The whole lot about Alaska is supersized. Staggering in magnificence and scale, the state gives 36,000 miles of glacier-strewn shoreline. Lakes outnumber folks. Bears, caribou and moose roam the wilderness. You will additionally discover North America’s tallest peak, Mount Denali, in addition to the nation’s largest bald eagle inhabitants.
A coastal cruise will deliver you face-to-face with whales, icebergs and big tidewater glaciers. However if you wish to see the Alaska that seems on postcards — with hovering peaks, sweeping forests, mirror lakes and wild bears — you will must enterprise inland.
That is the place a cruisetour is available in.
What’s a cruisetour?
An Alaskan cruisetour is the last word two-in-one trip: It pairs a weeklong cruise of the Inside Passage with a multiday land journey into Alaska’s huge wilderness.
Sooner or later, you may be kayaking previous surreal blue icebergs in Glacier Bay, and the following, chances are you’ll be using a glass-domed prepare by means of the Alaska Vary as moose graze on the tundra. It is one of many smartest methods to expertise the state, because it combines coastal magnificence, gold rush historical past and wildlife encounters with Alaska’s “Massive 5” — bears, moose, caribou, Dall sheep and wolves — all in a single journey.
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How lengthy is a cruisetour?
Cruisetour lengths fluctuate. Some add only a few nights inland. Others final per week or extra and enterprise deeper into Alaska’s wilderness. All embody a seven-night cruise of the Inside Passage and a land journey the place Denali Nationwide Park & Protect is the star attraction.
When’s the very best time to go on a cruisetour?
Alaska’s cruise season is brief — Could by means of September — and excursions are inclined to e-book out shortly. Summer time brings delicate climate and lengthy days, with temperatures within the mid-50s to low 70s and as much as 24 hours of daylight. Every month has its personal draw, although.
Could and June imply fewer crowds and decrease costs. Snow nonetheless lingers on the mountain tops, wildflowers are in bloom and glacier viewing circumstances are good. It is also a major time for viewing wildlife. Whales and migratory birds are passing by means of, and bears are simply rising from hibernation.
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July is the candy spot. Lengthy, sunny days make it preferrred for mountain climbing, kayaking and wildlife recognizing, each on sea and on land. That is the preferred month in Alaska, so anticipate a number of folks in port.
August is all in regards to the salmon runs and the bears that observe them. The coast sees extra rain, nevertheless it’s a small worth to pay for the wildlife you will encounter on land.
Come September, the climate is cooler and the tundra golden. Crowds skinny out, making it simpler to e-book cruisetours. There’s additionally probability you will see the northern lights.
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Why mix cruise and land?
The Inside Passage delivers fjords, glaciers and charming cities. However Alaska’s actual wilderness — Denali, sprawling tundra, massive wildlife — lies lots of of miles inland. A cruisetour provides you the very best of each with out the headache of getting to plan all of it your self. Transfers, trains, lodges and guided outings are included, typically making it a greater worth than reserving a cruise and land journey individually.
What are the completely different excursions I can e-book?
Most itineraries pair a weeklong Inside Passage crusing with a number of days of inland adventures — sometimes Denali Nationwide Park & Protect and a experience aboard a glass-domed prepare. From right here, prolonged excursions would possibly proceed north to Fairbanks or south to Kenai Fjords Nationwide Park, including wildlife lodges, gold rush cities and glacier boat excursions into the combo.
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Which cruise traces supply cruisetours?
A number of traces mix Alaska cruises with a land journey. Some — like Princess Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line and Holland America Line — prolong into the Canadian Rockies, with stays in Banff and Lake Louise, Alberta. Azamara goes additional, with itineraries in each Japan and Canada and the uncommon probability to discover three nations in a single journey.
Princess Cruises
Holland America Line
Holland America’s “Denali & Yukon” tour extends past Denali to Dawson Metropolis, Yukon, the guts of the Klondike gold rush. Together with a “Glacier Discovery” cruise, you will experience the White Cross & Yukon Route Railway, sip cocktails in frontier-era saloons and keep in rustic lodges. It is Alaska’s wild magnificence with a facet of gold rush historical past.
Royal Caribbean Worldwide
Royal Caribbean brings big-ship vitality to Alaska with Ovation of the Seas, a Quantum Class ship full of eating, bars and leisure; it gives sights just like the North Star remark capsule, which rises 300 ft above the ocean. Cruisetours embody a glass-domed rail journey and time in Denali, the place excursions vary from wilderness hikes to dogsledding and zip lining by means of the boreal forest.
Azamara Cruises
Azamara returns to Alaska in 2026 with its trademark model of immersive gradual journey and new cruisetours that add two to 6 nights on land. Choices just like the “Alaska Explorer” mix a non-public tour of Denali with a jet boat experience on the Susitna River and time in Talkeetna, Alaska, a unusual frontier city. Longer journeys prolong to Japan and Canada.
Norwegian Cruise Line
Norwegian has the latest fleet in Alaska, with lavish suites, thermal spas, big-name reveals, go-kart tracks and a number of bars and eating places. Off the ship, the journey continues with rail journeys, Denali wilderness hikes, an unique dogsled kennel go to and adrenaline-charged choices like white water rafting and scenic heli-flights.
Superstar Cruises
Superstar gives an immersive Alaska expertise, with cruisetours that highlight gold rush historical past, nationwide parks and native delicacies. The ten-day “Genuine Tastes of Alaska” itinerary is a movable feast: You may pattern every thing from domestically smoked salmon, ice cream constructed from Indigenous recipes and sweet constructed from tree sap, all whereas having fun with the backdrop of Alaska’s dramatic landscapes.
Windstar Cruises
Windstar additionally returns to Alaska in 2026 with Star Seeker, pairing small-ship luxurious with expedition-style journey. With eight naturalists on board, each second — whether or not drifting amongst glaciers in Zodiacs, kayaking amid icebergs within the Tongass Nationwide Forest, biking Sitka, Alaska’s coastal paths or mountain climbing Denali’s tundra in the hunt for the “Massive 5” — will come vividly to life.
Backside line
Alaska is all about supersized surroundings and once-in-a-lifetime adventures. A cruisetour delivers each the glaciers and fjords of the coast, plus the mountains, tundra and wildlife on land.
If you go issues as a lot as which line you journey with. Ebook early — the very best itineraries vanish quick. Pack for each form of climate. And prepare for a visit that brings you the easiest of Alaska on sea and on land.
