5 Alaska Cruises You Can Still Book for Summer 2022

Adrenaline-charged adventure, sublime scenery; far from crowds, close to home: talk about ticking most cruisers’ boxes. Between lingering COVID concerns and the cancellation (or rerouting) of upcoming Black Sea and Baltic voyages, many cruise devotees may be rethinking summer itineraries and booking Alaskan voyages instead. Luckily, the season runs from May through September, and cruises with space available still exist. Check out our ready-to-book choices, from exploration toy-laden expedition vessels and activity-packed big ships to pampering luxury sails.

All cruises featured in this story are independently selected by our editors. However, when you book something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Hurtigruten Expeditions

Itinerary: Alaska and British Columbia—Inside Passage, Bears, and the Aleutian Islands

Departs: July 22

Venture deep into nature and indigenous culture on an 18-day, adventure-packed journey from Nome to Vancouver onboard the 528-passenger Roald Amundsen. The interactive science center is the core of this environmentally sensitive, ice-class expedition ship; take photography and biology workshops and mingle with an enthusiastic expedition team. This same team also organizes unique onboard activities like meditation sessions and yoga classes. Interested in partaking in research? Enlist in the engrossing Citizen Science program. Cruise highlights include possible bald eagle and brown bear sightings, spotting nesting seabirds like puffins and sandpipers on isolated Bering Sea islands, exploring Inside Passage historic towns, and ogling soaring glaciers. Soak up the majestic Alaskan backdrop onboard RIBs; on landings, let professional photographers ensure you capture bucket-list wildlife shots. Roald Amundsen also possesses its own allure. Its two-level indoor/outdoor Observation Deck allows you to soak up every sight from onboard. A pleasing Scandinavian design, emphasizing granite, birch, oak, and wool, draws from nature to create relaxed, stylish venues. All cabins are outside, with 50 percent touting private balconies. If booking a suite, note that aft ones possess private outdoor hot tubs with amazing views.

Princess Cruises

Itinerary: Through the Inside Passage

Departs: July 17

Six Princess Cruises ships sail Alaska this season, offering a total of 140 departures, 12 different itineraries, and more than 400 shore excursions. Our eyes are on 3,660-passenger Discovery Princess, the line’s newest vessel, and its seven-day roundtrip Seattle sail. Explore popular ports including Ketchikan, Juneau, and Skagway, and ready the smartphone camera to capture floating icebergs—from inches to three-stories-wide—in 30-mile Endicott Arm fjord. By Dawes Glacier, gasp at pristine snow-capped mountains and cascading waterfalls; search for mountain goats, harbor seals, and whales. Princess dives deep into Alaskan seafood immersion, and on Discovery Princess, like other fleet vessels, you'll tuck into sustainable wild seafood like salmon, halibut, spot prawns, and Dungeness crabs in the main dining room nightly. Book the popular Cook My Catch fishing excursion and the ship's chefs prepare your own bounty that night. Discovery Princess' three pools, a casino, and Broadway-style productions (complete with a glitzy theater), keep the entertainment hopping when you’re sailing. This ship is great for families, too: Three- to seven-year-olds find their happy place in a treehouse playroom; tweeners head to the Lodge for games, science programs, and treasure hunts; teens hang in the Beach House for late-night movie viewing and hip-hop dance classes.

Regent Seven Seas Cruises

Itinerary: Seward to Vancouver

Departs: June 15, July 20, and August 17

Regent Seven Seas Cruises, the most inclusive luxury line, dispatches 700-passenger all-suite, all-balcony Seven Seas Mariner for eight-day sails between Seward and Vancouver from May until September. We found three available sails highlighting popular ports like Juneau, Sitka, and Ketchikan. Take advantage of the many included excursions—it’s the only way to see the real Alaska, beyond main street tourist shops and bars. In Juneau, raft down the Mendenhall River and visit an authentic Tlingit clan house; in Ketchikan, paddle an indigenous-style canoe across a mountain lake; pedal through a wildflower-blanketed rainforest in former boomtown Dyea, Alaska, now an eerie ghost town near Skagway. (Note that the most enthralling adventures, such as ice field flight-seeing and dogsledding, cost extra.) Seven Seas Mariner offers complimentary dining in seven restaurants; modern French Chartreuse and steakhouse Prime 7 are standouts. Stay fit onboard playing paddle tennis, spinning, and jogging. The Serene Spa & Wellness center goes all out on pampering and restorative treatments. Back in your suite—the size of which can run from a generous 301 to 2,000 square feet—find every comfort, from silky sheeted king beds and marble-accented baths to soft robes and slippers, walk-in closets, and 24-hour room service. 

UnCruise Adventures

Itinerary: “Wild, Wooly and Wow,” which includes Chichagof Island and Glacier Bay National Park's outback

Departs: May 28; June 4, 11, 18 and 25; July 2 and 9

This new itinerary, sailing eight days roundtrip from Juneau on the 86-passenger Wilderness Legacy, embraces wilderness exploration in all its unspoiled, backcountry glory. Book this voyage if that stokes a passion, and skip the traditional cruise ship routes and onboard amenities. Consider this sail Uncruise Adventures’ most active, with full-day outings like morning birding, picnicking, kayaking, and evening campfires ashore. Hike Thomas Bay, hearing the thunderous sounds of Baird Glacier calving ice into the lake. Board skiffs at twilight, simply to listen to wildlife sounds. Only UnCruise possesses the permits to guide guests through Chichagof Island, where humans are scarce and brown bears are plentiful. Hike, bike, and meet a family who shares what it’s like living in this remote place. Venture deep into Glacier Bay National Park, rarely explored by visitors. Search for humpbacks in Frederick Sound’s whale-rich waters. Onboard, find a fine ship awash in beautiful carved wood, with hot tubs, an open bridge, and fittingly, spacious viewing decks. Tuck into lovely plated meals in a cozy carpeted dining room.

Seabourn

Itinerary: Inside Passage and Alaska Fjords

Departs: August 26

This 11-day roundtrip Vancouver sail on the 458-passenger all-suite luxury ship Seabourn Odyssey captures so much Alaskan beauty. Unlike most luxury ships, Seabourn Odyssey boards an expedition team and Zodiacs for expedition ship–style outings. Join a six-to-eight-hour hike near the salmon-spawning Indian River; cruise by Zodiac amidst glistening ice calved from the still-growing Hubbard Glacier, and explore Cross Sound, a main gateway for humpback whales also alive with puffins, bald eagles, and sea lions. In Ketchikan, tender to town to see the world’s largest collection of standing Native American totem poles, learn to throw an axe at a lumberjack show, or join a chef’s table for a six-course tasting menu starring the best local seafood. Onboard, savor the posh vessel’s many amenities, like a fitness center with complimentary classes in yoga, Pilates, and tai chi. Sip afternoon tea in the Observation Bar; come nightfall, head to the Club for live music and dancing. Complimentary fine dining includes the Grill by Thomas Keller, the world-famous chef’s shipboard eatery in collaboration with Seabourn. Anywhere, anytime, celebrate the adventure with bubbly and caviar—both included in the cruise fee.