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Below we will compare the cruise lines that sail to Alaska and tell you which ones are best for different types of travelers. If you have your heart set on visiting Glacier Bay National Park, make sure that your cruise line has it listed on the schedule. "Only seven lines were awarded the Glacier Bay contract by the National Park Service," Cicero said.
Luxury Cruise Ships
What are the best cruise ships and cruise lines of 2024? USA TODAY 10Best seeks your vote - USA TODAY
What are the best cruise ships and cruise lines of 2024? USA TODAY 10Best seeks your vote.
Posted: Thu, 11 Jan 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]
As you'll see below, an Alaskan cruise can cost under $500 per person for some week long trips. Don't forget to check out our Alaska cruise deals page to save even more on your next sailing. While pulling into port one day, I remember digging into a hearty lunch of fish and chips featuring fresh-caught Alaskan halibut. (HAL is the first cruise line to serve fresh, certified-sustainable Alaskan seafood.) As of September, acclaimed chef Masaharu Morimoto is the Fresh Fish Ambassador as part of the line’s Global Fresh Fish Program. Because Alaska has such a short season with a limited number of ships and is a dream trip for many, cruises are in high demand and people plan early.
Smaller Cruise Lines
The six-star service is exceptional and the excursions are well put together, giving guests incredible insights into Alaska. Silver Moon falls down a little on things to do while sailing, and the food quality isn’t rated as highly as other luxury ships – but guests on the ship have high expectations, so the food is still very good. Norwegian Jewel is another mid-sized mainstream cruise ship offering cruises to Alaska. Similar to Princess, there are actually a number of ships you can choose from for an Alaskan NCL cruise, but Jewel is one of the highest-ranked NCL ships overall too. Grand Princess has the most but not by much – so you have plenty of other options available too, if you’d prefer. The excursions offered on Carnival Miracle aren’t going to be as unique as those on a more luxurious ship, but you’ll still have plenty of exciting options for exploring the towns and seeing the glaciers up-close.
Planning a Trip To Alaska: Land vs. Sea Royal Caribbean Cruises
If you’re wanting to visit some of the more quaint and less tourist-traveled areas of Alaska a smaller cruise ship will be a better choice. Even if your cruise starts and stops in a U.S. port like Seattle, there's a high chance your ship will dock in Canada at some point throughout your trip. Also, "some of the excursions in Alaskan ports venture into Canada and will require a passport," explained Cicero. For instance, you may take the White Pass & Yukon Route Railway from Skagway into Yukon, a Canadian territory.
Per the pro, travelers can “choose between a menu of included excursions such as kayaking, paddleboarding, hiking, zodiac cruises, whale watching, and more.” All in all, UnCruise really does offer something for everyone. Another itinerary that focuses on lesser-visited ports is French line Ponant’s 13-day trip starting in Seward, a fishing port town two hours from Anchorage. As the boat pulls out of the harbor, guests are invited to bring their binoculars to the deck to check the landscape for whales, which come to the food-rich waterways each summer to bulk up for their winter calving season. The first full day on the water is spent sailing around Prince William Sound where islets and icebergs are abundant, followed by a day at Tsaa Fjord in the captivating (and appropriately named) Icy Bay for glaciers.
These sailing are on the ships Sapphire Princess, Majestic Princess, and Royal Princess. The last two are Royal-class vessels that I really love sailing on, and are perfect for an Alaskan sailing, although might be a bit big for some with a 3,600 passenger capacity. This cruise departs from Vancouver and stops at 11 ports including College Fjord, Hubbard Glacier, Icy Strait Point, and twice at Glacier National Bay, just to name a few. Holland America offers sailings to Alaska on 7 different cruise ships which range in size from the 1,400 passenger Zaandam to the Pinnacle-class Nieuw Amsterdam which holds 2,600 passengers. In fact, most of the tourists that visit Glacier Bay National Park each year are cruise passengers. But there is a limit as to how many cruise ships and which cruise lines can visit the bay.
Best Alaska Cruise For Families: Disney Cruise Line, Disney Wonder
Rather than a traditional cruise, it is a way to cruise 3,500 miles of coastlines from Bellingham, Washington to Dutch Harbor, Alaska, in the Aleutian Islands. And, for a more low-key experience with Alaska-specific programs, book a passage on one of the Princess ships where you might get to meet sled dogs who visit the ship. On a Seabourn voyage, passengers share the journey with scientists, naturalists, and others who expand the Alaskan experience with history, culture, and the natural world.
Oceania Cruises is one company that makes our list of best cruise lines for Alaska in the midsized ship category. Personalized service and gourmet dining without extra fees are two of the popular reasons people choose this line. Ships carry between 700 and 1,300 passengers in spacious, well-appointed suites and have port-intensive itineraries. Among the most popular cruise ships in Alaska, you’ll find a wide range of choices, from mainstream lines to luxury. Price is obviously something you’ll take into consideration when choosing a ship for your Alaska cruise, but what else should you look at?
Many cruise lines also travel to additional locations such as Sitka, Hoonah/Icy Strait Point, and Haines. Programs like Princess Cruises' Cruisetours take the stress out of planning on-shore excursions and curate incredible itineraries for extensive, luxurious travel across the state. The majority of cruise ships cruising to or throughout Alaska depart from Seattle, Washington; Vancouver, Canada; Whittier, Alaska; or Seward, Alaska. The happy answer to whether there are off-season cruises in Alaska is “yes”!
Multiple times a day, guests are invited to disembark for a closer look at the true wilds of Alaska. That could entail going kayaking among bobbing bits of glacial ice in Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness, or going for a Zodiac ride in Frederick Sound to view whales up close. Another option includes trekking on lesser-known forest trails and getting an explainer on tide pools along smaller islands. Now that it has a couple of seasons in Alaska under its belt, HX (formerly Hurtigruten Expeditions) is not holding back. In 2024, the company is offering a 19-day sailing that starts in Vancouver, Canada, before working its way past the fjords, glacier-filled straits, and Indigenous villages of the Inside Passage.
Norwegian Cruise Line offers one of the longest cruise seasons in Alaska, and Norwegian Encore is based in the region from April through October each year. This might not help the typical family, but if your kids are young, you homeschool or have atypical breaks, a shoulder-season deal might be waiting for you. The 4,180-passenger Quantum of the Seas is not one of Royal Caribbean's largest-in-the-world Oasis Class ships that boast zip lines, ice skating rinks and AquaTheaters. But it still offers a great mix of activities, including a skydiving simulator, high-tech theater with robotic "dancing" screens, an escape room, indoor basketball court/bumper car pavilion and dedicated spaces for both kids and adults.
Princess has been sailing Alaska for over 50 years, and with six ships, five wilderness lodges, and its own domed rail car, this cruise line knows the region well. Oceania cruises introduce Alaska to guests by offering local experiences in partnership with native tribes for a more meaningful connection to the area beyond sightseeing. If you’re passionate about the finer things in life, Celebrity Cruises may very well speak to your soul. And onboard experiences range from Macallan and Jack Daniel’s tastings to Riedel crystal workshops that show how different shapes and qualities of a Riedel glass change the taste of wine. You can visit Alaska without a passport on a closed-loop sailing (one that begins and ends in the same U.S. port). Be sure to bring your passport if you plan on crossing the border from Skagway into Canada's Yukon Territory -- or exploring any Canadian port of call.
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