Cruise Alaska 101! Welcome to my blog for cruising to Alaska for the first time in 2026!

Explore Alaska cruise ports:
Juneau | Ketchikan | Skagway | Icy Strait Point | Sitka
Whittier | Seward | Anchorage

Plus more cruise ports for an Alaska cruise:
Seattle | Vancouver | Victoria

All things on the blog about getting started with planning a cruise to Alaska!

• Best Alaska cruise ports
• Best Alaska glaciers
• Worst time for a cruise to Alaska
• How to save money on an Alaska cruise
• Where do Alaska cruises leave from: Alaska cruise departure ports
• Should you look for a cruise itinerary with Glacier Bay:
  • Glacier Bay National Park glaciers from a cruise ship
• 7-day one-way cruise between Vancouver and Anchorage Alaska:
  • Northbound or southbound
  • Train to start or end your cruise: Places to go in Alaska by train
  • National park to start or end your cruise: Things to do in Seward Alaska
• Seattle vs San Francisco to start your cruise
• Princess cruise ships in Alaska (2026)
• Hiking in Alaska cruise ports (aka cheap things to do on your own!)
• Most epic Alaska cruise excursions
• Best Alaska flightseeing tours
• Best whale watching tours in Juneau Alaska

IMPORTANT FOR SUMMER 2026

If you’re planning a 2026 Alaska cruise, keep in mind that the FIFA World Cup is coming to North America! This means a higher demand for hotels (aka even more expensive) in Seattle, Vancouver, and San Francisco in the summer. See the FIFA World Cup schedule. I would highly recommend that you look at hotel prices before booking your cruise to make sure the prices are reasonable enough to you. For a price check, try expedia.com and vrbo.com. Search for your city, then look for the “view map” option, and expand out your search to look for “cheaper” prices.

Alaska by season

• Pictures: Alaska cruise in early May
• Northern lights from a cruise ship
• Juneau in October

Learn about the most common Alaska cruise ports

• Juneau cruise port tips
• Ketchikan cruise port tips
• Skagway cruise port tips
• Icy Strait Point cruise port tips
• Sitka cruise port tips

Learn about the most common departure cruise ports

• Vancouver
• Seattle
• Whittier Alaska
• Seward Alaska
• Anchorage Alaska (your start/end airport for a one-way cruise)

For the beginner’s guide to Alaska cruises, read the homepage on the blog!

Juneau is the amazing cruise port where you can see the Mendenhall Glacier from land, see the Juneau Icefield from air, go whale watching in one of the best spots to see humpback whales in the US, and do hikes with amazing views! See all things Juneau on the blog!

Ketchikan is the amazing cruise port where you can do a seaplane tour with a wilderness landing in a national forest, walk by lots of totem poles, go snorkeling in Alaska (what?!?!?!🤣), and see salmon jumping up the ladder! See all things Ketchikan on the blog!

Skagway is the amazing cruise port where you can do a helicopter tour with a glacier landing (for a glacier walk or to do dog sledding on a glacier), take a train through the mountains, and explore the Klondike Gold Rush history! See all things Skagway on the blog!

HAPPY PLANNING YOUR CRUISE TO ALASKA!