Alaska cruises
Inside Passage weeks from Seattle and Vancouver.
Alaska photos
May to September
Glacier scenery, a handful of port towns, and a season that actually ends.
Alaska samples here are one-way in spirit even when the ticket is a round trip from Seattle or Vancouver. A typical week moves through the Inside Passage and calls at a rotation of Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, and sometimes Sitka or Victoria. The scenery day, not the pier, is the point of the trip.
Glacier Bay is the name travelers ask about. Permission for a ship to enter changes by year and by vessel, so these samples describe glacier scenery without promising a specific park permit. A planner can check a real sailing later. Nothing on this page is that sailing.
When these sailings run
The season is generally May through September. Late May and early June are cooler, with fewer people in the port towns. July is the busiest and usually the mildest. September can be clear and quiet, and it can also be wet.
Wildlife is a hope, not a feature we can schedule. Whales, bears, and eagles are seen often enough that people book the trip for them, and often enough that a single week can still miss the moment you wanted. Dress for rain either way.
- JuneauThe capital, reached only by air or sea, and the call with the widest mix of walks and boats.
- SkagwayA small railroad town at the head of a long fjord. The dock is the town.
- KetchikanUsually the first or last Alaska port, known for the creek and a short, concentrated visit.
- Seattle and VancouverThe two homeports in our samples. Vancouver boards at Canada Place. Seattle uses the downtown waterfront terminals.
Ports that match this region
Cruise lines in these samples
Cruise inquiry
Find your perfect Alaska cruise
Share where you want to sail. An advisor reviews your inquiry and follows up by phone or email.
Questions about Alaska
Seattle or Vancouver?
Seattle is simpler if you are connecting through a U.S. airport. Vancouver puts you on the ship in the middle of the city, and you will clear Canadian formalities. Our samples include both.
Are these one-way cruises?
The samples shown here return to the same homeport. One-way Gulf crossings exist in the market; ask a planner if that is the shape you want.
How cold is a glacier day?
Cold enough for a real jacket on deck, including in July. The port towns are milder than the scenic cruising.