#16: Four alternatives to an Alaska cruise
Cruises are a convenient (and heavily-marketed) way to see Alaska, but there are other great options.
Alaska’s been on my mind.
Windstar, where I’ve been consulting, announced one of the projects I’ve worked on: a return to Alaska in 2026 with their brand new ship.
When you think about Alaska, you may feel like you have one option: a cruise. It’s true that cruises are the easiest way to visit the state (and the best value). The mass-market lines dominate tourism with enormous ships, company-owned hotels, private train cars, and land-based tour operations. With limited hotel capacity, cruise ships make up more than 50% of tourist arrivals.
It’s also true that cruise lines have so marketing muscle, going to Alaska is synonymous with going on a cruise.
As I’ve researched Alaska, I’ve found some interesting ways to visit that don’t require a cruise ship. They’re more logistically complicated and likely more expensive. In fact, this post may convince you to take a cruise after all.
But if you’re adventurous or just want to do your own thing, here are a few alternatives to the classic Alaska cruise...
Alternative 1: Fly to Anchorage and roadtrip
This is the simplest. Fly up to Anchorage, rent a car, and string together a couple hotel stays. Some ideas:
Aside from Anchorage and Fairbanks, which are start and end points, the most common stops are Denali National Park, Talkeetna, Girdwood, Seward, Homer, and Wrangell-St. Elias National Park.
You don’t need to take a cruise to see glaciers. Glacier tour boats leave from Seward, Whittier, and Valdez.
Many people want to take the train in Alaska (perhaps because of cruise line marketing?). You can book your own trip with the Alaska Railroad, which has dome cars similar to the private ones owned by cruise companies.
The cruise lines run lodges, which are worth looking at. They’re reasonably-priced and well-located. Even though cruise lines include them in their packaged tours, you can book them independently. Check out Princess Lodges and Westmark Hotels.
Looking for something unusual or higher-end? Alaska Collection has several interesting hotels, including a backcountry lodge in Denali.
There are some incredible lodges that require guests to fly in via small plane or helicopter. Predictably, they’re expensive - think $3,000 per person per night and up. A few examples: Sheldon Chalet, Tordrillo Mountain Lodges, Tutka Bay Lodge.
You can combine a self-organized trip out of Anchorage with a cruise that starts or ends in Seward or Whittier.
If you want a land-only trip arranged for you, you have many choices. A few examples of high-end group tours: Tauck, Abercrombie & Kent, and Backroads. And I found a company that sells arranged self-drive tours too (I’m sure there are others).
Alternative 2: Fly to Southeast Alaska
Southeast requires more planning and logistics than a trip out of Anchorage, since there are no roads between communities.
It all starts with Alaska Airlines. Their milk run flights carry freight and passengers to several small Alaskan cities. The flights operate between Seattle and Anchorage with stops in Ketchikan, Wrangell, Petersburg, Juneau, Yakutat, and Cordova (not all flights stop at all towns). It’s more like a bus than a non-stop flight, with some segments as short as 15 minutes. Think of the Alaska Airlines flight schedule as your door to Southeast Alaska.
Lodging is limited in these places. Ketchikan, Juneau, and Sitka have a few hotel options while Petersburg, Wrangell, and Yakutat are much smaller and have limited choice. You might end up staying at a house rental or a basic lodge.
Why go to these places by plane rather than by ship? You probably won’t save money, and your hotel room will be basic compared to a cruise - but you get the luxury of time. While ships stop in these towns for a few hours, you can stay for several days. You can also visit remote towns that never see big ships, and only occasionally see small ones.
Southeast Alaska is an enormous place, but here are a couple ideas:
Gustavus/Glacier Bay - stay at the historic Glacier Bay Lodge or the higher-end Bear Track Inn (there are other options too). Tour Glacier Bay National Park by boat, rent kayaks, and go hiking.
Yakutat is a town known for fishing, and it’s near Hubbard Glacier. Beyond fishing, you can charter a boat to see the huge glacier, look for wildlife (bears, moose, birds, and marine mammals), and go hiking. There are several small lodges, such as the Yakutat Lodge and the Mooring Lodge.
Left: Glacier Bay Lodge and tour boat. Source: Aramark. Right: Anan Bears Observatory and Le Conte Glacier. Source: Muddy Waters Adventures. Wrangell - from this small town, there are so many activities. You can take boat tours to Le Conte Glacier, ride a jet boat on the Stikine River, and see bears up-close at the Anan Bear Observatory. There are also several hiking trails.
Fancy Remote Lodges - Southeast Alaska has a couple fly-in lodges, like the Lodge at Whale Pass and the Stillpoint Lodge.
If you’re into this piece, you may also like this one about far Northern Norway…
Alternative 3: Alaska Marine Highway
Alaska’s ferry system, known as the Marine Highway, is a more local way to travel through the coastal communities of Southeast Alaska. I haven’t taken these ships, but there’s plentiful information online (example 1, example 2, example 3). Here’s a detailed travel article from the Seattle Times.
A few things to note:
The routes that most closely match cruise ships in Southeast Alaska go from Bellingham, WA to Sitka, AK and from Prince Rupert, BC to Skagway, AK.
There are several shorter dayboat routes, and there are also overnight routes that go all the way out to the Aleutians. For the full list, check out their website.
The system is underfunded, with some ships approaching 60 years old. They need to be replaced soon (a subject of controversy, discussion, and some federal funding). Be ready for basic facilities. This is not Hurtigruten 😊
Left: Columbia, the 50-year-old flagship of the fleet. Middle: a high-end two-berth cabin. Right: camping on deck. Source: Travel Juneau Schedules are limited. Build your trip around the ferry schedule.
You can pitch a tent on top of the ships! There are also basic cabins, but camping on deck is the budget option.
Consider taking the ferry one-way and flying the other way. For example, go from Bellingham to Wrangell by ferry and return to Seattle on Alaska Airlines.
Alternative 4: British Columbia, including a ferry through the Inside Passage
This one’s a bit different.
To start, British Columbia is not Alaska. But it’s one of my favorite parts of an “Alaska” cruise. I love the first day out of Vancouver when you sail the narrow parts of the Canadian Inside Passage, with dense forests on either side of the ship.
Very few cruise ships these days sail the full Canadian Inside Passage. It requires more distance, and thus more fuel. There is, however, a BC Ferry that takes 16 hours to travel from Port Hardy to Prince Rupert, traveling the narrowest parts of the passage. It’s a very long day (7:30 AM to midnight), but the scenery is incredible and BC Ferries are comfortable.
Here’s how it works:
You fly into the endpoints - Prince Rupert or Port Hardy on Vancouver Island. Both are direct flights from Vancouver, though Port Hardy is on a small Beechcraft 1900.
Alternatively, you can rent a car and explore Vancouver Island for several days before/after the ferry ride. I suggest starting in Victoria and renting a one-way car to Port Hardy. You can also start in Vancouver and rent a one-way car to Prince Rupert, but you’ll have to take the car on a couple ferries. It’s less hassle to just rent a car on Vancouver Island.
Stay at least one night on either end of the ferry ride in Port Hardy and Prince Rupert. Because the ferry ride is so long, you’ll want a hotel right at the departure/arrival points. Consider staying longer too - there’s plenty of wildlife, hiking, and outdoor-oriented activities.
On the day of your ferry ride, wake up early and get onboard. The ferry has plenty of outdoor deck space, seating, and a couple dining options (though the main restaurant was closed during Covid and hasn’t reopened).
The ferry has cabins you can book. You don’t need them, since it’s not an overnight trip. But because the day is so long, it might be nice to have a private space to take a nap and leave your stuff.
Keep in mind this ferry ride is only possible in the summer. Days are long because you’re far north, and the ferry operates on the day schedule. In the winter, the ferry runs overnight instead.
Vancouver Island is a great for a nature-oriented vacation, and the Port Hardy-Prince Rupert ferry will give you a different (and beautiful) perspective of the area.
If this sounds fun, consider combining it with a train trip on the Canadian…
These four options just scratch the surface. You could also rent an airbnb, backpack in one of the national parks, motorcyle to Prudhoe Bay… or take a cruise after all 😊.
Thank you for reading!
I have done an Alaska cruise and flown there many times in conjunction with my work. Your piece is very interesting and provides tremendous insight into traveling there. It’s a wonderful place to explore. Your extension information should encourage people to travel there !Thanks for reminding me how much I enjoy Alaska!