Alaska Cruises: Cruise to Alaska

Cruise down the Chena River on a sternwheeler riverboat, pan for gold at Gold Dredge 8 or ride ATVs through surrounding forests underneath the midnight sun. In sight of the great mountain, Talkeetna offers breathtaking views, a folksy frontier spirit, endless outdoor activities, and the unique ambience of its eclectic Main Street. Among climbers, Talkeetna is the ideal staging ground for preparations to summit Denali. Main Street’s log cabin cafés provide a place where you can mill with the bohemians, aviators, and adventurers who call the town home. All Celebrity Alaska Cruisetours include a rail experience that typically lasts for three to five hours; the below Cruisetours have extended rail experiences or multiple segments.

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ADVENTURE ON THE WILD SIDE

Little kids will adore meet-and-greets with beloved characters onboard Disney cruises or hanging with Dr. Seuss characters when sailing with Carnival. Older kids will love the rock climbing walls, video game stations, sports courts, go-karts and laser tag on Royal Caribbean and NCL ships. Alaska may be one of the most beautiful places in the world, but it's rugged and can be tricky to get around. Explore the Last Frontier by cruise ship, and you can travel to Gold Rush towns, glaciers, Alaska Native heritage sites and natural areas brimming with wildlife in comfort, even luxury.

GLACIERS WILL MOVE YOU

Enjoy travelling on the Wilderness Express®, a luxurious, glass-domed train cars, through the interior of Alaska. Royal Caribbean also employs a fleet of deluxe motor coaches to travel the interior byways of Alaska. Local connections are the difference between a good trip and a truly memorable one. And Royal Caribbean Cruise Tours are guided by a local Adventure Specialist who act as guides, historians and concierges. They are by your side for the entirety of the land tour, providing insider tips and local perspective. Explore more while spending less with Alaska Cruise Tours deals onboard our best cruise ships.

Wilderness

Find the most Instagrammable places for your next vacation cruise to Alaska. Come discover the prettiest spots to take pictures with our travel photo guide. Whether you're curious about Alaska native culture or other Alaska traditions, here's how to make these an integral part of your trip up north.

Ultimate Wildlife Adventure cruisetour

The storied Cunard cruise line, with more than 180 years of seafaring history, returned to Alaska after nearly 30 years when it arrived back in the Great Land in 2019. In addition to more than 140 shore experiences that immerse guests into this magical destination, Cunard invites explorers, travel writers and locals onboard to share their passions and knowledge. The cruise line takes inspiration from Alaska with special local dishes served in its onboard restaurants, and the return of the Ice White Ball, a formal gala affair with a glacial twist. We have a 50-year legacy of sharing the best places and experiences with our guests.

NORTHBOUND

Meanwhile, Glacier Bay National Park has over 2,000 square miles of glacial coverage. Elias and Kenai Fjords, a world of natural wonders awaits on an Alaska cruise or cruisetour. Alaska cruisetours combine our top-rated Voyage of the Glaciers cruise with three to ten nights on land exploring Denali National Park. Travel aboard our exclusive Direct-to-the-Wilderness® train and unwind at Princess Wilderness Lodges®. Every year Princess introduces more people to Denali National Park than any other cruise line.

One nice thing about the Inside Passage is how calm the water is because you're sailing between land masses. If you worry about seasickness, an Inside Passage trip is the best Alaska cruise itinerary versus a sailing where your ship transits rougher, open waters. Most sail along the Inside Passage, a maritime route along the state's southern coast (and into British Columbia and Washington state) that weaves around the area's thousand islands. Some venture farther north into the Gulf of Alaska; these are often one-way cruises that begin and end at the ports near Anchorage.

GO WILD FOR BERRIES

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Learn why our ships are uniquely designed for the best glacier experiences. Stretch out your Alaska cruise vacation with convenient weekend departures. Enjoy a roundtrip Alaska cruise from Seattle on Alaskan Explorer itineraries or from Vancouver on Alaskan Inside Passage itineraries. Cross Alaska’s massive ice shelves, crystal fjords, and fascinating marine wildlife off your bucket list with itineraries that conveniently depart from Seattle and Vancouver. Enjoy perks such as privileged access to Glacier Bay National Park and prime docking locations that give you a head start on sightseeing.

Viking Travel Inc.

In general, waiting until the last minute is not the best idea, unless you live in Seattle or Vancouver and don't need to book flights. Onboard naturalists generally narrate what you're seeing, so head to the observation lounge (or tune to a broadcast on your in-room television) to learn about some of the top sights featured on scenic cruising days. Alaska's capital city is interesting because no road leads from here to the rest of the state. It's located at the base of Mount Juneau, and you can only get there via boat or small plane — even residents have to bring their cars to Juneau via ferry. Home to Mendenhall Glacier, this is a popular port for hikes by, kayak tours to and helicopter landings on the glacier.

Both lines have newer ships in Alaska -- Silversea has Silver Muse, in addition to the older Silver Whisper, while Seabourn Odyssey and the new expedition ship Seabourn Venture represents Seabourn. All ships are smaller than the 738-passenger Explorer, with Silver Muse carrying 596 guests and Silver Shadow much smaller at 388 passengers. Some of the other amenities that come with an all-inclusive cruise in Alaska are more of a personal decision. Even people who love a drink packages on Caribbean cruises may find that they aren't partaking as much in Alaska, where you tend to take more strenuous outdoor excursions and get up earlier.

You could also debate the value of included shore excursions; it depends on how big you're going with your cruise overall and what your interests are. If you're the kind of person who wants to go flightseeing or take a helicopter to the top of a glacier followed by a crab feast, you're going to be paying extra for that excursion anyway. Generally, any tour that requires someone with extra professional certification for an airplane, helicopter or boat is going to be an additional charge, no matter what cruise line you're on. Inclusive tours, if there are any, are likely to be low-impact tours like walking and motorcoach sightseeing. We’ve been sharing the wonders of Alaska longer than any other cruise line.

The largest tidewater glacier in North America, Hubbard Glacier has been moving its mass towards the ocean at a rate faster than most of its kind. Towering above the water over 30 stories, the glacier often calves 100-foot chunks of ice into the ocean. What lies beneath the waves is almost as impressive, where ice plunges 1,200 feet beneath the surface. This is also the trip for a camera with good telephoto lenses and binoculars. For more on what to bring on an Alaska cruise, check out our Alaska cruise packing list. Ketchikan is where folks go to see the Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show, with athletes wielding axes and saws in traditional lumbering activities.