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Alaska Cruises

Best Alaska Cruises

By Reviewed by Dana OkaforUpdated 5 min readLast fact checked on .

There is no single best Alaska cruise, because the right answer depends on who is travelling and what they want from the week. This page gives a specific recommendation for each of the eight most common situations, along with the reasoning, so you can see whether our assumptions match yours.

The short answer

For a first Alaska cruise, Princess or Holland America on a seven night Glacier Bay itinerary from Vancouver. For families, Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas, or Disney if budget allows. For couples, Celebrity. For wildlife, Seabourn or a small ship. For budget, Carnival. For everything included, Regent Seven Seas.

Key points

  • First timers: Princess or Holland America, seven nights, Glacier Bay, from Vancouver.
  • Families: Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas for value, Disney for the best product.
  • Couples: Celebrity Edge or Solstice class, or Oceania for food.
  • Wildlife: Seabourn with Ventures, or Silversea expedition.
  • Budget: Carnival Spirit class in early May or late September.

Every "best cruise" list is really a set of assumptions about the reader. Rather than hide ours, we have written them out. Find the situation that matches yours and the recommendation will make sense; find one that does not, and you will know why the recommendation is wrong for you.

Best for a first Alaska cruise

Princess Cruises, or Holland America Line.

A first Alaska cruise should prioritise itinerary over ship, and that means Glacier Bay. Princess holds entry on a large share of its sailings, offers three departure ports, and runs the strongest destination programming in the mainstream market. Holland America matches it on Glacier Bay access, uses smaller ships that clear ports faster, and has better food.

Strengths

  • Frequent Glacier Bay entry, which is the single biggest itinerary differentiator.
  • Strong naturalist and ranger programming rather than generic cruise content.
  • Well designed viewing spaces on both lines.
  • Widest choice of departure ports and routings.

Trade offs

  • Neither is exciting if you want a lot of onboard activity.
  • Princess ships are large, so port days involve queues.
  • Holland America skews older, which some travellers find flat.

Best for families

Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas for value, Disney Wonder for the best product.

The decisive factor for families in Alaska is weather. Port days are cold and often wet, and a ship without indoor activity leaves children with nothing to do. Royal Caribbean Quantum class solves this better than anyone at a reasonable price, with SeaPlex, an enclosed Solarium pool, North Star and a strong theatre. Disney solves it better still, at roughly double the fare.

The family choice
LineTypical peak balcony, per personStrengthWeakness
Royal Caribbean$1,550 to $2,400Best indoor facilities at a fair priceNo Glacier Bay
Disney$3,200 to $4,600Best youth clubs and family cabins anywhereCost, Vancouver only
Norwegian$1,500 to $2,300Flexible dining, good observation loungeSmall cabins
Carnival$1,250 to $1,900Lowest cost by a clear marginFewer indoor options

Full analysis in best Alaska cruise for families and Alaska cruises with children.

Best for couples

Celebrity Cruises, or Oceania if food matters most.

Celebrity offers the best food and beverage of any large ship line in Alaska, a genuinely adult atmosphere with very few children aboard, and on Edge class the Infinite Veranda, which is the most weather appropriate cabin design in the region. Oceania goes further on food and smaller on ship size, at a higher price and on longer itineraries.

Strengths

  • Best food and wine programme among large ships, on Celebrity.
  • Quiet, design led ships with few children.
  • AquaClass on Celebrity is the best value upgrade in Alaska.
  • Oceania reaches ports the big lines skip.

Trade offs

  • Neither line has Glacier Bay access.
  • Thinner naturalist programming than Princess or Holland America.
  • Oceania cabins on R class ships are small for the price.

Best for wildlife

Seabourn with Ventures, or a Silversea expedition voyage.

Wildlife viewing improves enormously when you get off the big ship and into a small boat, and the lines that build that into the product are the ones that deliver. Seabourn runs Ventures kayak and zodiac excursions with an onboard expedition team, and holds Glacier Bay entry on selected sailings. Silversea operates dedicated expedition vessels that reach fjords and anchorages no large ship enters.

If those are out of budget, the mainstream equivalent is to sail any line and book a small boat wildlife trip in Sitka and a whale watching trip at Icy Strait Point, which are the two best wildlife opportunities on the standard circuit. Adding a Kenai Fjords day cruise from Seward, if your itinerary allows it, is the single highest value wildlife day in Alaska.

Best value

Carnival Spirit class in early May or late September.

The ports, the glaciers and the whales are identical regardless of which ship you arrive on. Carnival delivers all of them at the lowest fare in the market, on Spirit class ships that are a sensible size for Alaska ports, with Glacier Bay on some sailings.

The honest alternative worth checking is Holland America, whose shoulder season interior fares are often within $100 to $200 of Carnival while offering better food, a quieter ship and frequent Glacier Bay entry.

Best luxury

Regent Seven Seas for inclusion, Seabourn for the ship.

Regent includes unlimited shore excursions and flights in the fare, and because Alaska excursions are the most expensive in mainstream cruising, that inclusion is worth more here than anywhere else. Seabourn is the better ship and the better service, with an expedition programme and Glacier Bay entry on some sailings.

Luxury lines for Alaska
LineChoose it forTypical per person
RegentEverything bundled, especially excursions$7,000 to $13,000
SeabournKayaking, service, some Glacier Bay entry$6,000 to $12,000
SilverseaGenuine expedition vessels$5,500 to $17,000
OceaniaFood, at the lowest luxury price$2,600 to $6,200

Best itineraries, regardless of line

The itineraries we would choose
RankItineraryWhy
1Vancouver round trip, 7 nights, with Glacier BayThe best balance of content, cost and simplicity
2Vancouver to Whittier or Seward, 7 nightsAdds Hubbard Glacier and College Fjord, ends near Denali
3Extended 10 to 14 nights adding Sitka and Icy Strait PointThe right second Alaska cruise
4Seattle round trip, 7 nights, with Glacier BayCheapest to reach. The Victoria call costs you a few hours
5Cruisetour with DenaliOnly if interior Alaska is a specific goal

Frequently asked questions

What is the best Alaska cruise line?
There is no single answer, because the lines are aimed at genuinely different travellers. Princess and Holland America are best for a first visit thanks to frequent Glacier Bay entry and strong destination programming. Royal Caribbean and Disney are best for families. Celebrity is best for couples. Carnival is the best value. Seabourn, Silversea and Regent lead the luxury segment.
What is the best Alaska cruise itinerary?
A seven night Inside Passage round trip from Vancouver that includes Glacier Bay. It gives you the main ports, the best glacier day available, sheltered water and simple flight logistics, without the Victoria call that Seattle sailings require. A one way Gulf of Alaska crossing is the better second choice, adding Hubbard Glacier and College Fjord.
Which Alaska cruise is best for families?
Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas for value, because SeaPlex, the enclosed Solarium pool and North Star give children real things to do when it rains, which in Alaska it will. Disney Wonder is the better product with unmatched youth clubs and family cabins, at roughly double the fare. Compare on a per family basis rather than per person, since Disney discounts additional guests heavily.
Which Alaska cruise line has the best food?
Among large ships, Celebrity by a clear margin, with a serious wine programme and the best complimentary restaurant in Blu for AquaClass guests. Among smaller ships, Oceania, which built its entire proposition around the kitchen and charges no surcharge for its specialty restaurants. Holland America is the best value for food in the mainstream premium band.
Is it better to choose the ship or the itinerary in Alaska?
The itinerary, particularly on a first visit. The single biggest differentiator in Alaska is whether your sailing enters Glacier Bay, and that depends on the operator holding a National Park Service permit. A more basic ship on a better itinerary will show you more of Alaska than a nicer ship on a lesser one.
What is the best month for an Alaska cruise?
Mid June to mid July for the best combination of long daylight, established whale activity and settled weather. Late July and August offer the best bear viewing and the most rain. Early May and late September are 30 to 50 percent cheaper with fewer passengers, shorter days and less predictable conditions.

Keep researching

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