Cruise Alaska
Plan the Route First. The Ship Comes Second.
Icy Strait Point from the gondola, shot on our own Alaska trip. Every photo in this section is ours.
In the Caribbean, you pick a ship and the ports come with it. Alaska runs backward. You pick a route and a month first, then the ship, and the ports mostly take care of themselves.
Four decisions shape every Alaska cruise. Get them right, in order, and everything else falls into place. That’s what this page is for.
The Four Decisions
Round Trip or One Way?
Round trip from Seattle or Vancouver is the easy button: one flight, one hotel city, seven nights. One way between Vancouver and Whittier or Seward crosses the Gulf of Alaska, sails past more glaciers, and opens the door to Denali. It also means flying into one city and home from another. Most first-timers don’t know this is a choice. It’s the biggest one.
Compare the RoutesWhich Month?
The season runs late April to early October. May sails drier and quieter. June and July are peak daylight, peak wildlife, peak demand. Late August and September bring rain, deals, and your only realistic shot at the northern lights. In the Caribbean the month barely matters. In Alaska it changes the whole trip.
See Month by MonthGlacier Bay or Not?
Glacier Bay is a national park with a daily cap on cruise ships, and only certain lines hold the permits. If it’s on your must-see list, that single answer narrows your ship list before you look at anything else. And if your sailing doesn’t go, don’t panic. The alternatives are no consolation prizes.
Glacier Bay, ExplainedAdd the Land or Not?
Nobody bolts a week of land onto a Caribbean cruise. In Alaska, a cruisetour, your cruise plus Denali, Fairbanks, or the Kenai by rail and lodge, is how a large share of first-timers should do it. And it’s gone mainstream: Princess and Holland America built the machine, but Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, and Norwegian all sell the land half now too. It’s still the part you can’t wing once you’re there.
How Cruisetours WorkThe Rest of the Plan
Which Ship for Alaska
Big ship or small, verandah or not, and why the right answer here isn’t the same as the right answer in the Caribbean.
Read ItWhat To Pack
Layers beat parkas, rain gear is non-negotiable, and the most underrated item on the list is a pair of binoculars.
Read ItExcursions & Booking Windows
The famous ones sell out months ahead. What to lock in early, what can wait, and how to not miss the ship.
Read ItAlaska Port Guides
Every port plus both big glacier days, decoded the same Good / Better / Best way as our Caribbean guides. Free two page PDFs.
View The GuidesAlaska Is a When, Not a Whether.
Time together isn’t promised. If Alaska is on your list, let’s put a year on it. ETA plans, protects, and personalizes the whole trip: route, ship, land, and every port day, at no extra cost to you.
Start Your Alaska PlanNot Ready to Book? That's Fine.
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