Best Princess cruise ships for an Alaska cruise in 2026

Hi there!

What is the best Princess cruise ship for Alaska for one person may not be the same as the best for another!

There are lots of different factors in which YOU might want to choose one cruise ship over another, and why you might think one cruise ship is terrible while someone else will think it’s great.

 

In 2026, there will be 8 Princess cruise ships in Alaska in 2026. 😱 That’s a lot!

This includes small ships like the Island Princess and Coral Princess, and bigger ships like the Discovery Princess… and even the Star Princess. 🌟😱

The Star Princess does not even fully exist yet! It’s a brand new soon-to-come cruise ship. That tells you how important Alaska is to Princess. So if you are still having your doubts about which cruise line to choose, it’s a safe bet to go with a cruise line that prioritizes Alaska!

The difference will be evident in onboard Alaska-specific activities too. I have done 5 Alaska cruises on Princess cruise ships, and I love all the Alaska programming you can get without stepping foot on land! You can learn so much about Alaska!

 

There are reasons that you may want to choose any of the 8 Princess cruise ships that will be in Alaska.

But if we are just talking about the best way to see Alaska by cruise ship, then in general, smaller cruise ships are better than bigger cruise ships.

 

First and foremost, it’s often said that you should choose an Alaska cruise based on the itinerary and not the cruise ship itself.

This means that no matter what, the most important thing is that you look at each individual Alaska cruise itinerary to see not only what ports are a part of it, but also specifically the port times. Of course, the longer the better!

Oh hey, I also have a post about how to decide which are the best Alaska cruise ports for YOU! 😁

And then, if you see similar itineraries on a couple of cruise ships, look deeper for the offerings of each individual cruise ship to see which is more suited to what you’re looking for.

 

Below I’ve listed the 8 cruise ships that are going to Alaska in 2026 and their typical itineraries, along with the passenger capacity for each ship, as I find this to be an easy way to tell if it’s a bigger cruise ship or a smaller cruise ship.

Passenger capacity is based on each stateroom (cabin) being double occupancy.

When it comes to Princess cruise ships, my baseline is that I consider 2,500 passengers to be a small ship, and 3,500+ passengers to be a big ship. (Give or take.)

 

Be sure to also see my Cruise Alaska 101 posts to further give you ideas on which Alaska cruise will be best for YOU!

Now, here are the 8 cruise ships that will be in Alaska in 2026!

 

 

Cruise itineraries can change! Be sure to look at the cruise itinerary for the individual sailing date that you are interested in to verify!

To get started, you can go to princess.com, and filter your “destination” as “Alaska,” then go to the dates you’re looking at, and then go from there! If there’s a particular ship or departure port you’re interested in leaving from, you can select that too. I have booked all my Princess cruises directly on the Princess website.

Oh, I have a post about cruise ports that Alaska cruises leave from too! You can read about Alaska cruise departure ports.

 

 

1. Ruby Princess (San Francisco)

Crown class ship | Ruby Princess passenger capacity: 3,080 | official information

 

The reason I’m leading off with the Ruby Princess is because it offers one of the most unique Alaska cruise itineraries on a Princess cruise ship.

If you want the most epic Alaska cruise on a Princess cruise ship, this is it!

Your cruise will have 4 scenic cruising glacier days, and you will also visit some less commonly visited Alaska cruise ports. (You will also go to the most commonly visited ports!)

 

The one-off unique Alaska cruise itinerary in 2026 on the Ruby Princess is the Ultimate Alaska Solstice 20-day cruise, which is round trip from San Francisco:

• June 2026: San Francisco, Ketchikan, Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier, Haines, Juneau, Sitka, Glacier Bay National Park, Hubbard Glacier, Valdez, Seward, College Fjord, Icy Strait Point, Skagway, Prince Rupert (Canada), San Francisco

 

Otherwise, the typical itinerary in 2026 for the Ruby Princess will be a 10-day cruise round trip from San Francisco:

• San Francisco, Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier, Prince Rupert (Canada), San Francisco
• 2026: May, June, July, August
• The first cruise in early May will go to Glacier Bay National Park instead of Endicott Arm, and Sitka instead of Juneau. See my pictures from my Alaska cruise in early May.

 

Cruises from San Francisco are longer than cruises out of Seattle or Vancouver because you’re coming from further away. This means that you have more sea days.

See more about cruising out of San Francisco vs Seattle.

A cruise from San Francisco starts off sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge, which is an experience on its own!

 

 

Voyage of the Glaciers cruise

The next 4 cruise ships have itineraries called the “Voyage of the Glaciers cruise.” And this is one of the best Alaska cruise itineraries.

These are 7-day one-way cruises between Vancouver and Whittier. Vancouver is in Canada. Whittier is in Alaska.

This means that you’ll go further north than typical round trip cruises, crossing the Gulf of Alaska to get to Whittier.

Anchorage is the big city near Whittier, and if you see Anchorage listed as part of a Voyage of the Glaciers cruise, it means Whittier cruise port.

Cruise to or from Whittier and you can make the Alaska Railroad a part of your post-cruise or pre-cruise activity.

You can see more about the best Alaska train trips to take as an extension of your cruise.

You can also do a glacier boat tour in Whittier right before you get on the cruise ship, or right after.

With the one-way cruises, you also get 2 scenic cruising glacier days. On the northbound (Vancouver to Anchorage) you’ll get Glacier Bay National Park and College Fjord, and on the southbound (Anchorage to Vancouver) you’ll get Hubbard Glacier and Glacier Bay National Park.

These are the best glacier sea days!

If I must choose, I would do a cruise with both Glacier Bay National Park and Hubbard Glacier. (And then you can see College Fjord on a smaller boat through a Whittier excursion!)

See more about choosing between a northbound or southbound cruise.

 

In 2026, the Princess cruise ships that will be doing 7-day one-way cruises between Vancouver and Anchorage are the Coral Princess, Island Princess, Grand Princess, and Discovery Princess. The Discovery Princess is one of the newest and biggest Princess cruise ships, while the others are among the oldest and smallest.

In 2025, the Coral Princess, Sapphire Princess, and the Caribbean Princess will be doing the 7-day one-way Voyage of the Glaciers cruises.

 

 

2. Coral Princess (Vancouver or Anchorage)

Coral class ship | Coral Princess passenger capacity: 2,000 | official information

 

Typical 7-day one-way Alaska cruise itinerary on the Coral Princess Vancouver to Anchorage northbound:

• Vancouver, Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay National Park, College Fjord, Whittier
• 2026: May, June, July, August

Typical 7-day one-way Alaska cruise itinerary on the Coral Princess Anchorage to Vancouver southbound:

• Whittier, Hubbard Glacier, Glacier Bay National Park, Skagway, Juneau, Ketchikan, Vancouver
• 2026: May, June, July, August

You can also book these cruises together as a 14-day round trip cruise from Vancouver.

 

 

3. Island Princess (Vancouver or Anchorage)

Coral class ship | Island Princess passenger capacity: 2,200 | official information

 

Typical 7-day one-way Alaska cruise itinerary on the Island Princess Vancouver to Anchorage northbound:

• Vancouver, Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay National Park, College Fjord, Whittier
• 2026: May, June, July, August, September

Typical 7-day one-way Alaska cruise itinerary on the Island Princess Anchorage to Vancouver southbound:

• Whittier, Hubbard Glacier, Glacier Bay National Park, Skagway, Juneau, Ketchikan, Vancouver
• 2026: May, June, July, August, September

You can also book these cruises together as a 14-day round trip cruise from Vancouver.

 

 

4. Grand Princess (Vancouver or Anchorage)

Grand class ship | Grand Princess passenger capacity: 2,610 | official information

 

Typical 7-day one-way Alaska cruise itinerary on the Grand Princess Vancouver to Anchorage northbound:

• Vancouver, Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay National Park, College Fjord, Whittier
• 2026: May, June, July, August, September

Typical 7-day one-way Alaska cruise itinerary on the Grand Princess Anchorage to Vancouver southbound:

• Whittier, Hubbard Glacier, Glacier Bay National Park, Skagway, Juneau, Ketchikan, Vancouver
• 2026: May, June, July, August, September

You can also book these cruises together as a 14-day round trip cruise from Vancouver.

 

 

5. Discovery Princess (Vancouver or Anchorage)

Royal class ship | Discovery Princess passenger capacity: 3,660 | official information

 

The Discovery Princess is one of the newer Princess cruise ships, so it’s one of the bigger cruise ships.

 

Typical 7-day one-way Alaska cruise itinerary on the Grand Princess Vancouver to Anchorage northbound:

• Vancouver, Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay National Park, College Fjord, Whittier
• 2026: May, June, July, August

Typical 7-day one-way Alaska cruise itinerary on the Grand Princess Anchorage to Vancouver southbound:

• Whittier, Hubbard Glacier, Glacier Bay National Park, Skagway, Juneau, Ketchikan, Vancouver
• 2026: May, June, July, August, September

You can also book these cruises together as a 14-day round trip cruise from Vancouver.

 

In September 2026, the Discovery Princess also does 7-day round-trip cruises from Vancouver.

 

In general, smaller ships are better than bigger ships in Alaska. All cruise ship will go to the Alaskan inside passage, but only smaller cruise ships from Vancouver will cruise through the Canadian inside passage for example.

The Discovery Princess is a bigger cruise ship so it won’t sail the Canadian inside passage.

Are you going to regret not being able to cruise through the Canadian inside passage? Probably not, because you have nothing to compare it to, and it will just be another sea day.

Will it add to your cruise? Yes, absolutely. You’ll get to see more beautiful scenery.

 

 

6. Emerald Princess (Los Angeles or Vancouver)

Crown class ship | Emerald Princess passenger capacity: 3,080 | official information

 

Alaska cruises from Los Angeles are rare. You’re coming from even further away than San Francisco, so you have even more sea days.

There is only one Alaska cruise out of Los Angeles in 2026, similar to 2025.

 

The one-off Alaska cruise itinerary from Los Angeles in 2026:

• September 2026: Los Angeles, Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay National Park, Icy Strait Point, Sitka, Ketchikan, Victoria (Canada), Los Angeles

 

Aside from this one Los Angeles cruise, the Emerald Princess will be doing round trip cruises that leave from Vancouver.

Typical itinerary in 2026 for the Emerald Princess will be a 7-day cruise round trip from Vancouver:

• Vancouver, Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay National Park, Ketchikan, Vancouver
• 2026: May, June, July, August, September

 

In early May, the Emerald Princess also has an 11-day cruise round trip from Vancouver that goes to Sitka, Glacier Bay National Park, Skagway, Juneau, Icy Strait Point, Hubbard Glacier, and Ketchikan. This is similar to the 11-day cruise I did in early May. See my pictures from Alaska in early May.

 

 

7. Royal Princess (Seattle)

Royal class ship | Royal Princess passenger capacity: 3,560 | official information

 

The Royal Princess is one of the biggest Princess cruise ships.

Cruises from Seattle don’t go through the Canadian inside passage, and they include a mandatory port stop in Canada which is sometimes in the late evening for just a couple of hours.

 

Typical itinerary in 2026 for the Royal Princess will be a 7-day cruise round trip from Seattle:

• Seattle, Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay National Park, Ketchikan, Victoria (Canada), Seattle
• 2026: May, June, July, August, September

 

 

8. Star Princess (Seattle)

Sphere class ship | Star Princess passenger capacity: 4,300 | official information

 

The Star Princess will be the newest Princess cruise ship which means it will be the cruise ship with the most bling (or one of them – the currently out Sun Princess is similar).

But it doesn’t have the best Alaska cruise itinerary, since it doesn’t have one of the best scenic cruising glacier days.

If seeing Alaska as best as you can is your #1 priority, then do a cruise that goes to Glacier Bay National Park or Hubbard Glacier. And that’s not a cruise on the Star Princess in 2026.

But if you want to get on the newest Princess cruise ship and the bonus is Alaska’s scenery, then get on the Star Princess!

Just know that the Star Princess doesn’t offer the best Alaska cruise itinerary… I say that BECAUSE of the glacier sea day that’s offered. You’ll still get all the Alaska-specific onboard programming (and visit the ports of course!), so you can still have a perfect cruise on the Star Princess.

 

Typical itinerary in 2026 for the Star Princess will be a 7-day cruise round trip from Seattle:

• Seattle, Ketchikan, Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier, Juneau, Skagway, Victoria (Canada), Seattle
• 2026: May, June, July, August, September

 

 

More considerations for your 2026 Alaska cruise: FIFA World Cup

The FIFA World Cup (soccer) is going to be taking place in Vancouver, Seattle, and San Francisco in the summer of 2026, among other cities in the US, Canada, and Mexico.

This will impact hotel availability in these cities if you are flying in a day or 2 before your Alaska cruise. (And thus, hotel prices!)

Most matches will be taking place in June, and they will continue into July. You can see the FIFA World Cup schedule here.

 

More for choosing a cruise:

• Best Alaska cruise ports
• Best Alaska glaciers
• How to save money on an Alaska cruise
• Worst time for an Alaska cruise
• Northern lights in Alaska (from a cruise ship!)