A brown bear on a sandbar in a calm lake below forested mountains, Alaska

Itinerary

Alaskan Cruise Week

Inspiration for your next adventure

Glaciers calving into the sea, humpback whales, a vintage railway toward the Yukon and towns most visitors reach only by sea. Alaska's Inside Passage, with something for every generation.

Who this is for

Families traveling across generations who want one trip that works for everyone, from grandparents to teenagers. Everyone unpacks once, everyone sees a glacier, and everyone gets their own kind of adventure in port.

The shape of the trip

Where you sleep, and the rhythm of the days

Seattle or Vancouver, 1 night · At sea and in port, 7

A port most days and a scenic glacier day at sea. Mornings in port are for excursions, chosen by each part of the family, and evenings are for dinner together. The splurge is the ship: a smaller or luxury ship gets you closer to the glaciers and further from the crowds.

Where to go and what to eat

The places

01
Before you sail
Arrive a day early in Seattle or Vancouver, the two main starting ports for round-trip Inside Passage cruises. Sailings from Seattle also stop in Victoria, British Columbia. A flight delay is the one thing that can make you miss the ship, and both cities are worth an evening.
02
Juneau
Alaska's capital, which no road reaches. Go whale watching for humpbacks in the summer feeding grounds, walk the trail to Nugget Falls for a view across the lake to the Mendenhall Glacier, or, for the adventurers, take a helicopter onto the ice field for a walk or a ride with a dog sled team.
03
Skagway
A gold rush town of wooden boardwalks. Ride the White Pass and Yukon Route railway up to the summit of the pass on a narrow-gauge line begun in 1898, at the height of the gold rush, an easy, spectacular trip for every age.
04
Ketchikan
Known for totem poles and Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian culture, with collections at Totem Bight and Saxman. Walk Creek Street on its pilings over the water, or take a floatplane over the cliffs and waterfalls of Misty Fjords.
05
The glacier day
Most itineraries spend a day sailing into Glacier Bay National Park, Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier, or Hubbard Glacier, where the ice calves into the sea with a sound like thunder. Bring binoculars and layers, and be on deck early.

My take on Alaska

An Alaskan cruise is the ultimate voyage into raw, untouched wilderness, where massive tidewater glaciers thunder into the sea, humpback whales breach right alongside the ship, and snow-capped peaks rise straight out of the water.

Timing is everything when it comes to getting the absolute best out of Alaska. May and June bring the driest weather and long, sun-drenched daylight hours, while July and August give you the warmest temperatures and peak wildlife viewing (including massive runs of salmon and grizzly bears in action). September, on the other hand, shifts the landscape into stunning autumn colors, crisp air, and your best shot at catching the early Northern Lights dancing across the night sky.

Whether you're watching ice calve off a glacier from your balcony, exploring frontier port towns, or taking a helicopter up onto an ice field, it is a trip that leaves you completely spellbound.

Golden autumn forest in a valley below snow-capped mountains and a distant inlet, Alaska

My take

Worth it, and what to skip

Worth it

A smaller ship. Fewer people at each stop, more time on deck and closer to the ice.
Booking excursions early. The best whale watching and floatplane trips sell out, and Juneau now limits how many cruise passengers arrive each day.
Choosing your glacier day. Only a few ships a day may enter Glacier Bay, so if it matters to you, we pick the sailing around it.

Skip it

Expecting warm weather. Even in July, it can be cool and wet. Pack layers and a rain jacket.
Skipping the day before. Fly in a day early. The ship will not wait.