Pick a round trip from Seattle or Vancouver if you want the classic Inside Passage loop: one home port, and ports such as Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan. Pick a one-way sailing between Vancouver and Whittier or Seward if you want to start or end in Alaska itself, often with a land tour to Denali. Travelers often call that one-way route "Gulf of Alaska", but the cruise lines and park pages do not use that name, so search for "one-way" in the itinerary. With a Chinese passport you generally need a US visitor visa, and you generally need a Canadian visitor visa whenever the sailing starts, ends or calls in Canada, which many Alaska sailings do. Glacier Bay is a separate choice, because only some sailings enter the park.
Round trip or one-way: what the lines sell
The table follows how each line's Alaska page describes its routes.
| Round trip (Inside Passage) | One-way (Vancouver at one end) | |
|---|---|---|
| Start and end | Same port: Seattle or Vancouver (Princess also lists San Francisco and Los Angeles) | Vancouver at one end; Whittier (Norwegian, Princess, Holland America) or Seward (Royal Caribbean) at the other |
| Length on the lines' pages | 7 nights on Royal Caribbean's Seattle and Vancouver sailings; "classic 7-day" on Norwegian; most Holland America Seattle itineraries are 7-day round trips | Royal Caribbean: 7-night cruise plus a 2-6-night land tour; Holland America: 7-day Glacier Discovery sailings between Whittier and Vancouver; Norwegian: one-way cruise, length not stated on its Alaska page |
| Places the pages name | Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan; Sitka and Icy Strait Point on longer Norwegian sailings; Glacier Bay; Tracy Arm and Endicott Arm; Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier on Royal Caribbean's June-August Seattle sailing | Hubbard Glacier and Denali (Royal Caribbean cruisetour page); Kenai Fjords National Park (Seward, Royal Caribbean); Prince William Sound (Holland America's Whittier page) |
| Land tour | Royal Caribbean's guide says a cruisetour can be added to the beginning or end of a sailing; Holland America's Seattle page says land-and-sea cruisetour options can last 10-14 days | Princess says its cruisetours are one-way trips and that Whittier one-ways are popular with guests adding a land tour |
| Sea conditions | Royal Caribbean says the Inside Passage keeps seas "remarkably calm" all season; Norwegian calls it a sheltered route | The pages do not describe sea conditions for one-way sailings |
Princess's FAQ says a round trip typically leaves from and returns to Seattle, Vancouver or San Francisco, and a one-way cruise runs between Vancouver and Whittier. Holland America describes its Whittier-Vancouver sailings as featuring "marquee glacier cruising and classic Inside Passage ports". The lines' pages do not list a full port-by-port route for the one-way sailings. Holland America's Alaska page lists College Fjord among its glaciers but does not say which sailings go there.
Glacier Bay: who can enter, how many ships, what the day looks like
What the day looks like. The National Park Service (NPS) page, last updated Sep 8, 2025, says ships do not dock in the park and typically spend a full day (9-10 hours) there, including a stop at a major tidewater glacier. NPS rangers board the ship. Boarding is often in the early morning and rangers leave in the afternoon. A second NPS page, last updated Dec 17, 2025, says typically two ships a day go up the West Arm and spend 4 or more hours in the glacier areas.
- The park map arrives in your stateroom the evening before.
- Rangers run an information desk in a main lounge and a Junior Ranger program.
- The ship stops in front of a tidewater glacier for approximately one hour, and NPS warns that Glacier Bay days often start early.
- Holland America says its ship rotates at the glacier so both sides see it.
- NPS says Glacier Bay gets over 80 inches of rain a year and summer highs of 50 to 60 degrees F (10 to 15 degrees C). Holland America says wind chill can feel 10-20 degrees colder than the forecast.
- An NPS photo caption says cruise ships may enter Johns Hopkins Inlet only in late summer, when harbor seal protections have ended.
How many ships. The federal rule (36 CFR 13.1160, eCFR) sets a daily cruise ship quota of 2, year-round. The seasonal quota is up to 184 for June 1-August 31 and up to 122 for May and September. Those maximums equal two ships on every day of those periods. The superintendent sets the actual seasonal number each year. Neither the eCFR text nor the NPS pages give the 2026 figure.
Which lines can go in. NPS's Concession Contracts page (last updated Nov 15, 2023) lists the cruise lines currently authorized in Glacier Bay: Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, Seabourn, Cunard and Viking. An NPS news release dated March 22, 2019 (archived) says ten-year contracts went to seven businesses, and that list also includes Royal Caribbean Cruises. The two NPS pages do not match on Royal Caribbean, so confirm that Glacier Bay is written into your sailing's itinerary. NPS itself notes that many Alaska cruises do not visit the park.
What the lines say about themselves:
- Princess calls itself an "authorized concessioner of Glacier Bay National Park".
- Holland America's Alaska page quotes a Forbes review saying the line holds more Glacier Bay permits than any other cruise line.
- Norwegian says many of its Alaska sailings travel through the Inside Passage and Glacier Bay.
- Royal Caribbean's Alaska pages feature Hubbard Glacier and Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier. Its "best Alaska cruises" guide (updated June 26, 2026) is subtitled "Sail With Royal Caribbean to Glacier Bay, Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan", and in the same text treats Glacier Bay as a possible stop on your itinerary. Its "How to Plan an Alaskan Cruise" guide lists Glacier Bay among the scenic days on round trips. None of these pages names a sailing that enters the park. The "best Alaska cruises" guide, in its answer on which lines have permits to go inside the park, says only that NPS limits entry and that with Royal Caribbean you can still visit Glacier Bay before or after your cruise; it names no line.
Glacier Bay or Hubbard Glacier? Holland America's page says neither is better. Glacier Bay gives an all-day scenic cruise inside a national park with rangers aboard. Hubbard Glacier is known for powerful calving. Royal Caribbean says Hubbard is the largest tidewater glacier in North America: 76 miles long, 7 miles wide, up to 600 feet tall.
Where to start: Seattle, Vancouver, Whittier or Seward
| Port | Lines that list it for Alaska | Round trip or one-way | What the official pages say about the pier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle | Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, Princess, Holland America | Round trip | Two terminals. Pier 91 (Smith Cove): two berths, 10 minutes from the retail core. Pier 66 (Bell Street): one berth, within walking distance of Pike Place Market |
| Vancouver | All four | Round trip (Royal Caribbean, Princess, Holland America); one-way (Norwegian, Princess, Holland America, Royal Caribbean cruisetour) | Canada Place |
| Whittier | Norwegian, Princess, Holland America | One-way | Reached by sea or a single-lane tunnel shared with trains |
| Seward | Royal Caribbean | One-way (cruisetour) | Royal Caribbean's pages give no pier details |
Seattle. Port of Seattle's 2026 fact sheet (version dated March 19, 2026) says the 2026 season brings 15 cruise lines and 26 ships, with 330 port calls from April through October. Port of Seattle's Find My Ship and Terminal page puts Royal Caribbean's Anthem of the Seas and Voyager of the Seas, Princess's Discovery, Royal and Star Princess, and Holland America's Eurodam and Noordam at Pier 91. It puts Norwegian Bliss, Encore, Jade and Joy at Pier 66. Holland America names Pier 91 (2001 W Garfield Way) as its Seattle home port.
Port of Seattle's FAQ says Seattle-Tacoma International Airport is 15 miles from downtown, a 30-45 minute drive depending on traffic. You have four ways to reach the terminals:
- Rideshare or taxi from the 3rd floor of the airport parking garage.
- A bus transfer sold by your cruise line.
- Link Light Rail to Westlake Station, then rideshare or taxi. From Westlake, Pier 66 is six minutes by car or 20 minutes on foot; Pier 91 is 15 minutes by car.
- An airport shuttle service listed on the airport's site.
Holland America's Seattle page also says you can book an airport transfer to your ship after you book a cruise.
Amtrak's King Street Station is 1.5 miles from Pier 66 and 4 miles from Pier 91, with no bus link to either terminal. The FAQ calls Metro bus service not convenient for either pier.
Vancouver. Port of Vancouver's release dated Mar 4, 2025 (a 2025 release, so it shows the pattern, not 2026 numbers) says Vancouver has been an Alaska home port for more than 30 years, for one-way and round-trip cruises through the Inside Passage. It lists 301 ship calls then scheduled between March 5 and October 21, 2025. The release says the season typically ramps up in late April and May, with almost daily visits expected through the summer and into September. Holland America puts embarkation at Canada Place. The release's 2025 list of lines at Canada Place includes Holland America, Norwegian, Princess and Royal Caribbean.
Whittier. Holland America's Whittier page says the town is reachable only by sea or a single-lane tunnel, and Anchorage is about an hour and a half away. It calls the 2.5-mile tunnel through Maynard Mountain one of very few ways in or out, shared with trains, and says to check the schedule. The pages give no tunnel hours. It also says Whittier's location in Prince William Sound means high winds and rapidly changing weather can occur throughout the year. Princess says the Whittier port sits just off the highway, next to the railroad line toward Anchorage and Denali. Norwegian says you can fly directly to Alaska and embark from Whittier.
Seward. Only Royal Caribbean's pages mention Seward: one-way sailings from Vancouver or Seward, and Kenai Fjords National Park as a Seward highlight. They do not say how to reach the pier.
Princess also lists round trips from San Francisco and Los Angeles, and Holland America lists a new San Diego departure on select cruises.
When to go
The lines do not agree on the season length, so here they are side by side.
| Source | Season it gives |
|---|---|
| Royal Caribbean weather guide (published May 28, 2026) | May through September |
| Port of Seattle fact sheet | April through October |
| Norwegian | April through October as best months; June-August for long daylight and wildlife; September and October for fall colors and a chance of the northern lights |
| Holland America, Seattle page | May to September |
| Holland America, Glacier Bay page | Roughly late April to early October; June-August is the peak window |
| Princess | Most travelers prefer late June through August; May and September for lower prices and fewer crowds |
Royal Caribbean's weather guide gives the month-by-month picture:
| Month | Temperatures | Daylight | Notes from the guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| May | 40s and 50s F | Nearly 18 hours | Driest month of the season; humpbacks return; lighter crowds and prices |
| June | 50s and 60s F | Up to 19 hours | Rainfall low compared with August; salmon runs begin; crowds building |
| July | 60-70 degrees F | 18+ hours | Bears at salmon runs; calm sea; cabins and itineraries book up fast |
| August | 50s and 60s F | 15-16 hours | Wettest month of the season |
| September | 40s and 50s F | 13-15 hours | Rain eases; fall colors; northern lights; least crowded |
Royal Caribbean's separate Alaska guide gives 55 degrees F to 70 degrees F for June and July, so treat temperature ranges as approximate. Holland America adds that May is the time for puffins in Glacier Bay, June for harbor seal pups, and July for bears catching salmon. Its Alaska page says early May to early June gives the best chance to see orcas.
By port, the same guide says Juneau gets 60-90 inches of rain a year, Ketchikan 150-plus inches, Skagway is the most weather-reliable port for excursions, and Sitka faces the open Pacific with wind and fast-changing conditions. It says flightseeing is the one excursion type that needs clearer visibility.
Royal Caribbean vs Norwegian, Princess and Holland America
The table sums up what each line says on its own pages, except that the Glacier Bay row also uses the NPS pages above. None of the pages ranks the lines.
| Royal Caribbean | Norwegian | Princess | Holland America | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska departure ports | Seattle, Vancouver, Seward | Seattle, Vancouver, Whittier | San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, Vancouver; Whittier one-way | Seattle, Vancouver, Whittier, San Diego |
| Round trip | Seattle (7-night), Vancouver (7-night) | Seattle | San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, Vancouver | Mostly 7-day from Seattle; Vancouver also |
| One-way | Vancouver or Seward (cruisetour) | Vancouver or Whittier | Vancouver and Whittier (Anchorage) | Vancouver and Whittier |
| Glacier Bay | Guides mention it as a possible stop but name no sailing, and one says you can visit before or after your cruise; NPS pages conflict | Many sailings; on NPS's list | "Authorized concessioner"; on NPS's list | Says its team arranges permits and a ranger; on NPS's list |
| Glacier promise | None on the pages | None on the pages | Says every Alaska cruise includes at least one glacier-viewing experience | Glacier Guarantee: Future Cruise Credit of 15% of the fare if no glacier is visited |
| Cruisetours | 7-night cruise plus 2-6-night land tour, with Denali | 7-day cruise plus planned land trip; up to 16 days; northbound from Vancouver or southbound from Fairbanks | Five private wilderness lodges, glass-domed railcars | 1-3 nights at its Denali Lodge plus a complimentary Denali tour |
Self-descriptions, as the lines write them:
- Royal Caribbean says Travel Weekly readers voted it Best Overall for 23 years running.
- Norwegian says it has the youngest fleet sailing Alaska and was runner-up for Best Alaska Cruise in USA Today's 10 Best Readers' Choice Awards 2026.
- Princess says Travel Weekly readers voted it Best Cruise Line in Alaska 22 times.
- Holland America says it is the only cruise line offering overnight stays in the Alaska and Yukon region it describes.
Holland America's Alaska page says the guarantee does not apply to Denali and Yukon itineraries Y3C, Y4C, Y5C and Y6C. Royal Caribbean vs Norwegian in short: Royal Caribbean's Alaska page names Seward and not Whittier, and Norwegian's names Whittier and not Seward. Norwegian's pages describe Glacier Bay sailings; Royal Caribbean's guides mention Glacier Bay but name no sailing that goes there, and one says you can visit before or after your cruise. Norwegian's 9- and 10-day cruises add Sitka or Icy Strait Point.
Visas and passports for Chinese passport holders
| What | What the official page says |
|---|---|
| United States | A foreign citizen generally needs a visa to enter the US, and tourism is the B-2 category (travel.state.gov, Visitor Visa page). The US Embassy in China's visa page sends short-term visitors to the online DS-160 application |
| Canada | IRCC's page on canada.ca lists the People's Republic of China among the countries whose citizens need a visitor visa. It says you need a valid visitor visa to enter Canada by car, bus, train or boat, including a cruise ship, even if you do not leave the ship |
| Cruise-line rules | Holland America's visa FAQ covers all Alaska sailings that visit or transit Canada: guests without the right documents can be denied boarding without compensation, and Canadian officials will not let them stay on board in a Canadian port. Norwegian's page says some passengers need a Canadian Temporary Resident Visa to visit or travel through Canada |
| Passport | Royal Caribbean says you need a passport because Alaska itineraries often stop in Canada. Holland America recommends a passport valid at least six months beyond your travel |
| Timing | Holland America says to verify visa needs no later than three weeks before sailing, and that processing can run longer in peak seasons |
Whether your sailing calls at a Canadian port is shown in its itinerary; ask the cruise line to confirm it. IRCC's FAQ for travelers already in Canada on a temporary resident visa (page modified 2026-09-28) says that if your cruise departs from Canada or the continental United States, enters international waters, and you do not hold a valid multiple-entry visa, you need a new temporary resident visa to re-enter Canada. The official pages do not state a Canadian visa fee or processing time.
Why Seattle round trips call at Canada. US customs (CBP) says in its Passenger Vessel Services Act publication (September 2019) that a vessel that is not coastwise-qualified may not carry passengers between US ports, directly or through a nearby foreign port. Foreign vessels may carry passengers from a US port to a foreign port and the reverse. An archived CBP release dated August 1, 2019, flagged by CBP as more than five years old, says almost all Alaska cruises from Seattle stop in Victoria, Canada. The publication says that in general a coastwise-qualified vessel must be U.S.-built, owned and documented with a coastwise endorsement; the pages do not say which ships qualify.
NCL's document page adds one rule: on sailings leaving from a Canadian port such as Vancouver, you may not join or leave the ship outside the published embarkation or disembarkation port; mid-cruise boarding or disembarkation may be approved only in emergencies, and a violation can mean a fine starting at $1,022 per person.
Which should you choose?
- You want a simple 7-night loop from one home port. Take a round trip from Seattle or Vancouver. Royal Caribbean and Norwegian both describe the Inside Passage as calm. The pages give no basis to rank Seattle against Vancouver, so pick the port that fits your flights and the sailing date.
- You want Denali or the Alaska interior on the same trip. Take a cruisetour: a one-way cruise plus a land tour. All four lines sell them.
- You want to fly into Alaska or end the trip there. Take a one-way sailing with Whittier (Norwegian, Princess, Holland America) or Seward (Royal Caribbean) at one end.
- Glacier Bay must be on your trip. Choose an itinerary that names Glacier Bay. Princess, Holland America and Norwegian appear on both NPS pages; Royal Caribbean appears only in the 2019 release.
- You want a glacier guarantee with a Future Cruise Credit. Holland America offers a credit equal to 15% of your cruise fare if no glacier is visited, with the itinerary exclusions listed above.
- You want the driest weather or the fewest crowds. Royal Caribbean's guide points to May (driest) or September (least crowded). It names July for the warmest weather and most daylight.
Need flights or a hotel quote?
If you want flights or a hotel before or after the cruise, contact us with your travel dates and we will send a quote.
