Which Princess Alaska cruisetour is right for you? A complete guide to all your options

Is a Princess cruisetour to Alaska right for you?

If you've landed on this page, you're probably trying to figure that out, and you're likely a bit overwhelmed.

There are a lot of factors to consider when choosing an Alaska vacation. And even if you're sure a Princess cruisetour is right for you, the process of booking one can be confusing, as there are many options from which to choose.

Princess notably offers a whopping 28 different Alaska cruisetour itineraries, each a little different. That's far more than any other cruise company. The next biggest Alaska cruisetour operator, Holland America, offers just 18 different cruisetour itineraries.

In all cases, these Princess cruisetours to Alaska pair a seven-night cruise along the southeastern coast with at least a few days of overland touring into the interior of the state. However, factors like the length of the trip, the places you'll visit and the things you'll see can vary greatly depending on which itinerary you pick.

Here's everything you need to know about Princess cruisetours to Alaska.

What is a Princess cruisetour to Alaska?

First, let's start with the basics. A cruisetour to Alaska is a trip that combines a cruise along the coast of Alaska with a multiday overland tour of the state's rugged interior. It is both a cruise and a land tour of Alaska — hence the name.

In the case of Princess, these are trips that combine a seven-day cruise along the southeastern coast (sailings that Princess calls Voyages of the Glaciers) with three to 10 days of overland touring.

The resulting cruisetours thus range in length from 10 to 17 days.

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A cruisetour isn't the only way to experience a cruise-related vacation in Alaska. You can also sign up for a cruise-only trip to the state, and many cruise-loving vacationers interested in seeing Alaska do just that. All the major cruise lines that operate in Alaska, including Princess, offer cruise-only options, and as I've experienced firsthand over many years of writing about Alaska cruises, they are wonderful trips.

Still, for reasons I will explain below, a cruisetour is arguably the best way to get a broad Alaska experience in a single trip.

Why choose a Princess cruisetour to Alaska?

You'll find trips that combine a cruise and a land tour available in many places around the world. But nowhere is it as big a phenomenon as in Alaska. This is because Alaska is a destination that, perhaps more than any other, is best seen with a combination of ship travel and land travel. One of the two most famous places to visit in the state, Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, is best seen by ship; the other most famous spot, Denali National Park and Preserve, is best seen by way of overland touring.

Only on an Alaska cruisetour can you easily see both of these iconic destinations in a single trip.

Related: The ultimate guide to Alaska cruises

A cruisetour can also get you to all or most of Alaska's best-known towns — Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan, Anchorage and Fairbanks, to name a few — in a single easy-to-arrange trip. That's almost impossible to do any other way, including by renting a car and driving yourself. At least one of these towns, Juneau, isn't accessible by road. The others are spread out and sometimes difficult to visit independently.

That's the general argument for choosing a cruisetour for your Alaska vacation.

The argument for choosing a Princess cruisetour, specifically, is that no other company offers as much choice in cruisetour itineraries — or as wide an array of exclusive or semi-exclusive elements to the trips.

Princess is, quite simply, the leader in cruisetours in Alaska — in all sorts of ways.

As noted above, it offers more cruisetours itineraries in Alaska and takes more people on cruisetours to Alaska than any other company.

But more importantly, Princess has been operating cruises and cruisetours in Alaska longer than almost any other company — nearly 60 years. This deep history has allowed it to build up an unmatched array of exclusive company-owned infrastructure in the state as well as relationships with travel suppliers that let it offer a truly seamless travel experience on land and sea.

In Alaska, Princess is a full-service travel company that also owns some of the best places to stay on land and operates its own transportation services to get you from place to place.

This includes:

• Five custom-built Princess lodges that are some of the best places to stay in Alaska
• A fleet of luxury glass-domed Princess rail cars that provide direct-to-the-wilderness service
• A fleet of luxury Princess Tours motorcoaches

Princess, through its parent company Carnival Corporation, even owns part of one of the biggest tourist attractions in the state, the White Pass and Yukon Route railroad in Skagway, as well part of Skagway's historic port and retail operations.

Additionally, Princess will help you explore the Alaska wilderness by booking day tours out of its five lodges. This includes everything from flightseeing tours and whitewater rafting outings to guided hikes, fishing trips and a visit to the Kennecott Copper Mine.

Princess is also one of just a handful of cruise companies that have permits to take its ships into Glacier Bay National Park, allowing you to see the majesty of the park's glaciers up close from the deck of your ship.

Nearly every Princess cruisetour in Alaska includes a visit to Glacier Bay National Park, which is not something most other cruise brands can say. The line likes to say that it takes more people to Glacier Bay than any other company.

What's included in a Princess cruisetour to Alaska?

When you sign up for a Princess cruisetour to Alaska, you're signing up for a vacation where Princess will arrange almost every aspect of your trip, both on land and sea.

For starters, there is the cruise. As noted above, every Princess cruisetour in Alaska includes a seven-night, one-way sailing on a Princess ship between Vancouver and Whittier, Alaska.

Princess cruisetours also include accommodations (often at Princess-owned lodges) during the land portion of the trip and transportation around the state, either on Princess Tours motorcoaches or Princess-owned rail cars.

Princess can also arrange your flights to and from the trip (for an extra charge) and airport transfers.

Related: The 10 best Alaska cruises for every type of traveler

Transfers to and from the rail depot and your lodging are included in all tours that include rail travel.

The five lodges that Princess owns in Alaska play a big role in the land portion of most Princess cruisetours, serving not just as lodging for the night but as a base for exploring some of the state's best-known attractions.

They are:

• Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge
• Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge
• Kenai Princess Wilderness Lodge
• Copper River Princess Wilderness Lodge
• Fairbanks Princess Riverside Lodge

The first two lodges are at iconic Denali National Park. Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge is, notably, closer to the park than any other lodging — just a mile from the park's entrance — and is often billed as the most comfortable place to stay in the vicinity 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, known as an adventure playground for its world-class fishing and outdoor activities like hiking, rafting and kayaking.

The Copper River Princess Wilderness Lodge sits at the junction of two rivers just outside of Alaska's massive Wrangell–St. Elias National Park — the largest national park in the U.S. It offers spectacular mountain views.

Among the things not included in some Princess cruisetours are meals during the land portion of the trip. Excursions while visiting ports on the cruise portion of the trip are not included in cruisetour fares. Excursions on the land portion of the trips, including while staying at Princess lodges, are included in some cruisetours but not all (more on that below).

Where do Princess Alaska cruisetours begin?

All Princess cruisetours begin in one of three places: Anchorage, Alaska; Fairbanks, Alaska; or Vancouver, British Columbia.

Cruisetours that begin in Anchorage or Fairbanks start with the overland touring portion of the trip first, followed by the cruise portion of the trip. Cruisetours that begin in Vancouver start with the cruise portion first, followed by the overland touring.

In both cases, the cruise portion will be a one-way, seven-night sailing between Whittier, Alaska — a small port town about 50 miles southeast of Anchorage — and Vancouver.

That means that when you book flights for your cruisetour, you'll be booking an "open jaw" ticket that brings you into Alaska at the start of the trip and home from Vancouver — or vice versa.

Note that you can book your own air for these trips (many TPG readers like to use points and miles) or let Princess book flights for you through its Princess EZair service.

You may have read that Princess operates cruises to Alaska out of five ports: Seattle, Whittier, Vancouver, San Francisco and Los Angeles. This is true. However, you will only find Princess cruisetours available in conjunction with cruises out of Whittier and Vancouver.

Related: 15 Alaska cruise mistakes you never want to make

This is because all the Princess cruises to Alaska out of Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles are round-trip sailings from those cities that are not designed to be extended with an overland tour into the interior of Alaska.

In both 2026 and 2027, Princess will operate eight ships in Alaska. Only four of those ships will sail the one-way route between Whittier and Vancouver that the brand uses for cruisetours.

In 2026, the four ships sailing the one-way route are Discovery Princess, Grand Princess, Coral Princess and Island Princess. It'll be mostly the same lineup for 2027. The only change is that Crown Princess will replace Grand Princess.

As noted above, Princess calls these one-way cruises between Whittier and Vancouver Voyage of the Glaciers sailings. In addition to being one of the main elements of every cruisetour, you can book them as stand-alone, cruise-only sailings.

What are the itinerary choices for Princess Alaska cruisetour?

As noted above, Princess offers a huge range of cruisetour options in Alaska — 28 in all. But choosing the perfect Princess Alaska cruisetour for you isn't quite as complicated as that number might make it seem.

Depending on how long you want to stay in Alaska and what sort of experience you are seeking, you can narrow down the choices pretty quickly.

Princess breaks down its 28 Alaska cruisetour itineraries into four broad categories that vary in length and tour inclusions:

• Denali Explorer trips (10-13 nights)
• Off the Beaten Path trips (13-15 nights)
• Connoisseur trips (12-17 nights)
• On Your Own trips (10-11 nights)

At the core of the offerings are the Denali Explorer trips, which offer a broad overview of Alaska's biggest attractions. These are the Princess cruisetours that most people choose.

Like all Princess cruisetours, the Denali Explorer trips include a seven-night voyage between Vancouver and Whittier. These cruises always include two days of glacier viewing at two of Alaska's three most famous places for seeing glaciers: Glacier Bay National Park, Hubbard Glacier and College Fjord. They also include stops at three of the most popular cruise destinations in the state: Juneau, Ketchikan, and either Skagway or Icy Strait Point.

On top of that, you will get:

• Three to six nights of overland travel
• Exclusive Princess rail service to or from Denali National Park
• A stay in the Denali area
• An included Denali National Park tour
• A stay in Fairbanks or Anchorage
• Select additional included sightseeing

For these Denali Explorer trips, a visit to Denali National Park is at the core of the land portion of the experience.

If you're seeking a cruise to Alaska plus a visit to Denali, these are the tours for you.

If you're looking to see even more of the state's most famous sights, and you have a bit more time, the Off the Beaten Path trips are similar to the Denali Explorer trips but with a bonus: They add a visit to the Kenai Peninsula, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park or both destinations.

Because of these additions, these trips typically last two to three days longer than Denali Explorer trips. Instead of three to six nights, you'll spend six to eight nights on the land portion of the trip.

The Connoisseur trips are similar to the Off the Beaten Path trips but are much more full-service in their design.

On the land portion of the Off the Beaten Path tours (and Denali Explorer tours), you are on your own for meals and don't have a full-time tour director accompanying you from place to place as your guide. On the land portion of the Connoisseur trips, by contrast, most meals are included, and you are escorted by a tour director.

If you're the type of traveler who likes full-service tours where every little detail of your trip, including where you eat, is arranged by the tour company and there is an always-present tour leader, the Connoisseur trips are going to be the right choice for you.

Related: The 6 best Alaska shore excursions

For travelers on the opposite side of the spectrum — those who like to be more on their own when vacationing — the On Your Own itineraries are the trips specifically designed for you.

The land portion of On Your Own trips includes all the basic arrangements — your lodging and transportation between places — but no pre-scheduled tours, meals or the services of a tour director.

Like the Denali Explorer trips, the On Your Own trips are among the shorter Alaska cruisetours that Princess offers and have a particular focus on Denali National Park for their land portions.

In addition to all of the above, Princess also offers add-on hotel stays in Anchorage or Vancouver that you can add to the start or end of your trip. Known as Cruise Plus Hotel Packages, they include a hotel stay and a transfer to or from your ship or the airport.

Many of the cruisetours include stays in two of the five Princess lodges. Sometimes, stays in three or even four lodges are included. But for those who really want to do it all, the most epic of the 28 tours available is a 17-night fully escorted Connoisseur tour that includes two nights at each of the five lodges.

When does Princess offer Alaska cruisetours

The season for cruisetours in Alaska is a relatively short one, lasting from May to September.

For the 2026 season, the earliest Princess cruisetours to Alaska begin on May 9. The last Princess cruisetours of the season begin exactly four months later on Sept. 9.

For the 2027 season, the start dates for the first and last Princess cruisetours of the season are May 10 and Sept. 8.

What do Princess cruisetours cost?

The cost of a Princess cruisetour to Alaska varies widely depending on the type of tour you choose and its length, as well as the type of cabin you want on the cruise portion of the trip.

At the low end of the cost range, as of the time of this guide's publishing, 10-day On Your Own cruisetours for 2026 were available starting for $1,693 per person — or about $169 per day. This is for a trip that includes a seven-night cruise and three nights of overland touring focused on Denali National Park.

The 17-day Connoisseur tours mentioned above were at the high end of the cost range, starting at $6,023 per person — or about $354 per day.

These starting rates get you the least expensive cabin type on the ship for the cruise portion of the trip, which is an "inside cabin" with no windows. The cost can be significantly more in some cases for a bigger and more amenity-filled cabin.

For the 10-day On Your Own cruisetour mentioned above, for instance, the starting rates for the trip rose to $1,875 per person — or about $188 per day — for a cabin with a window (known as an "ocean-view cabin") on the cruise portion of the trip. The starting rates jumped to $3,178 per person if you wanted a cabin with a balcony and $3,724 if you wanted a suite.

Generally, the On Your Own cruisetours cost less than the Denali Explorer tours, as they have fewer inclusions. While 10-day On Your Own tours for 2026 started at $1,693 per person at the time of this guide's publication, for instance, the 10-day Denali Explorer tour started at $1,803 per person.

The least expensive Off the Beaten Path tour, a 13-day trip, started at $2,223 per person — about $171 per day.

Keep in mind that, as it is typical for cruise-related trips, the pricing for all of these tours is "based on double occupancy." That is, you will only get the prices listed above if there are two people traveling together in the same room, each paying the stated fare.

Bottom line

A cruisetour is one of the best ways to get a broad overview of Alaska, and no other company offers as wide a range of cruisetours or as many exclusive options for cruisetouring in the state as Princess. Long the biggest operator of cruises to Alaska in terms of passengers carried, Princess has developed an unrivaled network of company-owned lodges in Alaska as well as its own transportation infrastructure, including motorcoaches and rail cars, that allow it to offer Alaska vacationers an unusually seamless experience.