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Costs

Budget Alaska Cruises

By Reviewed by Marin HollowayUpdated 3 min readLast fact checked on .

A genuine Alaska cruise, with a glacier day, whale watching and three ports, is achievable for two people for around $2,800 to $3,500 all in including flights. Getting there requires cutting the right things. The ports and the scenery are identical regardless of which ship you arrive on, which is what makes budget Alaska cruising work.

The short answer

To cruise Alaska cheaply, sail Carnival or Norwegian in early May or late September from Seattle, book an interior cabin, fly midweek, skip the drinks package, and book two independent excursions instead of four ship tours. Two people can complete the trip for roughly $2,800 to $3,500 including flights.

Key points

  • Sail at the season edges. Early May and late September are 30 to 50 percent cheaper.
  • Carnival is the price floor, and the ports are identical regardless of ship.
  • Interior cabin plus a good observation lounge beats a balcony you will not sit on.
  • Cut excursions selectively, not entirely. Two good ones beat four mediocre ones.
  • Never cut the pre cruise hotel night. That economy can cost you the whole trip.

The single most useful fact in budget Alaska cruise planning is that the destination does not change with the fare. Glacier Bay looks the same from a Carnival ship as from a Celebrity ship. Ketchikan is the same town. The humpbacks do not check which line you sailed with.

What you give up at the bottom of the market is onboard refinement and destination programming. What you keep is Alaska.

Where to cut, in order

Savings ranked by cost to your experience
CutTypical saving for twoWhat it costs you
Sail early May or late September$800 to $2,400Cooler weather, shorter days. Very little else
Choose Carnival over a premium line$600 to $1,400Less destination programming, busier onboard tone
Interior instead of balcony$800 to $1,800Little, if the ship has good public viewing space
Skip the drinks package$500 to $1,100Nothing, if you drink under five a day
Book excursions independently$200 to $600Requires research and timing discipline
Seattle instead of Vancouver$150 to $500A Victoria stop instead of an Alaska port hour
Fly midweek$150 to $400Less date flexibility
Skip WiFi entirely$280 to $420You are offline at sea. Ports have free WiFi
Cut excursions to zero$800 to $1,800A great deal. Do not do this
Skip the pre cruise hotel$180 to $450Risk of missing the ship entirely. Never do this
Work down the list and stop before the last two rows.

A worked budget plan

Two people, seven nights, Seattle round trip, mid May or mid September.

Budget Alaska cruise, two people, all in
ItemAmountNotes
Carnival interior cabin, two people$1,000Booked at initial release for a shoulder date
Taxes, fees and port expenses$380Not avoidable
Flights, two people$560Midweek, booked three months ahead
One hotel night near Sea-Tac$170With a park and cruise package if driving
Transfers$110Rideshare each way
Whale watching, Juneau, independent$260The one excursion worth paying for
White Pass railway, Skagway$300The second excursion worth paying for
Ketchikan on foot$0Creek Street, totems, Discovery Center
Gratuities$230Not avoidable in practice
Onboard spending, modest$250Pay as you go, no packages
Travel insurance$210Do not skip this
Total for two$3,470Roughly $1,735 per person

The cheapest lines and how they compare

Value lines compared
LineTypical shoulder interior fareWhat you give upGlacier Bay?
Carnival$400 to $650Destination programming, onboard refinementSome sailings
Norwegian$520 to $820Cabin size, constant upsellingSome sailings
Royal Caribbean$550 to $850Glacier Bay access entirelyNo
Holland America$600 to $900Little. Often the best value in the premium bandFrequently
Princess$650 to $950Little. Strong itineraries at a modest premiumFrequently

What is genuinely free in each port

Free or near free port day options
PortFree optionTime needed
KetchikanCreek Street, Married Man's Trail, Discovery Center grounds2 to 3 hours
SkagwayKlondike Gold Rush park visitor centre and ranger walk2 hours
JuneauDowntown, State Museum modest fee, waterfront walk2 to 3 hours
SitkaSitka National Historical Park totem trail1 to 2 hours
Icy Strait PointForest trails, cannery museum, gondola usually included3 hours
VictoriaWalk to the Inner Harbour and the lit Parliament Buildings2 to 3 hours

A traveller who does the free option in Ketchikan, Sitka and Victoria, and pays for one boat trip and the White Pass railway, has had a complete Alaska experience for roughly $560 per person in excursions.

Frequently asked questions

What is the cheapest Alaska cruise?
A Carnival interior cabin on a Seattle round trip in early May or late September, booked at initial release, typically runs $400 to $650 per person for seven nights before taxes. Norwegian and Royal Caribbean shoulder fares sit slightly above that. Add taxes, gratuities, flights and two excursions and a couple can complete the trip for roughly $2,800 to $3,500 all in.
Can you do an Alaska cruise for under $1,000 per person?
The cruise fare alone, yes, on a shoulder season interior cabin. The whole trip, including flights, hotel, excursions and gratuities, is very difficult below about $1,400 per person unless you live within driving distance of Seattle and cut excursions almost entirely. A realistic floor for a complete trip with two excursions is around $1,400 to $1,700 per person.
What should I not cut when budgeting an Alaska cruise?
The pre cruise hotel night and travel insurance. Flying in on embarkation day risks missing the ship entirely, which turns a saved $200 into a lost $3,000. Insurance matters because Alaska medical evacuation costs are extreme. Everything else on a budget list is negotiable; those two are not.
Is a cheap Alaska cruise still worth doing?
Yes. The ports, the glaciers and the wildlife are identical regardless of which ship you arrive on. What a cheaper line gives up is onboard refinement and the depth of the destination programming. If you spend the savings on one good boat trip and the White Pass railway, a budget Alaska cruise delivers most of what an expensive one does.
Which month is cheapest for an Alaska cruise?
Early May and the last week of September. Fares in those windows commonly run 30 to 50 percent below late July on the same ship in the same cabin. May is drier than average with snow still low on the mountains; September brings autumn colour, clearer air and the fewest passengers, at the cost of shorter days.
Are independent excursions much cheaper in Alaska?
Typically 25 to 40 percent cheaper than the same trip sold on board, and often on smaller boats. The risk is that the ship will not wait if an independent operator runs late, and Southeast Alaska ports have no road connections, so catching up means flying. Book independently where the operator guarantees return well before all aboard and the port is compact.

Keep researching

Call an Alaska cruise specialist