The signs pointing towards another record Alaska season
With cruise lines reporting their strongest ever sales for Alaska, make sure you’re equipped to book this epic wilderness, beloved of adventurers
Tourists have been cruising the Inside Passage since 1881, when the Pacific Coast Steamship Company started offering monthly sailings out of San Francisco on ships carrying Klondike gold prospectors, freight and even livestock.
The region continues to be a sought-after cruise experience, with its spell-binding scenery, rich history and abundant wildlife. Last year, Juneau – the most visited cruise port in Alaska – set a new milestone, with 1.65 million visitors arriving by cruise ship between April and October. According to the Juneau Chamber of Commerce, this was a 30% jump on 2019, the best pre-pandemic year. This year’s figures are predicted to equal last year’s or be even higher. With this rocketing demand in mind, here are some highlights from cruise lines operating in the region that should be on your radar for this year and into next.
FOR 2024
Seabourn Odyssey will complete her final season with Seabourn this summer, sailing in Alaska through to September, before Seabourn Quest takes her place in 2025. Natalya Leahy, Seabourn president, said: “While we will continue to sail to Alaska in the future, this will be Seabourn Odyssey’s final season with us, making our Alaska programme in 2024 even more special and memorable. We visit unique, hard-to-access places that make it an unforgettable journey.”
One of Seabourn’s standout offerings are the Inian Islands, which provide a treasure trove of wildlife. The islands lie between Icy Strait and Cross Sound, which is one of the main northernmost gateways for Alaska’s Inside Passage – the tidal change churns the water, creating an enormous buffet for marine wildlife. For guests on Zodiac and kayak tours, this means there’s a high chance of rewarding sightings of humpback whales, sea lions, sea otters, puffins and bald eagles.
Book it: Seabourn offers a seven-day Glaciers and Alaska Inside Passage itinerary onboard Seabourn Odyssey from £5,499pp, departing 12 July from Vancouver, which includes calls at Ketchikan and Sitka, scenic cruising in a number of areas, and Seabourn Venture activities at Hubbard Glacier and the Inian Islands; seabourn.com
Meanwhile, Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Edge will be sailing in Alaska for the first time, joining Celebrity Summit and Celebrity Solstice. The ship’s innovative Magic Carpet space will provide one of the best vantage points for scenic cruising up the 30-mile Endicott Arm to Dawes Glacier, a 600-ft-tall wall of ice.
Silversea’s Alaska programme offers an expanded variety of 31 options in 2024 and 36 in 2025. Several new extended voyages of 10 and 11 days feature longer stays in Juneau to discover one of the largest wilderness areas in the US, while Silver Muse’s combination voyages link back-to-back cruises of seven days to create longer itineraries.
Silver Nova is spending its inaugural season in Alaska, which also marks the introduction of the line’s S.A.L.T programme there, offering guests immersive culinary experiences, both onboard and onshore. For example a Lab class will explore simple and varied ways to prepare salmon.
Book it: Silversea offers the seven-day voyage from Seward to Vancouver onboard Silver Nova, departing 25 July from £3,450pp and calling at Juneau, Skagway, Sitka and Ketchikan; silversea.com
New for 2024, Regent Seven Seas Cruises has partnered with Rocky Mountaineer’s GoldLeaf service for nine voyages that offer the popular cruise-tour combination. A six-night land programme, which includes a two-day First Passage to the West rail adventure, is followed by a seven-night cruise from Vancouver to Seward.
Georgia Lewis, UK sales manager, Regent Seven Seas Cruises says: “Our partnership with Rocky Mountaineer gives luxury travellers the opportunity to seamlessly transition from an enchanting mountain railway to a remarkable journey traversing the Alaskan coastline.”
Onboard enrichment programmes and Alaska go hand in hand. Cunard guests on Queen Elizabeth’s 10-night round-trip Vancouver sailing, departing on 9 September, can enjoy hearing from actor and investigative journalist
Ross Kemp about his own experiences of travelling in Alaska, his reports on gang culture and his time playing Grant Mitchell in EastEnders.
Meanwhile, Holland America Line guests will be able to enjoy a range of signature cocktails made with authentic glacier ice from the waters of Alaska. The unique experience of safely tasting real glacier ice is part of the line’s “Alaska Up Close” immersive programme, added to every Alaska cruise.
The four new cocktails feature authentic ice harvested by state permit among floating glacier bergs in Prince William Sound. They include a Blue Iceberg that mixes Juneauper Gin, produced in Juneau, with apricot brandy, Blue Curacao and lime juice.
Michael Smith, senior vice-president, guest experience and product development at Holland America Line, said: “Since launching Alaska Up Close, we’ve introduced incredible programming that brings an authentic Alaska experience to our guests like no other cruise line. This season we’re growing the programme to embed Alaskan fresh fish and wildlife spotting into the cruise on an even more expansive scale, from new localised cuisine and cocktails to exciting lectures and wildlife viewing. We want our guests to have experiences they can’t find anywhere else.”
Book it: Holland America Line offers a seven-day Alaska Inside Passage sailing onboard Koningsdam from £949pp. Departing 21 September 2024 from Vancouver, it calls at Tracy Arm, Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay for scenic cruising, and Ketchikan; hollandamerica.com
FOR 2025
Next summer, Oceania Cruises will be debuting Riviera in Alaska, sailing a range of itineraries from seven to 12 days, visiting Ketchikan, Sitka, Kodiak and the Hubbard Glacier.
Among the nearly 300 shore excursions on offer will be Oceania’s new series of Culinary Discovery Tours, which will spotlight Alaska’s unique and underrated food scenes. The chef-led epicurean adventures include craft beer flight tastings paired with dishes made with freshly foraged ingredients and visiting a sustainable oyster farm, followed by a seafood-themed cookery class.
For children aged five to 12, Oceania Cruises runs the Alaska Explorer Youth Programme, with games, activities and Alaska- inspired special events organised by trained youth counsellors.
With seven ships in the region, Princess Cruises achieved an all-time high for Alaska bookings in January this year. The line is looking ahead to next year when it will introduce a series of longer itineraries including a 22-day round-trip voyage from San Francisco, coinciding with the summer solstice; a 17-day round-trip from Seattle that features three days of scenic glacier cruising; and a 16-day round-trip voyage from Los Angeles.
Another line helping children to discover the magic and adventure of Alaska is Disney Cruise Line, which will offer a series of five-, seven-, eight- and nine-night sailings onboard Disney Wonder from May to September 2025, focusing on Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan. Port activities include zip lining, go karting and a host of bear watching opportunities including a visit to a bear sanctuary in Sitka.
It’s a good time to book ahead with Norwegian Cruise Line as the operator is currently offering reductions of 35% on a series of Alaska cruises for next year. If you need help sealing the deal, the prospect of cuddling a husky puppy on a shore excursion in Juneau should do it. The line also has one of the latest-running Alaska seasons, still cruising well into October.
Book it: Norwegian Cruise Line has reduced the price of a seven-day sailing onboard Norwegian Bliss from £976pp to £694pp, departing 10 May, 2025, a round-trip from Seattle, calling at Sitka, Juneau, Icy Strait Point, Ketchikan and Victoria; ncl.com/uk
HX Expeditions covers some of Alaska’s most remote and wild areas, with its 19-day Inside Passage, Bears and Aleutian Islands (Northbound) voyage. On this expedition cruise from Vancouver to gold rush town Nome, ship Roald Amundsen visits the wild, remote and isolated islands of St Paul and St Matthew, which are havens for birdlife. Other itinerary highlights include the ghost town of Unga and Katmai National Park, which has the largest concentration of protected brown bears in the world.
Book it: The 2024 voyages are already sold out, but you can book ahead for 2025, with departures on 21 June and 23 July starting from £7,521pp; travelhx.com
Other cruise lines operating in Alaska include Carnival Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean International, Crystal Cruises, Lindblad Expeditions – National Geographic Cruises, Ponant, Viking and UnCruise Adventures.
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