Cruise lines
A round-trip Inside Passage cruise usually leaves from Seattle. A one-way cruise to Seward or Whittier usually leaves from Vancouver, and that start needs a passport. These mid-size ships fit a narrower channel, with observation decks and lectures on a glacier day. Hawaii’s inter-island ship is smaller and sails from Honolulu.
These are mid-size ocean ships. Most carry about 1,800 to 4,200 passengers. One ship in this group is smaller and stays among the islands.
Ranges are per person, two to a cabin. They move with the month and the cabin. On the large ships, taxes, port charges, and gratuities are usually extra. On river ships, expedition ships, luxury ships, and yachts, more of that is already in the fare.
Glacier days, whale water, and long evenings are why these ships are here. Norwegian’s larger Seattle ships and Royal Caribbean’s Quantum class have pools, slides, and a show. Holland America and Princess put more of the ship into lectures, naturalists, and the viewing decks.
The dining room is in the fare. Specialty rooms are usually extra, and there are fewer of them than on a Caribbean mega-ship. On Silversea and Seabourn the drinks, and more of the dining, are already in the price.
Most stops last about six to eight hours. In Juneau you can walk from the dock to the Mount Roberts tram. In Skagway you can walk Broadway. In Ketchikan you can walk to Creek Street. At a glacier such as Glacier Bay or Tracy Arm, the ship may not land at all. Bring a warm layer. The pools are open, and the weather does not always agree.
A one-way cruise to Seward or Whittier shows more of the Gulf and needs a flight at one end. A round-trip cruise from Seattle uses one airport. Hawaii’s Pride of America sails among the islands, often overnight.
Each card is one line. The table is on a wider screen.
Passengers. About 450–600 on the Alaska ships.
Where they go. One-way cruises between Vancouver and Seward, and a smaller set of coastal cruises.
Price range. Often $6,000–$14,000 a person for 7 nights. More is included than on the lines above. An agent requests many of these fares.
Passengers. About 1,400–2,650.
Where they go. Round-trip cruises from Seattle, and one-way cruises between Vancouver and Whittier or Seward, including Glacier Bay.
Price range. Balcony, 7 nights, often $1,600–$3,200. A 10- to 14-night one-way is often $2,400–$5,000.
Passengers. About 2,000–3,600 on an Alaska cruise.
Where they go. Cruises from Seattle, and a one-way cruise from Vancouver to Whittier on the Voyage of the Glaciers.
Price range. Balcony, 7 nights, often $1,500–$3,200.
Passengers. About 2,100–4,000.
Where they go. Inside Passage round-trip cruises from Seattle.
Price range. Balcony, 7 nights, often $900–$2,200.
Passengers. About 2,200.
Where they go. Cruises among the Hawaiian islands from Honolulu. A cruise from California on Holland America, Princess, or Celebrity spends days at sea before the islands and is usually longer.
Price range. The fare for about a week is often $1,200–$2,800 a person.
Passengers. Disney Wonder, about 2,700.
Where they go. Alaska round-trip cruises, including some that depart from Vancouver.
Price range. Often $3,000–$6,000 a person for a week.
Passengers. Solstice class about 2,850. Edge class about 3,200 when that ship is assigned here.
Where they go. Cruises from Seattle, and one-way cruises from Vancouver to Seward on ships such as Solstice.
Price range. Balcony, 7 nights, often $1,400–$3,000.
Passengers. Encore and Bliss about 4,000.
Where they go. Inside Passage cruises from Seattle, and a smaller set of coastal cruises from Vancouver.
Price range. Balcony, 7 nights, often $1,200–$2,800.
Passengers. Radiance and Serenade about 2,100. Quantum class about 4,100–4,900 from Seattle.
Where they go. Inside Passage round-trip cruises, and some one-way cruises to Seward.
Price range. Balcony, 7 nights, often $1,200–$2,800.
A cruise that starts in Vancouver needs a passport. Prices in the city are in Canadian dollars. If you stay a few days before or after the cruise, you can walk the seawall toward Stanley Park in daylight or after dark, and eat where you want, such as a seafood counter on the water at lunch or a quieter dining room later.
The ship and the ports can match in May and in August. What you see still changes. In May the tidewater glaciers are larger, because less of the winter ice has melted, and the weather is colder. In August the salmon are running and the bears are on the rivers to feed.