Is a Princess cruisetour to Alaska best for you?
In case you’ve landed on this web page, you are most likely attempting to determine that out, and also you’re doubtless a bit overwhelmed.
There are quite a lot of components to think about when selecting an Alaska trip. And even for those who’re positive a Princess cruisetour is best for you, the method of reserving one might be complicated, as there are various choices from which to decide on.
Princess notably gives a whopping 28 totally different Alaska cruisetour itineraries, every a little bit totally different. That is excess of another cruise firm. The following largest Alaska cruisetour operator, Holland America, gives simply 18 totally different cruisetour itineraries.
In all instances, these Princess cruisetours to Alaska pair a seven-night cruise alongside the southeastern coast with at the least a couple of days of overland touring into the inside of the state. Nonetheless, components just like the size of the journey, the locations you may go to and the stuff you’ll see can differ drastically relying on which itinerary you decide.
Here is all the pieces it is advisable find out about Princess cruisetours to Alaska.
What’s a Princess cruisetour to Alaska?
First, let’s begin with the fundamentals. A cruisetour to Alaska is a visit that mixes a cruise alongside the coast of Alaska with a multiday overland tour of the state’s rugged inside. It’s each a cruise and a land tour of Alaska — therefore the identify.
Within the case of Princess, these are journeys that mix a seven-day cruise alongside the southeastern coast (sailings that Princess calls Voyages of the Glaciers) with three to 10 days of overland touring.
The ensuing cruisetours thus vary in size from 10 to 17 days.
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A cruisetour is not the one solution to expertise a cruise-related trip in Alaska. You may also join a cruise-only journey to the state, and plenty of cruise-loving vacationers fascinated by seeing Alaska just do that. All the foremost cruise strains that function in Alaska, together with Princess, supply cruise-only choices, and as I’ve skilled firsthand over a few years of writing about Alaska cruises, they’re great journeys.
Nonetheless, for causes I’ll clarify under, a cruisetour is arguably one of the best ways to get a broad Alaska expertise in a single journey.
Why select a Princess cruisetour to Alaska?
You may discover journeys that mix a cruise and a land tour out there in lots of locations around the globe. However nowhere is it as huge a phenomenon as in Alaska. It’s because Alaska is a vacation spot that, maybe greater than another, is finest seen with a mix of ship journey and land journey. One of many two most well-known locations to go to within the state, Glacier Bay Nationwide Park and Protect, is finest seen by ship; the opposite most well-known spot, Denali Nationwide Park and Protect, is finest seen by means of overland touring.
Solely on an Alaska cruisetour are you able to simply see each of those iconic locations in a single journey.
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A cruisetour can even get you to all or most of Alaska’s best-known cities — Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan, Anchorage and Fairbanks, to call a couple of — in a single easy-to-arrange journey. That is nearly not possible to do another means, together with by renting a automotive and driving your self. Not less than one in all these cities, Juneau, is not accessible by highway. The others are unfold out and typically tough to go to independently.
That is the overall argument for selecting a cruisetour in your Alaska trip.
The argument for selecting a Princess cruisetour, particularly, is that no different firm gives as a lot selection in cruisetour itineraries — or as huge an array of unique or semi-exclusive parts to the journeys.
Princess is, fairly merely, the chief in cruisetours in Alaska — in all kinds of how.
As famous above, it gives extra cruisetours itineraries in Alaska and takes extra folks on cruisetours to Alaska than another firm.
However extra importantly, Princess has been working cruises and cruisetours in Alaska longer than nearly another firm — almost 60 years. This deep historical past has allowed it to construct up an unmatched array of unique company-owned infrastructure within the state in addition to relationships with journey suppliers that allow it supply a very seamless journey expertise on land and sea.
In Alaska, Princess is a full-service journey firm that additionally owns a number of the finest locations to remain on land and operates its personal transportation providers to get you from place to put.
This consists of:
- 5 custom-built Princess lodges which can be a number of the finest locations to remain in Alaska
- A fleet of luxurious glass-domed Princess rail automobiles that present direct-to-the-wilderness service
- A fleet of luxurious Princess Excursions motorcoaches
Princess, by way of its mother or father firm Carnival Company, even owns a part of one of many largest vacationer sights within the state, the White Go and Yukon Route railroad in Skagway, as nicely a part of Skagway’s historic port and retail operations.
Moreover, Princess will show you how to discover the Alaska wilderness by reserving day excursions out of its 5 lodges. This consists of all the pieces from flightseeing excursions and whitewater rafting outings to guided hikes, fishing journeys and a go to to the Kennecott Copper Mine.
Princess can be one in all only a handful of cruise firms which have permits to take its ships into Glacier Bay Nationwide Park, permitting you to see the majesty of the park’s glaciers up shut from the deck of your ship.
Practically each Princess cruisetour in Alaska features a go to to Glacier Bay Nationwide Park, which isn’t one thing most different cruise manufacturers can say. The road likes to say that it takes extra folks to Glacier Bay than another firm.
What’s included in a Princess cruisetour to Alaska?
Whenever you join a Princess cruisetour to Alaska, you are signing up for a trip the place Princess will prepare nearly each side of your journey, each on land and sea.
For starters, there may be the cruise. As famous above, each Princess cruisetour in Alaska features a seven-night, one-way crusing on a Princess ship between Vancouver and Whittier, Alaska.
Princess cruisetours additionally embody lodging (usually at Princess-owned lodges) throughout the land portion of the journey and transportation across the state, both on Princess Excursions motorcoaches or Princess-owned rail automobiles.
Princess can even prepare your flights to and from the journey (for an additional cost) and airport transfers.
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Transfers to and from the rail depot and your lodging are included in all excursions that embody rail journey.
The 5 lodges that Princess owns in Alaska play an enormous function within the land portion of most Princess cruisetours, serving not simply as lodging for the night time however as a base for exploring a number of the state’s best-known sights.
They’re:
- Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge
- Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge
- Kenai Princess Wilderness Lodge
- Copper River Princess Wilderness Lodge
- Fairbanks Princess Riverside Lodge
The primary two lodges are at iconic Denali Nationwide Park. Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge is, notably, nearer to the park than another lodging — only a mile from the park’s entrance — and is commonly billed as essentially the most comfy place to remain within the neighborhood of the park. It boasts an expansive deck overlooking the Nenana River with views into the park.
The Kenai Princess Wilderness Lodge is on Alaska’s scenic Kenai Peninsula, often known as an journey playground for its world-class fishing and out of doors actions like mountaineering, rafting and kayaking.
The Copper River Princess Wilderness Lodge sits on the junction of two rivers simply outdoors of Alaska’s huge Wrangell–St. Elias Nationwide Park — the most important nationwide park within the U.S. It gives spectacular mountain views.
Among the many issues not included in some Princess cruisetours are meals throughout the land portion of the journey. Excursions whereas visiting ports on the cruise portion of the journey should not included in cruisetour fares. Excursions on the land portion of the journeys, together with whereas staying at Princess lodges, are included in some cruisetours however not all (extra on that under).
The place do Princess Alaska cruisetours start?
All Princess cruisetours start in one in all three locations: Anchorage, Alaska; Fairbanks, Alaska; or Vancouver, British Columbia.
Cruisetours that start in Anchorage or Fairbanks begin with the overland touring portion of the journey first, adopted by the cruise portion of the journey. Cruisetours that start in Vancouver begin with the cruise portion first, adopted by the overland touring.
In each instances, the cruise portion shall be a one-way, seven-night crusing between Whittier, Alaska — a small port city about 50 miles southeast of Anchorage — and Vancouver.
That signifies that whenever you guide flights in your cruisetour, you may be reserving an “open jaw” ticket that brings you into Alaska in the beginning of the journey and residential from Vancouver — or vice versa.
Be aware you can guide your individual air for these journeys (many TPG readers wish to use factors and miles) or let Princess guide flights for you thru its Princess EZair service.
You’ll have learn that Princess operates cruises to Alaska out of 5 ports: Seattle, Whittier, Vancouver, San Francisco and Los Angeles. That is true. Nonetheless, you’ll solely discover Princess cruisetours out there along with cruises out of Whittier and Vancouver.
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It’s because all of the Princess cruises to Alaska out of Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles are round-trip sailings from these cities that aren’t designed to be prolonged with an overland tour into the inside of Alaska.
In each 2026 and 2027, Princess will function eight ships in Alaska. Solely 4 of these ships will sail the one-way route between Whittier and Vancouver that the model makes use of for cruisetours.
In 2026, the 4 ships crusing the one-way route are Discovery Princess, Grand Princess, Coral Princess and Island Princess. It’s going to be principally the identical lineup for 2027. The one change is that Crown Princess will exchange Grand Princess.
As famous above, Princess calls these one-way cruises between Whittier and Vancouver Voyage of the Glaciers sailings. Along with being one of many important parts of each cruisetour, you possibly can guide them as stand-alone, cruise-only sailings.
What are the itinerary selections for Princess Alaska cruisetour?
As famous above, Princess gives an enormous vary of cruisetour choices in Alaska — 28 in all. However selecting the right Princess Alaska cruisetour for you is not fairly as difficult as that quantity would possibly make it appear.
Relying on how lengthy you need to keep in Alaska and what kind of expertise you’re looking for, you possibly can slender down the alternatives fairly rapidly.
Princess breaks down its 28 Alaska cruisetour itineraries into 4 broad classes that change in size and tour inclusions:
- Denali Explorer journeys (10-13 nights)
- Off the Overwhelmed Path journeys (13-15 nights)
- Connoisseur journeys (12-17 nights)
- On Your Personal journeys (10-11 nights)
On the core of the choices are the Denali Explorer journeys, which provide a broad overview of Alaska’s largest sights. These are the Princess cruisetours that most individuals select.
Like all Princess cruisetours, the Denali Explorer journeys embody a seven-night voyage between Vancouver and Whittier. These cruises all the time embody two days of glacier viewing at two of Alaska’s three most well-known locations for seeing glaciers: Glacier Bay Nationwide Park, Hubbard Glacier and Faculty Fjord. Additionally they embody stops at three of the most well-liked cruise locations within the state: Juneau, Ketchikan, and both Skagway or Icy Strait Level.
On high of that, you’re going to get:
- Three to 6 nights of overland journey
- Unique Princess rail service to or from Denali Nationwide Park
- A keep within the Denali space
- An included Denali Nationwide Park tour
- A keep in Fairbanks or Anchorage
- Choose further included sightseeing
For these Denali Explorer journeys, a go to to Denali Nationwide Park is on the core of the land portion of the expertise.
In case you’re looking for a cruise to Alaska plus a go to to Denali, these are the excursions for you.
In case you’re trying to see much more of the state’s most well-known sights, and you’ve got a bit extra time, the Off the Overwhelmed Path journeys are just like the Denali Explorer journeys however with a bonus: They add a go to to the Kenai Peninsula, Wrangell-St. Elias Nationwide Park or each locations.
Due to these additions, these journeys sometimes final two to 3 days longer than Denali Explorer journeys. As an alternative of three to 6 nights, you may spend six to eight nights on the land portion of the journey.
The Connoisseur journeys are just like the Off the Overwhelmed Path journeys however are rather more full-service of their design.
On the land portion of the Off the Overwhelmed Path excursions (and Denali Explorer excursions), you’re by yourself for meals and do not have a full-time tour director accompanying you from place to put as your information. On the land portion of the Connoisseur journeys, against this, most meals are included, and you’re escorted by a tour director.
In case you’re the kind of traveler who likes full-service excursions the place each little element of your journey, together with the place you eat, is organized by the tour firm and there may be an always-present tour chief, the Connoisseur journeys are going to be the precise selection for you.
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For vacationers on the alternative aspect of the spectrum — those that wish to be extra on their very own when vacationing — the On Your Personal itineraries are the journeys particularly designed for you.
The land portion of On Your Personal journeys consists of all the essential preparations — your lodging and transportation between locations — however no pre-scheduled excursions, meals or the providers of a tour director.
Just like the Denali Explorer journeys, the On Your Personal journeys are among the many shorter Alaska cruisetours that Princess gives and have a selected concentrate on Denali Nationwide Park for his or her land parts.
Along with the entire above, Princess additionally gives add-on resort stays in Anchorage or Vancouver you can add to the beginning or finish of your journey. Often called Cruise Plus Resort Packages, they embody a resort keep and a switch to or out of your ship or the airport.
Most of the cruisetours embody stays in two of the 5 Princess lodges. Generally, stays in three and even 4 lodges are included. However for many who actually need to do all of it, essentially the most epic of the 28 excursions out there is a 17-night totally escorted Connoisseur tour that features two nights at every of the 5 lodges.
When does Princess supply Alaska cruisetours
The season for cruisetours in Alaska is a comparatively brief one, lasting from Could to September.
For the 2026 season, the earliest Princess cruisetours to Alaska start on Could 9. The final Princess cruisetours of the season start precisely 4 months in a while Sept. 9.
For the 2027 season, the beginning dates for the primary and final Princess cruisetours of the season are Could 10 and Sept. 8.
What do Princess cruisetours value?
The price of a Princess cruisetour to Alaska varies broadly relying on the kind of tour you select and its size, in addition to the kind of cabin you need on the cruise portion of the journey.
On the low finish of the associated fee vary, as of the time of this information’s publishing, 10-day On Your Personal cruisetours for 2026 had been out there beginning for $1,693 per individual — or about $169 per day. That is for a visit that features a seven-night cruise and three nights of overland touring centered on Denali Nationwide Park.
The 17-day Connoisseur excursions talked about above had been on the excessive finish of the associated fee vary, beginning at $6,023 per individual — or about $354 per day.
These beginning charges get you the least costly cabin sort on the ship for the cruise portion of the journey, which is an “inside cabin” with no home windows. The price might be considerably extra in some instances for an even bigger and extra amenity-filled cabin.
For the 10-day On Your Personal cruisetour talked about above, as an illustration, the beginning charges for the journey rose to $1,875 per individual — or about $188 per day — for a cabin with a window (often known as an “ocean-view cabin”) on the cruise portion of the journey. The beginning charges jumped to $3,178 per individual for those who needed a cabin with a balcony and $3,724 for those who needed a set.
Typically, the On Your Personal cruisetours value lower than the Denali Explorer excursions, as they’ve fewer inclusions. Whereas 10-day On Your Personal excursions for 2026 began at $1,693 per individual on the time of this information’s publication, as an illustration, the 10-day Denali Explorer tour began at $1,803 per individual.
The least costly Off the Overwhelmed Path tour, a 13-day journey, began at $2,223 per individual — about $171 per day.
Understand that, as it’s typical for cruise-related journeys, the pricing for all of those excursions is “based mostly on double occupancy.” That’s, you’ll solely get the costs listed above if there are two folks touring collectively in the identical room, every paying the acknowledged fare.
Backside line
A cruisetour is among the finest methods to get a broad overview of Alaska, and no different firm gives as huge a spread of cruisetours or as many unique choices for cruisetouring within the state as Princess. Lengthy the most important operator of cruises to Alaska by way of passengers carried, Princess has developed an unequalled community of company-owned lodges in Alaska in addition to its personal transportation infrastructure, together with motorcoaches and rail automobiles, that enable it to supply Alaska vacationers an unusually seamless expertise.
