Alaska Cruise Guide
Alaska Cruise Ships 2026
The ships of Alaska's 2026 season — the newcomers, the LNG hulls, the season firsts, and the fleet stories behind the live tracker.
Guides & explainers
- Cunard Leaves Alaska: Queen Elizabeth's Short, Grand Second Act
Queen Elizabeth departs Seattle on September 17 for Cunard's last scheduled Alaska round-trip. The line published the numbers, but never a reason.
- The Rookie Report: How MSC and Virgin's First Alaska Seasons Are Going
MSC Poesia and Brilliant Lady both debuted in Alaska on May 11. Ten weeks in, MSC has 2028 on sale and Virgin's debut sold out. The rookie class, assessed.
- The Fourth Way to Alaska: Cruising the Northwest Passage
Northwest Passage cruises are the rarest way into Alaska: about 100 passenger transits in 120 years, against 465 crossings by all vessel types since 1906.
- Why Virgin Voyages Has Exactly One Ship That Can Reach Alaska
Only Brilliant Lady sails Alaska of Virgin's four near-identical ships — because of lifeboat davits and a Deck 7 overhang, not her 38-metre beam.
- LNG Cruise Ships Explained: Why the New Hulls Run on Liquefied Natural Gas
20+ LNG cruise ships sail today, and Carnival has six more on order through 2033. Here's how dual-fuel LNG works, the methane-slip nuance, and what it means for the cruise you book.
- Alaska's 2026 Cruise Newcomers: Virgin Voyages and Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection
Two cruise lines launch their first-ever Alaska season in 2026 — Virgin Voyages with Brilliant Lady (adults-only resort), Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection with Luminara (452-guest ultra-luxury). Same season, opposite ends.
- The 2026 Alaska Cruise Season Opens: First-Week Tracker Recap
Three ships, three stories. Noordam first into Ketchikan, Volendam off-script at Kodiak, Coral Princess opening Whittier. Week one of the 2026 Alaska cruise season.
- 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.
- Norwegian Bliss and NCL's Alaska Season: The Seattle Pier 66 Model
Norwegian Bliss ran NCL's first Alaska sailing of 2026 on April 25 from Seattle Pier 66. Why NCL anchors on Seattle (not Vancouver) and how that shapes their Alaska deployment.
- Two World Cruises, One Pacific Crossing: Volendam vs Coral Princess
MS Volendam and Coral Princess took opposite paths around the planet, but wrapped their 2026 world voyages with the same Pacific crossing from Hakodate, Japan into Alaska.
- MS Volendam in Kodiak: The Off-Script Alaska Port
MS Volendam called at Kodiak Island on April 24, 2026 — a rare cruise stop on Alaska's Emerald Isle, on day 110 of a 133-day Holland America world voyage.