A typical 7-day Alaska vacation costs around $3000 per person—a little over $400 per day. Here’s an average breakdown, based upon our analysis of hundreds of actual itineraries.
Or, Jump to our trip calculator and compute the cost of your own vacation!
| Per Person Double Occupancy | Cruise | Independent Land Tours |
|---|---|---|
| Lodging | $600 - $1200 | |
| Transportation | $1200 - $3000 for Lodging, Transportation & Meals | $500 - $800 |
| Meals | $300 - $500 | |
| Excursions | $800 - $1200 (5 excursions) | $1000 - $1500 (7 excursions) |
| Total | $2000 - $4200 | $2400 - $4000 |
Price varies based on:
- Number of days: More days cost more. We recommend 10 days or more.
- Peak vs. Shoulder Season: Hotel and transportation rates can be lower in May and September, resulting in savings of 10-18% on land tours.
- Lodging: The standard Alaska hotel room costs about $275 per night in summer. Economy hotels run about $100 less and premium/luxury hotels about $100 more. (This does not include wilderness lodges—see article.)
- Cruise Pricing: Cruise rates (other than small ship) fluctuate. Shoulder season tends to be cheaper, but when you book and what type of cabin you choose matters more. Early booking discounts (6-12 months in advance) can be significant as well as last minute deals. Oceanview and balcony staterooms can cost twice what inside cabins cost.
- Transportation: Renting a car is more expensive than traveling by train/motorcoach if you’re traveling alone, but less expensive if there are 3 or more in your party.
- Number and Type of Excursions: Prices vary from $25 for a museum visit to $60-90 for half-day guided hiking to $150-175 for a day cruise to $275-350 for a flightseeing tour to $500-600 for a fly-in bear viewing, guided fishing, or heli-hiking adventure.
Alaska Overland Vacation Cost Estimator
While it’s easy to find Alaska cruise prices online, Alaska land tours are harder to research, particularly our favorite kind: custom land tours where you pre-book hotels, ground transportation, and certain key excursions of your choice, then have the freedom and flexibility to explore once you hit the ground. And that’s a shame, because too many people end up booking a cruise when an overland vacation might be a better option.
The tool below lets you price out an expertly-designed overland itinerary, one that spends freely on items that enrich your Alaska experience (like quality excursions, a scenic train ride, fresh Alaska seafood meals, etc.) but doesn’t waste money on low value items (overpriced tours, destinations you can skip, poor transportation choices, etc.).
For example, if you plug in 7 days, the calculator would factor in:
- Excursions: 8 popular excursions (or “day tours”) we’d recommend on a typical 7-day itinerary;
- Ground Transportation: $100 per day plus $30 in gas if you select car rental. (Costs are calculated per person based on number of people in your group.) Or $475 per person for the week if you select travel by train and motorcoach;
- Lodging: Cost per night based on the number of people in your party (room occupancy) and type of lodging you prefer (e.g. economy lodging at $175 per room per night, mid-range at $275, and luxury at $360 and above)
- Meals: $60 per day (enables you to compare to cruise prices which includes meals)
This is an estimator to help set your expectations—not a hard quote. For example, if you plan only to go hiking and drive our highways to take in the scenery—and not take guided excursions—you could spend 30% less. (For most people, we wouldn’t recommend that. Excursions like day cruises, flightseeing, rafting, guided hiking, bear viewing tours, etc. are what make your Alaska trip memorable.)
The best way to price out your Alaska trip is to let us put you in touch with a local expert who will help you choose the exact destinations, lodging, transportation, and excursions for you, then provide you an actual quote. The service is free.
