Cruise Alaska

Cruise ship is the easiest way to access isolated towns like Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Sitka and Whittier. Doing this independently would involve long overland journeys or local flights.

Big-ship cruise lines operate from Vancouver, Seattle and Seward (for Anchorage), either round-trip or one-way. All of these are easy gateways into which to fly. As well as the forested islands of the Inside Passage, you’ll spend at least one day up close to magnificent glaciers, sometimes in Glacier Bay, where 11 rivers of ice creak and calve into the milky water.

All of these cruises spend a day in a Canadian port, too, usually pretty Victoria. Lines like Princess Cruises and Holland America are a good choice as they package add-ons with scenic train rides and their own lodges in Denali National Park.

Small-ship lines like UnCruise and Hurtigruten offer a more expedition-like experience, taking you way off the beaten track for hiking and kayaking, away from the ports, which get busy in high season.

Alaska’s cruise season runs from May to September. The weather is always unpredictable; you’re not here for a suntan. June and July is salmon spawning season, when bears come to the rivers to feast, increasing your chances of a sighting.