Best time to cruise Alaska: months, routes, cost and Glacier Bay

Best time to cruise Alaska, month by month

The season runs from May to September, and several lines now start in late April. Travel Alaska, the state’s tourism office, calls July and August the sunniest months and May and June the best for whale watching. Temperatures are Juneau averages from Travel Alaska.

• April and May: the cheapest and quietest weeks. Snow is still on the mountains, days are already long, and Juneau averages range from the upper 30s to the mid-50s °F.
• June: long days (it barely gets dark in the north), Juneau in the upper 40s to low 60s °F and fewer families than in July.
• July: the warmest month and the peak of the season, with the highest fares, the busiest ports and school-holiday crowds.
• August: still warm, with good wildlife, but Travel Alaska notes rain becomes more common and daylight drops to 14 to 15 hours.
• September: the lowest fares and fall colors, with cooler, wetter days (Juneau in the mid-40s to mid-50s °F). Some excursions stop running as the season winds down.

If you can only pick one rule: go in June for the balance of weather, daylight and price; go in May or September if price matters most.

Inside Passage vs Gulf of Alaska

There are two main ways to cruise Alaska, and the choice matters more than the line.

Inside Passage round trip

Usually 7 nights from Seattle or Vancouver, calling at Juneau, Ketchikan and Skagway or Sitka, with one glacier day. Seattle sailings must also stop in Canada, usually Victoria. The simplest option: no one-way flights.

Gulf of Alaska one way

7 nights between Vancouver and Seward or Whittier (the ports for Anchorage). Adds a second glacier area such as Hubbard Glacier, and connects with land tours to Denali. You fly home from a different city.

Cruisetour (land and sea)

A one-way cruise plus several nights on land by train or coach, usually including Denali. Princess and Holland America run the most, with their own lodges.

Pick the round trip for a simpler first trip, the one-way route if Denali or Anchorage is on your list. Our Alaska cruises from Seattle guide covers the round-trip option in detail.

Glacier Bay

Not every line can enter Glacier Bay National Park. The National Park Service lists six authorized cruise operators: Princess, Holland America, Norwegian, Cunard, Seabourn and Viking. Ships spend a full day (9 to 10 hours) in the bay, park rangers come aboard to narrate, and ships don’t dock. Princess plans 85 Glacier Bay calls in 2027, more than any other line. Even authorized lines skip it on some sailings, so check the itinerary. Other lines go to Hubbard Glacier, Tracy Arm or Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier instead.

Alaskan cruise lines compared for 2026–2027

Nine of the big lines sail Alaska in 2027. Our best cruise lines for Alaska ranking puts them in order; here is who goes and why you’d pick each.

• Princess CruisesEight ships in 2027, the most Glacier Bay calls and five of its own lodges for cruisetours. The default choice.
  From $309 per personChecked September 2026
• Holland America LineSix mid-size ships from Seattle, Vancouver and Whittier, Glacier Bay on many sailings and Denali cruisetours. Calm and classic.
  From $564 per personChecked September 2026
• Norwegian Cruise LineEncore, Bliss and Joy from Seattle and Jade one way to Whittier, with no fixed dinner times. Holds a Glacier Bay permit.
  From $429 per personChecked September 2026
• Royal CaribbeanFour ships in 2027, including Anthem of the Seas one way between Vancouver and Seward. Best for families with teens.
  From $416 per personChecked September 2026
• Celebrity CruisesEdge, Solstice and Summit from Seattle, Vancouver and Seward. Better food than the mass-market lines; Hubbard Glacier rather than Glacier Bay.
  From $349 per personChecked September 2026
• Carnival Cruise LineUsually the lowest fares. Spirit and Legend from Seattle and Luminosa from San Francisco, all to Tracy Arm Fjord.
  From $930 per personChecked September 2026
• Disney Cruise LineDisney Wonder and Disney Magic from Vancouver, for families who want Disney service with the scenery.
  From $1,484 per personChecked September 2026
• MSC CruisesNew to Alaska in 2026: MSC Poesia runs 7-night round trips from Seattle and returns in April 2027. Low fares on a smaller, older ship.
  Fares change daily; check current prices
• Virgin VoyagesThe adults-only pick: Brilliant Lady sails 7 to 12 nights from Seattle and Vancouver, May to September 2027.
  Fares change daily; check current prices

Luxury lines also sail Alaska. Seabourn, Cunard and Viking hold Glacier Bay permits, and Oceania has sent its 1,250-guest Riviera. For the line-specific detail, see the planned Princess Alaska, Holland America Alaska and Disney Alaska guides.

How long is an Alaska cruise, and how much does it cost?

Seven nights is standard. Princess also runs 6- to 10-day Inside Passage trips and 14- and 16-day round trips from Vancouver and Los Angeles; Holland America goes up to 28 days, as far as the Arctic Circle. Cruisetours add several nights on land.

What an Alaskan cruise costs depends mostly on the month and the cabin. Fares are lowest in May and September and highest in July. A balcony costs noticeably more than an inside cabin, but it’s where you’ll watch the glacier day and the Inside Passage. Beyond the fare, budget for flights (one-way routes cost more), excursions, the main extra in Alaska (whale watching, helicopter and dog-sled trips, the White Pass railway), and any Denali land tour. Carnival and MSC are usually the cheapest lines; Princess and Holland America cost more but include Glacier Bay more often. The verdict pass shows our dated from-price.

Departure ports

• Seattle: the main U.S. port, with round trips on almost every big line.
• Vancouver, British Columbia: round trips and the start of most one-way Gulf of Alaska cruises. Disney, Virgin, Holland America, Princess, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity all use it.
• Seward and Whittier: the Alaska end of one-way cruises, linked to Anchorage by road and rail. Most people transfer by coach or the Alaska Railroad.
• San Francisco: longer round trips on Princess and Carnival Luminosa.
• Los Angeles: a few long Princess round trips with many sea days.

Alaska cruise sailings snapshot

Ports of call

• Juneau: the state capital, for Mendenhall Glacier and whale watching.
• Ketchikan: totem poles, Creek Street and Misty Fjords flightseeing.
• Skagway: a Gold Rush town and the White Pass and Yukon Route railway.
• Sitka: Russian and Tlingit history, on a smaller number of itineraries.
• Icy Strait Point (Hoonah): a Tlingit-owned stop known for whale watching.
• Victoria, British Columbia: the required Canadian call on Seattle round trips, often a short evening visit.

Ship guides for vessels that sail Alaska: Star Princess, Royal Princess, Island Princess, Norwegian Joy, Norwegian Bliss, Norwegian Encore, Celebrity Summit, Celebrity Edge, Disney Wonder and Disney Magic.

Alaska cruise FAQ