Alaska Cruise Pros and Cons: What Three Alaska Cruises on Three Lines Taught Me

I’ve now cruised Alaska three times, on three different lines: Carnival first, then Royal Caribbean, and most recently Norwegian. Same coastline, three very different weeks. So this is my honest list of Alaska cruise pros and cons, written by someone who keeps going back. It ends with the three decisions that matter most: the line, the ports, and the timing.

Updated November 2026 after our third Alaska sailing, on the Norwegian Bliss in late September. First written in 2024.

Alaska cruise pros and cons: the short version

The pros: the scenery comes to you, you unpack once, the wildlife shows up from the deck, and glacier day is the best day of any cruise I’ve taken. The cons: short port days, crowds, expensive extras, rain, and a balcony you may not use until the one day it’s worth every penny. Now the details.

Alaska cruise pros and cons, part 1: the pros

Glacier day

One full day of the itinerary is spent floating in front of a glacier. You don’t get off the ship. People are surprised by that, and then they stand at the rail and forget to be surprised. It is the most beautiful scenery I have ever seen, and the ship brings it to you.

Unpack once. This is my number one reason to cruise anywhere, and the top pro on my Alaska cruise pros and cons list. In Alaska it matters even more, because the towns are small, far apart, and connected by water. The ship is your hotel, your highway, and your dinner reservation.

Wildlife from the deck. Coming into Juneau on our last trip we spotted orcas and seals from the ship. We’ve watched humpbacks breach near Juneau and a bald eagle sit over a Juneau street like it owned the place. Bring binoculars. You will use them.

Excursions that are real adventures

In Juneau we took a helicopter that landed on top of a glacier, strapped on crampons, and drank meltwater straight off the ice. Skagway sent the kids to a dog mushing camp. Meanwhile, in Ketchikan, a crab boat from the Bering Sea tour was tied up right next to our ship. These aren’t bus tours.

Life on board, done for the cold

Lectures about whales, wildlife, and glaciers, naturalists on deck, and warm indoor lounges with floor-to-ceiling glass so you can watch the coastline without freezing. How much of this you get varies by ship, which is why the line matters (more on that below).

Good value for what’s included. Your room, your transportation between ports, and your meals are all in the fare. For a part of the world where hotels and flights between towns are not cheap, that adds up in your favor. On most Alaska cruise pros and cons lists, value shows up on both sides, and that’s fair. The extras in Alaska are pricey, which brings us to the cons.

Alaska cruise pros and cons, part 2: the cons

Short port days. Six to nine hours in a town is enough for one great thing, not three. So pick it before you step off the ship. My rule for every port is here.

Crowds. When three or four ships dock on the same morning, a town of a few thousand people fills up fast. For example, Ketchikan on a multi-ship day is a very different place from Hoonah on a quiet one.

Less flexibility. The itinerary decides your schedule. However, the flip side is one of my favorite things about Alaska: you can lie in bed with the curtains open and watch the mountains go by.

Limited local culture. A cruise gives you a taste of a place, not a deep dive. The ports you choose decide how real that taste is. Hoonah felt like everyday Alaska; some of the bigger ports feel built for the ships.

The extras are expensive

This con shows up on every Alaska cruise pros and cons list, and it is real. Alaska excursions cost more than Caribbean ones, and the glacier excursions that take you off the ship are very expensive. Budget for one splurge. For us, the Juneau helicopter was the one, and I’d pay it again.

It rains

Almost every day on our late-September sailing. Pack for it: a real rain jacket, shoes that can get wet, and layers. If seas worry you, bring your motion sickness remedy of choice, because the open-water stretches can roll.

Your cabin matters here

In the Caribbean I’ll happily take an interior room. In Alaska, get at least a balcony. Fair warning: ours went unused for several days because the wind was strong enough that the crew tied the furniture down. Then glacier day came, and we watched the whole channel from our room with chunks of ice drifting past. That day is the answer to whether the balcony is worth it.

Decision 1: the cruise line (and the glacier-day test)

Not all lines do Alaska the same way, and glacier day is where you find out. It is also where the Alaska cruise pros and cons split by line. Carnival never got us close, and I regretted not buying the excursion. Royal Caribbean, by contrast, went right up to the ice, opened the bow, and served hot chocolate out there. Then the Norwegian Bliss at Hubbard Glacier opened the helicopter pad at the front to guests and served hot chocolate. Then it rotated slowly in place so every side of the ship got the view. Nobody stampeded from one railing to the other.

Royal is still my line. Carnival is off my list. Norwegian surprised me in good ways, with two real annoyances, the app and the wifi, that you can plan around if you know about them. The full head-to-head of my first two Alaska sailings is in Royal Caribbean vs. Carnival to Alaska, and the Norwegian Bliss story is coming soon.

Decision 2: the ports

Each port is a different Alaska. Juneau is whales, glaciers, and the helicopter. Ketchikan is totem poles, salmon, and a lot of other visitors. Hoonah is the real, unhurried thing. Skagway is the old mining town with the sled dogs. Decide what you want most, then pick the itinerary that has it, not the other way around.

Decision 3: the timing

Timing changes the Alaska cruise pros and cons more than people expect. Peak summer brings the longest days, the warmest weather, and the biggest crowds. Late August into early September, when we did our first two trips, was a nice balance. Late September, our most recent, is the quietest of the three, but it comes with trade-offs: rain most days, wind that can close the balcony, and no snow yet. That last one matters if the dog sled is your dream. In late September the dogs pull a wagon, not a sled, so book earlier if the sled is the point.

Alaska cruise pros and cons: the verdict

Three times yes, and I’d go a fourth. Weigh the Alaska cruise pros and cons above, but know that the cons are mostly things you can plan around. The pros include a day in front of a glacier that you will talk about for years. Pick the line that gets you close to the ice, the ports that match what you want, and the dates you can live with. Then pack the rain jacket.

Keep reading: Cruising Alaska’s fjords and glaciers · Advice to first time cruisers · My cruise packing list

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Your turn: sailing Alaska soon? Tell me your line and your dates in the comments and I’ll answer what I can.