Alaska Cruises 2027
A short, popular season, so the choices that matter are timing and route.
Photo: Gordon Leggett, CC BY 4.0
Alaska is the one major cruise region with a hard season. Ships arrive in May and are gone by the end of September, so every sailing competes for a few months of capacity and the best cabins on peak weeks go first. That makes two decisions matter more than anything else: which month you sail, and which of the two route shapes you pick.
The shapes are different trips. A round trip from Seattle or Vancouver follows the Inside Passage and returns you to where you parked or landed. A one-way between Vancouver and Seward or Whittier adds Glacier Bay or Hubbard Glacier and a land tour option, but means flying home from a different city. This page covers how to choose; the port guides cover what to do once you are there.
When to sail
- Best months
- Late June to early August: the warmest weather, near-constant daylight, and the best odds of bears fishing for salmon.
- Shoulder season
- May and September are noticeably quieter and cheaper. May is the driest month in the southeast, and September brings rain and early autumn color.
- When to think twice
- There is no off-season to avoid, since ships stop sailing in the autumn. The thing to avoid is booking the very first or last sailing of the year if you want warm weather.
When to book for 2027
Our rule of thumb is to book peak-summer sailings, and especially balcony cabins on one-way routes, well in advance, because the season is short and capacity is fixed. Shoulder-season dates and inside cabins stay available later. Wave season in the first months of the year is when lines and agents typically sweeten offers for the coming Alaska season.
Check prices and dates with your cruise line or travel agent. We do not quote fares because they change daily.
Where Alaska cruises sail from
The homeport you choose often matters as much as the ship.
Seattle
Round trips of 7 nights, easy to reach by air. US cabotage law means foreign-flagged ships must call at a Canadian port such as Victoria.
Vancouver
Starting point for one-way sailings to Seward or Whittier and for round trips, with a very good airport and a compact terminal downtown.
Seward and Whittier
The northern ends of one-way routes. Anchorage is roughly 2.5 hours from Seward and about 1.5 hours from Whittier by road.
San Francisco and Los Angeles
Longer sailings that add sea days and often a Canadian port on the way north.
How Alaska cruises are shaped
The main route styles, and who each one suits.
Inside Passage round trip
7 nightsJuneau, Skagway and Ketchikan with a scenic glacier day. The simplest option, because you fly in and out of the same city.
One-way Glacier Bay or Hubbard
7 nightsAdds the biggest glacier days and pairs with a pre or post cruise tour to Denali. Plan on open-jaw flights.
Extended with land tour
10 to 14 nightsCruise plus a rail or coach tour into the interior, usually sold as a package.
Cruise lines that sail Alaska
Each line has its own style. See the fleet pages for their ships.
Princess Cruises
A long-running Alaska operator with its own lodges and rail cars for land tours.
Holland America Line
A deep Alaska program with long-standing port relationships.
Royal Caribbean
Large modern ships with big onboard activity lists, sailing round trip from Seattle.
Norwegian Cruise Line
Freestyle dining and a large ship out of Seattle, popular with families and groups.
Celebrity Cruises
Premium positioning and a quieter, more design-led feel.
Virgin Voyages
Adults-only, and a newer arrival in Alaska.
Departure port guides
Terminals, airports and parking for the ports these cruises sail from.
Ports to look for
What is near the pier, shore excursions vs DIY, and what to skip.
Juneau
Alaska's capital city — glaciers, bears, whale watching, and wilderness right from the pier.
Skagway
A Gold Rush ghost town frozen in time — with some of the most spectacular train rides in North America.
Ketchikan
The Salmon Capital of the World — totems, rainforest trails, and floatplanes over misty fjords.
Sitka
Russian-America history, totem poles, and easy wildlife encounters on Alaska's outer coast.
Icy Strait Point
Alaska's most reliable whale-watching stop, run by and for the Tlingit village of Hoonah.
Victoria, BC
A garden city stop on Alaska round-trip itineraries — afternoon tea, Butchart Gardens, and a walkable harbour.
Seward
Gateway to Kenai Fjords National Park — glaciers, whales, and Resurrection Bay wildlife.
Ships that sail Alaska
A sample of ships that usually sail here, newest first. Deployments change each season, so confirm with your line.
Brilliant Lady
Virgin Voyages' newest Lady — a fourth adults-only ship debuting exclusive Spanish tapas and a 1920s dinner show.
Silver Nova
Silversea's largest ship and the first hybrid luxury cruise ship — LNG, fuel cells and batteries.
Discovery Princess
The West Coast's newest Princess flagship — built for Alaska, Mexico, and Pacific adventures
Norwegian Encore
NCL's largest ship with top-deck thrills and freestyle flexibility.
Norwegian Bliss
Purpose-built for Alaska. Brilliant everywhere else too.
Majestic Princess
From Asia to Australia — Princess' most widely-travelled Royal Class ship.
Koningsdam
The Pinnacle-class original — a decade of refined Dutch cruising from Alaska to the Mexican Riviera.
Ovation of the Seas
Alaska in summer, Australia in winter — one of the widest itinerary swings in the fleet.
Quantum of the Seas
Royal Caribbean's tech-forward game-changer — skydiving, bumper cars and a jaw-dropping observation capsule.
Alaska cruise questions
What is the best month for an Alaska cruise?+
For most people, June and July. They give the warmest weather and the longest days. If you want fewer crowds and lower fares, May is the driest month and September is the quietest, though September is rainier and cooler.
Is a round trip or a one-way Alaska cruise better?+
A round trip is easier and often cheaper because you only book one set of flights. A one-way sailing usually includes a bigger glacier day and fits a land tour of Denali, but you pay for open-jaw flights and sometimes a hotel night.
Do I need a balcony in Alaska?+
It helps on glacier days and on the scenic stretches of the Inside Passage, but it is less essential than in the Caribbean. Open decks and observation lounges give you wide, unobstructed views, and weather often keeps you indoors anyway.
How early do I need to book Alaska shore excursions?+
Book the capacity-limited ones, such as helicopter glacier landings, floatplane trips and popular whale-watching boats, as early as the cruise line allows. Walking tours and shuttle-based trips can be arranged closer to sailing, or on the day.