Cruising in Alaska - CLIA Alaska

Alaska’s ‘Farthest North Port’

Some 41% of the 320,000 tourists who visit Fairbanks each year come via a cruise land tour. Photo courtesy Explore Fairbanks

EDITOR’S NOTE: Fairbanks actively promotes itself as a popular destination for cruise visitors. Here is their latest promotional piece.

Despite being almost 500 miles away from oceanside ports in Southcentral Alaska, Fairbanks is a popular destination May through September for visitors taking a cruise to the state. Voyage up the Prince William Sound watching for whales and glaciers and once you hit the coast of Alaska embark on a ground tour via bus or train to see the magnificent Denali National Park and then on to Fairbanks, the Golden Heart of Alaska. Whether you arrive in Fairbanks prepared to soak in the everlasting sunshine during the Midnight Sun Season or to scan the skies during Aurora Season, your trip to Fairbanks will be inviting, engaging and extraordinary.

All the major cruise lines coming to Alaska offer one-way Gulf of Alaska cruises that include the port of Vancouver in Canada and either Whittier or Seward as the port in Alaska. These cruises typically offer land tour packages that incorporate Fairbanks and Denali National Park into their itinerary.

In the packages, Fairbanks is generally the first or last place people visit, making it easy for visitors to add on extra days so they can experience more of Alaska’s Interior and Arctic with Fairbanks as their base. Other cruise visitors will take a one-way cruise across the Gulf of Alaska and then explore Fairbanks and other communities on the road or rail system on their own.

Alaska’s cruise season runs from May to September, with each month offering a different experience for visitors who come to Fairbanks.

May to early June will generally see smaller crowds and better value as well as giving people a chance to experience 24 hours of daylight, which extends almost to the end of July.
Mid-June to early August are the peak summer months when Fairbanks offers the warmest weather in the state and around-the-clock activities and events.
From mid-August through September, visitors have an opportunity to see the northern lights in one of the best destinations in the world to see them.

During all of these seasonal variations, Fairbanks offers top-notch Alaskan attractions, local arts and history as well as delightful culinary experiences. There are numerous ways cruise ship passengers to Alaska can enjoy the state’s “farthest north port” of Fairbanks. Contact your travel agent or cruise company for more details.

Source: Explore Fairbanks

The cruise industry includes approximately 2,175 Alaska businesses that provide tours, activities and services to the cruise lines and their passengers. These businesses include:

Retail
Restaurants
Car-rental companies
Air transportation companies
Hotels/lodges
Day cruises/sled dog rides/sightseeing tours

Shore excursion participation in Alaska is extremely high compared to other cruise destinations, with an estimated 80 percent to 90 percent of passengers purchasing at least one excursion. Wildlife viewing, sightseeing tours and riding the railroad are the most popular.

Some 22 percent of passengers who cross the Gulf of Alaska participate in an extended land tour, generally consisting of a rail segment and overnight stays in Fairbanks, Denali and Anchorage.