Line by line: who sails Alaska and the itineraries you can sail from $160 a night

• The Alaska cruise season is starting – and it promises to be a bumper season.
• Australians consider Alaska a bucket list destination and bookings are up.
• Here’s what to book and how to get to this truly unique cruise destination.

The Alaska cruise season has just kicked off, with millions set to arrive in what could well be a record season.

Alaska is truly one of the most popular cruise destinations in the world. For context, this one US state sees about 30% more visitors a year than the whole of Australia.

In 2024 Alaska saw a massive 1.785 million cruise passengers come through, which accounted for more than half of the total tourists to visit the region.

What makes Alaska so popular? Glaciers stretch for miles while humpback whales and wildlife abound.

In a single day you might walk through historic Gold Rush towns, watch brown bears catching salmon in the river and sail past fjords carved by ice and time.

The numbers have led to some friction and disagreements between the cruise industry and local towns on how to best manage this inflow of tourism.

There have been votes and legal action, finally settling down with the lines and local communities arriving at agreements in most destinations – which promises a great season ahead. 

Best locations for Alaska cruises

Most Alaska cruises leave from Seattle, Vancouver or from within Alaska. However, another convenient option for Aussies are lines that leave from San Francisco and do roundtrips, like Carnival. This option offers a more direct route but less flexibility in terms of lines and itineraries. 

Anchorage is the main air hub in and out of Alaska, the flight from Los Angeles to Anchorage is about six hours. This makes it a long journey for Aussies.

The most convenient option and the quickest option for those with little time is to fly directly to Vancouver or San Francisco and cruise from there. If you have a bit more time, you could fly to the LA west coast, spend some time there, and then fly into Alaska to break up the flight times. 

Ironically, upper-premium lines such as Oceania and Azamara often offer lower per-day costs to cruise in Alaska than in Australia, so if you’re thinking of heading over, it could be a nice time to try a different type of cruise and experience. 

Tips for the best experience

If you’re heading to Alaska for a bucket list trip, it’s worth spending the extra money on a pre or post-cruise land tour as well, most lines will offer an option for this, or you could pick a cruise that starts or ends in Alaska, and go from there. 

• While you will technically be cruising during the USA summer, it can still get extremely cold, particularly at sea. Make sure you pack a waterproof rain jacket and plenty of layers. 
• The high season is July and August, here’s where weather is the warmest and you’d have the best chance of spotting a bear, however, the shoulder season offers less crowds and still plenty of opportunities for wildlife spotting.
• Alaska is of course an extremely scenic destination to cruise in, so if you were going to splurge on a balcony for a cruise, this would be the one to do it for. 

Itineraries you can still sail in 2026 

While Alaska cruises are popular and fast selling, due to the increasing number of ships there, there’s still plenty to go around.

Many cruise lines have multiple ships deployed in Alaska at once so it’s worth researching which ship you’d like to try out.

All kinds of lines are sailing in Alaska, from big family ships to smaller luxury lines. Below you can find some handpicked options that are still available and offer good value for a last minute cruise this year. 

Princess Cruises – 14 days – Voyage of the Glaciers Grand Adventure -Vancouver round trip from $3146 – leaves September 5, 2026 

For a full exploration of Alaska, this two-week Princess cruise is one of the best ways to do it. Through 14-days of sailing there are 11 ports and scenic cruise destinations, meaning the action is almost non-stop. There are stops at destinations like Juneau, College Fjord, Anchorage, the Hubbard Glacier, Glacier Bay National Park and more. 

Princess is hugely experienced, having sailed in Alaska for 55 years. The line has lodges in the region allowing for shore-side stays.

Royal Caribbean – 10 nights – Alaska Interior Express with tour – Vancouver to Fairbanks – from $3909 – leaves July 24, 20226 

This Royal Caribbean cruise offers a unique experience, where guests will first cruise for seven-nights and then enjoy a land tour as well. Cruising from Vancouver guests will visit Ketchikan, Sitka, Skagway, the Hubbard Glacier and Seward, before doing land tours in Denali and Fairbanks. 

Celebrity Cruises – 13 nights – The Great Frontier Expedition (cruise with tour) – Vancouver to Seward – from $5231 

Another cruise and land tour combination, this two week expedition involves one week of cruising and one week of land travel, focused around wildlife encounters and landscapes.For a deep dive into Alaska with time split equally between sea and land, it’s the perfect choice. 

MSC Cruises – seven-nights – Alaska sailing – Seattle roundtrip – multiple departure dates in August – starts from $1550 

For one of the most convenient ways to visit Alaska for Aussies, and the chance to try a new line which doesn’t sail out of Australia, cruisers can see Alaska on this seven-night MSC itinerary. Guests will see Ketchikan, Icy Straight Hoonah, Endicott Arm, Juneau and a quick stop at Victoria in Canada. 

Carnival Cruise Line – 10 days – Alaska Inside Passage and Glacier – San Francisco round trip – multiple departure dates – from $1600

For another highly convenient and great value option to visit Alaska, you could try this itinerary with Carnival. The 10-night sailing offers a deep exploration of Alaska. This particular sailing is on the familiar Carnival Luminosa, but there are other itineraries up for grabs as well if you wanted to try a new ship.

Oceania Cruises – 10 days – Vancouver to Seattle – leaves June 22 – from $2742 

Given that Oceania is a step up in luxury and comfort, this Alaska itinerary offers surprisingly great value. With Oceania’s Your World promoted, guests get all specialty dining, gratuities and wifi included, as well as a choice of free wine and beer, or US$600 to put towards shore excursions. For a smaller ship experience that still offers great value and stops at key ports like Ketchikan, Sitka, Skagway, Juneau, Wrangell and more, this is a great pick.

Azamara Cruises – 11 nights – Vancouver to Whistler – leaves June 1 – from $1849 

Another cruise with surprisingly great value is this one by Azamara, with visits to Ketchikan, Sitka, Skagway, Ice Strait Point, Haines, Valdez, Klawock and more. As an Azamara cause you have beer, wine and spirits already included as a bonus. 

Silversea – seven nights – Anchorage to Vancouver – multiple departure dates – from $6400

If you want another level of luxury to see Alaska in, then a cruise line like Silversea will be your best bet. You can enjoy this seven-night cruise in total all-inclusive luxury with premium dining and beverages, Wi-Fi, spa experiences, guest lectures and more all included.

*all prices are per person and in AUD