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Alaska Cruises > Overview

Princess | Holland America | Celebrity | Cruise West | Regent | Silversea

Breathtaking scenery, gleaming glaciers, abundant wildlife, and Native American culture are only a few of the spectacular attractions that draw cruise vacationers to Alaska.

Ships that visit Alaska on a seven-day itinerary typically sail along the Inside Passage and visit Glacier Bay National Park or Hubbard Glacier, stopping at four ports along the way.

For climate and sunlight purposes, cruises to Alaska sail strictly during the summer months, from early May to mid-September. June, July and August can be classified as peak season when average daily high temperatures can reach 75 degrees Fahrenheit, so those looking for the best value should check sailing dates in May and September when temperatures hover around 50 degrees.

A variety of cruise ships sail to Alaska, including luxury vessels and midsize ships - most of which offer expanded kids programs for family vacationers. While the majority of ships sail from Vancouver, BC, Seattle is increasingly becoming a popular summer homeport for many lines. Both embarkation/disembarkation points allow ships to visit the most popular ports on an Alaska cruise, including Juneau, Ketchikan and Skagway.

Our Travel Experts can help you select just the right cruise experience for you, including large ship cruising on Princess Cruises, Holland America Line and Celebrity Cruises; small ship cruises on Cruise West or luxurious cruising on Regent Seven Seas Cruises or Silversea Cruises.

PRINCESS CRUISES® - Large ship premium cruising. Princess is a leader in Alaska vacations and owns five riverside wilderness lodges, plus a fleet of Ultra Dome railcars and luxury motorcoaches, which take passengers through the heart of the 49th state.

There remain few places on earth where you can truly breathe. Where space is measured not in feet or miles, but in endless horizons. A place where nature is so powerful, so dramatic, a personal encounter can change you forever. Thrill to white thunder in Glacier Bay, marvel at sunlight at midnight and close-ups of whales, eagles and caribou. Delight in Mt. McKinley's majesty and meadows carpeted with wildflowers. Amid unsurpassed grandeur and serenity, the true wilderness of Denali is calling. Make your Alaska escape complete with Princess Cruises®. Click here for Princess Alaska itineraries.

Alaska Connoisseur
These exciting new 14-day voyage cruises deeper into Alaska to explore out-of-the-way places rarely featured on other itineraries. Visit Seward, Valdez and Kodiak as well as popular Inside Passage ports of Juneau, Skagway, Sitka and Ketchikan. Glacier-viewing in Glacier Bay National Park and a stop in Victoria, B.C. complete this unique, 2-week exploration roundtrip from Vancouver.

Voyage of the Glaciers
This cruise between Vancouver, B.C., and Whittier, gateway to Anchorage, is a full itinerary that's sure to please. Explore the Inside Passage to Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway. Witness the wonders of Glacier Bay National Park. Sail the Gulf of Alaska past ice-age attractions, including 16 blue glaciers in College Fjord. Plus, take in the breathtaking beauty of Prince William Sound.

Inside Passage
Roundtrip from Seattle or San Francisco, this 7- or 10-day cruise is the perfect way to experience the best of Alaska's southeastern ports. Witness calving glaciers crashing into the ice-blue Tracy Arm Fjord. Discover Native heritage and soak up frontier flavor and follow the gold rush trail onboard the historic White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad.

HOLLAND AMERICA LINE - Large ship premium cruising. Winner of 13 consecutive “Best Overall Cruise Value” awards from the World Ocean & Cruise Liner Society, the highest-rated premium cruise line year after year in Condé Nast Traveler's Readers' Choice Survey and Travel + Leisure magazine's "World's Best" awards.
Holland America Line offers a greater selection of Alaska itineraries than any other cruise line and is the only cruise line to offer Glacier Bay National Park on all three major cruise itineraries. In addition, 7-day sailings include Hubbard Glacier in Wrangell-St Elias National Park or the twin Sawyer Glaciers of Tracy Arm guaranteeing you the ultimate Alaska glacier experience. Click here for Holland America Alaska itineraries.

Alaskan Explorer Cruises
Alaskan Explorer Cruises sail roundtrip from Seattle, experience the grandeur of Alaska's glaciers, and explore iconic Alaskan frontier towns and beautiful Victoria, British Columbia.

Glacier Discovery
On a Glacier Discovery cruise travel farther north, between Vancouver and Anchorage, and be awed by the spectacular Kenai Peninsula, Kenai Fjords National Park, College Fjord, Hubbard Glacier, Glacier Bay National Park and Canada's Inside Passage.

Glacier Bay Inside Passage Cruises
Glacier Bay Inside Passage Cruises sail roundtrip from Vancouver, discover the beauty of Canada's Inside Passage, marvel at Glacier Bay National Park and experience the Alaskan way of life in Juneau and Skagway.

CELEBRITY CRUISES - Large ship cruising on comfortably sophisticated, upscale ships.
Every day reveals a new side of Celebrity's Alaska. Catch gold fever in the prospecting town of Skagway, complete with saloons and dance hall revues. Walk beneath the watchful eye of towering totem poles in Ketchikan. Celebrity offers 7- to 10-night cruises exploring Hubbard Glacier and the Inside Passage. Click here for Celebrity Alaska itineraries.

CRUISE WEST - Up-close, casual and personal cruising on small ships
From a 4-day cruise to a 25-day odyssey no one gives you more Alaska cruise choices than Cruise West. From routes along the Inside Passage to destinations on the Bering Sea; Cruise West's beautiful small ships explore Alaska the Cruise West way — up-close, casual and personal. Click here for Cruise West Alaska itineraries.

REGENT SEVEN SEAS CRUISES - Luxurious, medium-sized cruise ships:  Voted #1 Large Ship Cruise Line in 2006 Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards.
This is what the Earth must have looked like at the dawn of Early Man. More wilderness than can be charted. More wildlife than can be counted: bears, bald eagles, moose, deer, whales, spawning salmon. Its immensity overwhelms. Glaciers advance and retreat forming ridge after ridge of mountain peaks receding into the distance. In spring, swift streams somersault over 1,000-foot precipices in a headlong rush to the sea. Dense, dark green primordial forests stretch as far as the eye can see. Everything seems larger than life. But it's not just the size, it's how you fit into its gigantic proportions that is the soul-searing beauty of an Alaska cruise vacation. With activities and tours that range from the mild to the wild, and everyone succumbs to the wonder.  Choose from 17 Alaska cruise itineraries on Regent's luxurious Seven Seas Mariner (7, 8 and 11 night itineraries available).  Click here for Regent Alaska itineraries.

SILVERSEA CRUISES - Luxurious, intimate cruising:  Voted World's Best Small Ship Cruise Line by Condé Nast Traveler for 9 years and by Travel + Leisure for 6 years. Go west to find gold. Where salmon run upstream through cascading falls, bears trundle from their deep forest home to feast, and at the end of the Tracy Arm fjord seals bask on the bergs of Sawyer Glacier. Misty Fjords National Monument is an unspoiled paradise of ice fields, glaciers and rugged mountains. From the Barbary Coast to Big Sur, savour 17-Mile Drive’s seaside vistas, towering forests of ancient redwoods and colonial Spanish mansions. Indulge in the gourmet delights of San Francisco’s Chinatown and Fisherman’s Wharf, Napa Valley’s lush vineyards or one of Seattle’s signature coffees. Reel in a magnificent catch or watch mighty whales on their annual migration along the coast of British Columbia.  Silversea offers 9-12 night Alaska and Pacific Coastal cruises.  Click here for Silversea Alaska itineraries.