Alaska Cruise Guide: Season, Glaciers and What It Really Costs

Overview

Alaska is the one cruise destination where the month you sail changes the holiday more than the ship you sail on. A late June sailing and a mid-September sailing on the same ship, on the same route, deliver different weather, different wildlife, different daylight and a fare gap of 30 to 40 percent.

The conventional advice is to sail in July for the warmest weather. That is true and it is not the whole picture. July is warmest, busiest and most expensive, and it is not the best month for wildlife. Salmon runs peak from late July, bears follow the salmon, and September brings the clearest air, the first snow on the peaks and the northern lights on late sailings.

The second thing that matters is scenic cruising. Not every Alaska itinerary includes Glacier Bay National Park, which requires a permit that limits daily entries. Ships without a permit substitute Endicott Arm, Tracy Arm or Hubbard Glacier, all of which are good and none of which is Glacier Bay.

Alaska cruises run two shapes. Round-trip sailings from Seattle take seven nights, are cheaper, and must call at a Canadian port because of US cabotage law, usually Victoria for a few evening hours. One-way sailings between Vancouver and Whittier or Seward take seven nights, cost more, reach further north, and connect to land tours.

The Inside Passage, the sheltered channel running up the British Columbia and Alaska coast, is what makes this region work for cruising. It is protected water, so the sea is usually flat, and the scenery is continuous rather than confined to port days.

Southeast Alaska ports are small. Juneau, Ketchikan, Skagway and Sitka have populations between 8,000 and 32,000 and can receive four or five ships at once, which means 12,000 passengers in a town of 8,000. Ship size and how early you get ashore matter more here than in most regions.

• Round-trip from Seattle: cheaper, must include a Canadian port call.
• One-way Vancouver to Whittier or Seward: reaches further north, connects to Denali.
• Glacier Bay entry is permit-limited; not every itinerary includes it.
• Small ports receive very large numbers of passengers; early ashore is a real advantage.

The best time to go

There is no single best month, but there is a best month for each priority. For warmth, mid-July. For wildlife, late August and September. For value, May and late September. For daylight, June, when Juneau gets over 18 hours.

Our reviewers' recommendation for most travellers is late May or the first week of September: fares 30 percent below peak, good conditions and materially fewer people ashore.

The ports, honestly assessed

Alaska's ports are small and the excursions are the point. Unlike the Caribbean, where you can often walk to a beach, most Alaska experiences require booking something.

• JuneauUnited States

  Mendenhall Glacier is 20 minutes by bus at $45 return. Whale watching in Auke Bay is the best in Southeast Alaska and independent operators cost half the ship price.

• KetchikanUnited States

  Rain capital of Alaska at 150 inches a year. Creek Street and the Totem Heritage Center are walkable and free; the Misty Fjords floatplane is the splurge worth making.

• SkagwayUnited States

  The White Pass and Yukon Route railway is the one ship excursion in Alaska worth booking through the ship, because they hold the best departure slots.

• SitkaUnited States

  The most attractive Southeast town and the only one facing the open Pacific. Fortress of the Bear and the Raptor Center are both excellent and close.

• Icy Strait PointUnited States

  A purpose-built port near Hoonah. The gondola and the world's largest zipline; genuinely good whale watching offshore.

• Glacier Bay National ParkUnited States

  Scenic cruising, not a port. Rangers board the ship. Permit-limited, so check your itinerary specifically names it.

• Hubbard GlacierUnited States

  The largest tidewater glacier in North America and the most reliable calving. Scenic cruising on northern itineraries.

• Seward or WhittierUnited States

  The northern terminus for one-way sailings and the connection point for Denali cruisetours.

• VictoriaCanada

  The technical Canadian call required on Seattle round-trips, usually 6pm to 11pm. Butchart Gardens if you have the energy.

Weather, month by month

Alaska is cool and wet by cruise standards. The useful mental model is a British summer with better scenery: rarely hot, frequently drizzly, and completely fine with the right jacket.

Rainfall varies enormously by port. Ketchikan receives about 150 inches a year; Skagway, 90 miles away, receives about 26.

What it actually costs

Alaska is the most seasonally priced cruise region in the world. The same balcony cabin on the same ship can cost $165 per night in May and $340 in mid-July.

The other cost that catches people out is excursions. Alaska tours are expensive because the season is 22 weeks long and operators must cover annual costs in that window. Budget $150 to $250 per person per port, more than double the Caribbean.

Popular itineraries

Alaska itineraries come in four shapes, and the difference between them is more consequential than in most regions.

• Inside Passage round-trip from Seattle

  from $1,155 per person

  7 nights from Seattle

  Calls: Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan, Victoria, Scenic glacier day

  Best for: The cheapest and easiest Alaska option

• Inside Passage round-trip from Vancouver

  from $1,290 per person

  7 nights from Vancouver

  Calls: Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan, Glacier Bay

  Best for: More Glacier Bay itineraries and no Victoria filler stop

• One-way Gulf of Alaska, northbound

  from $1,420 per person

  7 nights from Vancouver

  Calls: Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay, Hubbard Glacier, Whittier

  Best for: Reaching further north and connecting to Denali

• Denali cruisetour

  from $2,835 per person

  11 nights from Vancouver

  Calls: Seven-night cruise, Denali National Park, Talkeetna, Anchorage

  Best for: The only way to combine Alaska's coast and interior properly

• Fourteen-night Alaska explorer

  from $2,380 per person

  14 nights from Seattle or San Francisco

  Calls: Sitka, Icy Strait Point, Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan, Hubbard Glacier

  Best for: Smaller ports and less crowded itineraries

Travel tips from our sailings

• 1

  Sail in late May or the first week of September. The fare saving against July is typically $600 to $900 per person for the same cabin.

• 2

  Book a balcony. In Alaska you use it: whales, glaciers and scenery pass the ship all day, and the premium over an interior is worth it here more than anywhere else.

• 3

  Check whether your itinerary specifically names Glacier Bay National Park. Permits are limited, and Endicott Arm or Tracy Arm are the common substitutes.

• 4

  In Juneau, book whale watching with an independent operator in Auke Bay. It costs roughly half the ship excursion and uses smaller boats.

• 5

  The White Pass railway in Skagway is the one exception to that rule: book through the ship, because they hold the best departure slots.

• 6

  Pack for rain rather than cold. A waterproof shell and layers matter far more than a heavy coat.

• 7

  For a Denali cruisetour, book Princess or Holland America. They own the lodges and the rail cars and nobody else can match the access.

Alaska packing essentials

• A genuinely waterproof shell, not a water-resistant jacket. Ketchikan gets 150 inches of rain a year.
• Layers: a base layer, a fleece and the shell. Temperatures swing 20 degrees between a glacier deck and a sunny port.
• Waterproof walking shoes with grip; port streets and trails are wet.
• Binoculars, which matter more in Alaska than any other cruise region.
• A warm hat and gloves for glacier scenic cruising, even in July.
• Insect repellent for any land excursion, particularly around Denali in June and July.
• Sunglasses; glare off ice and water is severe on clear days.

The full list, including the banned-items rules, is in our cruise packing guide.