Princess Cruises is an American cruise line that is famous for its Alaska itineraries, having sailed to the region for over 50 years. They are owned by Carnival Corporation, the largest cruise corporation in the world. As a leader in the Alaska cruise market, they focus on value and offer cruisers a huge selection of choices in destinations and extraordinary itineraries.
Their extensive array of Alaska itineraries includes popular routes such as the Inside Passage and the Gulf of Alaska, visiting numerous ports throughout the northern region. With more than half of their fleet sailing to Alaska in the next two years, there is a ton of choice with Princess Cruises.
No matter which Princess ship you pick, each offers onboard activities, signature attractions, and specialty dining options that will be a perfect complement to a vacation to the Last Frontier. In addition, the cruise line offers a diverse range of add-on tours, giving guests a chance to stay at the cruise line's wilderness lodges and explore the natural beauty and wildlife of the region.
Sailing with Princess Cruises means a lot of great options and plenty of ships to choose from. Here is a breakdown of what you need to know when choosing Princess Cruises for the ultimate Alaska cruise vacation.
Princess Cruises sailings to Alaska
Princess Cruises has a wide selection of itineraries, everything from a 4 and 5-day sampler, numerous week-long cruises, and the ultimate 22-day cruise to see Alaska. The cruise line sails to numerous ports throughout Alaska, along with plenty of scenic cruising of fjords and glaciers. Cruisers will see an abundance of wildlife and the panoramic vistas of the rustic terrain.
Embarkation ports are generally on the West Coast and include Seattle, Vancouver, Anchorage (Whittier), Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Vancouver, Canada. Princess does have some special cruises that leave from Tokyo (Yokohama), Japan.
Whether you are new to cruising to Alaska or are looking for something more port-intensive, Princess provides many options. The cruise line has more than 20 different itineraries over the next few years, with a total of 9 ships, more than half of their current fleet sailing.
Itineraries
Among Princess Cruises' main itineraries are Inside Passage cruises that tour the islands in the southern part of Alaska. Many of these are 7-day cruises stopping in places like Ketchikan, Skagway, Sitka, Juneau, Vancouver, and Victoria, British Columbia, as well as scenic cruising of Endicott Arm and Dawes Glaciers and Glacier Bay National Park.
They also have their Voyage of the Glaciers, cruises that sail farther north across the Gulf of Alaska. Many of these are one-way cruises, northbound or southbound, either starting or ending in Alaska. These cruises venture farther north, heading toward Anchorage and College Fjord. In addition to other ports of call like Juneau, Skagway, and Hubbard Glacier, which all provide tons of scenic views.
Among the most interesting of the long voyages is an impressive 22-day itinerary for 2025 that coincides with the Summer Solstice. Princess Cruises also offers a 22-day cruise that starts in Japan, heading across the Pacific to Alaska with stops in places such as Anchorage and Hubbard Glacier.
Alaska excursions
Princess Cruises offers its guests an extensive range of excursion options for various interests, ages, and activity levels. They allow guests to explore the area's culture and Gold Rush history, in addition to activities like fishing, sightseeing, kayaking, and helicopter tours, to name a few. The cruise line also has a partnership with Discovery and Animal Planet that provides extraordinary excursions as well as customized kids' programming.
Some of the highlights include:
- Wildlife – the chance to see humpback whales and Alaska’s Big Five — including moose, caribou, grizzly bears, wolves, and Dall sheep.
- Wonders of nature such as national parks, glaciers, fjords, mountain ranges, glacial rivers, and much more.
- Bucket list excursions like dog sledding, train rides, helicopter tours, flightseeing, and classic train rides. Get immersed in the best of Alaska culture with lots of opportunities to learn and experience the native Alaska culture firsthand.
- Explore the Gold Rush history as you step back in time to saloons, pan for gold, and visit other historical sites.
Land Tours
A super addition to Voyage of the Glaciers, Princess has its “cruise+land+ lodge” cruise tours, which can be 10+ days and offer an excellent opportunity to experience more of Alaska.
Most of these include a 7-day Voyage of the Glaciers Alaska cruise vacation with two glacier-viewing experiences in addition to other port visits. Once guests are done with the cruise, they enjoy scenic rail travel from the ship to the lodge via their exclusive Direct-to-the-Wilderness® rail service. Guests then spend three or more nights on land at Princess Wilderness Lodges, located riverside near legendary national parks.
In addition to visiting one of the cruise lines’ Alaska lodges, their land tours include excursions in Anchorage and Fairbanks. Other options include a Canadian Rockies tour that heads to Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada, and a National Parks cruise tour that explores five of the state's national parks.
Princess Cruises Wilderness Lodges
Cruisers have the ability to extend their vacation with cruise add-ons that include the option to travel inland via train and stay at the Wilderness Lodges close by to parks and visit Whittier, Anchorage, and Fairbanks. Their selection of hotels includes:
- Copper River Prince Wilderness Lodge, which is described as an unforgettable Alaska cruisetour, takes guests to the Copper River Princess Wilderness Lodge, where guests are treated to the beauty of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, the largest national park in the United States.
- Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge is located just one mile from the entrance of the expansive Denali National Park overlooking the Nenana River. This venue has some of the best views in Alaska with the comfort of top-rated hotel amenities.
- Fairbanks Princess Wilderness is located on the banks of the Chena River; the lodge provides riverside dining and frontier décor with access to the vibrant city of Fairbanks.
- Kenai Princess Wilderness Lodge is situated on the Kenai Peninsula overlooking the Kenai River. The lodge is surrounded by mountains, rivers, and the wilderness of Chugach National Forest.
- Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge is surrounded by the Denali State Park near the Chulitna River and offers unparalleled views.
Immersive Experiences
In addition to its wide array of excursions, Princess Cruises offers a variety of immersive experience that enhances the overall guest experience. Top among these is the North to Alaska Program, which features curated programs. Guests get the opportunity to eat local seafood, meet local Alaskans, and participate in other programs, which can come in the form of cuddling sled dog puppies in the ship's Piazza, seeing the Northern Lights in the planetarium, or learning how to carve a totem pole.
Discovery and Animal Planet exclusive programming is provided thanks to Princess Cruises' partnership with the top-rated channels. Cruisers get the chance to participate in specialized activities both on and off the ship, with one of the highlights being plenty of fun events for kids and families.
Among guest favorites are visits from local animals, such as dogs, who come onboard to meet guests. There are lots of other fun events, such as stargazing and youth/teen clubs.
Princess Cruises ships sailing to Alaska
The cruise line currently has 15 ships in operation, with over half sailing to Alaska in the next two years. Princess ships fall into three classes. A nice benefit for cruisers is that all Princess cruise ships built before 2017 have been refurbished.
The newest series of ships is Royal Class, of which half- Discovery Princess (2022), Majestic Princess (2017), and Royal Princess (2013) are sailing to Alaska. The ships are larger than their predecessors with more space, dining venues, lounges, bigger spas and suites.
The Grand Class has 7 ships that run about 20% smaller on average than the newer, larger ships of the Royal Class. A benefit of this is that these smaller sister ships are more nimble, making it easier to visit smaller ports, especially beneficial in places like Alaska. These tend to have less than 3,000 passengers for a more intimate experience. A number of ships from this class sail on Alaska itineraries, including Ruby Princess (2008), Crown Princess (2006), Caribbean Princess (2004), and Sapphire Princess (2004).
An even smaller class of ships, the Coral class of vessels with Coral Princess(2002), sails to Alaska with about 2000 passengers, the smallest among the Princess fleet sailing to Alaska.
Princess Cruises' onboard offerings
All the Princess ships sailing to Alaska have been refurbished or are new to the fleet. Although not mega-ships, they offer several amenities and activities that cater to both adults and families. Key features include:
• A variety of inclusive and specialty dining such as Italian, a steakhouse, a gastropub, with flexible dining times
• Entertainment, including original shows, casinos and lounges
• Adult-only deck area and luxurious spas, pool/ deck area, Complimentary kids programs
• Sports courts, movies under the stars
• A wide variety of cabin options, including suites
In particular, Princess has become renowned for its Ocean Medallion, a wearable device for guests that can be used in conjunction with the cruise card and allows for touch-free personalization onboard. It allows for touchless embarkation and disembarkation, keyless stateroom entry, completely contactless commerce, simplified safety training, on-demand food, beverages, and retail items delivered anywhere on board, and guest service requests via mobile device chat, location-based gaming and wagering and entertainment content via smart devices.
As with most of the major cruise lines, the cruise fare includes basic dining and drinks as well as most entertainment and accommodations. The cruise line also offers packages such as Princess Plus, which includes wi-fi, and beverage packages. The Princess Premier option has more devices on Wi-Fi, tips, a premium drink package, dining packages, and more. Some guests may not need the extras, while some may prefer the all-inclusive style vacation that the enhanced packages include.
What to know when choosing a Princess cruise to Alaska
Princess Cruises is renowned for its cruises to Alaska, offering unique cruisers for over 50 years. They have one of the widest ranges of itineraries, everything from a 4-day sampler to a 22-day voyage. They have tons of choices, with unique options for cruises, and are looking for something different. All of their older ships have been refurbished, and their Ocean Medallion technology has proved popular with its guests.
As noted, they seek to provide an immersive experience that extends beyond port excursions, thanks to a number of curated programs such as North to Sea, an impressive array of land tours, and Discovery and Animal Planet activities both on and off the ship.
The cruise line does lend itself to a specific type of cruiser as they do not have all the flashy bells and whistles seen on some newer ships. There are no sky-high slides, waterparks, laser tag, or racetracks that you may find on some of the Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line ships. Royal Class ships, like Majestic and Royal Princess in the Princess class, offer larger ships with more amenities, including dining options, but have a capacity of less than 4,000 passengers. They have a number of packages, with competitive pricing with other major cruiselines
This is not to say, though, that families are not welcome onboard; on the contrary, they have a number of family-friendly activities, dining, and excursion options. Although they do have complimentary kids programs.
Many ships in the Princess Grand class that sail to Alaska, like Ruby Princes, Crown Princess, and Sapphire Princess, run about 20% smaller than those in the Royal Class ships. As they tend to lack major attractions, they can have more of a quiet vibe.
