Ports
Coral Princess Becomes First Cruise Ship of 2026 at Whittier
Coral Princess docked at Whittier on April 28, 2026 — the first cruise ship of the season — wrapping a 131-day world voyage from Fort Lauderdale to Los Angeles.
Coral Princess docked at Whittier, Alaska on April 28, 2026 from 08:00 to 18:00 local time, becoming the first cruise ship of the 2026 Alaska season to call at the port. She arrived on day 114 of a 131-day world voyage that departed Fort Lauderdale on January 5 and ends in Los Angeles on May 16, opening a classic Inside Passage finale across seven Alaska ports.
Quick facts
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Ship | Coral Princess (Princess Cruises, built 2003) |
| Tonnage / length | 91,627 GT / 964 ft (294 m) |
| Capacity | ~2,000 passengers, ~900 crew |
| Voyage | 131-day world cruise, FLL → LAX |
| Departure | January 5, 2026 (Fort Lauderdale) |
| Arrival at Whittier | April 28, 2026, 08:00–18:00 |
| Arrival at LA | May 16, 2026 |
| Alaska ports on this leg | Whittier · Hubbard Glacier · Glacier Bay · Skagway · Juneau · Sitka · Ketchikan |
Why Whittier is the season-opener port
Whittier sits at the head of Passage Canal, an ice-free deep-water inlet about 60 miles southeast of Anchorage by road. For Princess and Holland America, it's the preferred turnaround port for land-tour packages — passengers either start in Whittier and head north to Denali, or finish a glacier cruise here before flying out of Anchorage. A new dual-berth cruise terminal opened in September 2024, expanding the port's capacity to handle two large ships at once.
That's why Coral Princess being first to call this season is the season-opening signal: the Whittier-anchored cycle is the busy one. Holland America's 2026 deployment plans similar early-season Whittier calls, and Royal Caribbean and Norwegian use the Vancouver/Seattle homeports instead — different operating model.
What's next on her itinerary
After Whittier, Coral Princess sails the seven-port classic Alaska arc — and most of it inside Glacier Bay National Park, which is closed to most cruise lines.
| Date (2026) | Stop | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Apr 28 | Whittier | Boarding / disembarkation; new dual-berth terminal |
| Apr 29 | Hubbard Glacier | Scenic cruising, no port call |
| Apr 30 | Glacier Bay National Park | Scenic cruising under NPS concession permit |
| May 1 | Skagway | Gold rush historic district, White Pass railway |
| May 2 | Juneau | State capital, Mendenhall Glacier |
| May 3 | Sitka | Russian-American history, tender port |
| May 4 | Ketchikan | Last Alaska port, downtown berth |
After Alaska she runs Victoria → Vancouver → Seattle → Astoria → Santa Barbara → Ensenada → San Diego → Los Angeles, ending the world voyage on May 16.
Why a world-cruise ship is opening Alaska
This is unusual but not unprecedented. Princess and Holland America both end one of their winter world voyages with an Alaska cap — it's a way to reposition a ship into the summer Alaska deployment without an empty repositioning leg. Coral Princess's twin in this pattern this year is MS Volendam, which is wrapping her own 133-day Holland America world voyage with an off-script Kodiak call before connecting to Sitka and Ketchikan. Both ships left Hakodate, Japan within three days of each other in mid-April and emerged into Alaskan waters on either side of the Inside Passage.
Watch Coral Princess in real time on her ship tracker page, and follow the Whittier port schedule to see which ship calls next.
Sources
- Coral Princess itinerary — CruiseMapper
- Coral Princess — Wikipedia
- Whittier new cruise port — Travel Weekly
- Position and ETA timing: CruiseMigration AIS feed (live)
Frequently asked questions
- What was the first cruise ship to call at Whittier in the 2026 Alaska season?
- Coral Princess was the first cruise ship of the 2026 Alaska season at Whittier, docking on April 28, 2026 from 08:00 to 18:00 local time.
- Where did Coral Princess come from before arriving in Whittier?
- Coral Princess arrived at Whittier on day 114 of a 131-day world cruise that departed Fort Lauderdale on January 5, 2026 and ends in Los Angeles on May 16, 2026.
- What is the rest of Coral Princess's Alaska itinerary in 2026?
- After Whittier on April 28, Coral Princess sails Hubbard Glacier (Apr 29), Glacier Bay (Apr 30), Skagway (May 1), Juneau (May 2), Sitka (May 3), and Ketchikan (May 4) — the classic Inside Passage finale before continuing south to Victoria, Vancouver, Seattle, and Los Angeles.
- Why does Whittier matter for Alaska cruises?
- Whittier is the gateway port for Anchorage and the interior of Alaska. It's an ice-free deep-water harbor at the head of Passage Canal, and the preferred dropoff/pickup point for Princess and Holland America's land-tour packages. A new dual-berth cruise terminal opened in September 2024.
- How big is Coral Princess?
- Coral Princess is a 91,627-gross-ton, 964-foot Princess Cruises ship built in 2003. She carries about 2,000 passengers in 700 balcony staterooms, with a crew of around 900.