Real trip, actually taken · 11 days
11-Day Alaska Cruise Itinerary for a Multigenerational Family: Anchorage to Vancouver
Glaciers, whales, a gold-rush road into the Yukon and a lumberjack show — grandparents to grandkids.
- Going to
- Alaska and Vancouver
- Length
- 11 days
- Travelers
- Multigenerational groups
- Trip total
- $12,207–$17,056
A real multigenerational family took this trip. We added the SeaLife Center and a few meals, and filled in the Vancouver evenings.
Their rating
Rated by the traveler who took this trip.
$12,207–$17,056
The total covers flights from Detroit, Michigan, lodging, getting around and tickets and tours for the whole party, plus food, gas and parking estimated in the breakdown below.
Things to do
- Pick up the rental car (Day 2)
- McHugh Creek and Bird Point pullouts on Turnagain Arm (Day 2)
- Indian Valley Mine (Day 2)
- Alyeska Aerial Tram (Day 2)
- Alaska SeaLife Center (Day 3)
- Cruise check-in at Seward (Day 3)
- Scenic cruising at Hubbard Glacier (Day 4)
- Whale watching and Mendenhall Glacier combo tour (Day 5)
- Back on board (Day 5)
- Private tour over White Pass to Emerald Lake, Yukon (Day 6)
- Walk Broadway in Skagway (Day 6)
- Explore Haines (Day 6)
- Walk or take the Cannery shuttle to Hoonah (Day 7)
- Back on board (Day 7)
- Creek Street (Day 8)
- Totem Heritage Center (Day 8)
- Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show (Day 8)
- Back on board (Day 8)
- Disembark in Vancouver (Day 10)
- Stanley Park seawall (Day 10)
- Capilano Suspension Bridge Park: Treetops Adventure and Cliffwalk (Day 11)
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Why this plan works
A travel day that lands mid-afternoon, so the only plan is a hotel near downtown and a brewery dinner a short walk away.
- 9:00 AM
Flight to Anchorage via Vancouver
9:00 AM
One airline, one connection, and a fare that beat flying from home.
Book ahead · Fares typically open ~11 months out and are usually cheapest 2–4 months ahead
This family drove from Detroit the night before, stayed at an airport hotel and flew out of Toronto — worth pricing if you live near the border.
- 3:45 PM
Land in Anchorage; ride to the hotel
3:45 PM
Book ahead · Tours this size often sell out weeks ahead — confirm the operator's group policy
About 15 minutes downtown.
- 4:45 PM
Wingate by Wyndham Anchorage Downtown/Ship Creek (2 nights)
4:45 PM
The 6:45 am train is a short walk or ride from here.
Book ahead · Rooms usually open ~12 months out; book 2–3 months ahead for choice
Near the rail depot you need on day 3. This venue's hours or availability may have changed since this trip.
- 6:30 PM
49th State Brewing
6:30 PM
It's light until nearly midnight, so an outdoor dinner still feels like afternoon.
Big brewpub downtown with a rooftop.
If you fall behind
- July daylight runs until nearly midnight — bring eye masks for the kids.
Bookings & costs
$12,207–$17,056
No stay price yet for 7 nights (after day 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9), so they aren't in this figure.
0 of 15 bookable items booked
Food not included: about $2,350, listed below
Locked in
$0
paid or reserved
Still to book
$14,330
est. $11,983–$16,680 · 15 items
Gas & parking
$300
est. $224–$376
Know before you go
Practical notes for this trip — the things worth sorting before you leave.
Passports
A one-way Seward-to-Vancouver cruise ends in Canada, and the Skagway tour to Emerald Lake crosses into the Yukon — confirm passport requirements for every traveler, including the kids.
Rail
Book the Alaska Railroad Anchorage-to-Seward train as soon as your cruise is confirmed, and check it against the ship's boarding window.
Time-sensitiveAlaska Railroad, Anchorage to Seward
Layers
Hubbard Glacier and the Juneau whale watch are cold on deck even in July — pack hats, gloves and a waterproof shell for everyone.
Daylight
Anchorage in July stays light until nearly midnight; eye masks make the 6:45 am train morning much easier.
Juneau
The Juneau combo tour returns around 5:30 pm, which leaves room for the Mount Roberts Tramway before all-aboard.
Ketchikan
Ketchikan is one of the wettest towns in the US — bring rain gear for Creek Street and the Totem Heritage Center.
Icy Strait Point
The ZipRider at Icy Strait Point has height and weight limits; check them before promising the kids.
Vancouver
Store bags at the Hilton Vancouver Downtown on disembarkation morning and again on departure day so the red-eye doesn't cost you the Capilano visit.
Want this trip on your dates?
Make this yours — free, no account, no card.
Questions about this plan
- Why take the train from Anchorage to Seward instead of a bus?
- It doubles as the transfer to the ship and a scenic ride through country the highway doesn't reach, and it arrives around 11:20 am with time for lunch and the Alaska SeaLife Center before check-in.
- Is a private tour worth it in Skagway for a group of eight?
- For this family, yes: one van over White Pass to Emerald Lake set its own pace for grandparents and kids, and was back by 2:30 pm to walk Broadway before sailing.
- What should we pick on the Girdwood afternoon — the Alyeska tram or the wildlife center?
- The Alyeska Aerial Tram is the easy mountaintop view; the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center is 20 minutes further south and better if the kids want moose and bears.
- How do you spend the last day in Vancouver with a red-eye flight?
- Store bags at the Hilton, spend the morning at Capilano Suspension Bridge Park's Treetops Adventure and Cliffwalk, eat an early dinner downtown and take the Canada Line to YVR around 8:30 pm.
- Why did this family fly from Toronto?
- They drove from Detroit and flew out of Toronto on one airline with a single connection. It's worth pricing if you live within driving distance of the border.
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