Princess Cruise Line Alaska Cruises

A Guide to Princess Alaska Cruises, Itineraries, Shore Excursions, and Interior Tours

Princess Cruise Line Alaska Cruises are a wonderful way to explore this region's breathtaking scenery, ancient fjords, and island communities.

The first cruise I took to Alaska was a Princess cruise, and it was a great experience all around. The services, crew, tours, food, and on-ship activities were all excellent.

• Anchorage to Vancouver - see College Fjord, Glacier N.P., Skagway, Juneau, and Ketchikan. (7 days)
• Vancouver to Anchorage see Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Glacier N.P., and College Fjord. (7 days)
• Seattle Inside Passage Cruise visits Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan, Victoria, Tracy Arm, and the Sawyer Glaciers. (7 days)
• San Francisco Inside Passage Cruise - see Victoria, Juneau, Tracy Arm Glaciers and two of the following: Ketchikan, Sitka, Skagway, Haines or Icy Strait Point. (10 days)

You'll notice that the current Princess itineraries leaving out of Seattle and San Francisco do not go north of the Inside Passage and, in fact, do not visit Glacier Bay National Park, instead visiting the glaciers of Tracy Arm south of Juneau.

This is due in part to the longer cruising times from San Francisco and Seattle Vancouver is farther north).

In addition, the United States Park service has limited cruise ship visits in Glacier Bay to just two per day, due to ecological concerns.

While Princess (along with sister line Holland America) has the most access into Glacier Bay, their entries into the park are still limited.

While I do prefer visiting the magnificent Glacier Bay, Tracy arm comes close in beauty and some people I have talked to even consider it more beautiful than Glacier Bay.

If you experience sea sickness, the Seattle and Vancouver round-trip itineraries might be a good option to consider, since they never venture much north of Glacier Bay and into the Gulf of Alaska, which can be a bit choppy. [Cruises from Seattle tend to sail up and down the west side of Vancouver Island, but they then cut back into the Inside Passage.]

The majority of Princess Cruise Line Alaska cruises follow either the Anchorage to Vancouver or Vancouver to Anchorage routes. In addition to visiting Glacier Bay (and College Fjord), the main advantage of these itineraries is that they allow for tours to Denali National Park/Mt. McKinley, which is a trip I highly recommend.

The main disadvantage to the cruises in and out of Anchorage is that they spend about 2 days traveling through the Gulf of Alaska, which can be a bit choppy, even on a large ship, and this portion of the trip tends to be comparatively uneventful, as the coastline is several miles away, and is often obscured by clouds.

Of course, Princess cruises have many, many activities to pass the time while at sea, from live shows to interesting talks by marine biologists, so there is never a danger of the cruise getting dull.

I really can't recommend Princess Cruises enough. In addition to their wonderful service, activities, and food, they also have some of the best pre- and post- cruise tours. They operate a half dozen exceptional lodges in Alaska, including the wonderful Princess Denali Wilderness Lodge.

Also, if you do choose one of the cruises in and out of Seattle, Princess has now added the option of a great add-on, a tour of the spectacular Canadian Rockies, including visits to Banff, Jasper, Calgary and Kamloops. These 13-night packages feature stays at Fairmont resort properties such as the Chateau Lake Louise, Banff Springs Hotel, Palliser Hotel and Jasper Park Lodge. This really is a great add-on to an Inside Passage cruise.

Princess Cruise Line Alaska cruises offer the complete package, with the best itineraries, shore excursions, and add-on tours. They also offer the most cruises into Glacier Bay National Park of all the large cruise lines. Therefore, Princess is my first choice for Alaskan cruises.

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