Glaciers, whales, and the right balcony. Alaska is the cruise where small choices change the whole trip: which glacier your ship visits, which direction you sail, and which side of the ship your cabin faces. We sort that out before you book, across Princess, Holland America, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, Celebrity, and Virgin.
Certified Cruise Counsellor · ASTA and CLIA member · Family-run in West Orange, NJ
SCENIC CRUISING
BOOK IT EARLY
the whole Alaska cruise season
the most common sailing length
round-trip Inside Passage or one-way Gulf of Alaska
the one upgrade we push for on this route
Most people start by picking a cruise line. Start with the route instead, it decides your flights, your glaciers, and whether a land trip fits.
Fly in and out of the same city. You get the classic ports (Juneau, Ketchikan, Skagway, sometimes Sitka) plus a scenic glacier day. Seattle round trips also stop in Victoria, British Columbia. The easiest Alaska cruise to plan.
Sails between Vancouver and the ports near Anchorage, in either direction. More ground covered, often a second glacier day, and it sets up a land trip. The trade-off is open-jaw flights, which usually cost more.
A one-way cruise paired with a few nights inland, usually around Denali National Park. Princess and Holland America run the deepest land programs, with their own lodges. The best way to see Alaska if you are only going once.
Two Alaska cruises can look identical on price and still see very different glaciers. This is the first thing we check on any itinerary.
Park rangers come aboard and narrate the day. The Park Service limits how many ships can enter, so plenty of Alaska itineraries never go. If Glacier Bay is the dream, confirm it is on the itinerary before anything else.
One of the largest tidewater glaciers in North America, usually on Gulf of Alaska and longer sailings. When it calves, you hear it before you see it.
Steep granite walls, waterfalls, and floating ice. Ice conditions decide how far a ship can go, and captains sometimes swap one fjord for the other on the day. That is normal, not a bait-and-switch.
No road connects Juneau to the rest of North America. Mendenhall Glacier is a short ride from the pier, and this is the port for whale watching and helicopter glacier landings.
Creek Street, totem parks, and floatplane trips over Misty Fjords. Also one of the rainiest towns in the United States, so pack the jacket even if the forecast looks fine.
A walkable boardwalk town built by the Klondike Gold Rush. The White Pass and Yukon Route railway climbs out of town toward the Canadian border, and it books up early.
Russian history, a quieter town, and great wildlife on the water. Fewer itineraries include it, so if Sitka matters to you, filter for it from the start.
Princess and Holland America built Alaska cruising, and they still run the most ships, the most Glacier Bay days, and the land lodges. Everyone else is playing in their sandbox, which is fine if what you want is a newer ship or an adults-only vibe.
Princess bills itself as the number one cruise line in Alaska, and the fleet backs it up: one of the biggest Alaska fleets, regular Glacier Bay permits, and its own wilderness lodges for Denali cruisetours. This is where most of our first-time Alaska plans start.
Sailing Alaska since 1947, before it was even a state, and holds more Glacier Bay permits than any other line. Runs its own Denali land program too. A quieter, more traditional onboard feel than Princess.
Newer ships with more to do on sea days, which matters on a route with long scenic cruising. Easy wins for families and groups with mixed ages. Check the glacier on the itinerary, it varies a lot between these lines.
No kids, a modern food program, and fewer rules. A good fit for couples and friend groups. Virgin sails Alaska round-trip from Seattle, and we have a group sailing forming now (details below).
Still deciding between lines? The Cruise Match quiz narrows it down in two minutes.
FORMING NOW
From $1,152 per sailor (Insider) · $1,533 per sailor (Sea Terrace)
Adults only. Prices come from the live Virgin booking engine, refresh weekly, and are confirmed at booking.
Same fare as booking direct, but with an advisor who reads the itinerary line by line, knows which weeks sell out, and books the shore excursions before they're gone.
Plan my Alaska cruise →The season runs from about May to September. June through August brings the warmest weather, the longest days, and the highest prices. May and September are usually cheaper and less crowded, with cooler weather. Whales are around all season, so there is no bad month for wildlife. We match the month to your budget and what you most want to see.
Seattle is easier for most US travelers because it is a domestic flight, and round-trip sailings stop in Victoria, British Columbia. Vancouver is the main starting point for one-way Gulf of Alaska sailings and cruisetours. If you want to add Denali, Vancouver or Anchorage is usually where the trip begins or ends.
Big-ship Alaska cruises from Seattle stop in Canada, and sailings from Vancouver start in Canada, so we recommend a valid passport for every Alaska trip. It also protects you if you ever need to fly home from a Canadian port. We confirm the exact document rules for your sailing when you book.
This is the route where we push hardest for a balcony. Scenic cruising days in the fjords and in front of the glaciers are the highlight of the trip, and having your own outdoor space means you watch them from your cabin with a coffee instead of fighting for rail space on the top deck. If the budget is tight, we would rather you pick a shorter sailing with a balcony than a longer one without.
A 7-night cruise is the right call if you want an easy week and plan to come back someday. A cruisetour adds several nights on land, usually around Denali, and it is the better choice if this is a once-in-a-lifetime trip. It takes more planning, which is where an advisor earns their keep.
Earlier than you think. The season is short, and balcony cabins on the popular summer weeks go first. We recommend booking 9 to 12 months ahead. Popular shore excursions like the White Pass railway and glacier landings also sell out, so we plan those as soon as you are booked.
Tell us your month, who's coming, and your budget. We'll match the route, the ship, and the cabin. Text, call, or WhatsApp a human.