Alaska Cruises
We don’t have open dates for Alaska published yet. Send us your dates and we will put together options for you.
About Alaska cruisesRead the full guideShow less
Alaska is the cruise destination most people picture when they imagine truly dramatic scenery from a ship's deck — towering glaciers calving into the sea, forested fjords, and wildlife that's genuinely wild rather than staged for tourists. It's also one of the more logistically approachable wilderness trips available, since a cruise handles the transport, accommodation and much of the exploring for you in a region where independent travel between remote towns can otherwise be slow and expensive. Most visitors come away surprised by how much of the experience happens simply standing on deck, rather than on any specific shore excursion — the scenery itself is often the main event.
Where You Can Go
Most Alaska cruises operate as either round trips from Seattle or Vancouver, or one-way Gulf of Alaska sailings between Vancouver and Whittier or Anchorage. Along the way, the classic Inside Passage ports include Juneau — Alaska's capital, reachable only by air or sea, and a common base for glacier and whale-watching excursions — along with Skagway, a former Gold Rush boomtown with a well-preserved historic district and the White Pass railway climbing into the mountains behind it. Ketchikan, known for its totem poles and salmon fishing heritage, and Icy Strait Point, a smaller, more nature-focused stop near Hoonah, round out the typical port rotation, with Sitka appearing on some itineraries as a former Russian colonial outpost with a distinct history. Beyond the towns themselves, many itineraries include a full scenic cruising day with no port call at all, sailing slowly past Glacier Bay National Park, Hubbard Glacier or Tracy Arm Fjord — these non-port days are often the highlight of the entire trip, and the captain will typically narrate what you're seeing over the ship's speakers.
Best Time to Sail
The Alaska cruise season is short and well-defined, running from roughly May to September, and essentially nonexistent outside that window since the ports themselves scale back and daylight hours shrink dramatically in winter. Early season sailings in May and June tend to have cooler temperatures but longer daylight — June in particular can offer nearly 18-20 hours of light this far north, which is worth experiencing even if it takes some adjusting to. July and August are the warmest and busiest months, with the best odds of clear glacier-viewing weather, though also the highest prices and most crowded ports. September sailings see the first hints of autumn color and thinner crowds, but a higher chance of rain and rougher seas as the season winds down. Wildlife sightings shift through the season too — whale activity tends to build through summer, while bears are most visible near salmon runs in July and August.
Types of Itineraries
The two dominant itinerary shapes are round-trip and one-way. A round-trip cruise from Seattle or Vancouver, typically 7 nights, returns you to your starting city and is the simpler option to book — one flight in, one flight out, no need to coordinate a second city. A one-way Gulf of Alaska cruise sails between Vancouver and Whittier or Anchorage, generally also around 7 nights, and covers more open coastline and glacier scenery than a round trip, since it doesn't have to double back. The trade-off is logistical: you'll need to fly into one city and out of another, and many travelers pair a one-way cruise with a land-tour extension into Denali National Park or Fairbanks, turning the trip into a combined cruisetour that can run two weeks or more in total.
Cruise Lines and Ships
Princess Cruises and Holland America Line both have an especially long history in Alaska and operate their own network of lodges and rail connections for pre- and post-cruise land tours, which makes them a natural choice if you're planning to extend into the interior. Norwegian Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises all run substantial Alaska seasons as well, generally with larger, more amenity-heavy ships geared toward families and a broader range of onboard activities. Ship size matters more here than in some other regions, since larger ships can't access certain narrower channels or smaller ports — if a specific fjord or town is a priority for you, it's worth checking which ships call there rather than assuming every Alaska itinerary is interchangeable.
What's Typically Included and What to Budget For
The base fare covers your cabin, main dining, entertainment and general facility access, as with most mainstream cruise lines. Where Alaska differs from a beach destination is in how much of the memorable experience sits outside that base fare: glacier flightseeing by helicopter or floatplane, guided wildlife and whale-watching boat tours, dog-sledding on a glacier, and the White Pass railway in Skagway are all genuinely worth doing but come at an extra cost, and the more adventurous ones — helicopter tours especially — can be a meaningful part of your overall trip budget. It's worth deciding before you sail which one or two big excursions matter most to you, since trying to do everything in every port adds up quickly.
Getting There and Practical Tips
Seattle and Vancouver are both major international gateway cities with straightforward airport-to-cruise-terminal transfers, and are the natural starting points for round-trip sailings. If you're doing a one-way Gulf of Alaska cruise, Whittier and Anchorage are smaller airports better connected via domestic or limited international routes, so factor in an extra connection when planning flights. Layering is the single most useful packing strategy — Southeast Alaska's weather can shift from sun to rain within the same afternoon, and temperatures on deck near a glacier are noticeably colder than in port. A waterproof outer layer and comfortable, sturdy shoes matter more here than in almost any other mainstream cruise region.
Who This Destination Suits
Alaska suits travelers who want genuine wilderness and wildlife without giving up the comfort of a cruise ship, and it's a particularly good fit for multi-generational family trips, since there's enough on-ship activity for a range of ages alongside excursions that work for both grandparents and grandchildren. It's less suited to travelers chasing guaranteed hot weather or beach time — pack for changeable, cool conditions even in July. Photography enthusiasts and anyone who's always wanted to see a glacier calve into the sea in person tend to rate Alaska as one of the most memorable cruise destinations available, precisely because so much of what you came to see is visible directly from the ship.
Combining Alaska With a Land Tour
Because a one-way Gulf of Alaska sailing already has you flying into one city and out of another, many travelers extend the trip with a land tour into the interior rather than flying straight home from Whittier or Anchorage. Denali National Park, home to North America's tallest peak, is the most popular add-on, typically reached by rail or coach from Anchorage or Fairbanks, with a few days built in for wildlife viewing and, weather permitting, a clear view of the mountain itself. Fairbanks, further north, offers a different flavor of Alaska again — more continental climate, longer summer daylight, and in the shoulder seasons, aurora viewing that isn't possible on the coastal cruise portion of the trip. Princess Cruises and Holland America Line, given their long history in the state, both operate their own wilderness lodges and rail cars specifically for these combined cruise-and-land itineraries, which simplifies the logistics considerably compared to arranging the land portion independently. Even a relatively short two- or three-night land extension meaningfully changes the character of an Alaska trip, adding genuine interior wilderness to the coastal glacier scenery the cruise itself delivers.
Questions people ask about Alaska cruises
.png?dpl=dpl_BZYmD2cmqWm1SuUj4F2tDVvQ7GFu)
.svg.webp?dpl=dpl_BZYmD2cmqWm1SuUj4F2tDVvQ7GFu){kind=logo}