Cruise Alaska – spectacular scenery, massive glaciers and amazing wildlife
Cruises to Alaska start either in Seattle, superbly located in Puget Sound, or from Vancouver in Canada. The normal cruise length is 8 days – either ‘out and back’ or one-way to or from ports near Anchorage.
All cruises follow the Inside Passage, the coastal waterway extending 1000 miles from Canada. Cruise through a maze of bays, fjords and islands on your way to Alaska’s highlights.
Ketchikan (‘where eagles meet’ – many Bald Eagles are found around here) is usually the first Alaska port of call, noted for its historic Creek Street and large collection of totem poles. From Ketchikan take a floatplane trip to Misty Fjords national monument, perhaps landing on a lake to better experience this wilderness.
From Ketchikan your cruise follows the Lynn Canal to Alaska’s state capital Juneau. This scenic old gold rush town still boasts its historic and famous saloon bar. From Juneau there are whale watching excursions around the offshore islands, the feeding location of humpback whales, orcas and porpoise. Nearby Mendenhall Glacier gives a first taste of splendours to come.
Further along the Lynn Canal is Skagway, with its wooden boardwalks and painted fronted buildings. You can follow the route of the gold rush prospectors into the Yukon on the White Horse and Yukon railway.
One week ‘out and back’ cruises may turn here, and then visit the spectacular twin Sawyer Glaciers at the head of Tracy Arm between Juneau and Ketchikan.
From Skagway a restricted number of cruises are permitted to visit the long and narrow Glacier Bay, home to 16 tidewater glaciers. Usually with commentary by a Park Ranger, the trip into Glacier Bay culminates in the Margerie Glacier, over two miles wide and continuously moving – with regular huge cracking and splashing sounds as the glacier ‘calves’ tin to the sea.
Leaving the Inside Passage for the Gulf of Alaska some cruises visit the Hubbard Glacier on the coast. The longest glacier in Alaska – flowing 76 miles from the Yukon – it is 6 miles wide, and the turning point for some one week ‘out and back’ cruises.
One-way cruises, usually with Alaska specialists Princess Cruises or Holland America, continue across the sea to Prince William Sound and cruise past the many glaciers of College Fjord. Look out for bald eagles or sea lions relaxing on ice floes broken from the glaciers. These cruises then terminate in either Whittier or Seward, both with connections to Anchorage, Alaska’s largest town.
From Anchorage the Alaska Railroad makes a scenic journey to Denali National Park and on to Fairbanks in Northern Alaska. Special dome cars gives superb views, and excursions from the lodges at Denali can take you deep into the Park where you may spot grizzly bears, moose, caribou and maybe see Mt McKinley, the USA’s highest peak. Denali can also be reached by road.
Leaving Alaska it is usually more convenient to fly to Seattle and then by surface transport to Vancouver. Perhaps have a break in Seattle – see Pike Place Market (of Fish! Training video fame) or enjoy its famed coffee, or maybe take the catamaran to Victoria on Vancouver Island. Victoria is ‘more British than Britain’ with English style pubs and a famous Hotel where afternoon tea is served to music. From Victoria a bus/ferry journey takes you back to Vancouver.
The one-way cruises may also travel from North to South, from the Anchorage area to Vancouver. Also available in Alaska is a range of small ship cruises, including a sternwheel paddle ship.
These are available through our Cruising Holidays sister website. Those travelling via Vancouver can also add a Rockies tour to link with their cruise.
View our live Alaska webcams to see which ships are in port
Take a virtual tour of Alaska using our Google Earth cruise and see the ports often visited.
If you do not have Google Earth on your computer go to our Google Earth info pages for a step by step guide |
