Cruise Ships in Alaska: Cruise Lines, Ship Size, Departure Ports and Glaciers

A ship’s horn rolls off the mountains at Skagway, and travelers on the dock start comparing notes on which line they sailed with and where they boarded. Alaska is served by several big cruise brands, each with its own habits, ports and land extensions. Princess, Holland America, Norwegian and Royal Caribbean all run Alaska voyages, and they leave from a handful of West Coast and Alaska ports.

Which ships sail in Alaska?

Most cruise ships work the Caribbean or the Mediterranean, but a good number of them head for Alaska, and four lines in particular have built a clear Alaska identity: Princess, Holland America, Norwegian and Royal Caribbean. Each one pairs the water route with something on land, and that pairing is often what decides which line suits you.

Princess Cruises

Princess has been voted Best Cruise Line in Alaska 22 times by the readers of Travel Weekly. Its Alaska voyages leave from several ports, including one-way cruises from Whittier.

What sets the line apart on land is its string of wilderness lodges. Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge sits one mile from the entrance to Denali National Park. Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge is two hours south of that entrance and 40 miles from Mt. McKinley. Copper River Princess Wilderness Lodge stands on the edge of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, the largest national park in the United States, and Kenai Princess Wilderness Lodge was named one of the Top 12 Resorts in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest by Condé Nast Traveler readers.

Holland America Line

Holland America is an American line, a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation & plc, with its headquarters in Seattle. It is a major operator of cruises and overland tours in Alaska, and it owns multiple hotels and two railroads across the state. Its Westmark Hotels operate in Alaska and Yukon, and the White Pass and Yukon Route railroad, which connects Skagway with Whitehorse, came under its ownership in 2018.

Its cruises offer privileged access to Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve, with National Park Service rangers and wildlife experts on board. There is also a glacier guarantee: if your Alaska cruise does not include a glacier visit, you receive a Future Cruise Credit equal to 15% of your fare. The cruisetours add a stay at the privately owned Holland America Denali Lodge, along with a complimentary tour of Denali National Park.

Norwegian Cruise Line

Norwegian has expanded into Alaska. Three ships carry its Alaska cruises: Norwegian Bliss, Norwegian Encore and Norwegian Joy. Pride of America is the only Norwegian ship flagged in the United States.

The line has also put money into Alaska itself. In December 2018 it revealed plans to build a new pier at Icy Strait Point, a stop where, according to Celebrity’s guidance, you can fly over the treetops at 60 mph on the ZipRider.

Royal Caribbean International

Royal Caribbean builds its Alaska offer around 7-night cruises and around cruisetours that pair one of those cruises with a land journey into Denali National Park. Each itinerary has its own departure port and its own season, which matters if you are choosing a month.

The Alaska Adventure visits Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier. The cruisetours that start from Seward visit Hubbard Glacier, the largest tidewater glacier in North America.

How large are they?

How large are they? The ships themselves dwarf the docks of small towns, yet the glaciers they sail toward make them look small.

What a big ship holds

On Norwegian’s Alaska ships, the Waterfront is an outdoor promenade one-quarter mile long, a way to walk the length of the ship with the scenery sliding past. Across the industry, the largest ships ever built are the Icon-class vessels of Royal Caribbean, powered by liquefied natural gas.

Dining is included in the cruise price on almost all ships, with meals served in main dining rooms and buffet-style eateries. Traditionally there are two dinner services, early and late, and each passenger is given a set time for the whole voyage, though a recent trend lets diners eat whenever they like.

Drinks are a different matter. Most lines do not include alcohol in the fare, and passengers pay as they go, since most also prohibit bringing and drinking your own beverages on board. Casinos open only when the ship is at sea, to avoid conflict with local laws.

How long the trips run

A cruise can be a week or much longer. Holland America’s Alaska cruises range from 7 to 28 days, and its cruisetours, which add a land portion, range from 9 to 17 days. Royal Caribbean’s cruisetours pair a 7-night cruise with a land journey of 2 to 6 nights into Denali National Park.

Holland America’s cruisetours include a stay of 1 to 3 nights at its Denali Lodge. New for 2028, the line offers an 11-day California-to-Alaska itinerary departing from San Diego.

Ship scale against the ice

The ice is where size stops mattering. Dawes Glacier, at the head of the 30-mile Endicott Arm fjord, is a 600-foot-tall wall of ice. Hubbard Glacier is the equivalent of 30 stories high.

The route between ports is the Inside Passage, a sheltered, 500-mile channel scattered with forested islands. A ship passing through it spends much of its time among green shores, and the glacier stops give the voyage its high point.

Where are they based?

Alaska cruises start from a short list of ports on the West Coast, in British Columbia and on the Gulf of Alaska coast, while the lines themselves are headquartered in Seattle and Miami. Where you board shapes the whole trip, so it helps to see the ports side by side.

Seattle and Vancouver

Seattle and Vancouver appear on every line’s list. A round-trip 7-day Norwegian cruise from Seattle visits Endicott Arm fjord, Dawes Glacier, Juneau and Sitka, while Royal Caribbean’s round-trip sailings leave from both cities at different times of the season.

Seattle is also home to Holland America’s headquarters. Norwegian is headquartered in Miami-Dade County, Florida, and Celebrity in Miami.

Whittier, Seward and the Alaska side

Whittier, called the Anchorage cruise port in Princess’s listing, is a departure point for Princess one-way voyages, while Seward is Norwegian’s Alaska departure point and the start of Royal Caribbean’s Hubbard Glacier cruisetours. Holland America’s cruisetours reach Anchorage and Fairbanks, so you can start or finish deep in the state and spend your land days around Denali.

California ports serve the longer positioning sailings. Princess leaves from San Francisco and Los Angeles, and Holland America’s San Diego departure is the one added for 2028.

Ports of call along the way

Norwegian’s Alaska cruises call at Skagway, Juneau, Icy Strait Point, Sitka, Ketchikan, Prince Rupert, Victoria and Astoria. Each stop has its own character. In Skagway, the Red Onion Saloon has stood since 1898, and Icy Strait Point has a ZipRider that flies over the treetops.

Skagway is also the starting point of the White Pass and Yukon Route railroad to Whitehorse, now owned by Holland America. Some listed itineraries visit the Inside Passage or a glacier.

Good to know before you go

Royal Caribbean’s Alaska itineraries in the table run during specified months from May through September. Because the Royal Caribbean itineraries start and end in different months, the sailing you want may only exist in part of that window. Keep drinks in mind when you set a budget, since most lines charge for alcohol on top of the fare, and remember that a glacier visit is the heart of the trip: Holland America backs it with a 15% credit if none is included.

Sources

• Wikipedia, Cruise ship (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cruise_ship), checked October 11, 2026
• Wikipedia, Princess Cruises (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Cruises), checked October 11, 2026
• Wikipedia, Holland America Line (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holland_America_Line), checked October 11, 2026
• Wikipedia, Norwegian Cruise Line (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norwegian_Cruise_Line), checked October 11, 2026
• Wikipedia, Celebrity Cruises (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celebrity_Cruises), checked October 11, 2026
• Wikipedia, Royal Caribbean International (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Caribbean_International), checked October 11, 2026
• Princess Cruises, Alaska cruises (https://www.princess.com/en-us/cruise-destinations/alaska-cruises), checked October 11, 2026
• Holland America Line, Alaska cruises (https://www.hollandamerica.com/en/us/cruise-destinations/alaska-cruises), checked October 11, 2026
• Norwegian Cruise Line, Alaska cruises (https://www.ncl.com/cruise-destinations/alaska-cruises), checked October 11, 2026
• Royal Caribbean, Alaska cruises (https://www.royalcaribbean.com/cruise-destinations/alaska-cruises), checked October 11, 2026
• Celebrity Cruises, Alaska cruises (https://www.celebritycruises.com/cruise-destinations/alaska-cruises), checked October 11, 2026

To plan your stay

• Alaska Cruise in May: Port Weather, Whales and Glaciers, and the Cruise Lines
• Alaska Cruise Ports: Ketchikan, Skagway, Sitka, Icy Strait Point and Where Cruises Start
• How Much Does an Alaska Cruise Cost?: Cruise Lengths, What's Included and Extras
• Alaska Cruise in June: Weather, Ports, Wildlife and Glaciers

Nearby places

• Anchorage Travel Guide: Museums, Wildlife, Chugach Trails and When to Go
• Denali National Park Travel Guide: the Park Road, Bus Rides, Sled Dogs and When to Go
• Juneau Travel Guide: Mendenhall Glacier, Mount Roberts Tram, Wildlife and When to Go