The easiest Alaska cruise to actually take: fly into Seattle, sail seven nights, come home to the same pier. The Glacier Bay version adds the marquee day, a full morning and afternoon inside the national park with rangers on board.
The route at a glance
Roundtrip from Seattle, seven nights. Typical calls: Juneau, a full day in Glacier Bay National Park, Sitka or Icy Strait Point, Ketchikan and Victoria, BC, with two sea days. Holland America's Eurodam runs Juneau, Glacier Bay, Icy Strait Point, Sitka, Ketchikan and Victoria; Princess sails Royal Princess on the same pattern across 23 departures in 2026-27. Glacier Bay is a permit day: the ship does not dock, park rangers come aboard, and only a few lines hold permits, so check the itinerary name for "Glacier Bay" before booking. Port guides: Juneau, Glacier Bay, Ketchikan, Sitka, Icy Strait Point, Victoria.
Who this route suits
Best for a first Alaska cruise, families and anyone who wants one airport and no one-way flights. If Denali is the priority, look at the northbound Vancouver to Anchorage route instead; if the lowest fare matters more than Glacier Bay, a plain Inside Passage roundtrip usually costs less.
What it costs
Published starting fares sit around $1,300 per person for Royal Princess's 2027 departures, and Eurodam's 2027 Alaska Explorer departures from Seattle start from $999 per person including taxes. Expect roughly $600-1,000 more for a balcony over an inside cabin, plus $18-18.50 per person per day in gratuities and $100-300 for each marquee excursion (Mendenhall Glacier, White Pass railway). Our fare database puts the Alaska median at $124 a night across tracked sailings. Full budget breakdown: what an Alaska cruise costs.
The five-minute version
- Seven nights, roundtrip Seattle.
- Juneau, Glacier Bay park day, Sitka or Icy Strait, Ketchikan, Victoria.
- Only permit-holding lines enter Glacier Bay; check the itinerary name.
- From about $1,300 per person, balcony $600-1,000 more.
- The lowest-stress way to do Alaska.
- Glacier Bay is a permit day with no dock: National Park Service rangers board the ship and narrate over the PA (nps.gov) - claim a rail spot early.