per person for your Juneau whale watching.

Other Juneau excursions include the Mendenhall Glacier, glacier dog sledding and helicopter tours, kayaking and Juneau's gold belt tram.

The White Pass Summit Railway in Skagway is going to run you about $150 US per person.

This is about the same price whether you book direct or through the cruise line or a third party vendor.

Check your cruise line and if it's comparable, I would just buy it through the cruise line.

Other things to do in Skagway include a glacier helicopter tour, Yukon suspension bridge, musher's camp, zip lining and gold panning.

The Great American Lumberjack Show in Ketchikan is going to run you $43 US per person.

You can buy online ahead of time, direct or you can just buy when you get there.

Other things to do in Ketchikan include flight seeing, the Bering Sea Crab Fisherman Tour, Ketchikan Saxman Totem Park and exploring this quaint town on your own.

Booking through the cruise line is the most convenient way to go.

Especially if you're going on longer, more elaborate excursions.

You probably want to book through the cruise line because they're going to make sure that you get back to the cruise on time and the cruise ship will even wait for you if you're on one of their excursions.

However, it's not always the best way to go.

You want to explore other options, third party options.

And I really looked into that when we're booking our excursions for this upcoming cruise.

Companies like Shore Excursions Group.com and Viator are also very reputable.

An example of one of the third party tours that we book is in Ketchikan.

So in Ketchikan, we're going to go on the Bering Sea Fisherman Tour.

Sounds like it's an awesome tour.

Now here's something else you can do when you go into the towns.

Ketchikan is a small town.

That is one that you might just choose to DIY it.

So maybe you're like, you know what?

I spent the WAD when I went to Juneau or Skagway or both.

Well, maybe in Ketchikan you want to go a little bit less expensive.

Just kind of figure it out on your own.

If you're interested in me doing a video on how you can do these different ports on the cheap, leave a comment below.

It is a mistake not to consider your glacier viewing day an excursion day.

That's one of the reasons why you're going on an Alaskan cruise.

So you've got to be ready.

You want to have a pair of binoculars, not like these.

These are noculars, meaning they did not work very well.

I would get the best version of binoculars you can afford or you can even rent them.

So binoculars.

The next thing, it could be raining.

It could be cold.

So you'll want to have a hat to keep you warm.

You want to put on some gloves.

If it is raining on your glacier viewing day, you might want to put your phone in a waterproof case.

And if it is raining, maybe you don't want this hat.

Maybe instead you want a visor.

Look at how, what a great idea this is.

I got this from a cruise TV.

You put on your hat with a visor.

Then you put on your rain jacket.

And then you put your hood over.

And then that way the rain doesn't drip on your face.

Isn't that a great idea?

Glacier viewing day is the day you're getting your money's worth out of that balcony cabin, because now you have your private area to view the glaciers.

But don't stay in your cabin all day, no matter which cabin you're in.

Get up on board, go out on the decks and see it from the outside.

Also, you'll want to make sure that you participate in the rangers talks.

On the ship that we went on, they were in the area where the production shows are, and they gave a talk about the glaciers and the wildlife in the area, which was super interesting.

So you don't want to miss out on that.

Now, if you don't have a balcony, you want to get up early and scout your spot.

So just like you do in the Caribbean, where you want your spot on the pool deck, you might want to get up early as well.

It is a mistake not to think about the fact that Alaska's cruising, there are long days.

You get up early, you might get up early, have breakfast in the buffet or even in the main dining room.

Then you're going to get off the ship.

You're going to go on your excursion and then you're in town.

You're going to want to walk around, check it out, come back on the ship.

And then it's time for dinner, your production show, your game shows.

So they're really jam packed long days.

Here's a little tip.

When you go out, let's just say you have a morning excursion.

So you're going to go on your morning excursion and then you still have, if you've chosen the right cruise, you still have a long time before the cruise ship sails for the day.

This is my idea.

You go on your excursion, go back on the cruise ship, have lunch, maybe even get a cookie and then rest for a bit and then go back out and explore the town on your own.

Anytime you cruise, it's a mistake to fly in the day of the cruise because especially if you're flying and you have to do, you're not a nonstop.

Let's just say you're flying in from New York or Europe and you're having these stops on the way.

You really can't predict the airline.

So you want to make sure that you fly in a day early so that you don't miss your ship.

Before we talk about what to pack, be sure to like.

And subscribe if you have not done so already.

When packing, you want to have layers, so you need a base layer.

It's very important to have kind of a lightweight base layer.

Last year in Ketchikan, it was hot.

The people that were locals were wearing shorts.

Then you want your first layer of warmth.

That's like a fleece.

Then you want your real warmth, so like a puffer jacket, something that'll keep you warmer.

And then on top of all that, you need a rain layer because it will rain in Alaska.

Now, on the bottom, if you're a woman, you might want to wear a pair of leggings or if you're a man, some long underwear underneath your jeans or your pants for the day.

We talked about wear layers, especially in the day.

Now at night you're on the ship, so it's more, you know, climate controlled.

But you might think, well, what do I wear like at night?

It is definitely more casual on an Alaskan cruise, but you might want to bring something to dress up for those fancy nights.

They still have fancy nights on Alaskan cruises.

You don't have to get too fancy, especially if you're a man.

Just wear like a collared shirt and a nice pair of pants.

Simple.

Just wear that.

Something else to think about is, you know, you're in Alaska.

It's not hot.

So your clothes aren't going to get that dirty.