My Alaska Cruise Wasn’t What I Expected. Here’s Why

I recently returned from a cruise around Alaska and I’m still trying to work out what I thought of it.

Like many cruisers, Alaska is one of those bucket list cruises I’ve had my eye on since I discovered the possibilities of cruising. So, to celebrate a big birthday this year, I thought it was time to start ticking off the bucket list.

I did a LOT of research beforehand, looking at cruise lines, ships and ports.  I’d seen all the incredible photos over social media and heard so many people say Alaska was their favourite cruise. 

So, I headed over the pond with high hopes. However, while I enjoyed my cruise, it wasn’t quite what I was expecting. 

In this post, I share some of the things that surprised me…good and bad!

The weather affected the cruise more than I expected

I decided to cruise Alaska in May, partly because it was close to my birthday and mostly because I had heard it was usually the driest month of the season.

Safe to say, I learnt the hard way not to believe everything you read! 

It rained pretty much every day. Luckily, not all day but unfortunately quite a lot during the scenic cruising.  This meant the visibility was often poor, with lots of low cloud.  At times it did look quite atmospheric but mostly it was just dull and grey. 

This made spending time outside on deck more difficult. Let’s be honest, who wants to stand in the rain all day, even with your best wet weather gear on ?

Thankfully, Koningsdam has a mostly covered promenade deck, so there were still plenty of opportunities to get outside. 

This came in particularly handy on our day in Glacier Bay where it rained pretty much consistently all day.  According to the Park Rangers onboard, dull weather is actually great for seeing the blue shades in the glacier ice. Although, I did wonder if they were just saying that to make us feel better. It wasn’t great for spending the morning outside though! 

That said rain or no rain, there was no way I was going to miss the rare opportunity to stand on the bow and view the glaciers.

The weather also cut short our time at Margerie Glacier. We didn’t get to complete the full 360 degree turn as the winds coming off the glacier were making it too dangerous. 

Towards the end of the cruise, as we sailed back to Vancouver, the captain even jokingly apologised for the poor weather. Of course, there wasn’t anything he could do about that but I did think it must have been particularly bad for him to say that!

Of course, before I went I knew poor weather was a possibility but you hope you will hit the weather jackpot and get a couple of nice days.

Alaska wasn’t as scenic as I expected

I’ve been lucky enough to visit some incredibly scenic places on my travels. The Norwegian Fjords immediately spring to mind. They are truly spectacular,  so I have definitely been spoiled. 

Maybe I expected too much from Alaska or maybe the weather simply obscured too much of its beauty. It often felt dramatic, mean and moody with clouds so low it felt like you could reach up and touch them. While this did give the landscape a certain charm, I was hoping for those clear blue skies and views for days you see all over instagram. 

Compared with the Norwegian Fjords, Alaska felt much more vast and open. In Norway, you spend a lot of time sailing through narrow fjords with mountains towering above the ship on either side. I think I was expecting a similar experience in Alaska, but I didn’t feel quite as surrounded by the scenery as I had imagined.

Cruising solo was a little different

I’m well used to cruising solo and generally don’t have any problems meeting people. However, it felt a little different on this cruise. 

I thought Holland America was actually great for solo travellers. As well as the usual solo meet-ups, there was a solo breakfast and a solo brunch. 

There was none of the awkward wandering around a bar trying to work out where the solo meet-up was, which is something I’ve experienced on other cruise lines. Here, one crew member spotted I was alone and actually took me over to the group. 

Everyone I met was lovely, but many of the other solos had already spent a week together on land tours before joining the ship. This meant that friendships had already formed and I found it a little harder to connect with people. 

I’m pretty self sufficient so it didn’t bother me as much as it could have but I had hoped there would be more people to meet up with when I felt I needed company. 

I wasn’t expecting so many Australians

Cruising Alaska, you’d expect lots of Americans and Canadians right? 

Well I did. 

And I was wrong! 

There were several Australian tour groups onboard and pretty much everyone I met seemed to be an Aussie.  

Australia is one of my favourite places. I’ve spent quite a bit of time there and I have a lot of Australian friends. Actually, I’m sure I was an Australian in another life, so in a funny way it made me feel quite at home.

Two lovely Australian ladies I met at the solo meet-up took me under their wing and I ended up spending quite a bit of time with them. Meeting them definitely helped make the cruise for me.

Holland America was a great choice for Alaska

When I was planning my trip, I pretty quickly narrowed my choices down to Princess Cruises or Holland America. Both have a long history of cruising Alaska and both visit Glacier Bay.

I ended up choosing Holland America for a number of reasons. The dates and itinerary worked for me, I was keen to try Koningsdam as I had heard good things about the ship and, as a big music fan, the live music onboard really appealed.

It didn’t take long once onboard to feel I’d made a good choice.

Koningsdam felt instantly familiar despite the fact I’d never cruised with Holland America before. I discovered a few days later that she is a sister ship to Cunard’s Queen Anne, which I cruised on in 2025. That probably explained it!

I loved the relaxed atmosphere onboard, the food was superb, some of the best I’ve experienced at sea, and the service was great. It was also an easy ship to get around and the layout worked really well for me.

The Alaska programming was brilliant too.

From having the Glacier Bay National Park Rangers onboard to Alaska-themed films in the Lido and an Alaska-themed brunch on sea days, it really added to the experience of actually being in Alaska.

While the destination was the driving force behind booking this cruise, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed being on the ship itself.

I loved exploring the ports 

As much as I was looking forward to the scenic cruising around Glacier Bay, I knew I wanted to make the most of my time in port too.

While some of the scenery hadn’t quite lived up to my expectations, thankfully my shore excursions were a different story. I had some brilliant experiences and they ended up being a real highlight of the trip.

Mendenhall Glacier

Visiting Mendenhall Glacier was top of my list of things to do in Juneau, even more so after watching a TV show following a Princess Cruises Alaska cruise which featured an excursion there just a few weeks before my trip.

I booked a shuttle to the glacier which gave me two hours to explore the viewpoints and walk to Nugget Falls.

Despite the gloomy weather, Mendenhall Glacier didn’t disappoint. Having seen it on TV just weeks earlier, it was great to finally see it for myself.

Nugget Falls was another highlight. Being able to walk right up to the waterfall and get close enough to feel the spray was quite an experience.

White Pass Railway

There was only one thing I really wanted to do in Skagway and that was the White Pass Railway.

As it was a big birthday trip, I decided to splash out on the luxury car.

It was a brilliant experience. The carriage seated just 12 people, with large rotating chairs so you could easily take in the views on both sides of the train. We also had a dedicated guide who shared the history of the railway, pointed out places of interest and answered our questions.

As the last carriage on the train, we also had access to the platform at the back, giving us a fantastic view as the train climbed through the mountains.

We were fed and watered for the whole journey too. Drinking mimosas first thing in the morning while taking in the incredible mountain views is an experience I won’t forget in a hurry.

It was pricey, but for a special occasion it was worth every penny.

Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show

The Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show was a bit of a last-minute decision as I hadn’t booked anything for Ketchikan, but it turned out to be a good choice.

Teams of American and Canadian lumberjacks go head-to-head in a competition showing off their skills. From chopping and sawing to log rolling and axe throwing, it was a highly entertaining way to learn a little about Alaska’s logging history.

Yes, it was a bit cheesy and most definitely a bit scripted.

But it was good fun and I enjoyed it far more than I thought I would.

So, did I actually enjoy my Alaska cruise?

Initially, I came home feeling a little disappointed.

But now a little time has passed, I look back at my photos and think what an incredible trip it actually was.

I stood on the bow of a cruise ship in Glacier Bay. I walked close enough to Nugget Falls to feel the spray. I drank mimosas while travelling through the mountains on the White Pass Railway. I met some lovely people and discovered a cruise line I’d happily sail with again.

And I got to do it all to celebrate a big birthday.

So yes, I did enjoy my Alaska cruise. It just wasn’t the cruise I had imagined beforehand.

Perhaps that was the biggest lesson from the whole trip. You can research as much as you like, but you can’t control the weather and you can’t guarantee your trip will look like the photos you’ve seen online.

The last word

Would I cruise Alaska again? Despite everything I’ve said, I think I probably would.

I’d love another chance to see Glacier Bay, hopefully with slightly better weather next time! There is also so much more of Alaska I haven’t seen. It would be great to see other glaciers, such as Hubbard Glacier, and I’d be tempted to try a one-way cruise next time and explore a little further north.

I really loved Koningsdam too and would happily cruise on her again. In fact, one of the biggest surprises from the whole trip was just how much I enjoyed Holland America.

My first Alaska cruise might not have looked quite like the one I’d imagined beforehand, but perhaps that’s a good reason to go back and see what Alaska gives me next time.