Alaska Cruise Ports: Ketchikan, Skagway, Sitka, Icy Strait Point and Where Cruises Start

On the first morning of an Alaska cruise, the ship slows, the engines hush, and a town of painted wooden buildings slides into view against a wall of dark forest. Somewhere on deck, someone is already asking which town this is and what to do with the hours ashore. Alaska cruises tie up at gold rush towns, Native-owned cannery sites, old Russian settlements and railroad terminals, and each port has a different reason to step off.

Which ports do Alaska cruises call at?

Alaska cruises call at small towns such as Ketchikan, Skagway, Sitka, Haines and Icy Strait Point, and they begin or end at larger gateways such as Seward, Whittier, Seattle and Vancouver. The first group is where you spend a day wandering streets, boarding a tour or watching for wildlife. The second is where your trip is stitched to flights, trains and highways.

Each town has its own character, and the ship’s berth often shapes the day. Some ports put you a few steps from the shops, while others set you at a purpose-built site with its own museum, restaurant and excursion desks.

Ketchikan: two places to dock

Ships in Ketchikan dock in one of two main locations, downtown or Ward Cove. Downtown offers five potential berths, Piers 1 through 4 and Doyon Landing, which typically takes smaller overnight ships. Ward Cove has a single pier that ships can use on both sides.

Your ship’s berth decides how your day begins, so the Cruise Ship Calendar on the Visit Ketchikan website tells you where yours will tie up. If you want a tour, you can book directly with the company through its website ahead of time. You can also book on the day at the Visitors Center on Berth 2 or at the kiosks along the docks.

Ports of call along the coast

Skagway is a stop built around the summer tourist trade, and its population doubles in the season to cope with the visitors. Sitka is a town of Russian and Tlingit history set among wet forest. Haines is a quieter neighbor with a historic fort and a highway that runs out to Canada.

Icy Strait Point sits 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 Alaska Natives with ties to Hoonah and Glacier Bay. The site is a destination in itself, with a restored cannery, shops and a starting point for bear and whale excursions.

Where cruises begin and end

Seward is a pivotal cruise port, with many ships starting or ending their journeys there. Passengers then connect to Ted Stevens International Airport in Anchorage by the Alaska Railroad or the Seward Highway. Whittier does the same job for one-way cruises, and Princess lists it as the Whittier (Anchorage) cruise port.

Round-trip sailings start from cities farther down the coast. Seattle and Vancouver appear on the schedules of both Princess and Holland America. San Francisco and Los Angeles are on Princess’s list, and San Diego is on Holland America’s.

Which ports are most common?

Skagway and Seward stand out, the first as a popular stop for cruise ships and the second as a pivotal port where many ships start or end their journeys. Around them sit the departure cities of Seattle and Vancouver, which both major lines in our listings use. Haines, Sitka, Ketchikan and Icy Strait Point fill out the list of places where ships stop and passengers go ashore.

Skagway, the stop built for ships

Skagway lives on the tourist trade, and in the summer season its population doubles to handle the crowds. Cruise passengers step into a town where wooden storefronts from the gold rush still line the streets, and a historic district holds about 100 buildings from that era.

From the port, the White Pass and Yukon Route narrow gauge railroad leaves on summer-season runs. The line was once part of the area’s mining past and now operates purely for the tourist trade. A cruise day here tends to be a walk through the old district, a seat on the train, and an evening-style show at the Eagles Hall.

Seward, where a trip starts or ends

In Seward, the cruise terminal sits on land owned by the Alaska Railroad, about 328 acres that also hold the docks, the uplands and the rail yards. Over 200,000 people and every kind of cargo pass through the railroad facilities each year. That mix of ships, trains and freight gives the waterfront the feel of a working transfer point.

The passenger dock has two faces of 736 feet each, with fenders, mooring bollards and dolphins to hold the ships in place. A separate freight dock handles cargo. The city has received a $45.7 million EPA grant to bring shore power to the port.

Departure cities and what each line offers

Holland America cruisetours add a stay of one to three nights at the privately owned Holland America Denali Lodge, along with a complimentary tour of Denali National Park. New for 2028, Holland America offers an 11-day California-to-Alaska cruise itinerary departing from San Diego.

What is each port known for?

Each port has one thing it does better than the rest: Skagway has its gold rush streets, Sitka its Russian past, Icy Strait Point its wildlife excursions, Haines its eagles and fort, and Whittier its single building.

Skagway: gold rush history

Skagway’s pull is the Klondike story. Visitors can explore the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park and learn about the White Pass and Chilkoot Trails, both tied to the stampede of prospectors who once crossed the mountains. The historic district keeps the period alive in its storefronts.

In the evening, the Days of ’98 Show is performed in the Fraternal Order of Eagles Hall, a piece of theater that fits the town’s frontier past. Ride the White Pass and Yukon Route in the summer months for a view of the line that grew out of the mining era.

Sitka: Russian history and rain

Sitka is known for its past under Russian rule. Sitka National Historical Park is a national protected area where the National Park Service has restored the Russian Bishop’s House, parts of which served as a schoolhouse. Twenty-two buildings and sites in town appear in the National Register of Historic Places.

Each year the town holds an Alaska Day Festival, a week-long event with a reenactment ceremony of the signing of the Alaska purchase and interpretive programs. The first recorded festival was held in 1949. The climate is oceanic, so expect a lot of rain and a mild year-round temperature.

Icy Strait Point: cannery, bears and whales

At Icy Strait Point the old Hoonah Packing Company facility from the 1930s has been converted into a museum, restaurant and shops. It gives the site a built-in place to spend time between excursions, and the ownership by Huna Totem Corporation ties the visit to Hoonah and its people.

Visitors can search for coastal brown bears on the Spasski River, though sightings are not guaranteed. Whale watching excursions head to the Point Adolphus feeding area for humpback whales. Treat both as chances, not promises.

Haines and Whittier: two small, distinct towns

Haines is linked to the North American highway system by the Haines Highway, which runs 39 miles to the Canadian border and on to a junction with the Alaska Highway in Yukon. Fort William H. Seward, a National Historic Landmark since 1978, has structures open as businesses and restaurants. The Southeast Alaska State Fair brings four days of festivities on the last weekend of July.

Haines also draws bald eagles to the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve between October and February, when it has the largest concentration of bald eagles in the world. Whittier sits at the head of the Passage Canal about 58 miles from Anchorage. It is nicknamed The Town Under One Roof because almost all of its residents live in the Begich Towers Condominium, and it is a port for the Alaska Marine Highway.

Good to know before you go

Juneau is relatively remote and not completely accessible by car, so plan transportation early if you fly in to join a ship. Alaska Airlines offers year-round daily jet service to Juneau from Seattle and Anchorage, and Delta provides seasonal service.

Haines Airport has one carrier, Alaska Seaplanes, which serves Skagway and Juneau. Skagway’s railroad runs in the summer months, and the eagle gathering in Haines belongs to the colder stretch from October to February. Wet-weather layers suit Sitka and Whittier, which both receive a great deal of rain.

Sources

• Travel Juneau, plan your trip (https://www.traveljuneau.com/plan-your-trip/), checked October 11, 2026
• Visit Ketchikan, cruise travelers (https://www.visit-ketchikan.com/cruise-travelers/), checked October 11, 2026
• Wikipedia, Skagway, Alaska (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skagway,_Alaska), checked October 11, 2026
• Wikipedia, Sitka, Alaska (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sitka,_Alaska), checked October 11, 2026
• Wikipedia, Icy Strait Point (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Icy_Strait_Point), checked October 11, 2026
• Seward, cruise ship terminal (https://www.seward.com/maritime/dock-facilities/seward-cruise-ship-terminal/), checked October 11, 2026
• Wikipedia, Whittier, Alaska (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whittier,_Alaska), checked October 11, 2026
• Wikipedia, Haines, Alaska (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haines,_Alaska), 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

To plan your stay

• Alaska Cruise in May: Port Weather, Whales and Glaciers, and the Cruise Lines
• Which Side of the Ship for an Alaska Cruise: Glacier Bay, Inside Passage Routes and Balcony Choices
• 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