Somewhere along the Inside Passage, a ship slows in a narrow fjord and passengers drift out onto the deck with coffee to look at a wall of blue ice. That moment is the reason most people book an Alaska cruise. Princess, Holland America, Norwegian and Royal Caribbean all sail here, from ports in the Lower 48, Canada and Alaska itself, and the season runs through the warmer months.
Which cruise lines sail to Alaska?
Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Norwegian Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean all run Alaska itineraries, and Celebrity also describes the Inside Passage as the heart of its Alaska voyages. Most cruise ships head for the Caribbean or the Mediterranean, but Alaska is one of the places where others operate. Each line has its own personality, shaped by its ships, its routes and the land stays it attaches to the sailing.
Princess and Holland America
Princess has been voted Best Cruise Line in Alaska 22 times by the readers of Travel Weekly. Its strength is the land side: Princess runs its own wilderness lodges, including the Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge near the park entrance, the Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge, the Copper River Princess Wilderness Lodge on the edge of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, and the Kenai Princess Wilderness Lodge, which Condé Nast Traveler readers named one of the Top 12 Resorts in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest.
Holland America sails Alaska cruises that range from 7 to 28 days, and it offers privileged access to Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve, with National Park Service Rangers and Wildlife Experts on board. If a Holland America Alaska cruise does not include a glacier visit, the line gives a Future Cruise Credit equal to 15% of the fare. Its cruisetours add a stay at the privately owned Holland America Denali Lodge and a complimentary tour of Denali National Park.
Norwegian and Royal Caribbean
Norwegian sends Norwegian Bliss, Norwegian Encore and Norwegian Joy to Alaska. On board, the Waterfront is an outdoor promenade a quarter mile long, a handy place to watch the coast slide past. Its seven-day round trip from Seattle visits Endicott Arm fjord, Dawes Glacier, Juneau and Sitka.
Royal Caribbean offers a 7-night Alaska Adventure from Seattle, an Alaska Experience, and an Alaska Inside Passage cruise from Vancouver. Its Alaska Cruisetours pair a 7-night cruise with a land journey into Denali National Park, and from Seward they visit Hubbard Glacier.
What is included on board
Dining is included in the cruise price on almost all ships, with meals in main dining rooms and buffet-style eateries. Traditionally, restaurants run an early and a late dinner service, though a recent trend lets diners eat whenever they like. Most cruise lines do not include alcoholic drinks in the fare, so passengers pay as they go. Casinos are open only while the ship is at sea.
When is the Alaska cruise season?
The Alaska cruise season runs through the summer months, between May and September, and June is usually the driest month with the finest weather. Individual itineraries narrow that window, so the sailing you want decides the month more than the general season does.
Royal Caribbean shows how the calendar breaks down. Its 7-night Alaska Adventure sails round trip from Seattle from June through August and visits Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier. Its 7-night Alaska Experience sails round trip from Seattle in May and September only. Its 7-night Alaska Inside Passage cruise sails round trip from Vancouver from May through September.
| Royal Caribbean cruise | Departs from | Sails |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska Adventure (7 nights) | Seattle | June through August |
| Alaska Experience (7 nights) | Seattle | May and September only |
| Alaska Inside Passage (7 nights) | Vancouver | May through September |
Choosing between the early and late months
A sailing in May or September falls at the edges of the season, while June sits in the stretch usually known for the driest, finest weather. If a glacier day is the point of your trip, look at which itinerary includes Dawes Glacier, Hubbard Glacier or Glacier Bay, because the scenery is the real draw rather than the date on the calendar.
Dawes Glacier is a 600-foot-tall wall of ice at the head of the 30-mile Endicott Arm fjord. Hubbard Glacier is the equivalent of 30 stories high, and it is the largest tidewater glacier in North America. Whales, bears and calving ice are chances, never promises, so treat any sighting as a bonus.
Cruises that extend into the interior
Cruisetours stretch the trip beyond the ship. Holland America’s run 9 to 17 days, Royal Caribbean’s pair a 7-night cruise with 2 to 6 nights on land. These are the sailings for anyone who wants Denali alongside the coast, and they change the shape of the whole vacation.
Where do Alaska cruises leave from?
Alaska cruises leave from ports in the Lower 48, from Vancouver, and from Alaska itself, either round trip or one way. The choice of port decides how many days the trip takes and whether you finish where you began.
Seattle, Vancouver and the West Coast
Seattle and Vancouver are the departure ports that appear across the lines. Princess offers round-trip Alaska cruises from San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle and Vancouver. Holland America departs from Seattle, Vancouver, Whittier or San Diego, and for 2028 it adds an 11-day California-to-Alaska itinerary from San Diego. Norwegian leaves from Seattle, Vancouver and Seward, and Royal Caribbean sails round trip from Seattle and Vancouver.
A round-trip sailing brings you back to the same pier, which keeps the logistics simple. The Inside Passage itself runs more than 1,000 miles from Seattle northwest to Skagway, and the Alaska portion alone stretches 500 miles from north to south, so the starting port shapes how much of it you see.
Whittier, Seward and one-way voyages
Princess runs one-way cruises from the Whittier (Anchorage) cruise port, and Holland America and Norwegian also list Whittier and Seward among their departure points. Royal Caribbean’s Alaska Cruisetours from Seward visit Hubbard Glacier. A one-way sailing ends in a different city from where it began, which is why it pairs naturally with a land stay. Holland America’s cruisetours also depart from Anchorage or Fairbanks, so you can begin on land and finish aboard the ship, or the reverse.
Documents for Canadian ports
Because several itineraries start or call in Canada, documents matter. U.S. citizens entering by sea can present a valid passport, a Passport Card, an Enhanced Driver’s License or a Trusted Traveler card, among other listed documents. Children under 16 can present a birth certificate or other proof of citizenship for land or sea entry. Flying to a departure city requires a passport for children, and lawful permanent residents carry their Permanent Resident Card.
Which Alaska ports do ships visit?
Ships visit Skagway, Juneau, Icy Strait Point, Sitka and Ketchikan, with calls in Canada and the Pacific Northwest on some itineraries. Norwegian’s list of ports of call gives a good sense of the range: Skagway, Juneau, Icy Strait Point, Sitka, Ketchikan, Prince Rupert, Victoria and Astoria.
Skagway and Juneau
Skagway and Haines sit at the head of the Lynn Canal, the northernmost points of the Inside Passage. In Skagway, the Red Onion Saloon has stood since 1898, which tells you how much of the gold rush era still hangs over the waterfront. Walking its streets feels like stepping into the past.
Juneau is a stop on Norwegian’s seven-day Seattle round trip. Designated bear viewing is available at Pack Creek Bear Sanctuary on Admiralty Island near Juneau, and Anan Creek near Wrangell offers the same.
Icy Strait Point
Icy Strait Point is in Hoonah, on Chichagof Island, and opened for cruise ships in 2004. It is owned by Huna Totem Corporation, a company of about 1,350 Alaskan Natives with ties to Hoonah and Glacier Bay. The site includes the 1930s Hoonah Packing Company cannery, now a museum, restaurant and shops.
You can fly over the treetops at 60 mph on the ZipRider. Visitors can also search for coastal brown bears on the Spasski River, though sightings are not guaranteed, and whale watching excursions go to the Point Adolphus feeding area for humpback whales.
Sitka, Ketchikan and beyond
Sitka and Ketchikan round out the Inside Passage calls, a channel scattered with forested islands. The Alaska portion alone encompasses 1,000 islands and thousands of coves and bays. Prince Rupert, Victoria and Astoria appear on some Norwegian itineraries, which is where the passport rules above come into play.
Good to know before you go
Drinks are usually the extra expense on board, since most lines leave alcohol out of the fare and prohibit bringing your own. Meals, on the other hand, are included on almost all ships.
Glacier and wildlife moments are chances rather than guarantees, so build the trip around the itinerary you enjoy reading rather than a single sighting. With the season running from May to September, the choice of month mostly decides which itinerary is on offer.
Sources
- 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
- Wikipedia, Cruise ship (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cruise_ship), checked October 11, 2026
- Wikipedia, Inside Passage (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inside_Passage), checked October 11, 2026
- Wikipedia, Icy Strait Point (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Icy_Strait_Point), checked October 11, 2026
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (https://www.cbp.gov/travel/us-citizens/western-hemisphere-travel-initiative), checked October 11, 2026
All our pages
When to go
- Alaska Cruise in May: Port Weather, Whales and Glaciers, and the Cruise Lines
- Alaska Cruise in June: Weather, Ports, Wildlife and Glaciers
- Alaska Cruise in July: Weather, Glaciers, Whales and Ports
- Alaska Cruise in August: Glacier Ports, Weather, Wildlife and Cruisetours
- Alaska Cruise in September: Weather by Port, Glaciers, Wildlife and Routes
- Best Time for an Alaska Cruise: Season Dates, Peak Summer and the May and September Shoulders
Things to do
- Which Side of the Ship for an Alaska Cruise: Glacier Bay, Inside Passage Routes and Balcony Choices
- Alaska Cruise Excursions: Glaciers, Floatplanes, Whale Watching and Wildlife Tours
- Do You Need a Passport for an Alaska Cruise?: Accepted IDs, Children and Missed Ships
- Cruise Ships in Alaska: Cruise Lines, Ship Size, Departure Ports and Glaciers
- Alaska Cruisetour: Cruise, Rail, Denali Lodges and Who It Suits
- Celebrity Alaska Cruises: Ships, Routes, Glaciers and Ports of Call
- Gulf of Alaska Cruise: Ports, Glaciers and How the One-Way Route Works
- Holland America Alaska Cruises: Routes, Glaciers, Denali Cruisetours and Land Tours
- Icy Strait Point: Hoonah, Whale Watching, Bears and How Ships Arrive
- Inside Passage Cruise: Ports of Call, Departure Cities and Glaciers
- Juneau Shore Excursions: Mendenhall Glacier, the Goldbelt Tram, Whale Watching and Tracy Arm
- Ketchikan Shore Excursions: Misty Fjords Floatplanes, Totem Parks, Wildlife Tours and Creek Street
- Norwegian Alaska Cruises: Ships, Departure Ports, Glacier Itineraries and Ports of Call
- One-Way Alaska Cruise: Whittier and Seward Ports, Northbound vs. Southbound, and Getting Home
- Princess Alaska Cruises: Routes, Cruisetours and Wilderness Lodges
- Royal Caribbean Alaska Cruises: Routes, Ports, Hubbard Glacier and Denali Cruisetours
- Sitka Shore Excursions: Totem Poles, the Russian Bishop's House, Raptors and Whales
- Skagway Shore Excursions: White Pass Rail, the Chilkoot Trail and Self-Guided History
- Small-Ship Alaska Cruises: Inside Passage Routes, Glacier Bay, Tracy Arm and Admiralty Island
Getting there
- Alaska Cruise Ports: Ketchikan, Skagway, Sitka, Icy Strait Point and Where Cruises Start
- Alaska Cruise from Anchorage: Cruisetours, Departure Ports, Getting There and Documents
- Alaska Cruise from San Francisco: Princess Departures, Glacier Ports and Boarding Documents
- Alaska Cruise from Seattle: Terminals, Cruise Lines, Ports of Call and Boarding Documents
- Alaska Cruise from Seward: Ships, the Train from Anchorage, Ports of Call and Boarding Documents
- Alaska Cruise from Vancouver: Canada Place, Ports of Call and What You Need to Board
- Alaska Cruise from Whittier: Ships, the Tunnel, the Train and What to Bring
- Haines Cruise Port: Arriving on Lynn Canal, Fort Seward and the Eagle Preserve
- Juneau Cruise Port: Downtown Dock, Mount Roberts Tram, Mendenhall Glacier and Wildlife Tours
- Ketchikan Cruise Port: Where Ships Dock, What's Near the Pier and Excursions
- Seward Cruise Port: Ships, the Train and Highway to Anchorage, and What to Do Before You Leave
- Sitka Cruise Port: Old Sitka Dock, Downtown Sights and Excursions
- Skagway Cruise Port: The Port, the Historic District and Excursions
- Whittier Cruise Port: Glacier Cruises, the Anton Anderson Tunnel and Getting to Anchorage