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It’s America’s Last Frontier, but get to grips with Alaska and it could be just the start of a new wave for your cruise sales. Travel Weekly offers everything travel agents need to know to sell Alaska by sea
Alaska is America’s last wilderness – a place where snow-capped mountains tower over vast glaciers that snake down to the sea, where bears roam, whales come to feed and there are so few roads that a cruise is by far the best way to get around.
It’s the US, but not as we know it. Towns have a charming backwater feel, there are saucy saloons and the only traffic jams occur when excursion buses pick up or drop off visitors.
History of Alaska
Humans arrived in Alaska thousands of years ago and called it Alaxsxaq or Alyeska, from the Aleut word meaning ‘great land’ – an apt name given it is seven times larger than the UK, twice the size of Texas and one-fifth that of the Lower 48 combined, as the contiguous US is called.
In the 1700s, the Russians arrived via the Bering Strait and hunted the sea otter population to extinction, thereby killing off the lucrative fur trade that had brought them there. They were left with a vast, barren land that was expensive to maintain. Russia was already struggling after the Crimea War, so when the US offered to buy the territory in 1867 for a bargain $7.2 million (around $150 million today), they were happy to sell.
What a mistake. Alaska is pure gold – and not just because of the shiny nuggets miners found in neighbouring Yukon in the 1890s.
Every summer, when the state emerges from its winter slumbers, a flotilla of cruise ships arrives from Vancouver or Seattle bringing millions in search of wildlife and adventure.
They are not disappointed. Passengers enjoy ziplining, hiking and kayaking trips, husky farms, bear spotting, whale watching, searching for sea otters and even panning for gold. Itineraries include scenic cruising close to calving glaciers and through the Inside Passage. Most ships visit the ‘golden triangle’ of Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway, but there are lots of other ports to explore.
No wonder the number of Brits cruising to Alaska is growing fast – from 25,000 in 2022 to 31,000 in 2023, according to Clia – and the state came second in the list of sought-after ‘coolcation’ holidays in a Cruise.co.uk survey.
Select a guide below:
Top tips for cruises in Alaska
✯ Alaska’s cruise season runs from the end of April until October. Go in April and May to see the remnants of snow and ice, or in summer for warmer weather, though it’s still chilly at sea so advise clients to pack layers.
✯ Target cruise-tours and longer voyages packaged with pre or post-cruise stays at clients in their late 50s (or older) who have time, money and an adventurous spirit.
✯ Alaska holidays on family-friendly ships are brilliant for youngsters. They’ll learn about wildlife and different cultures while having fun with new friends on board.
✯ An Alaska cruise is very special and often ticks the ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ box that can entice clients to splash out. Suggest it to those celebrating a wedding anniversary, retirement or big birthday.
✯ Whether booked on board or ashore with a private company, excursions are expensive – anything from $70 a head for Ketchikan’s lumberjack show to $500 or more for seaplane trips – but they are an important part of the adventure in this wild country.
✯ Encourage clients to make the most of their long-haul flight by adding a pre or post-cruise city break in Seattle or Vancouver.
Shore excursions in Alaska
Journalists, eh? During the Klondike Gold Rush at the end of the 19th century, some 20-odd reporters made camp outside Skagway and filed stories to their respective papers in the Lower 48 telling would-be prospectors how easy it was to get to the Yukon. It wasn’t.
Thousands risked life and limb – and many died – trying to climb the steep Chilkoot Trail or narrow White Pass in search of their fortune.
Thankfully, I’ve taken the much easier route along the White Pass railroad, which took just over two years to build and opened in 1900. It’s fabulously scenic, taking us over bridges, into tunnels blasted through rock and past snow as deep as the carriages.
At the top, Canadian border guards check our passports and we hop back on the tour bus with guide Ben to drive back to the US, stopping off in Liarsville, the name given to the camp where the journos were based.
The tour is one of numerous excursions Holland America Line offers in Skagway, as well as in Juneau and Ketchikan, the other ports we’re visiting on this cruise from Vancouver on board Koningsdam.
The company is something of an expert when it comes to Alaska, having been cruising here since 1947. Koningsdam is a comfortable base from which to explore the sights, with plenty of places to eat, along with a lively Music Walk, where different venues have live bands playing pop favourites, bluesy soul and rock anthems.
The line is also one of a select few allowed into Glacier Bay National Park, an area bigger than Yorkshire with more than 1,000 glaciers, including the mile-wide Marjorie Glacier. We spend an hour there – 30 minutes on the port side, 30 on the starboard – so everyone gets a view.
In Juneau I tog up in waterproof coat, trousers and gloves and set out on a bike ride along roads and through forest – about 8.5 miles in all – to the mighty Mendenhall Glacier. It’s wet and windy, but no one minds.
You don’t come to Alaska for a suntan. In Ketchikan, I sign up for a lumberjack show, where two teams of timber sports athletes (there really is such a thing) do battle in a crazy contest that includes chopping a log while standing on it, climbing poles and throwing axes.
It’s great fun and all is going swimmingly until somehow I find myself in an axethrowing contest. I know, I know, what was I thinking? Let’s just say, it wasn’t my finest hour – I’ll stick to cycling from now on.
Book it: Holland America Line offers a seven-day Alaska Inside Passage cruise on Koningsdam departing Vancouver on May 3, starting from £649 cruise-only.
hollandamerica.com
Sailings from Seattle
With nearly 60 cruise ships steaming up and down the Inside Passage between Alaska, Canada and the rest of the US each summer, clients heading to the 49th state are spoilt for choice. Big and small vessels, luxury craft and expedition ships are all in the mix and the variety of itineraries is huge.
Many are one-week sailings round-trip from Seattle in the US or Vancouver in Canada (Carnival Cruise Line and Princess Cruises also have sailings from San Francisco; additionally, Princess Cruises has two departures from Los Angeles).
There are also one-way cruises from Vancouver to Seward or Whittier in Alaska that clients can add to pre or post-cruise land tours.
For those wanting to spend longer afloat, there are 10-night, fortnight and even three-week voyages. All prices are per person.
Seattle has a lot to thank Norwegian Cruise Line for. It was the first company to homeport a ship there when it brought Norwegian Sky in 1998. Fast forward to 2025 and eight lines are homeporting here, with an expected 299 cruise ship calls and nearly two million passengers.
Those numbers will rise in 2026 as Virgin Voyages and MSC Cruises make their Alaska debuts with sailings on newest ship Brilliant Lady and MSC Poesia respectively. From May to September, the former will offer 17 Alaska sailings of seven to 12 nights that include the Tracy Arm Fjord, while the latter’s week-long cruises to Ketchikan, Juneau and Icy Strait Point start from £739 with tips.
New ships in Alaska
New this year, Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth is cruising from Seattle for the first time. Seven to 11-night sailings between June and September call into Juneau, Ketchikan, Skagway, Sitka and Victoria in British Columbia, and include scenic glacier cruising.
From £2,199 cruise-only for 11 nights in a Britannia Balcony cabin departing June 12.
Also new, Royal Caribbean International’s Anthem of the Seas is making its Alaska debut, sailing alongside sister ship Quantum of the Seas. Seven-night itineraries call variously into Juneau, Skagway, Sitka and Victoria, with scenic cruising to Dawes Glacier. From £726.
More than 25 years on from homeporting its first ship in Seattle, NCL remains a firm fan. In 2025 it has seven, nine and 10-day round-trip cruises on three ships – Norwegian Joy, Encore and Bliss – with Bliss arriving after a makeover that is adding three-bedroom suites in the exclusive Haven area and a new seafood restaurant, Palomar.
NCL’s itineraries call into Juneau, Skagway, Sitka, Ward Cove (Ketchikan), Icy Strait Point and Victoria (in BC), as well as offering scenic cruising in Glacier Bay and to Dawes Glacier. From £857 for seven nights departing April 26, including drinks, selected speciality dining, shore excursion credit and Wi-Fi.
Fresh from celebrating 55 years of cruising in Alaska in 2024, Princess Cruises has a one-off 17-day roundtrip voyage departing May 6 that features three days of scenic glacier cruising, in between calls that include Seward (Anchorage), Haines and Vancouver. From £2,336 including drinks, Wi-Fi and tips.
In all, Princess will have three ships in Seattle in 2025: Grand, Royal and Discovery Princess. They might even dock alongside their sister brands’ vessels: Holland America Line will have four ships – Nieuw Amsterdam, Zaandam, Noordam and Koningsdam – offering full or part seasons, while Carnival Cruise Line will have two, in Carnival Luminosa and Carnival Spirit.
A 10-year deal between the port and parent company Carnival Corporation, lasting until 2033, gives all three brands preferential berthing; between them they are expected to bring in $186 million and at least 550,000 passengers a year.
Meanwhile, Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Edge returns to Seattle for a second Alaska season. Seven-night voyages call into Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Victoria and include scenic cruising to Dawes Glacier. From £987.
Voyages from Vancouver
The Canadian city of Vancouver is another popular departure point for cruises to Alaska, with some lines opting to base ships both here and in Seattle.
Celebrity Cruises has one-week round-trip voyages on Celebrity Solstice and one-way sailings between Vancouver and Seward on Celebrity Summit that pair with the company’s pre or post-cruise land tours. From £1,778 for a 10-night Talkeetna Treasures cruise-tour departing August 29.
Between them, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Royal Caribbean and NCL have round-trip and one-way cruises from Vancouver to Alaska on 15 ships, including Caribbean Princess, which is making its Alaska debut this year.
Disney Cruise Line and Viking also make Vancouver their base for sailings to Alaska. The former has five to nine-night round-trip voyages on Disney Wonder; the latter has 11-day sailings from Vancouver to Seward on Viking Venus and Orion. From £5,790 departing July 26 including flights, transfers, tips, speciality dining, seven tours and drinks with lunch and dinner.
Oceania Cruises’ Riviera is another ship sailing to Alaska for the first time in 2025. After four cruises of seven to 12 days between Vancouver and Anchorage, it relocates to Seattle for nine to 12-day round-trip sailings that include calls into Haines, Wrangell and Klawock.
For small-ship luxury in the midst of the Alaskan wilderness, check out top-end sailings from the likes of Seabourn, Regent Seven Seas Cruises and Silversea.
Seabourn has seven or 14-day cruises on 458-passenger Seabourn Quest, either round-trip from Vancouver or between Vancouver and Juneau. Calls include Wrangell, Haines, Sitka and Prince Rupert; selected activity days offer kayaking and rib-boat cruises in search of whales and sea otters. Prices from £5,439 for 14 nights cruise-only including dining, drinks and tips.
Regent Seven Seas Cruises has one-week sailings between Vancouver and Whittier on 746-berth Seven Seas Explorer, while Silversea has seven-day cruises between Vancouver and Seward on Silver Nova and Silver Moon. They hold 728 and 596 passengers respectively and call at Juneau, Skagway, Sitka, Ketchikan and Valdez. Silver Nova also offers 14-day voyages that add Wrangell, Haines and Icy Strait Point.
Expedition line HX (Hurtigruten Expeditions) has 14 and 15-day cruises between Vancouver and Seward on Roald Amundsen that take a more active approach: think hiking, kayaking, rib-boat cruises in search of wildlife and up close to glaciers, plus cultural days out in First Nations communities. A couple of 19 and 20- day cruises between Vancouver and Nome also visit the Aleutian Islands.
Hapag-Lloyd Cruises’ international expedition ship Hanseatic Inspiration has two Alaska sailings in July 2025, one from Seward to Vancouver, the other taking the ship back to Seward.
Starting in 2026, Crystal makes its Alaska debut with a handful of six to eight-night voyages between Vancouver and Seward on Crystal Symphony. Azamara Cruises and Windstar Cruises are also returning to the 49th state between May and August next year, after seven and three-year breaks respectively.
Azamara has 10 and 11-night voyages between Vancouver and Whittier on Azamara Pursuit, which include an AzAmazing Evening at Ketchikan’s lumberjack show. Windstar Cruises’ sailings on new ship Star Seeker will operate between Vancouver and Juneau or Seward for seven to 11 days. From £4,344 for eight nights departing May 7, 2026.
Intra-Alaska cruises
American Cruise Lines, UnCruise Adventures and National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions all offer adventure away from the big-ship stomping grounds.
Their cruises operate round-trip from Juneau, and from Juneau to Sitka or Ketchikan. Adventurous travellers can visit lesser-known places such as Baranof Island and Misty Fjords on ships that hold just 22 to 170 passengers.
American Cruise Lines’ options include eight-night Southeast Alaska cruises travelling round-trip from Juneau, which can be extended into 15 and 18-night holidays with new pre-cruise land tours that visit Denali and Kenai Fjords National Parks.
From £11,540 for a 15-night Alaska National Parks cruise-and-stay holiday that can be booked through Fred Holidays in the UK, including all accommodation, meals, selected land tours and shore excursions, drinks, tips and Wi-Fi on the cruise.
Ports in Alaska
Explore Gold Rush towns, glide over fjords in a floatplane or get up close to mighty glaciers – Alaska’s ports of call offer an experience like no other
Ketchikan
This is a town of salmon, lumberjacks, totem poles and rain (liquid sunshine, as the locals call it). Most cruise ships dock in Ketchikan but NCL is among a few that dock in Ward Cove, about seven miles away. The town is small, so days ashore are best spent on one of the many excursions. The Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show is touristy but hugely popular; other tours take passengers sightseeing on floatplanes, fishing, kayaking and hiking in Tongass National Forest. Oceania Cruises pairs flightseeing with a local lunch of crab cakes, salmon and halibut (three hours; from £397).
Juneau
This is the only state capital in the US that can’t be reached by road. Top attractions include whale‑watching cruises and trips to see the vast Mendenhall Glacier; there are helicopter rides to see it from above or guided hikes and bike rides to get close up to the face. For those who cannot decide, lots of tours pair both whale and glacier‑spotting, while Holland America Line adds beer tasting to a cycle tour to the glacier (four hours; from $155). Juneau is also a top spot for ziplining, dog sledding and traditional salmon bake feasts. For a taste of the Gold Rush days, the Red Dog Saloon has sawdust floors and honkytonk pianists – super‑touristy, but great fun nonetheless.
Haines
Located at the northern end of the Inside Passage, Haines is one of Alaska’s less‑visited ports – at least as far as cruise ships are concerned. For bald eagles, though, it’s a different matter. Every autumn, thousands of the raptors stop by to feast on the salmon that are spawning in the Chilkat River. Cruisers who do come can enjoy everything from kayaking and cycling to boat rides along the river.
Princess Cruises puts it all together in a Bike, Hike and Brew excursion (four hours; from $170).
Sitka
Once the capital of Russian Alaska and known as the city of New Archangel, Sitka has an onion‑domed Orthodox cathedral, a Russian Bishop’s House and tours to the battlefield where Russian forces clashed with the native Tlingit people. Seabourn’s All About Sitka tour dives into the town’s heritage (2.5 hours; from $100). Other excursions take passengers on cruises in search of sea otters, whales and seals, hiking through the rainforest or to a Raptor Centre that cares for injured birds of prey.
Wrangell
Another port with a distinctly frontier feel, Wrangell was the jumping‑off point for three gold rushes in the second half of the 19th century. These days, it’s famous for craft beer, ancient rock carvings and jetboat rides along the Stikine River. Silversea passengers can learn about the Dungeness crab industry on a Crab and Waterfront boat ride to see what’s been caught in the ‘Dungy’ pots (two hours; included in cruise fares).
Skagway
Founded by gold prospectors, Skagway still feels like a frontier town. Cruisers can follow lunch at the Red Onion Saloon with a visit to the former brothel upstairs (now a museum), ride the White Pass railroad to the Yukon, go flightseeing over the mountains, dog sledding, ziplining and rock climbing. Regent Seven Seas Cruises pairs a hike along part of the Chilkoot Trail with a raft ride along the Taiya River (four hours; included with cruise fares).
Icy Strait Point
Owned by the Huna Totem Corporation, an enterprise owned and run by people with Native Alaskan heritage, Icy Strait offers everything from authentic Tlingit history and demonstrations to kayaking and whale-watching tours. There are also sightseeing trips to the nearby fishing village of Hoonah. For those feeling adventurous, Celebrity Cruises takes passengers for a ride on ‘the world’s largest ZipRider’, a zipline which drops riders – as many as six at a time – more than 400 metres from Sky Peak down to sea level at speeds of up to 60mph (1.5 hours; £155).
Dutch Harbor/Unalaska
The setting for TV series Deadliest Catch, Unalaska – often referred to by the port’s name of Dutch Harbor – is in the Aleutian Islands and a small player on Alaska itineraries, but there is lots of history to discover for those with time to explore. An Orthodox cathedral recalls the days when Russia owned Alaska, while the town’s museum tells of the Battle of Attu fought in the islands – the only Second World War campaign to take place on US soil.
Kodiak
Situated just south of the northern tip of the Aleutian Islands, Kodiak is a popular stop for adventure lines such as UnCruise and HX, with other companies sometimes visiting when relocating ships from Japan to Alaska. A museum tells the island’s history, but it is most famous for the 3,500 or so Kodiak brown bears that live here. HX goes in search of sightings on an island expedition (included).
Prince Rupert
The Canadian port city was founded in 1910 as the western terminus for the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway. Narrated tours by vintage trolley cars visit the key sights and tell of the town’s history – and excessive rainfall. Cruisers can also go hiking, kayaking and whale watching. For those feeling fit, Carnival Cruise Line offers a trek to the top of Mount Oldfield for views over the ocean and coast (four hours; from $180).
Inside Passage
This is the sheltered seaway that runs nearly 1,000 miles from Puget Sound in the US along the west coast of Canada and into Alaska, ending at Haines and Skagway. It was one of the sea routes from Seattle and California used by prospectors during the Klondike Gold Rush. Today it is used by cruise ships navigating to and from the 49th state. The sailing takes passengers past islands, coves and fjords that are a favourite haunt of whales, bears, eagles and other wildlife.
Victoria, British Columbia
Cruise ships registered outside America and sailing from Seattle to Alaska have to call into a non-US port, and most choose BC capital Victoria on the southern side of Vancouver Island. There are craft beer tastings, trips to the Butchart Gardens and thrilling zipline adventures.
NCL also has an e-bike tour of Victoria after dark to see its impressive parliament buildings and the oldest Chinatown in Canada (two hours; from £103).
Glaciers
Scenic glacier cruising is a huge part of every Alaska adventure. Favourites include Dawes Glacier (Endicott Arm), the twin Sawyer Glaciers (Tracy Arm), Hubbard Glacier and the glaciers in College Fjord named after Harvard, Yale and other Ivy League colleges. Cruise lines that are allowed into Glacier Bay must pick up a local ranger, who comes on board to give a commentary about the glaciers and to keep an eye out for bears, whales, sea otters and other wildlife. Once in the bay, ships make a beeline for the mile-wide Margerie Glacier, while some also visit John Hopkins Glacier.
Cruise and tour in Alaska
Alaska is prime territory for a cruise-tour trip that takes in the best of the region, on water and land
A cruise might be the easiest way to see Alaska, but when travelling all that way, it makes sense to add a few nights on land to the start or end of the trip.
Cue a phenomenal selection of multi-centre holidays that seamlessly take passengers from ship to shore for more adventures in the interior of the 49th state and beyond.
Holland America Line alone has about 70 nine to 18-night cruise-and-stay holidays that pair a voyage from Vancouver or Seattle with land tours. First-time visitors should start with Denali National Park, home to North America’s highest peak, where popular activities include rides in all-terrain vehicles, white-water rafting and helicopter trips.
Or follow in the footsteps of the gold prospectors by pairing the park with stays in Whitehorse and Dawson City in Canada’s remote Yukon region. Clients can also add overnights in Fairbanks and Anchorage, where museums and cultural centres offer an insight into the cities.
The land portion of the trip can be taken first or tagged on to the end of the cruise. Either way, clients will stay in Holland America’s own lodge in Denali, ride the company’s coaches and sightsee from its glass-domed McKinley Explorer train, as part of its all-encompassing cruise-tour programme.
Prices start at £2,669 for a 12-day Signature Denali cruise-tour, which pairs stays in Fairbanks, Denali and Anchorage with a one-week cruise from Whittier to Vancouver, departing May 13.
Princess Cruises also owns a slice of the land-based action, with five wilderness lodges – in Denali, Fairbanks, McKinley, Kenai and Copper River – as well as a glass-domed train and coaches. Its large selection of land tours ranges from three to 10 days, which passengers can add to the start or end of their cruise. For the ultimate adventure, a 17-day Connoisseur Escorted Tour pairs a one-week cruise with a 10-day land tour that stays at four of the line’s wilderness lodges. Prices start at £5,588, departing May 17.
Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, NCL and Regent are among the other lines offering cruise-and-stay holidays in Alaska. Viking has a six-night Natural Alaska post-cruise extension that visits the Kenai Peninsula, Denali National Park and Anchorage, and includes a visit to a musher’s kennels where passengers will learn about the challenging Iditarod dogsled race.
For something different, agents can package the Rocky Mountaineer train with a cruise from Vancouver – ideal for those celebrating a special occasion to keep the ‘wow’ moments coming all the way through the trip. New for 2025, Regent has paired three Alaska cruises (departing on June 25, July 9 and August 6) with a six-night pre-cruise add-on from Calgary to Vancouver that includes two days on Rocky Mountaineer in GoldLeaf class. Prices for a 13-night holiday departing June 19 lead in at £5,239, including hotel accommodation with breakfast and various sightseeing tours on land, as well as dining, drinks, tips, Wi-Fi and selected excursions on the cruise.
Clients can also add pre or post-cruise nights in Seattle or Vancouver. The former’s attractions include the Space Needle, Pike Place Market, visits to the Boeing factory and a tour of the original underground streets on which the modern city was built. In Vancouver, go cycling along the waterfront and see totem poles in Stanley Park, take a boat ride over to Granville Island’s quirky public market, or take a short journey out of the city to Capilano Suspension Bridge.
If clients are keen for more time on the water, they can pair their Alaska cruise with an eight-night voyage on the Columbia and Snake rivers with American Cruise Lines. Running from Portland (Oregon) to Clarkston (Washington), the cruises follow the route of explorers Lewis and Clark, who led a landmark expedition across the US in 1803 to establish a route to the Pacific Ocean, now featuring everything from waterfalls to wineries along the way.
PICTURES: Brian Adams; Silversea; Lucia Griggi; Shutterstock/Maridav; Shutterstock/TODD17, Darryl Brooks; Kevin Steele/Norwegian Cruise Line; Shutterstock/paulclarke, EWY Media; State of Alaska/Reinhard Pantke; Michel Verdure/Celebrity Cruises; Shutterstock/BCBimages, thetidewatertales; Princess Cruises/Guy Williment; Holland America Line
