The spectacular winter wonderland that’s best explored by cruise

Alaska is among the world’s most spectacular destinations, and if you want to see the best of it there’s only one way to go – by sea.

How else will you access the majestic glaciers, fjords and mountains of its 6,640 miles of coastline, or catch a glimpse of the magnificent wildlife – whales, bears, eagles and more – that calls this maritime wilderness home?

There’s only one problem. Demand. Passenger numbers in 2024 were 1.67 million, up from around 1.1 million before the pandemic. Worldwide, only the Caribbean sees more passengers.

The problem is keenest in ports of call. In June 2024, one of the key ports, Juneau, began measures to limit the number of daily passengers disembarking.

What does this mean in practice? Not too much if you accept that Alaskan cruising is mostly about the scenery, not the ports. Study itineraries for the areas of daytime scenic cruising (see below) rather than the charms or otherwise of the towns.

The few ports and the topography of the Alaskan and British Columbian coasts – most cruises ply both – mean that itineraries are similar. The main differences involve the length of trips – either part way up and back down the coast in a loop or one way farther north to Anchorage.

Trips beyond Anchorage offer the most unusual cruises, and often another point of difference: the size of your ship.

Classic routes are usually aboard big vessels (1,000–5,000 passengers); smaller and expedition ships (from as few as eight to 200-plus passengers) often run shorter itineraries but can access areas impassable to big ships.

Much to consider, then. Below we offer a guide to the classic and more off-beat routes, along with the main areas of scenic cruising, when to travel, and other key tips that will help you navigate one of the world’s finest cruising destinations.

The classic Alaska cruise itineraries

Classic Alaskan big ship cruising involves three ports of departure: San Francisco, Seattle and Vancouver. Shorter cruises (from five to 11 days) start at one of these ports and usually run part-way up the British Columbian and Alaskan coasts as far north as Juneau or Skagway before looping back to the port of departure.

Longer cruises (10 or 11 days plus) often run farther north, usually one-way to Whittier, one of two cruise terminals (with Seward) for Anchorage, 60 miles away by road. Such cruises (See “Off-beat options”, below) leave from the same ports – or run in reverse from Anchorage – offering more coastline and onward options on the Alaskan mainland.

Your port of departure is significant. San Francisco’s southerly position means several days at sea before the first of the highlights common to all itineraries – the Inside Passage, an awe-inspiring labyrinth of islands, bays and mountains between northern Vancouver Island and Skagway.

Vancouver, by contrast, offers more days of scenic cruising – and the biggest choice of shorter cruises – being the most northerly point of departure and thus closer to the big landscapes of the Inside Passage and the Alaskan Panhandle (the narrow strip of coastal Alaska that parallels the British Columbian border).

Cruises from Seattle and Vancouver also usually ply the Georgia Strait between Vancouver Island and the British Columbian mainland, an almost equally scenic prequel to the Inside Passage. Seattle cruises often add the bonus of a stop in charming Victoria on Vancouver Island.

Bear in mind that one of the beauties of Alaskan cruising is that you can extend your trip pre- or post-cruise in Seattle, Vancouver and San Francisco. All are beautiful cities in their own right, with plenty to see, whether it’s British Columbia and the Canadian Rockies from Vancouver or Yosemite and the Pacific Coast Highway out of San Francisco.

Ports of call

The shorter classic itineraries usually make the same ports of call, regardless of departure point – Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway – but these busy towns, on the whole, are not the point of an Alaskan cruise – so don’t expect too much of the ports themselves and plan (and book) your shore excursions accordingly.

Each port has at least one dazzling star turn – the rainforest ziplines at Ketchikan; the majestic Mendenhall Glacier near Juneau; and a ride on the historic White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad (wpyr.com) from Skagway.

Fewer cruises – usually on smaller vessels – visit Canada’s glorious Haida Gwaii (gohaidagwaii.ca) islands. Those that do often sacrifice cruise time further north.

In Alaskan waters, there are three additional or alternative ports of call: Sitka is the former capital of the earliest Imperial Russian settlers in Alaska and one of the prettiest towns in the state. Ignore the Russian-themed tat of the souvenir shops and concentrate on the cultural attractions and the short hikes in the Starrigavan area.

Haines is an alternative to nearby Skagway, and is noted for jet-boat tours up-river into the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve (dnr.alaska.gov/parks) for a taste of the wilderness and good wildlife-spotting opportunities. Note, however, that the area’s famed gathering of thousands of bald eagles happens in November, outside the cruising season.

The third stop, Icy Strait Point (icystraitpoint.com), is not a port town, but rather a contrived cruise stop built around a restored cannery – it’s not a compelling layover.

More critical than the ports are two scenic cruising set-pieces you don’t want to miss: Tracy Arm (fs.usda.gov/tongass) is an immense, glacier-framed fjord, but not all ships are able – or have time – to navigate its narrow waters. If you miss it by sea, consider splashing out on a helicopter or small plane tour from Juneau.

Ships looping back from Juneau or continuing to Skagway or beyond may also offer scenic cruising in Glacier Bay (nps.gov/glba), a 65-mile-long fjord framed by 16 glaciers and ringed by the world’s highest coastal mountains. Again, not all shorter itineraries include the Bay, so check.

Off-beat Alaska itineraries

The more unusual Alaskan cruises divide into three: longer cruises from Vancouver, Seattle or San Francisco beyond Juneau and Skagway to Whittier-Seward (Anchorage) or vice versa; cruises from Anchorage to Alaskan islands such as Kodiak, usually for bear-watching opportunities; and cruises along the long line of the Alaskan Peninsula, the Aleutian Islands and sailings to the Northwest Passage.

Longer cruises terminating or beginning at Whittier or Seward offer the opportunity to extend your trip and explore mainland Alaska but will involve the additional cost and consideration of flights to or from Anchorage or Fairbanks. Alaska Airlines (alaskair.com) flies between both cities and Seattle but there are currently no non-stop flights between Vancouver and Alaska.

Longer cruises to Anchorage mostly follow the same basic route but can offer different scenic cruising options. Study itineraries carefully to see which of the highlights below are included.

First up is the Hubbard Glacier, less well known than Tracy Arm or Glacier Bay, but the largest, most spectacular and most active glacier on the Alaskan coast (it calves almost continuously in summer); even the largest cruise ships here are dwarfed by the 40-storey high glacier.

Closer to Anchorage is Prince William Sound, a vast watery expanse the size of Switzerland, meaning cruise itineraries cannot take in its many highlights. Look for scenic cruising that incorporates College Fjord, in the bay’s north-west corner, which contains the world’s highest number of tidewater glaciers along with snow-capped mountains as far as the eye can see.

Cruises beyond Anchorage

The second group of more unusual Alaskan cruises feature shorter sailings from Anchorage or Whittier and Seward. Here, the targets are relatively close by, starting with Turnagain Arm – majestic fjords and mountains – which you can see in part on day trips by jet boat (alaskabackcountryaccess.com) from Anchorage and elsewhere.

If you need to make the journey between Anchorage and Seward, consider riding the 114 miles of railway (alaskarailroad.com) between the two (journey time three hours 20 minutes one-way; from $111/£87). Passing glaciers, fjords and gorges and cresting mountain passes, it’s one of North America’s most scenic train rides.

Further afield, the most popular cruise destinations are Kodiak Island, Alaska’s largest island, and Kenai Fjords (nps.gov/kefj) and Katmai National Park (nps.gov/katm). In all three cases, landscapes aside, the key attraction is bears.

Third among the more pioneering Alaska cruises are those that run along the length of the Alaskan Peninsula and continue to one or more of the Aleutian Islands, with Dutch Harbor, on Amaknak Island, the most popular destination, not least because US visitors know it from the popular Deadliest Catch fishing TV series.

It’s a wild and beautiful place, and unimaginably remote, as well as being rich in half-forgotten Second World War history, parts of the Aleutian Islands having been bombed and invaded by the Japanese, which prompted the building of US bases at Dutch Harbor and elsewhere.

A handful of Aleutian Island cruises continue to Nome (visitnomealaska.com), Alaska’s final frontier, close to the Arctic Circle and Bering Strait, usually as part of cruises across the top of North America via the Northwest Passage.

Cruise lines to book with

Numerous cruises follow Canadian and southern Alaskan itineraries from Seattle, San Francisco and Vancouver to Juneau, Skagway or Whittier (Anchorage). You will have to search harder for (often small ship) cruises to destinations beyond Anchorage to the Alaskan Peninsula.

Alaska’s popularity means that virtually all the big main cruise companies offer sailings of classic routes, usually on larger ships (1000-plus passengers). Those with the biggest range include Holland America, Celebrity, Princess, Norwegian Cruise Line, Hurtigruten and Royal Caribbean.

Operators with more luxury-oriented sailings on larger ships include Crystal, Regent Seven Seas and Oceania, along with the smaller vessels (and often more varied itineraries) of Silversea and Seabourn.

Lindblad-National Geographic has some of the best expedition-size vessels, often able to navigate areas off limits to larger ships. Other small ship operators include HX Hurtigruten Expeditions, American Cruise Lines, UnCruise Adventures, Alaskan Dream Cruises and The Boat Company.

Small ship sailings with companies like UnCruise, round-trip to Dutch Harbor from Seward, are the best way to see the Aleutian Islands but many of the big operators, including Holland America, Regent Seven Seas and Oceania, offer North Pacific cruises that incorporate Aleutian Island stops en route between Japan and Alaska.

For round trips from Vancouver (with return by air) to Nome, plus the Bering Strait, Kodiak, Aleutian Islands and other more unusual Alaskan stops, contact HX (Hurtigruten Expeditions) or National Geographic-Lindblad.

If you want to see the Alaskan interior but don’t want to travel independently, try an all-inclusive guided “cruise tour”. This involves a cruise and several days’ group (occasionally self-guided) touring by coach, train or both, usually in Alaska but also in the Canadian Rockies or elsewhere.

Princess (princess.com) has a popular range of such trips embracing the Alaskan mainland, while Titan (titantravel.co.uk) has Canadian Rockies and other extensions.

How much does an Alaska cruise cost?

Competition among larger operators on the classic shorter cruises keeps prices keen. Costs also vary by month. Holland America (hollandamerica.com), for example, offers multiple departures on its seven-day sailing “Alaska Inside Passage” round trip from Vancouver, calling at Skagway, Juneau and Ketchikan, with scenic cruising in Tracy Arm and Glacier Bay, from £649 in May, £949 in July and £749 in August.

Prices are per person in 2025, assuming two sharing, cruise only, with meals, in an inside cabin.

For the best Alaska cruises to book in 2025, see our guide.

The best time to cruise Alaska

High season for cruising – and Alaska in general – runs from Memorial Day weekend (the last in May) to Labor Day weekend (the first in September). Between these dates, the weather is amenable, though it can still be rainy and misty on the coast, and the northerly latitude means you will also have plenty of daylight.

Many tourist offices, tours and properties shut down outside this period, though enough remain open to make Alaska’s brief shoulder season – the last two weeks in May and the first two in September – a good time to find fewer people, lower cruise prices, more vacant rooms and lower excursion prices.

More remote or high Arctic cruises (to Nome, the Northwest Passage and Aleutian Islands) usually depart in August.