A tidewater glacier meeting dark water in a steep fjord

Glaciers & wildlife

Alaskan Cruises

The same ship can sail in May or in August, and the coast will not look the same. In May the ice is still thick at the water and the air is cold. In August the salmon are in the rivers, the bears have come down to feed, and the evenings stay light.

Request a quote What you can do in port

Compare cruise lines Departure ports

Most Alaska sailings run seven to fourteen nights round trip from Seattle, or one way between Seattle or Vancouver and Seward or Whittier. Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Norwegian, Holland America, Princess, and Celebrity sail the Inside Passage. Holland America and Princess sail from Vancouver often, including one-way Gulf sailings. Cunard sails there in some seasons, not every year. We compare them side by side, with no obligation to any one line.

A brown bear in a river with salmon — In August the salmon are in the rivers, and the bears come down to feed.

Juneau, Ketchikan, Skagway, and Seward are the usual stops, with the fjords between them. You can hear a glacier calve. Whales and eagles are on the water. Bears are at the rivers, not on a highway.

Creek Street in Ketchikan, built over the water — Creek Street in Ketchikan sits on pilings over the creek, a short walk from the cruise docks.

Seattle or Vancouver as the departure port

The routes

Round-trip cruises from Seattle through the Inside Passage, 7 to 14 nights
A one-way cruise to Seward or Whittier usually leaves from Vancouver, and so do some Inside Passage round trips. That start needs a passport. The currency in the city is the Canadian dollar
Seattle to Seward or Whittier — one way, across the Gulf of Alaska
Glacier-focused sailings — Tracy Arm, Endicott Arm, College Fjord, Glacier Bay

Alaska in port

Watch a grizzly on the Kenai River, from a float plane or from the water
Whale watching out of Juneau or Seward
Skagway — the White Pass railroad and the Klondike gold camps
Ketchikan — Creek Street, and the totem poles at Saxman and Totem Bight
The port page names the dock, the ride, and what you can do there

Most Alaska stops end in the afternoon. Mendenhall Glacier is in Juneau, about 20 minutes from the cruise docks on Gastineau Channel. Creek Street is in downtown Ketchikan. A short ride from there reaches the totem poles at Saxman and Totem Bight. Skagway sits at the foot of White Pass, and the White Pass and Yukon Route railroad climbs from town to the pass. In Glacier Bay or Tracy Arm there is no pier. The ship spends those hours on the water. Some ships stay late enough in Juneau that you can eat in town. If you stay in Seattle or Vancouver before or after the cruise, you have the evening in the city. Steamed Dungeness crab can be lunch if you want it.

When to go

The season runs from May through September. In May it is colder, and the glaciers are at their largest. June and July are the busiest months, and the days are longest then. In August and early September the salmon run, the bears are at the rivers, and the evenings are long.

A train crossing a wooden trestle above a misty spruce valley

In port

What to expect in port

Mendenhall Glacier is in Juneau, about 20 minutes from the docks. Creek Street is in downtown Ketchikan. Skagway sits at the foot of White Pass. In Glacier Bay or Tracy Arm there is no pier. The ship spends those hours on the water.

Time in port: Most stops are four to eight hours. On a glacier sailing you often stay on the ship. You watch from the deck.
Worth the time: Stop in Juneau to visit the Mendenhall Glacier. You can eat grilled salmon, or a chowder made from it, or go out for a few hours and try to catch one. Stop in Skagway for the train up the White Pass.
Travelers: This suits people who want glaciers and wildlife, and who would rather have a balcony than a big theater.
Also: People come for the glacier and the White Pass train.

In port

Where the ship docks, and what you can do there

These are the usual stops on an Inside Passage cruise or a one-way cruise across the Gulf of Alaska. A scenic sail such as Tracy Arm, Glacier Bay, or Hubbard Glacier has no pier. You watch from the ship.

See the ports

Sample itineraries

These are typical routings and ports. Ships, dates, and fares change.

The White Pass train on a trestle above a forested valley — The White Pass railroad climbs out of Skagway, above the valley.

Inside Passage classic

7 nights

May–September

Seattle round trip

Resort or premium ship

Juneau
Skagway
Ketchikan
Tracy Arm, from the ship. There is no pier

A cruise ship in a narrow Alaskan channel — The narrower channels are why these ships are built the size they are.

One-way across the Gulf of Alaska

10–14 nights

June–August

Vancouver or Seattle to Seward, or the reverse

Premium ship, often Holland America or Princess

Inside Passage ports
Hubbard Glacier or Glacier Bay, from the ship
Seward, with time ashore for wildlife

The harbor at Seward under the mountains — Seward is where many one-way cruises end, with the mountains over the harbor.

Salmon and bears in August

7 nights

August–early September

Seattle round trip

The lines that sail it in August, set side by side

Juneau
Ketchikan
Icy Strait Point
A float on a river, or a whale watch, with time set aside

Planning Alaskan Cruises?

Tell us whether you want May, for the larger glaciers, or August, for the salmon and the bears. The ship can be the same in either month. A round-trip Alaska cruise from Seattle uses one airport. A one-way cruise to Seward or Whittier needs a flight at that end. If the cruise departs from Vancouver, stay a few days before or after. The Fairmont Pacific Rim looks over the harbor and the mountains.