Alaska Cruise Guide

Royal Caribbean Alaska Cruises: Ships, Routes and What to Expect

A Royal Caribbean Alaska cruise ship, Serenade of the Seas, moving up a fjord past small icebergs
Serenade of the Seas working up an Alaska fjord through floating ice in 2009. In 2027 it sails seven-night round trips from Vancouver.

A Royal Caribbean Alaska cruise in 2027 puts you on one of four big, activity-packed ships: Quantum of the Seas or Voyager of the Seas round trip from Seattle, Serenade of the Seas round trip from Vancouver, or Anthem of the Seas one way between Vancouver and Seward, the port for Anchorage. Every sailing is seven nights, and the one-way trips can be paired with a Denali land tour. What you won’t get is Glacier Bay National Park. Royal Caribbean’s 2027 Alaska program names no Glacier Bay day, so your big-ice moments come at Hubbard Glacier or at Dawes Glacier in Endicott Arm.

This page is for first-time Alaska cruisers weighing Royal Caribbean against the other big lines, and especially for families and groups who want more to do on board than a lecture and a lounge. The one caveat that matters: these ships were designed for warm-water sea days, and in Alaska you’ll spend your best hours outdoors in a fleece and a rain shell, so choose the route first and the ship’s gadgets second. If you haven’t settled on a line yet, our guide to the best cruise line for Alaska compares them all. Last updated October 31, 2026. Every price, fee and schedule below is dated, and the sources are listed at the end.

Royal Caribbean in Alaska at a glance

Your priorityThe 2027 pickWhy
The easiest trip for most AmericansQuantum of the Seas from SeattleA round trip with no Anchorage flight, calling at Sitka, Juneau and Skagway
A big glacier dayAnthem of the Seas, Vancouver to Seward or the reverseThe only 2027 route that names Hubbard Glacier, North America’s largest tidewater glacier
A glacier day without flying to AlaskaVoyager of the Seas from SeattleEndicott Arm and Dawes Glacier, plus Juneau and Skagway
A smaller ship and more port varietySerenade of the Seas from VancouverThe only 2027 Royal Caribbean route that names Icy Strait Point
Denali on the same vacationA cruisetour built on Anthem’s one-way sailingSeward’s dock connects straight to the Alaska Railroad
Glacier Bay National ParkNot Royal CaribbeanIts 2027 Alaska release lists no Glacier Bay itinerary

What’s changed for 2027

  • Ovation of the Seas is gone from the list. Ovation sailed Alaska in 2026 from Seward, and in mid-May 2026 it was one of the ships rerouted to Whittier while Seward’s new dock was delayed. Royal Caribbean’s October 22, 2025 announcement for summer 2027 names Anthem, Quantum, Serenade and Voyager, and it gives the Vancouver-Seward run to Anthem.
  • Seward’s new terminal gets its first full season. The $137 million terminal, owned by the Alaska Railroad, had its first official day of operation on May 28, 2026. Royal Caribbean signed a 30-year pier-use agreement that guarantees at least 140,000 passengers a year there, so expect the line to lean on Seward for years.
  • Tracy Arm is out and Endicott Arm is in. After the August 10, 2025 landslide and tsunami in Tracy Arm, Royal Caribbean, Carnival and Holland America switched their 2026 scenic cruising to neighboring Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier. The 2027 release names Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier for Voyager’s Seattle sailings.
  • Juneau is capped. From 2026 a voluntary agreement between the City and Borough of Juneau and the cruise industry limits the port to 16,000 lower berths a day (12,000 on Saturdays), on top of the five-large-ships-a-day limit. In late summer 2026 the Juneau Assembly voted 5-4 to postpone writing the ship limit into city law, so it stays an agreement, not an ordinance.

None of this is drama. It just means that a blog post about Royal Caribbean in Alaska written in 2024 is describing a different season: different ships, a different glacier day and a different Seward.

Which ships sail a Royal Caribbean Alaska cruise in 2027?

Four ships, three homeports, one length. Royal Caribbean announced its summer 2027 Alaska season on October 22, 2025, and members of its Crown & Anchor Society loyalty program could book before general sale opened on October 23. Here is how the fleet splits, using the ports and scenery the line itself named.

ShipHomeport and routePorts and scenery named for 2027Best for
Quantum of the SeasSeattle, 7-night round tripSitka, Juneau, Skagway (no glacier named)Families and first-timers who want the simplest trip
Voyager of the SeasSeattle, 7-night round tripJuneau, Skagway, Endicott Arm and Dawes GlacierGroups who want a glacier day from Seattle
Serenade of the SeasVancouver, 7-night round tripSitka, Icy Strait Point, Ketchikan (some dates list Juneau)Travelers who prefer a smaller ship and more ports
Anthem of the SeasVancouver to Seward, or Seward to Vancouver, 7 nightsSkagway, Ketchikan, Hubbard GlacierGlacier lovers and anyone adding Denali

Two warnings before you fall for a ship. The release lists highlights, not every stop, and the Seattle round trips must also call at a Canadian port (the reason is below). And ports, berths and times change from one sailing date to the next, so the only itinerary that counts is the day-by-day one attached to your booking.

Quantum of the Seas: the easy Seattle choice

Quantum of the Seas docked in Juneau with a red and white floatplane on the water in front of it
Quantum of the Seas at a Juneau dock in September 2022. Floatplane flightseeing leaves from the same waterfront.

Royal Caribbean’s own Alaska ship guide, updated in July 2026, aims Quantum of the Seas at families and first-time Alaska cruisers. It has the Quantum-class toys: RipCord by iFly (an indoor skydiving simulator), the FlowRider surf simulator, and SeaPlex, which the line calls the largest indoor activity space at sea. It also carries North Star, the glass capsule on a jointed arm that lifts a small group about 300 feet above sea level for a slow look around.

The route is Sitka, Juneau and Skagway, round trip from Seattle. That’s a strong trio for a first visit. Sitka gives you Tlingit and Russian-era history in one walkable town, Juneau gives you whale watching and the Mendenhall Glacier, and Skagway gives you the White Pass railway and a Gold Rush main street. The catch is that the release names no scenic-cruising glacier for Quantum. Before you pay a deposit, open the day-by-day itinerary and look for a scenic cruising day. If there isn’t one, your glacier will come from a shore excursion in Juneau, and you should budget for that.

Verdict: the best Royal Caribbean ship for a family flying into Seattle, as long as you confirm a glacier day or plan and pay for one ashore.

Voyager of the Seas: Seattle with a glacier day

Voyager is an older and simpler design than Quantum, but it’s the Seattle ship with a named glacier: Royal Caribbean lists Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier alongside Juneau and Skagway. It’s the ship with the ice rink, which is the “ice skating” in the 2027 announcement, and a rock-climbing wall that the line says gives you views from 40 feet above the ocean. Its long indoor street, the Royal Promenade, earns its keep on a wet sea day, when every outdoor deck is slick and half the ship wants coffee at the same time.

Endicott Arm is a long, narrow fjord south of Juneau that ends at Dawes Glacier. On a clear morning, with waterfalls pouring off the walls and small bergs drifting past, it’s one of the best days of the week. How close a big ship gets to the ice face depends on ice and weather, and the captain makes that call on the day. Don’t book this ship expecting a guaranteed close-up.

Verdict: the Seattle pick if a glacier day matters more to you than the newest hardware.

Serenade of the Seas: the smaller ship from Vancouver

Serenade is the smallest of Royal Caribbean’s four Alaska ships for 2027, and the only one whose announced route includes Icy Strait Point, next to the Tlingit village of Hoonah, which Huna Totem Corporation bills as Alaska’s first Indigenous-owned cruise ship destination. The October 2025 release lists Sitka, Icy Strait Point and Ketchikan. The line’s July 2026 ship guide lists Sitka, Juneau and Icy Strait. Both can be true on different dates, which is exactly why you read your own itinerary instead of a brochure.

You give up North Star, SeaPlex and the surf simulator. What you get is a ship that’s quicker to get on and off in port, a Vancouver start (one of the best cruise-port cities on the coast), and a route through the Inside Passage that spends its time on ports rather than long runs at sea. The line’s guide pitches Serenade at families and seasoned cruisers who want “up-close encounters with Alaskan nature,” which is about right.

Verdict: the best Royal Caribbean ship for travelers who care more about ports than gadgets, and a natural fit if Vancouver is easier for you to reach than Seattle.

Anthem of the Seas: one way, Hubbard Glacier and North Star

Anthem runs seven-night one-way cruises between Vancouver and Seward, with Skagway, Ketchikan and Hubbard Glacier named in the release. Royal Caribbean’s ship guide makes North Star Anthem’s headline feature, and Hubbard is where a capsule 300 feet above the sea makes the most sense. The National Park Service describes Hubbard as 76 miles long and 7 miles wide, with an ice face about 600 feet tall, roughly 350 feet of it above the water.

One-way cruises take more planning. You fly into one city and home from another, and the Seward end is a coastal town south of Anchorage that most people reach by motorcoach or by the Alaska Railroad’s Coastal Classic train, which cost $133 one way in Adventure Class in 2026. In return you see more of Alaska, you cross the Gulf of Alaska, and you can bolt on a land tour to Denali without doubling back.

Verdict: the best Royal Caribbean itinerary in Alaska if you can handle the flights, and the only sensible choice if Denali is on your list.

Royal Caribbean Alaska cruise itinerary options: Seattle, Vancouver or Seward

The homeport decides more about your trip than the ship does. It sets your flights, your documents, how much of Alaska you see and whether a land tour is realistic. Here is the honest comparison.

QuestionSeattle round tripVancouver round tripVancouver-Seward one way
2027 shipsQuantum, VoyagerSerenadeAnthem
FlightsOne round-trip domestic ticketRound trip to CanadaOpen-jaw: into one city, home from the other
Documents for U.S. citizensBirth certificate plus photo ID accepted (a passport is safer)Passport book to fly to CanadaPassport book or another WHTI document; a book if you fly via Canada
Canadian port callRequired, usually VictoriaYou start and end in CanadaYou start or end in Canada
Named glacierEndicott Arm and Dawes (Voyager only)None namedHubbard Glacier
Denali add-onAwkwardAwkwardEasy, sold as a cruisetour

Seattle round trips

Quantum and Voyager sail from Seattle, and for most Americans an Alaska cruise from Seattle is the easiest version of this trip: one domestic round-trip flight, one hotel night if you’re smart, and no border paperwork beyond the cruise itself. U.S. citizens on a closed-loop cruise, meaning one that starts and ends at the same U.S. port, can re-enter with a government-issued photo ID plus proof of citizenship such as a birth certificate. We’d still pack a passport book. If someone has to leave the ship in Canada or fly home early, the book is what gets them on a plane.

Why the Canadian stop? A federal cabotage law, the Passenger Vessel Services Act, stops foreign-flagged ships like Royal Caribbean’s from carrying you one way between two different U.S. ports on a trip like this, which is why one-way Alaska cruises start or end in Vancouver. A round trip back to Seattle is allowed, but it has to call at a foreign port along the way. So every Seattle round trip stops in Canada, usually at Victoria, British Columbia, and often in the evening. Victoria’s harbor authority had Norwegian Bliss, another Seattle ship, due at 7:30 p.m. and gone before midnight on one September 2026 call, which is typical. Check your time before you plan dinner downtown or a visit to Butchart Gardens, whose gates closed at 5 p.m. on Mondays and Tuesdays in summer 2026 and sit about 13.5 miles from the cruise terminal.

Seattle has two cruise terminals, Pier 91 (Smith Cove) and Pier 66 (Bell Street), about 2 miles apart. 2026 port guides placed Royal Caribbean at Pier 91, but lines can switch, so read the terminal off your boarding documents rather than a blog.

Vancouver round trips

Serenade’s Vancouver sailings start at Canada Place, downtown on the waterfront, which makes a pre-cruise night in the city easy and pleasant. Americans flying to Vancouver need a passport book for the flight. Canadians get the mirror-image convenience: no flight to Seattle, and a ship that sails from home.

One way between Vancouver and Seward

Anthem’s one-way sailings run through the Inside Passage and then across the Gulf of Alaska to Seward, or the reverse. Because the trip doesn’t begin and end at the same U.S. port, U.S. citizens need a passport book, passport card, Enhanced Driver’s License or trusted traveler card for the sea crossing, and a passport book if they fly home from Canada. Seward’s dock connects directly to the Alaska Railroad, which is how the cruisetours work. Plan an overnight in Anchorage at the Alaska end if your flight leaves the same day. Missing a flight home from Anchorage is expensive and very avoidable.

Glaciers: Hubbard, Dawes and the Glacier Bay question

The jagged blue ice face of Hubbard Glacier rising above gray water under low cloud
Hubbard Glacier’s calving face in 2012. Unlike most Alaska glaciers, it has advanced over the past century.

Glaciers are the reason most people book Alaska, so here is exactly what Royal Caribbean’s 2027 program promises, and what it doesn’t.

Hubbard Glacier (Anthem)

Hubbard Glacier is North America’s largest tidewater glacier. It starts near Mount Logan in Yukon and ends in Disenchantment Bay, inside Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve near Yakutat. It’s also contrary. Most Alaska glaciers are shrinking, but the Park Service says Hubbard has advanced over the past 100 years and is still thickening. In 1986 and again in 2002 it pushed across to Gilbert Point and dammed Russell Fiord, and both times the ice dam broke and the fiord reconnected with the sea.

On a cruise, the ship noses up Disenchantment Bay as far as ice allows, then usually turns slowly so both sides get a view. Bring binoculars and a hat. The wind off the ice is colder than anything else you’ll feel all week.

Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier (Voyager)

Dawes Glacier at the head of Endicott Arm with fog lying over the surrounding peaks
Dawes Glacier on a foggy day. A gray morning in Endicott Arm is normal, and the ice often looks bluer under cloud.

Endicott Arm and Tracy Arm are neighboring fjords south of Juneau. For years the big ships favored Tracy Arm and its Sawyer Glaciers. Then came the landslide and tsunami of August 10, 2025, and for 2026 Royal Caribbean, Carnival and Holland America moved their scenic cruising to Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier. Royal Caribbean’s 2027 release names Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier only for Voyager of the Seas.

If you read an older review that promises Tracy Arm on a Royal Caribbean ship, it’s describing the past. If you see Tracy Arm on any 2027 itinerary from any line, treat it as provisional.

Why there’s no Glacier Bay

Glacier Bay National Park lets in at most two cruise ships a day, and only companies holding a park concession contract can enter. In March 2019 the National Park Service awarded ten-year contracts to seven companies, and Royal Caribbean was one of them. But the park’s current concessions page lists six cruise lines permitted to enter (Princess, Holland America Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, Seabourn, Cunard and Viking), and Royal Caribbean’s 2027 Alaska release names no Glacier Bay itinerary. If you see Glacier Bay in general Alaska marketing copy, check the day-by-day itinerary before you believe it.

Verdict: if Glacier Bay is the whole point of your trip, Royal Caribbean is the wrong line for 2027. A Princess Alaska cruise or a Holland America Alaska cruise is the usual answer. If you simply want to watch a wall of ice drop chunks into the sea, Hubbard delivers that, and it’s bigger.

Alaska cruise ports on Royal Caribbean: what to expect ashore

All four ships are large, so you’ll share ports with other big ships, sometimes several at once. Here is what each 2027 port means on a Royal Caribbean itinerary.

Port2027 ships (per the release)What to know
JuneauQuantum, Voyager (and some Serenade dates)Capped at five large ships and 16,000 lower berths a day (12,000 on Saturdays); whale watching and the Mendenhall Glacier are the big draws
SkagwayQuantum, Voyager, AnthemThe White Pass Summit Excursion train cost $155 for adults in 2026 and needs no passport; trips into Canada do
KetchikanSerenade, AnthemBig ships may dock downtown or at Ward Cove, about 7 miles north, which added a visitor hub in 2026
SitkaQuantum, SerenadeTlingit and Russian-era history; check whether your ship docks or tenders, and how far it is to town
Icy Strait PointSerenadeNext to the Tlingit village of Hoonah; whale watching and Tlingit culture are the draws
Victoria, BCSeattle sailingsThe required Canadian call, often an evening stop

Juneau: go early or go out of town

Juneau is Alaska’s capital, and on a five-ship day it’s the busiest waterfront on your trip. The limits are real but voluntary: five large ships and 16,000 lower berths a day under an agreement between the city and the cruise industry. Royal Caribbean’s Juneau stops are prime time for whale watching and the Mendenhall Glacier. Book early if you want a small-group boat, and aim for the first departure of the day before the downtown sidewalks fill.

Skagway: book the train with care

A green and yellow White Pass locomotive on the Skagway dock with a cruise ship behind it
A White Pass train waiting on the Skagway dock beside cruise ships in 2009. The tracks run right to the gangway.

Three of the four ships call at Skagway, the Gold Rush town at the top of the Inside Passage. The White Pass & Yukon Route’s Summit Excursion is a 40-mile round trip of about 2.5 to 2.75 hours, and in 2026 it cost $155 for adults and $77.50 for children aged 3 to 12. It needs no passport. The longer trips to Fraser, Bennett or Carcross cross into Canada and do. If you’d rather not ride the train, Skagway is compact enough to explore on foot.

Ketchikan: check your berth

Ketchikan has two cruise areas: downtown, right beside Creek Street and the shops, and Ward Cove, a two-berth terminal about 7 miles north on the site of a former pulp mill. Ward Cove expected about 130 cruise calls in 2026 and added a second Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show venue, a zipline park and food and drink stands that year. Berths change by sailing, so look at yours before you plan a walk to Creek Street. From Ward Cove, you’ll need the shuttle.

Victoria: a short Canadian evening

Anthem of the Seas lit up at dusk at the Ogden Point cruise terminal in Victoria
Anthem of the Seas at Victoria’s Ogden Point in May 2025. In 2027 Anthem switches to one-way Vancouver-Seward sailings.

Victoria is the stop that makes the Seattle round trips legal, and it’s usually short. Many calls come in the evening, so treat it as a walk along the Inner Harbour and a good dinner rather than a full day of sightseeing. If Butchart Gardens is on your list, the Gardens advise cruise passengers to allow about 1 hour 15 minutes from the ship, so do the math against your all-aboard time before you buy tickets.

Excursions: what Royal Caribbean guarantees

Royal Caribbean sells a full menu of Alaska tours, from whale watching and glacier flightseeing to dog sledding on an icefield by helicopter. The line promises that if a shore excursion booked through Royal Caribbean runs late, the ship will wait. It also says plainly that the ship won’t wait for guests touring on their own, who are responsible for being back on board before departure.

That guarantee is worth money in ports with tight hours, and for tours that depend on weather, such as floatplanes and helicopters. In a walkable port like Skagway or Sitka, independent tours are often cheaper and smaller. Our rule: book through the ship when a delay would strand you, and book independently when the tour ends within a short walk of the gangway with plenty of time to spare. Either way, leave a 45- to 60-minute buffer before all-aboard.

Cold, wet days: the indoor spaces that matter

Southeast Alaska is a rainforest. You will get wet, and some scenic cruising happens in fog. On a Royal Caribbean ship, that’s less painful than it sounds, because these ships have a lot of covered space. A few spots are worth knowing about before you board:

  • North Star (Quantum and Anthem): the glass capsule that rises about 300 feet above sea level. It’s the best seat on the ship on a clear day in Hubbard’s neighborhood. Expect it to depend on wind and weather, and reserve a slot early in the cruise.
  • The Solarium: an adults-only pool area under glass on these ships, and the warmest place to watch the scenery with a drink in hand.
  • Two70 (Quantum and Anthem): a multi-deck lounge at the stern named for its 270-degree view through floor-to-ceiling windows.
  • The Royal Promenade (Voyager): an indoor street of cafes and shops for the kind of afternoon when the rain is sideways.
  • Your cabin: a balcony earns its price on scenic cruising days, and it matters less on port days when you’re ashore.

Connectivity is better than it used to be. Royal Caribbean says every ship offers its VOOM internet service via SpaceX’s Starlink, though speeds still drop in narrow fjords and packages cost extra. On dress, the line says a sailing can have one to three formal nights at the ship’s discretion. In Alaska, most people dress up a little and then put a fleece over it.

Royal Caribbean Alaska cruise tours: adding Denali

Royal Caribbean sells Alaska Cruisetours that pair a seven-night cruise with a two- to six-night land tour before or after the sailing. The line says motorcoach transport and seats in the glass-domed railcars of its Wilderness Express are included, while meals and drinks aboard the train are not, and that every cruisetour includes a narrated tour into Denali National Park. Those cars travel the Alaska Railroad’s line north from Anchorage, the same route the railroad’s own Denali Star train runs daily in summer between Anchorage, Talkeetna, Denali and Fairbanks.

The Denali part of 2027 should be better than 2026. The National Park Service announced on September 3, 2026 that the Pretty Rocks Bridge on the Denali Park Road is complete, and it expects full bus service to Eielson Visitor Center, Wonder Lake and Kantishna to resume for the 2027 season. Buses stopped at East Fork, Mile 43, throughout 2026. Ask exactly which park tour your cruisetour includes and how far along the road it goes.

Cruisetours hang off Anthem’s one-way sailings, because Seward links to the railroad and the road north. You can do the land tour first and cruise home, or cruise north and finish on land.

Verdict: do the land tour first. You finish the vacation unpacked in a cabin, with the ship doing the traveling, instead of living out of a suitcase at the end when you’re most tired. And since you’re flying all the way to Alaska anyway, two or three nights inland is the best value on the whole menu.

Is Royal Caribbean good for families in Alaska?

Yes, and it’s the line’s strongest argument. Royal Caribbean says its Adventure Ocean youth program covers ages 3 to 17 in age groups, and the ships give kids things to do between ports: surf simulators, climbing walls, an ice rink on Voyager and SeaPlex on Quantum. That matters on the long sea days between Seattle and Southeast Alaska.

The Alaska part is easy to get right with children if you pick the right tours. Whale watching boats and the White Pass train work for most ages, and children aged 3 to 12 paid half fare on the Summit train in 2026. Floatplanes and helicopter tours are pricey and weather-dependent, so save them for older children who will remember the ride. Pack rain pants for small kids; a wet eight-year-old on a whale watching boat is nobody’s idea of a vacation.

Verdict: for onboard activities, the strongest big-ship family choice in Alaska, especially Quantum or Voyager from Seattle, where you also avoid an Anchorage flight with children.

What a Royal Caribbean Alaska cruise costs in 2027

Royal Caribbean publishes fares that change daily, so there’s no honest single number. Travel Alaska, the state’s official tourism site, puts the average seven-night Alaska cruise at $500 to $5,000 depending on line and stateroom. Royal Caribbean sits in the mainstream part of that range, with balconies and suites costing a lot more than inside cabins, and the extras add up faster than people expect.

Cost lineFigureNotes
Cruise fare, 7 nightsVaries by date and cabinMay and September sailings are usually the cheapest weeks; July and August cost most
Gratuities$18.50 per person per day ($21 in suites)Two people in a standard cabin for 7 nights: $259
Taxes, fees and port expensesAdded to the fareCompare fares with these included
White Pass Summit train$155 adult, $77.50 child (2026)A useful benchmark for Alaska tour pricing
Anchorage-Seward train$133 one way, Adventure Class (2026)One-way Anthem sailings only
Wi-Fi, drinks, specialty diningPriced per day or per itemBuy only what you’ll use

Two money tips. First, Royal Caribbean’s Best Price Guarantee lets you request a price match any time before final payment or within 24 hours of booking. If the same stateroom category gets cheaper, the fare is adjusted (or a room upgrade may be offered), and guests who have already paid get the difference refunded. The line notes it isn’t available in all countries or for all reservations. Second, don’t pay for a balcony on Serenade’s port-heavy route and then skimp on the one excursion you actually came for. The whales are worth more than the chair.

Pros and cons of Royal Caribbean in Alaska

What you’ll like

  • More to do on board than any other big line in Alaska, which matters on sea days and with kids.
  • Three homeports, so most North Americans have a convenient start.
  • Hubbard Glacier on Anthem, and a real Denali cruisetour program.
  • North Star on the Quantum-class ships, a genuinely good way to see a glacier from above.
  • The excursion guarantee on tours booked through the line.

What you won’t

  • No Glacier Bay National Park in 2027.
  • Big ships mean crowded ports on busy days, and a shuttle ride if you draw Ward Cove in Ketchikan.
  • Quantum’s announced route names no glacier.
  • Much of what you pay for (surf simulators, skydiving tubes) gets little use when the scenery is outside.
  • Less Alaska-specific enrichment than the lines that built their brand here. Princess, for example, advertised Park Ranger commentary and Alaska Native presenters on its 2026 sailings.

How Royal Caribbean compares with other Alaska lines

Our full ranking of Alaska cruise lines weighs every major line on route, ship and value. In short: a Princess Alaska cruise or a Holland America Alaska cruise is the classic choice for Glacier Bay and Denali lodges, and our Princess vs Holland America Alaska comparison splits those two. A Norwegian Alaska cruise is Royal Caribbean’s closest rival on big-ship fun, and our Royal Caribbean vs Norwegian Alaska page takes that matchup head to head. A Celebrity Alaska cruise is the more grown-up sister-brand option, a Carnival Alaska cruise is usually the cheapest, a Disney Alaska cruise costs more for the characters, and a Viking Alaska cruise is the adults-only, small-ship alternative.

If you’re choosing a specific ship rather than a line, our guide to the best cruise ship for Alaska ranks them, and our Alaska cruise ships 2027 list shows every ship and route for the season.

Booking tips for a Royal Caribbean Alaska cruise

  1. Choose the route before the ship. Seattle for ease, Vancouver for a smaller ship and more ports, Seward for Hubbard Glacier and Denali.
  2. Book early, then watch the price. The 2027 season opened in October 2025, 18 to 21 months ahead like the other big lines. Use the Best Price Guarantee if the fare drops before final payment.
  3. Read the day-by-day itinerary. Look for a named glacier, your Ketchikan berth and your Victoria hours.
  4. Book scarce tours early. Small-group whale watching, floatplanes and the White Pass train sell out on multi-ship days.
  5. Fly in the day before. A late flight into Seattle, Vancouver or Anchorage is the most common way to miss a ship.
  6. Pack for rain, not snow. Layers, a waterproof shell and shoes that can get wet beat a heavy parka.

Royal Caribbean Alaska cruise FAQ

Does Royal Caribbean go to Glacier Bay?

Not in 2027. Royal Caribbean holds a 2019 Glacier Bay concession award, but its summer 2027 Alaska release names no Glacier Bay itinerary, and the park’s concessions page lists six other lines permitted to enter. Its glacier days in 2027 are Hubbard Glacier on Anthem of the Seas and Endicott Arm with Dawes Glacier on Voyager of the Seas.

Which Royal Caribbean ship is best for Alaska?

Anthem of the Seas has the best itinerary, with Hubbard Glacier, North Star and an easy Denali add-on, but it’s a one-way trip. From Seattle, pick Voyager of the Seas for a named glacier day or Quantum of the Seas for families. Serenade of the Seas suits travelers who prefer a smaller ship and more ports.

How much does a Royal Caribbean Alaska cruise cost?

Fares change daily, and Travel Alaska puts a typical seven-night Alaska cruise at $500 to $5,000 depending on line and cabin. On top of the fare, budget for gratuities of $18.50 per person per day ($259 for two people over seven nights), taxes and fees, excursions, Wi-Fi and drinks. May and September usually cost less than July.

What is the Royal Caribbean Alaska cruise 2027 schedule?

Royal Caribbean opened its summer 2027 Alaska season on October 22, 2025, with four ships: Quantum and Voyager of the Seas from Seattle, Serenade of the Seas from Vancouver, and Anthem of the Seas one way between Vancouver and Seward. All are seven nights. Exact sailing dates and port times are on each itinerary.

Do I need a passport for a Royal Caribbean Alaska cruise?

For a Seattle round trip, U.S. citizens can use a birth certificate plus government photo ID, although a passport book is safer. For Vancouver round trips you need a passport book to fly to Canada, and one-way Vancouver-Seward sailings require a WHTI document such as a passport. Canadians need their usual travel documents.

Has Royal Caribbean canceled any Alaska cruises or stops?

Royal Caribbean dropped Tracy Arm after the August 2025 landslide and used Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier in 2026. In mid-May 2026, Ovation of the Seas was rerouted from Seward to Whittier while the new Seward dock was delayed. Weather can also cancel a port or a glacier approach on the day.

Does Royal Caribbean offer Alaska cruise tours in 2027?

Yes. Royal Caribbean says its Alaska Cruisetours pair a seven-night cruise with a two- to six-night land tour, using motorcoaches and the glass-domed Wilderness Express railcars, and that every one includes a narrated tour into Denali National Park. They’re built around Anthem of the Seas’ one-way sailings between Vancouver and Seward.

Are Royal Caribbean Alaska excursions worth booking through the ship?

For weather-dependent tours and ports with tight schedules, yes, because Royal Caribbean promises the ship will wait if a tour it sold runs late. For short walkable ports like Skagway or Sitka, independent tours are often cheaper and smaller. Either way, allow a 45- to 60-minute buffer before all-aboard time.

Sources and How We Checked

We checked the prices, rules, schedules and ship deployments in this guide against the sources below on September 26, 2026, and we log each one in our research database with the date it was checked. Cruise lines change ships, fares and fees every season, so confirm anything that affects your booking with the line or the agency concerned. Alaska Cruise Guide (AlaskaCruise.org) is an independent publication. It is not affiliated with any cruise line, port, tour operator or tourism office, and no one paid to be included.

Photo Credits