Most people start by picking a cruise line. I would rather you start with three questions. How big a ship do you actually want, do you need Glacier Bay, and do you want to see Denali. I’m Donnetta Byrd, a travel advisor. I have done the Holland America cruisetour myself, dome train and Denali lodges included, and once you answer those three questions the line mostly picks itself.
I will tell you my bias up front. When two ships will show you the same coastline, I will point you at the smaller one. Alaska is a destination you look at, not a destination you look away from, and a 900-guest ship gets you off and on faster, crowds the viewing decks less, and makes the whole week feel less like a line. That is a preference, not a rule, and I will happily book you on a big ship if that is the trip you want.
Start with ship size, because the range is enormous
People say “an Alaska cruise” as if the ships are interchangeable. They are not even close. Here is the actual spread of what sails up there.
Viking Ocean runs Orion and Venus, both 930 guests. Holland America’s Zaandam carries 1,432, and its whole Alaska fleet sits under 2,700. Princess spans an unusually wide range, from Coral and Island Princess at roughly 2,000 to 2,200 guests all the way up to Star Princess at 4,300. Royal Caribbean sent four ships to Alaska for 2027, running from Serenade of the Seas at about 2,100 through Voyager of the Seas at roughly 3,100 up to Quantum and Anthem at about 4,200 apiece.
So the largest Alaska ship carries more than four times the people of the smallest one. That is the single biggest lever on what your week feels like, and it barely gets discussed.
Smaller does not automatically mean better. A bigger ship gives you more dining rooms, more entertainment, and usually a lower fare. But if the phrase “3,000 people at the glacier viewing deck” makes you tired just reading it, start with Viking or with Holland America’s smaller ships and work from there.
Glacier Bay is a real differentiator, not marketing
This is the part most people do not know, and it is worth two minutes.
Glacier Bay National Park limits how many ships come in. The National Park Service runs it on long-term contracts, with a cap of two ships a day through the summer, and only a handful of companies hold entry. Park rangers board the ships that do get in and narrate the day.
Princess and Holland America have the most secure position there, because their access is rooted in a legal entitlement that predates the modern permit system rather than a contract they have to win each cycle. Princess has 86 Glacier Bay visits scheduled for the 2028 season alone.
Everyone else works differently. Viking does sail into Glacier Bay, but on a handful of long repositioning itineraries rather than on its standard Alaska cruises, which feature Hubbard Glacier instead. Do not assume Glacier Bay comes with a Viking sailing. Royal Caribbean markets Hubbard Glacier and Dawes Glacier at Endicott Arm instead. Celebrity says on its own site that it does not sail into Glacier Bay at all.
None of this means the alternatives are bad. Hubbard is enormous and calving right in front of you is calving right in front of you. But if someone has told you they are going to Glacier Bay, check the itinerary rather than the brochure, because plenty of people book a “glacier cruise” and are surprised.
Denali is the second fork in the road
If you want the interior, the land portion is where the lines separate hard.
Princess and Holland America are the two that own the infrastructure. Princess has five wilderness lodges and its own fleet of Ultra Dome railcars with the big curved windows and open-air platforms, running Anchorage to Talkeetna to Denali to Fairbanks, plus a service that takes you straight from the Whittier cruise terminal to the Denali lodges. Holland America runs the McKinley Explorer, its own glass-domed train, and operates its own lodges and hotels at Denali, Skagway and Dawson City. Holland America is also the only line that runs into the Yukon, which is a different trip.
Royal Caribbean sells cruisetours using third-party land arrangements rather than its own lodges and trains. Viking runs two Alaska itineraries for 2028, an 11-day Vancouver to Seward and a longer 15-day Vancouver to Whittier, and both are cruises rather than cruisetours. Viking does not own lodges or railcars up there the way Princess and Holland America do.
So here is the trade-off. Viking gives you the smallest ship, Princess and Holland America give you the land. If you want both a small ship and Denali, we build the land piece separately, and that is a conversation rather than a package.
One timing note. Holland America opened its 2028 cruises on August 27 and said the 2028 cruisetours would follow later, so the land programs are not bookable yet. You can book the sailing now and add the land portion when it comes out, which is worth knowing before you talk yourself out of booking. Oosterdam becomes the primary cruisetour ship for 2028, which suits this crowd, since she carries under 2,000 guests.
What you actually get for the fare
For an audience that wants good value rather than the cheapest or the fanciest, the inclusions matter more than the sticker price.
Viking includes the most as standard. Every stateroom has a veranda, there are no inside cabins, one shore excursion in every port is included, the specialty restaurants carry no surcharge, beer and wine come with lunch and dinner, and there is no casino. Viking is also 18 and over, fleetwide, always. For a couple who wants a quiet, destination-focused week, that combination is hard to beat. Gratuities are extra.
Princess sells its Plus and Premier bundles, and Princess is the one line here that folds gratuities into the package. Premier adds unlimited specialty dining and a shore excursion credit. If you like knowing the number before you sail, that structure is useful.
Holland America’s Have It All bundle covers drinks, wifi, a shore excursion credit and some specialty dining, but not gratuities. Holland America also skews to the oldest crowd of the mainstream lines, which many of my clients consider a feature.
Royal Caribbean sells most things separately and runs the most family-heavy ships in Alaska. If you are bringing grandchildren and want a rock wall and a big pool deck, that is exactly the right answer, and I will book it.
How I would match you
If you want the smallest ship and no children onboard, Viking, and we handle Denali separately if you want it.
If you want Glacier Bay and Denali under one booking with lodges and a dome train included, Princess or Holland America. Between them, Holland America if you want the smaller ship and the Yukon option, Princess if you want the widest choice of dates, homeports and cruisetour lengths.
If you are traveling multigenerationally and the ship needs to entertain teenagers, Royal Caribbean.
And if you want a smaller ship from a big line without leaving Princess, ask me about Coral and Island Princess specifically. They are the two smallest ships Princess sends up there and most people have never heard of them.
The 2028 season is open now
Bookings for 2028 opened through August, with Viking first in early August, then Princess, then Holland America at the end of the month. Royal Caribbean has been the slowest to firm up 2028 Alaska, so if that is the line you want, ask me what is actually loaded before you plan around it. I wrote separately about when to book your 2028 Alaska cabin and which month to sail, if you want the timing side of this.
The reason to look now is not urgency for its own sake. It is that the cabins worth having in Alaska, the balconies and the ones held in the cruisetour blocks, are a limited pool, and they go to the people who booked early.
Alaska cruise line FAQ
Which Alaska cruise line is best? There is no single best one. Viking for the smallest ship and the most inclusive fare, Princess and Holland America for Glacier Bay plus a real Denali land program, Royal Caribbean for families. The right answer depends on ship size, Glacier Bay, and whether you want the interior.
Which cruise lines go into Glacier Bay? Access is limited by the National Park Service. Princess and Holland America have the most secure access. Viking gets in on some long repositioning itineraries, but its standard Alaska cruises go to Hubbard Glacier instead. Celebrity does not enter Glacier Bay. Always check the specific itinerary.
Is a smaller ship worth it in Alaska? I think so, for most of my clients. You get on and off faster, the viewing decks are less crowded, and the whole week feels calmer. You give up some dining and entertainment variety and usually pay more per day.
Which side of the ship should I book for the glaciers? Neither, and do not let anyone upsell you on it. At the glacier the captain turns the ship so both sides get the same view, and the open decks are there for everyone anyway. Book the cabin that suits the rest of your week and ignore the side.
Do I need a cruisetour to see Denali? Not strictly, but it is by far the easiest way. Princess and Holland America own the lodges and the dome trains, so the logistics are handled. Doing it independently is possible and it is more work.
Should I sail round-trip from Seattle or one-way to Alaska? One-way between Vancouver and Whittier or Seward covers more ground and is the natural choice if you are adding Denali. Round-trip from Seattle is simpler on flights and usually cheaper. I pick based on whether the land portion is happening.
Can I bring the grandkids on an Alaska cruise? Yes, on most lines. Not on Viking, which is 18 and over. Royal Caribbean and Princess are the easiest with children.
Let’s pick your ship
Tell me how many people you want on your ship, whether Glacier Bay matters to you, and whether Denali is part of the plan, and I can narrow this to two or three specific sailings pretty quickly. I will give you the real all-in cost, including what each fare leaves out, and I will tell you if the ship you are drawn to is the wrong one for what you described. If you are near San Antonio, I would rather sit down with you in person and hand you the whole trip printed and bound. If you are farther away, we do it over the phone or video and I ship the bound itinerary to your door. Either way, reach out and let’s talk it through.