The Best Way to Visit Alaska for the First Time

As head of Oceania Cruises’ global communications, Louise has traveled a lot, but Alaska had always been on her bucket list. This past summer, she got to check it off when she sailed Alaska aboard Oceania Riviera. Below, she shares the incredible experiences that left her forever changed.

Alaska. It left me astounded, filled my soul and stole my heart.

I’m not often known to be at a loss for words – I’m pretty well-traveled and have been married for 15 years – so all of the above came as a surprise to me, and everyone I know.

But I’m not exaggerating when I say that my cruise aboard Oceania Riviera to Alaska was one of the most incredible, inspiring and fundamentally awesome, in the proper sense of the word, travel experiences of my life.

I’m a Brit, and I have lived in or near London all my life – a very different environment to Alaska. I knew this, of course.

I knew that these are polar opposite parts of the world: small and crowded versus huge and largely uninhabited. There are roughly 93 UK residents to every one Alaska resident. The population of Greater London, around 9.8 million people, is more than 13 times the total population of Alaska. And the UK can fit into Alaska around seven times.

But, despite knowing all this, I was not prepared for Alaska. I was totally floored by the big open skies, the scale of this immense unknown landscape, and the silence. The magically loud silence of Alaska.

So here it comes, the wide-eyed first-timer’s guide to the highlights of an Alaska cruise:

Wildlife in Alaska

The wildlife is more often than not the main reason for anyone to visit Alaska. After all, the opportunity to see whales, bears, moose, eagles and much more in actual real life is not to be missed.

Things got off to a phenomenal start when, on night one at our hotel in Anchorage, a teenage moose casually strolled past the window of the hotel restaurant and sauntered down the middle of the main road. A moose. On the street. You don’t get this at home.

Naturally, I, and the other jetlagged Brits, shrieked in excitement and ran outside to take a photo. It was only when we returned to our table – our chairs in disarray – that some of the other members of the group, who had been many times before to the 49th state, casually inquired whether we knew how dangerous moose can be? No. No, we did not. But we saw a moose! In town! And got photos without being trampled. All was well.

And this was just a taste of what was to come. During our eight-day cruise from Whittier to Vancouver, Alaska put on quite the wildlife show for us.

Multiple whale sightings every day became commonplace. On board the ship, a “WHALE PORTSIDE!” message would ping around the group WhatsApp chat; experienced guides on whale-watching boats pointed out the telltale signature spray that precedes the elegant arc of a whale’s tail before the majestic creature dives deep below the surface once again; and at Icy Strait Point – the first Native-owned, purpose-built cruise port in Alaska – the owners are so sure you’ll see a whale during your visit that they offer a money-back guarantee on whale-watching tours. They’ve never had to pay out.

Alongside the whales? We saw a mama bear and her two cubs on a rocky beach, laughed at a noisy posse of sea lions jockeying for position on a red channel marker, marveled at majestic eagles soaring high above, and were frankly astounded when, on sighting a group of cute-looking sea otters, we were told they can grow to be six feet long, from nose to tail. Alaska’s wildlife was showing off.

It was in the charming Gold Rush town of Skagway that I got up close and personal with other famous Alaska wildlife – and where I fell in love. It was quite the day.

We caught a ride to the top of Denver Glacier with Temsco Helicopters, soaring above our ship and up and over the mountaintops, before landing and meeting a dog sled team and their incredible sled dogs.

Harnessing these friendly ‘mega mutts’ to a sled, the experienced musher put them through their paces and told us tales of the Iditarod, the world-famous Alaska dog sled race which can take between eight and 15 days depending on conditions. And just when the day couldn’t be more perfect? Puppies. Dog sled puppies which were just a few weeks old were offered for cuddles with the group.

The helicopter adrenaline, the panoramic views, the blanket whiteness of the deep snow, and now puppies? Yes, there were happy tears. It was a day I will never forget.

Meeting a Glacier in Alaska

Our very first day on board Oceania Riviera saw us cruise into Disenchantment Bay, board an expedition-style boat and sail to get up close and personal-ish with Hubbard Glacier. Where it meets the bay, Hubbard Glacier, North America’s largest tidewater glacier, is a six-mile-wide wall of ice, which reaches up to 400 feet above the waterline. It’s known as a galloping glacier due to its rapid advancement of an average rate of more than 52 feet every year.

Standing on the deck of the boat, with Oceania Riviera in the distance behind us, I suddenly felt profoundly insignificant. We were more than half a mile from the face of the glacier, yet it felt like I could almost touch it. The impenetrable façade of ice sounded animalistic, as though it was sighing as it crept slowly into the bay. Among the cracks and groans from the glacier, a voice shouted: “THERE!” and our heads spun just in time to see a huge chunk of ice calve from its face with an impressive splash. A truly remarkable sight.

Seafood Feasts

Food is, of course, at the heart of the Oceania Cruises experience – from its onboard always-included specialty restaurants to the hands-on Culinary Center offering the opportunity to learn to make dishes inspired by America’s Northwest corner, to the array of culinary-focused shore excursions.

Barely a day went past on our cruise where there wasn’t an opportunity to indulge in Alaska seafood. A jaunt to Fin Island Lodge, on a private island with breathtaking views across Sitka Sound, gave the chance to enjoy a crab feast. With paper bibs tied around necks, we were soon cracking King Crab legs like pros, and dipping fresh bread into the pools of melted butter, before heading out to toast s’mores over a late-afternoon beach campfire. Perfection.

Ketchikan is generally considered to be the salmon capital of the world; it’s home to the salmon ladder where they swim upstream to spawn, and the town’s bars and restaurants offer countless ways to enjoy hundreds of salmon dishes. I opted for a steaming rich chowder, which was just the thing to warm me up on a grey drizzly day. The other thing that warmed me up? The Great Alaskan Lumberjack show – a couple of hours of hollering at two teams of huge men hurling axes around? Count me fully in.

Harness Your Inner Thrill-Seeker

It was at Icy Strait Point, in Hoonah, that I fell silent, utterly silent. This time out of fear. As I stood at the top of the world’s largest ZipRider, I suddenly wasn’t quite so chatty as I had been in the serene gondola to the top of the mountain. The top of the ZipRider is higher than the Empire State Building, at just under 5,500 feet, and on the way down you can reach speeds of up to 60 mph.

There are six side-by-side cables, so me plus five other intrepid souls, listened intently to the safety briefing, secured all loose items and were harnessed in. Then the countdown begins, the gates open and then… you’re flying! And in my case, screaming.

It was about 70 seconds into the 90-second descent soaring above the forest that I realized I hadn’t really thought about the landing part of the experience, so distracted had I been by the fact I was being launched off the equivalent of a skyscraper attached to a cable. I wouldn’t say my landing was elegant, as my shaky legs gave me away as I attempted to stand, and I staggered sideways. But I did it. Another life-affirming moment that I’ll never forget.

Elegant Serenity On Board Oceania Riviera

One of my favorite parts about my first Alaska cruise was, of course, sailing aboard the beautiful Oceania Riviera. Her welcoming and elegant home-away-from-home ambiance, the incredible onboard team who couldn’t do enough for you, the legendary Oceania Tranquility Beds to tumble into after another day of breathtaking scenery and cool fresh air, and of course the wonderful food, all came together to create the perfect way to explore the wildness of Alaska.

On every cruise you get into a rhythm of how you spend your days. For me in Alaska? Breakfast was usually room service, taking my coffee out to my veranda, all bundled up in pajamas and my coat, and drinking in the morning landscapes and seascapes.

On returning to the ship, our first stop was always Horizons for afternoon tea. Ditching our coats and hats before gathering with friends old and new to share tales of daring adventures, photos of amazing scenery or newly acquired souvenirs bought from local artisans – accompanied by warm scones with clotted cream and jam, and a pot of warming Earl Grey – was a simply joyful daily occurrence.

So, there you have it, a peek into Alaska, from the eyes of a first timer. Would I go again? In a heartbeat. And, perhaps next time I might not come home. As a certified sunworshipper who bemoans the UK weather, I didn’t expect this, but Alaska has my heart.

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