Alaska – Coastwise Travel

Why an Alaska Cruise Is the Best Summer Vacation — for Families, Couples, and Friends

by Pamela Fierro
July 15, 2026September 15, 2026

Why an Alaska Cruise Is the Best Vacation for Families, Couples, and Friends

There’s a reason people come home from Alaska talking about it for years. It’s not just a vacation — it’s the kind of trip that resets your sense of wonder. Towering glaciers calving into the sea. Whales breaching just off the bow. Fresh mountain air and a warm dinner waiting for you back on the ship. Whether you’re traveling with little ones, your favorite person, or your closest friends, Alaska has a way of meeting you exactly where you are — and that’s what makes it the perfect trip for absolutely everyone.

An Alaska cruise is one of the best vacations for families, couples, and groups of friends because it combines kid-friendly wildlife adventures, romantic outdoor experiences for couples, and flexible daily itineraries that let friend groups explore independently while still sharing meals and memories together each evening.

Cookies, Cabanas, and Humpback Whales: Alaska Aboard the Newly Refurbished Celebrity Solstice

by Pamela Fierro
July 3, 2026

A Happy Hour with warm cookies and hot chocolate. A champagne toast to a glacier. A five-week-old sled dog puppy snuggled in my arms. Alaska didn’t stand a chance of being anything less than unforgettable.

I sailed the newly refurbished Celebrity Solstice this summer, fresh from her transformation transformed under Celebrity’s $250 million Solstice-class modernization. She came out the other side feeling brand new from bow to stern — and the upgrades made an already spectacular itinerary even better. Here are the moments I’m still thinking about.

Warm Cookie Hour at Sunset Park Cafe

The top deck has been completely transformed into Sunset Park, a half-acre of open-air space with lawn games, live music, and sweeping views. But the real magic happens every afternoon at 3:30, when fresh cookies come straight out of the oven at the new Sunset Park Cafe. Watching guests line up for a warm treat became one of my favorite daily rituals — there’s something about a gooey chocolate chip cookie against a background of snow-capped mountains that is irresistable.