Alaska is a big state. Its coastline is longer than the coastlines of the other 49 states combined. You can't possibly see it all in a single cruise. There are three basic cruise itineraries, covering different parts of the state that offer varying experiences.
Inside Passage Cruises
The Inside Passage actually starts near the state of Washington, stretching through Canadian waters before reaching Alaska. The route passes by many offshore islands with isolated communities. Freighters, tug boats, and ferries all use the Inside Passage, as well as many cruise ships. The route avoids the open ocean and has better weather.
Inside Passage cruises offer spectacular scenery, especially in Glacier Bay National Park. Visits include historic towns such as Juneau (where the gold rush started) and Skagway, indigenous villages including the Tlingit and Haida peoples, and the opportunity to spot wildlife such as whales.
Shore excursions can include leisurely sightseeing or more active adventures like hiking, biking, or kayaking. There are also usually excursions focused on wildlife, including whale watching trips, searches for eagles, or floatplane trips to remote locations favored by grizzly bears.
Large cruise ships as well as smaller vessels all sail this route. The Alaska ferry system also runs between Inside Passage ports, and it's possible to build-your-own cruise using the ferries.
Gulf of Alaska Cruises
The Pacific Ocean becomes the Gulf of Alaska where it reaches the curve of Alaska's southern coast. It includes, but stretches beyond, the Inside Passage. The runoff from glaciers meets the open ocean here, sometimes with a clearly defined boundary line and different colored water on either side.
Cruises in the Gulf of Alaska include the Inside Passage ports but continue beyond them to ports near Anchorage. They often visit Prince William Sound and stop in Seward or Whittier. Because these ports are a short train ride to Anchorage, they are convenient for flights home or if you want to follow your cruise with a land tour that explores locations in interior Alaska.
When these cruises travel through the Inside Passage, they make some of the same stops and offer the same excursions as Inside Passage cruises. The Gulf portion may include Icy Strait, where outdoor activities can include fishing for salmon or halibut.
The large ships and smaller ships both cruise this route, also.
Bering Sea Cruises
The Bering Sea is the remote body of water west of Alaska and east of Russia, between the Bering Strait and southeastern Alaska. This is true wilderness; the small villages are home to indigenous Alaskans whose way of life still includes many traditional practices.
There are fewer cruises here than in the Inside Passage or Gulf. These cruises typically focus on wilderness exploration and wildlife, traveling between Nome and the southeastern coast of Alaska. Typically these are smaller cruise ships with fewer amenities than the large ships used in the other Alaskan cruise routes. Excursions from the ship may include rides along island coast in rigid-hulled inflatable boats. The waters are full of sea life including walruses and whales while visits to Katmai National Park bring sightings of brown bears.
