On a gray Seattle morning, the ferries cross Elliott Bay, the coffee line at Pike Place Market is already long, and somewhere along the waterfront a big white ship is waiting with its gangways down. That is where many Alaska voyages begin, in a city that has been the natural gateway to the north for more than a century. Seattle offers cruises on several major lines, two cruise terminals on the waterfront, and a way to reach Alaska without flying there first.
Which Alaska cruises leave from Seattle?
Several major lines run Alaska cruises out of Seattle, among them Holland America Line, Princess Cruises and Norwegian, with itineraries that follow the Inside Passage and the coast beyond it. The Port of Seattle publishes a cruise schedule, and that schedule is subject to change throughout the season, so a sailing you have your eye on is worth confirming with the line itself.
Seattle is a home port, meaning ships begin and end their voyages here rather than just stopping in. Passengers fly in, spend a night or two in the city, and walk or ride to the pier on embarkation day. The city does a lot of that work for the cruise lines, and the port itself says cruising brings real money into the region.
| Line | Alaska cruise departure ports |
|---|---|
| Holland America Line | Seattle, Vancouver, Whittier or San Diego |
| Holland America cruisetours | Seattle, Vancouver, Anchorage or Fairbanks |
| Norwegian | Seward, Vancouver and Seattle |
Holland America Line
Its cruisetours combine a ship with time on land, and those can begin or end in Anchorage or Fairbanks, which means you can leave Seattle by sea and come home by another route.
The line also has 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. It is a useful promise to know about, since glaciers are one of the reasons most people book in the first place.
Princess Cruises and Norwegian
Princess Cruises has been voted Best Cruise Line in Alaska 22 times by the readers of Travel Weekly, and it shares the Smith Cove terminal with Holland America. Its name also turns up on land, because it runs wilderness lodges near Denali National Park for guests who add a land stay to a sea voyage.
Norwegian’s Alaska cruises leave from Seattle as well as Vancouver and Seward. Its Alaska fleet is made up of Norwegian Bliss, Norwegian Encore and Norwegian Joy, large ships with plenty of deck space for watching the coast slide by.
How do you get to the cruise terminal in Seattle?
You reach the ships at one of two waterfront cruise terminals in Seattle, and which one you need depends on your cruise line, so your boarding paperwork names the pier. Both sit on the city’s own shoreline, which is part of the charm: you can finish breakfast in a downtown café and be at a ship the same morning.
| Terminal | Pier | Opened |
|---|---|---|
| Bell Street Pier Cruise Terminal | Pier 66 | 2000 |
| Smith Cove Cruise Terminal | Pier 91 | 2009 |
Bell Street Pier and Smith Cove
Bell Street Pier brought heavy cruise ships back to Seattle for the first time in decades. The pier holds a good deal of public space, including a rooftop park, so even if you are only passing through, the place feels like part of the waterfront rather than a gated port.
Smith Cove, at Pier 91, was built to give Holland America Line and Princess Cruises a more permanent home in the city. It is a purpose-built terminal for the big ships, and it is where those two lines are tied up in the Alaska season.
Arriving by air and the Port of Seattle
The Port of Seattle, a public agency, oversees both the seaport and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, so the airport and the cruise piers belong to the same organization. Most travelers from outside the region fly into the city first. Adults must show valid identification at the airport security checkpoint, and the list of accepted IDs can change without notice.
Seattle also hosts the Victoria Clipper terminal at Pier 69, a hydrofoil service that is a different trip from an Alaska cruise. Keep that in mind when you read a map of the waterfront, since the piers sit in a row and the signage is for several kinds of boats.
A night in town before you sail is a good plan. Pike Place Market, where the first Starbucks opened, and the Space Needle, built for the World’s Fair, are the postcard stops, while the ferries on Puget Sound give you a taste of the water before the big voyage.
Where do the ships go in Alaska?
Ships from Seattle follow the Inside Passage and call at the small coastal towns of Southeast Alaska, with some itineraries stopping in Canada or on the Oregon coast along the way. The exact list varies by line and sailing, so the best guide is the itinerary printed on your own booking.
Norwegian’s Alaska cruises call at Skagway, Juneau, Icy Strait Point, Sitka, Ketchikan, Prince Rupert, Victoria and Astoria. That list shows the range of the region: a gold rush town at the head of a channel, a state capital you reach only by water or air, a Tlingit-area port at Icy Strait Point, and a Russian-influenced fishing town at Sitka.
Alaska ports on the Norwegian list
Skagway and Juneau are the names many first-timers recognize. Skagway keeps its wooden boardwalks and its link to the Klondike story, while Juneau sits below steep, forested mountains. Ketchikan is known for its creek-side houses on stilts and a waterfront that lives by fishing and floatplanes.
Sitka and Icy Strait Point are quieter by comparison. Sitka has a long mix of Tlingit and Russian history, and Icy Strait Point is a small port set in a wild landscape, where days tend to be about the shoreline and the water. In each town, what you do on land depends on the tours and options your line offers.
Canadian and Oregon stops
Prince Rupert and Victoria are in Canada, and Astoria is in Oregon. They may appear on a Seattle itinerary because the ships travel along a coastline that crosses an international border. Victoria is a harbor city with a grand waterfront, and Prince Rupert is a working port town on British Columbia’s northern coast.
Glaciers are a draw of the trip, and Holland America’s guarantee shows how seriously the lines take the promise. Beyond that, whale and wildlife sightings are chances rather than promises, so bring binoculars and patience and keep your eyes on the water.
What do you need to board?
What you need depends on how you travel to Seattle and which ports your ship visits, but a valid U.S. passport covers every case in these rules. Because some Seattle sailings call in Canada, the rules for entering by land or sea matter as well as the rules for flying.
If you fly to Seattle
U.S. citizens entering by air can use a valid U.S. passport, a Trusted Traveler Program card (NEXUS, SENTRI or FAST), a U.S. military identification card on official orders, or a U.S. Merchant Mariner document for official maritime business. Children traveling by air must present their own passport, and an Indian or tribal card cannot be used for air travel.
Lawful permanent residents of the United States are not required to present a passport when entering by air, but they must continue to present a valid Permanent Resident Card. At the airport checkpoint, adults 18 and older must show valid identification to travel.
If you enter by land or sea
U.S. citizens entering by land or sea can present a valid U.S. passport, a Passport Card, an Enhanced Driver’s License, a Trusted Traveler Program card, a U.S. military ID on official orders, a U.S. Merchant Mariner document, a Form I-872 American Indian Card or an Enhanced Tribal Card. That wider list applies at the sea border, which is the one that matters when a ship returns to the United States.
On the Canadian side, border officers may examine travelers’ digital devices. Anyone flying into Canada can use Advance Declaration in ArriveCAN to submit customs and immigration details before arriving, and travelers can check wait times at the land border. Your cruise line tells you what it asks of passengers, so read its boarding instructions alongside these government rules.
Good to know before you go
Seattle is the cloudiest region of the continental United States, so a light rain layer belongs in your day bag even before you reach Alaska. The cruise schedule can change during the season, and the list of acceptable IDs can change without notice, so confirm both close to your travel date. Ships at the Port of Seattle use shore power from the city while docked, which means the engines can stay quiet beside the downtown waterfront.
Sources
- Port of Seattle, Cruise (https://www.portseattle.org/maritime/cruise), checked October 11, 2026
- Wikipedia, Port of Seattle (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_of_Seattle), checked October 11, 2026
- Wikipedia, Seattle (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seattle), 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
- 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
- Canada Border Services Agency, Cross the Canadian border (https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/travel-voyage/menu-eng.html), checked October 11, 2026
- Transportation Security Administration, acceptable identification (https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/identification), 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