Discover Cruise West's Alaska Cruises
Over 1.5 million people will visit Alaska this year, the vast majority arriving by 3,000+ passenger cruise ships that crowd into a handful of Alaska’s largest ports. While these huge vessels have their onboard attractions, small-ship guests know there’s a better, more intimate way to experience the “real” Alaska: the up-close, casual and personal way.
Cruise West small ships carry 78 to 138 guests and show you an Alaska the big ships can’t — up narrow channels and into secluded waterways, positioning in the ideal spots and pausing to catch every spectacular display of scenery and wildlife. Sail this summer in the company of naturalist guides and a small number of people who share a passion for exploration and discovery. Experience Alaska at its best with Cruise West. With over 60 years of experience exploring Alaska’s rugged coastlines, ice-carved fjords, towering glaciers and wild interior, not only do we have an intimate knowledge of its land and waters, but we are also allowed more permits than any other cruise line in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. Our 8 Alaska itineraries range from 3- and 4-night getaways in Glacier Bay or Prince William Sound to classic Inside Passage trips with true wilderness exploration to epic 25-day cruises to the far reaches of the Bering Sea. All of our cruises can be combined seamlessly with Cruise West land tours in Denali National Park and Preserve, Fairbanks and Anchorage. So no matter what you’re after, you’re bound to find an Alaska vacation that fits your interests, your timeframe and your budget.
Click here to view our video gallery of Alaskan Adventures
Alaska's Inside Passage
Cruise West's small ships take you into the hidden nooks and crannies of Alaska's Inside Passage. Explore the natural highlights between Ketchikan and Juneau at leisure, marveling at humpback whales in Frederick Sound, cruising within earshot of sea lion colonies sprawling on the rocks and edging close to cliffside rookeries where murrelets, puffins and other seabirds nest. Alaska’s legendary Inside Passage offers an ideal balance of ports, waterways and wildlife. Explore Glacier Bay National Park, Frederick Sound and Tracy Arm, with onshore visits to Haines, Skagway, Sitka and Petersburg.
Alaska's Whales & Wilderness
Cruise deep into the wilderness of the Inside Passage and bask in a peaceful sanctuary, where wildlife abounds and people are few. Sail round trip from Juneau and enjoy the luxury of spending a full day in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, a privilege permitted exclusively to Cruise West guests. Listen for the sound of thundering waterfalls and the crack of glaciers calving into the sea. Come face-to-face and interact with the people of a remote Southeast Alaskan village. And learn from a National Park Ranger and Native Cultural Interpreter about the Passage's array of flora, fauna and the culture of the Tlingits. If spending time up-close with nature is a must, this is the voyage for you. Get deep into the wilderness of Southeast Alaska to places inaccessible to large ships.
Gold Rush Inside Passage
Enjoy our value-priced Gold Rush Inside Passage cruises early and late in the Alaska travel season, before the crowds arrive, and when the scenery is often at its dramatic peak. Our Gold Rush journeys follow the route of the original Klondike Gold Rushers of 1898 between Seattle, Juneau and Skagway. This cruise offers an ideal blend of wilderness, ports and history. Hit all the “must see” highlights of Southeast Alaska and the Inside Passage, while following in the footsteps of the gold seekers.
Glacier Bay Highlights
Our Glacier Bay Highlights cruise is the perfect, shorter, getaway cruise in the beautiful remote wilderness of Alaska's Inside Passage. Experience the true meaning of wonder in the soaring sanctuary of Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. For a quick getaway to Alaska’s spectacular and remote wilderness, this cruise highlights the whales, wildlife and glacial wonders of Glacier Bay National Park. This short getaway cruise focuses on the soaring sanctuary of Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. Spend a day in this nature wonderland with an onboard park ranger who will help you spot wildlife. Cruise Icy Strait in search of humpbacks and other marine mammals. Delight in the charm of small port Haines. In just a few days, you'll build a lifetime of memories.
Glaciers of Prince William Sound
Dubbed the "enchanted circle of emerald isles," the spectacular scenery of Prince William Sound is best explored aboard our small ships. Cruise cliff-walled fjords and narrow passages. Listen for the "white thunder" of massive glaciers calving into nutrient- rich water. And watch as humpback whales breach off the bow, as brown bears hunt for shellfish and as sea otters and harbor seals play along the shore.
This voyage takes you to Prince William Sound, a spectacular waterway that provides a hint of what the world looked like after the last Ice Age. This area is home to the largest concentration of tidewater glaciers in North America, so you'll see plenty of glaciers calving. Visit uninhabited islands to explore untouched tidepools. Watch as bald eagles soar in the sky, curious sea otters gaze at you from kelp beds, and pods of orcas glide by. Prince William Sound is the perfect setting for hearing the rumbles and groans of calving glaciers that tower straight up from the sea to 9,000 feet. Surrounded by the beautiful snowcapped Chugach Mountains Prince William Sound’s nutrient-rich waters make it the home of whales, sea lions, sea birds and bears and the largest concentration of tidewater glaciers in the world. Cruise West knowledgeable Exploration Leaders help provide their guests with life-changing experiences in The Last Frontier.
In Harriman's Wake
In 1899, America's most powerful railroad magnate, Edward Henry Harriman, personally organized and funded what was to become the most significant scientific expedition ever undertaken in Alaskan waters. Today you can follow in their wake. Cruise West's epic journey knits together two exceptional voyages into one dramatic whole as the Spirit of Oceanus revisits the areas Harriman's historic expedition explored. This special itinerary, takes you between Vancouver, B.C., and Nome, Alaska, a voyage of almost 3,600 miles. In 25 life-changing days, you'll discover, as they did, the true wonders of Alaska - its thundering glaciers, its clamoring wildlife, its scenic wonders, and its welcoming people. This epic journey combines the Coastal Odyssey and Voyage to the Bering Sea itineraries and follows Edward Harriman’s 1899 sailing through the Inside Passage, the Gulf of Alaska, the Aleutian Archipelago and the Bering Sea.
Voyage to the Bering Sea
Our Voyage to the Bering Sea journeys take you on an epic voyage of nearly 2,000 miles in the wake of Danish explorer Vitus Bering, to some of the most remote and spectacular islands on earth. Every place you go is rarely, if ever, visited by other cruise ships. Experience sights, sounds, and people you'll remember the rest of your life - the white bones of a whalebone repository, Native cultures who still rely on sealskin kayaks, and wildlife so prolific, the cliffs and shorelines seem to shift and move like a mirage. Truly a voyage beyond the ordinary. Stop along the wildlife-rich Aleutian Archipelago and cross the International Date Line and the Arctic Circle as you journey between Anchorage and the northern waters near Nome.
On this voyage, you'll experience sights, sounds, and people you'll remember the rest of your life — the white bones of a whalebone repository on the dark tundra, native cultures that still rely on sealskin kayaks, cliffs and shorelines that seem to shift and move like a mirage.
Coastal Odyssey
Our Coastal Odyssey voyage cruises over 1,600 miles between Vancouver BC and Anchorage, exploring the entire Inside Passage between British Columbia and Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, and the spectacular Gulf of Alaska coast. The graceful, all-suite Spirit of Oceanus, takes you to ports other cruise lines don't (or can't) reach, and brings you close to shore to find puffins in Glacier Bay, seals and sea otters in the Kenai Fjords, and bears feeding along the shoreline of Admiralty Island. Sailing between Vancouver and Anchorage, cruise the entire Inside Passage, including the stunning glaciers of Prince William Sound.
Video List
With a fleet of nine small ships and over 60 years of travel history, we've perfected the best way to experience the world's natural beauty and cultures. In combination with our own shore excursions and land tours in the company of seasoned, onboard Exploration leaders, there is simply no better way to travel. We look forward to welcoming you onboard!
Here is a list of promotional videos from Cruise West
