If it seems like everyone is going on an Alaskan cruise right now, it’s because they are. Between May and September of 2025, about 1.78 million people visited the state on a traditional cruise ship, according to the Alaska Travel Industry Association, representing about two-thirds of all summer visitors there.
This year, Seattle — a popular embarkation point — alone expects more than 2 million cruise passengers and 330 ship calls in 2026, said Hunter McIntosh, president and executive director of The Boat Company, a smaller cruise line.
“Alaska has become an enormous cruise market,” he explained. “So when it feels like everybody you know is suddenly going to Alaska, there really are a lot more opportunities being marketed and sold,” he said.
But why now?
McIntosh has some theories.
“The season itself has gotten longer, stretching farther into April and October,” he said, which is far outside the traditional months of June, July and August; the state’s summer season is May to September.
“The cruise companies discovered there is tremendous demand for Alaska and have responded with more ships, larger ships, and a lot more marketing,” he continued. “Alaska has become a bucket-list destination that feels adventurous and remote while still being relatively easy for an American traveler to reach.” In addition, Alaskan cruises work “for everyone from grandparents to kids, which makes it especially attractive for multigenerational travel.”
And finally, on a sadder note, there’s what he calls a “see it while you can” mentality as glaciers rapidly melt.
Cruise ships in all sizes
If you’re looking to book a cruise, there are a lot of variables to consider, including budget, ports of call, excursions, and what type of experience you want on board. Travelers with an eye on sustainability might also select a ship based on environmental impact.
There are nonstop flights from Denver to many of the cruise ship ports, primarily Seattle, as well as Los Angeles and San Francisco.
My first cruise was aboard the Star Princess, which is among the larger brand-name ships that sail to Alaska, and departs from Seattle. The Star Princess has over 2,000 staterooms (which can accommodate 4,300 passengers), several restaurants and bars, a full spa, five pools, courts for pickleball and basketball, casinos, and entertainment spaces for movies, music and shows. This is just one of eight Princess ships in Alaska, and the company plans to expand with more departures in 2027 and 2028, a Princess representative confirmed. (For comparison, in 2025, Princess had seven sailing ships on 155 departures and in 2026 there are eight sailing ships with 180 departures.)
Norwegian Cruise Line, Disney, Carnival, and a few others offer a version of this big ship experience, often with the same stops. These are typically seven-day trips, including the departure and return dates, but there are 20-day trips such as aboard the Ruby Princess that departs from San Francisco.
For those who prefer to scale down their cruise ship, there is UnCruise Adventures with less than 100 guests on their largest boat which is more of a yacht; Lindblad Expeditions might have around 100 passengers; a Seabourn Alaska cruise ship will typically host approximately 600 people; and the Boat Company is truly small, hosting about two dozen guests per cruise. There are many more cruise companies sailing in the waters in and around Alaska with their own version of expedition, luxury, and fine dining.
In my experience, and talking to others who have cruised to Alaska recently, the service on a cruise ship is stellar with staff filling multiple roles and showing attention to detail so that each passenger is comfortable and having a memorable experience.
Given the growing number of cruise ships in these waters, itap easy to imagine nonstop views of other ships, but our days at sea offered expansive sights of the ocean and we primarily saw these ships only while in the same ports.
“The irony is that as more people want to experience Alaska because of its wildness, the challenge becomes making sure we don’t overwhelm the very communities, wildlife, and wild places people are coming to see,” said McIntosh.
Planning your excursions
The excursions are the highlight of a cruise, in my opinion, but some people don’t disembark at all, preferring to enjoy the cruise ship during a quieter time.
The Star Princess cruise I was on first sailed from Seattle to Ketchikan, a city along Alaska’s Inside Passage. At each stop, we took an excursion and walked around the local town, some of which aren’t even accessible by road. We also stopped in Juneau, Skagway, and Victoria, B.C.
One lesson learned in excursion planning was about wildlife. I had assumed we’d be seeing whales all day long from the ship, but that wasn’t the case — I saw a single whale tail dip into the icy waters as we turned around at the Dawes Glacier. While the fjord with its brilliant blue floating icebergs, waterfalls, and glistening rainbows was an incredible way to experience nature, I would definitely recommend signing up for a whale-watching excursion, if available, if you want to get better views.
Similarly, if you sign up for excursions that are weather-dependent, such as a helicopter tour, be prepared to pivot with an alternative plan quickly. Someone else might snap up that seaplane before you!
Do your own research ahead of time about worthwhile restaurants, bars, and museums to explore during your time back on land. Some of my favorite experiences included an unplanned stop at the Totem Heritage Museum in Ketchikan and sampling Spruce Tip beer at the Skagway Brewing Company in Skagway, which weren’t on my itinerary.
Packing for your cruise
I was provided an extensive packing list — from evening wear to galoshes — for my cruise. Our stateroom was equipped with a closet space and several drawers and shelves (we stored the suitcases under the beds). But I didn’t really need all of it.
Find out the name of the outfitter for your excursions and contact them to verify they will allow you to wear your own gear. On two excursions, the outfitters preferred that guests don their heavy-duty rain gear, including boots, rather than what we had personally lugged with us.
Dressing up for dinner and posing for photos while you’re looking your best is part of the experience on the large ships. I packed full-length dresses, but didn’t feel they were strictly needed. Check the dress code for various events and restaurants on the ship.
Don’t just pack your seasickness pills, put your patch on ahead of time (likely 24 hours before you set sail). In the wee hours of our first night, we hit big swells, and I immediately put my prescription patch on, which led to napping most of the first day of the cruise as my body adjusted.
Keep in mind that you will be transporting your luggage from home to a hotel in Seattle (or another city where your boat departs), then to a busy port where the luggage might be taken aboard for you and put in your room as you familiarize yourself with the ship, and then the same in reverse.
Disclosure: Mindy Sink was a hosted guest of a Star Princess cruise to Alaska.
