Courtney GFor avid cruise lovers, Alaskan cruises are some of the most sought after itineraries to take. Seeing the beautiful glaciers in the Last Frontier up close and personal can be worth the chill in the summer.
Popular cruise lines sell Alaska like Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Disney (my first Alaskan cruise), and Princess. Princess is known as having the best itineraries and cruise tours for Alaska.
However, in 2026, we have a couple of newcomers to Alaskan sailings: MSC and Virgin Voyages.
MSC
MSC opened up booking for their Alaskan itineraries on October 28th. These sailings will take place on their ship MSC Poesia. MSC Poesia is a mid-size ship, beautifully design with plenty of great views of the ocean outside (perfect for seeing glaciers while cruising).
There will be three rotating routes all leaving out of Seattle, Washington. The port stops will include:
- Tracy Arm Fjord, Alaska
- Icy Strait Point, Alaska
- Juneau, Alaska
- Ketchikan, Alaska
- Sitka Alaska
- Victoria, Canada.
Virgin Voyages
Virgin Voyages is opening up their Alaskan booking on November 13th. If you bought a place holder back in May, you can call in to start booking (or have your travel advisor call in).
They’re having 7 different itineraries. Most of them are leaving out of Seattle but a couple will leave out of Vancouver. These will be on Virgin’s soon-to-be newest ship, Brilliant Lady. The first cruise out of Seattle will be the ship’s fourth Mermaiden (or inaugural) sailing. The port stops include:
- Skagway, Alaska
- Inside Passage, Alaska
- Tracy Arm Fjord, Alaska
- Icy Strait Point, Alaska
- Juneau, Alaska
- Ketchikan, Alaska
- Sitka Alaska
- Hubbard Glacier, Alaska
- Haines, Alaska
- Victoria, Canada
- Prince Rupert, Canada.
Other Cruise Lines
MSC and Virgin Voyages are the newcomers to the Alaska market but Royal Caribbean and Princess Cruises have opened up their 2026 Alaskan itineraries also (you can also book for 2025)! What’s fun about their options is that some can include cruise tours.
What’s a cruise tour, you ask? It’s a land extension of your cruise that can be taken before or after the cruise. Normally, these are taken to see Denali National Park and more of inner Alaska. This could make your trip more immersive if you have the time.
It’s very exciting with all of these possibilities! Whether you want to see the beautiful scenery or if you enjoy outdoors and wildlife, Alaska is a great place to cruise through.
Would you do an Alaskan cruise?
