Alaska cruise · Seattle & Vancouver round-trips · any ship, any line

37 videos for your Alaska cruise

Grouped by port rather than by day — because Alaska itineraries differ by ship and line, but they nearly all call at the same handful of places. Whoever you sail with, your ports are here.

Open all 37 on the map

Nine ports: Ketchikan · Juneau · Skagway · Sitka · Icy Strait Point · Glacier Bay · Endicott Arm · Victoria BC, plus what to know before you sail.

Before you sail

Seattle or Vancouver

embarkation

Alaska is the one cruise where packing genuinely matters - it can be 8°C and raining in Ketchikan and 24°C in Skagway on the same trip. Layers, and a waterproof outer, not an umbrella.

Book early The excursions that sell out first are the Skagway railway, Juneau whale watching and the Icy Strait Point gondola. Independent operators are usually cheaper than the ship and often smaller groups, but you carry the risk of getting back late - only worth it with a comfortable margin.
Usually day 2 or 3

Ketchikan

typically 7:00 AM - 3:00 PM

The first Alaska port on most southbound-first itineraries, and the wettest place on the route - it averages around 3.8 metres of rain a year. Creek Street and the totems are walkable straight off the pier, which makes it the easiest port to do without booking anything.

Usually day 3 or 4

Juneau

typically 8:00 AM - 9:00 PM

The biggest port day, and often the longest - some ships stay into the evening. Mendenhall Glacier and whale watching are the two headline excursions and they combine comfortably in one day. Mount Roberts tramway leaves from beside the dock, so it fills any gap.

Worth knowing The state capital is reachable only by boat or plane - no road connects Juneau to the rest of Alaska. It is the detail that explains why the town feels the way it does.
Usually day 4 or 5

Skagway

typically 7:00 AM - 8:00 PM

A gold-rush town of about 1,000 people that receives over a million cruise passengers a year, so the whole place is built around the pier. The White Pass railway is the excursion nearly everyone does, and it is genuinely the right call.

Which side On the White Pass railway the best views going up are on the LEFT of the train. Carriages reverse for the return, so a left-side seat works in both directions - the one detail worth knowing before you board.
Varies by itinerary

Sitka

typically 7:00 AM - 3:00 PM

The Russian-founded outlier, on the ocean side of Baranof Island rather than the Inside Passage. The Raptor Center and Fortress of the Bear are the draws, and both are doable independently - this is the port where a ship excursion is least necessary.

Varies by itinerary

Icy Strait Point

typically 7:00 AM - 4:00 PM · tender or pier

A private port built around a restored 1912 salmon cannery near Hoonah, and the smallest community you will visit - about 900 people. Home to the world’s largest ZipRider, and a gondola that saves the climb to the Sky Peak viewpoint.

Scenic cruising day

Glacier Bay National Park

all day from the ship · no landing

The day most people book the whole cruise for. Nobody goes ashore - the ship spends the day in the bay while park rangers board and narrate. Access is capped by the National Park Service at two ships a day, so not every itinerary includes it.

Check before booking Glacier Bay permits are limited, so many itineraries substitute Endicott Arm or Hubbard Glacier instead. If Glacier Bay specifically matters to you, confirm it is on the itinerary before booking - the ship and the week both determine it.
Scenic cruising day

Endicott Arm & Dawes Glacier

morning from the ship · no landing

The usual substitute when a ship has no Glacier Bay permit, and no consolation prize - a narrow fjord walled with ice where the ship noses up towards a tidewater glacier. Some lines run small-boat excursions that get considerably closer than the ship can.

Final evening

Victoria, British Columbia

typically 6:00 PM - 11:00 PM

A short evening call, and the reason for it is legal rather than scenic: US law requires a foreign port on a round-trip from Seattle. You dock at Ogden Point, about 30 minutes’ walk from the Inner Harbour, and it will likely be dark.

Manage expectations With three or four hours after dark, Butchart Gardens is a stretch unless you book the ship tour. Most people are better served walking the Inner Harbour and Fisherman’s Wharf - Victoria is worth a proper day another time, not a rushed one now.

Watch tomorrow’s port tonight

All 37, on the map, grouped by the port you’ll wake up in.

Open the map

Port times are typical rather than exact — they vary by ship, line and sailing date, so always check your own documents. Not every itinerary includes every port: Glacier Bay access is capped by the National Park Service, and Endicott Arm is the usual substitute. Every video opens on YouTube, or plays inside the map.