Alaska
Photos show why taking an Alaska cruise is worth it
A Royal Caribbean cruise provides an opportunity to see some of the most stunning natural landscapes still on Earth.
Alaskan itineraries will take you to glaciers and into fjords, and give you the opportunity to learn about diverse history and culture.
From majestic scenery to exotic wildlife to delicious seafood, there’s so much to enjoy on a cruise to this rugged state.
However, planning a vacation can still intimidate the new cruiser.
Are you still balking at the cost and magnitude of an Alaska cruise?
To show why cruisers love these itineraries so much, we asked readers on our Royal Caribbean Blog Facebook page to share the best Alaska cruise photos.
After sifting through hundreds of submissions, we’ve gathered 13 photos that show why taking an Alaska cruise is worth it.
Read more: Royal Caribbean Alaska cruise guide
Bryan Lamb’s submission shows Mendenhall Glacier, in Juneau, Alaska.
Almost all Alaska cruises will include a stop at the state’s capital city, Juneau.
Home to only 32,000 people, this small city is a great place to stop and explore.
One of its most popular attractions is the Mendenhall Glacier. It can be accessed via helicopter, boat, or car, and is only 20 minutes from downtown Juneau.
A shuttle bus is even located directly outside the pier where the ship docks in Juneau.
Mendenhall is a 13-mile-long receding glacier, one of the closest to an Alaskan port.
The recreation area offers five walks and hikes to choose from and an informative visitor’s center.
You can even take the 1.5-mile trail to Nugget Falls, a 377-foot waterfall.
No matter which path you take, you’ll see stunning views of eagles in the trees, huge mountain peaks, or glacier calving across the lake.
Steve Cohen shared this photo of a cruise ship sailing by a snowy mountain.
One major benefit to choosing an Alaskan cruise is the stunning landscape and scenery that will surround your cruise ship.
Unlike a stay on land, on a cruise, you’ll be directly transported to and through these incredible sights, without even needing to lift a finger.
Lush forests, bubbling waters, and soaring mountains will all be visible right from the decks of the ship!
Alaska’s natural beauty suspends travelers in awe, as these photos show.
Imagine sailing through these massive mountains while having access to all the accommodation, dining, activities, and entertainment onboard a cruise ship.
Your route is pre-planned for you, making a cruise to Alaska a convenient, streamlined way to visit.
Allison Schwarz’s photo, captioned “along the Klondike Highway,” is a gorgeous example of the landscapes you’ll see on an Alaskan cruise.
Looking at this picture, you can practically feel the fresh air and smell those sweet flowers.
Looking for somewhere to escape those hot summer months?
During the summer, you may struggle to find a vacation that suits you. Your home is hot and humid, and you’re spending more and more money on A.C. every day.
The Caribbean begins a humid, dangerous hurricane season in June.
To solve your problems, a cruise to Alaska provides the perfect opportunity to visit a cooler place.
Alaskan cruise season usually runs from April to October, with July and August being the most popular times. You do have a shorter sailing window when it comes to avoiding the extreme winter weather, so take advantage of a cruise to Alaska this summer.
Read more: Royal Caribbean releases new 2025 Alaska cruises to book
Renee Gibbons shared this photo from Ovation of the Seas in June 2022.
Royal Caribbean currently sends Ovation of the Seas on Alaska cruises. This Quantum Class ship provides a lot of facilities to enjoy, whether indoors or outdoors.
No matter the weather, you’ll find something to love.
The state-of-the-art ship has indoor pools, the SeaPlex, an indoor skydiving simulator, and countless other activities.
Whether you’d like to lounge by the pool and watch glaciers go by, or try some fine dining, there’s a lot to enjoy on a Quantum Class ship.
Read more: I cruised on the oldest and newest cruise ships to Alaska: here’s how they compare
Lisa Wolfe’s son plays with sled dog puppies in Skagway, Alaska.
“Highlight of my son’s trip. It still makes me smile,” she commented.
You can expect unique, memorable shore excursions on your Alaska cruise.
Whether you love the outdoors, want an exhilarating adventure, or love learning about other cultures, there’s something special for everyone.
Skagway is located north in Alaska’s Inside Passage and is packed full of tours involving Alaska’s gold rush history.
The sled dog camp tours are one such popular excursion. There, guests can experience the state sport of dog sled racing firsthand, and meet sled dog puppies.
You’ll be pulled by a team of 14-16 huskies, all led by a competent team of mushers.
And afterward, you get to meet these charming puppies!
This cozy submission was shared by Marilyn Wescott.
While the sight of campfires, snow, and mountains may not come to mind when you think of a cruise, you can find that and more in Alaska.
Beaches, snorkeling, and pools are almost synonymous with cruising. But what if the heat and sand don’t appeal to you, or you’re just sick of humid beaches?
Alaska is the perfect refreshing destination for hikers, nature lovers, or long-time cruisers looking for something new.
You’ll be able to find unique excursions, such as ziplining, train rides, rafting tours, glacier viewings, historic museums, and wildlife sanctuaries.
Read more: I tried the cheapest Alaska cruise I could find: here’s how it went
And it doesn’t all have to be expensive! We’ve written a guide to cheap and free things to do on an Alaskan cruise.
“Leaving Icy Strait [in] July 2023,” Angie Foil Haeny commented. “We are ready to go again!”
Icy Strait Point is a smaller cruise stop that offers an intimate chance to study nature and history near Hoonah, Alaska.
The town has been founded, owned, and operated by the Huna Tlingit Native Alaskans since 2004.
Popular outdoor attractions include whale-watching and ziplining.
You can also learn more about the culture and history of the Huna Tlingit people by visiting the Native Heritage Center Theater and viewing songs, plays, and dances.
Read more: Alaska cruise ports guide
Joan Firchow Peet’s submission shows a big chunk of ice calving off Hubbard Glacier.
Your Alaska itinerary will include at least one opportunity to see a majestic floating glacier.
One of the most popular glaciers to visit is Hubbard Glacier, a 400-foot tall and 6 miles-wide tidewater glacier.
It has been nicknamed the “Galloping Glacier” due to how swiftly and frequently it calves ice. In fact, the glacier is quickly advancing at 80 feet per year!
You can see this glacier on a cruise by first sailing into Yakutat Bay.
Read more: Hubbard Glacier vs. Glacier Bay: which glacier is better to see on a cruise?
Carlos Varela’s photo of a brown bear in the snow sparks a little jealousy. What a cool snapshot to share with friends and family!
Have you ever seen a brown bear? What about a humpback whale, a sea otter, a bald eagle, a mountain goat, or a harbor seal?
Yes, Alaska is home to these unique animals and more.
Cruise ships offer access to wildlife excursions like whale-watching or bear-spotting tours, so you’re guaranteed a chance to get up close and see these creatures with your own eyes.
Alaska’s diverse ecosystems provide a view into the untouched parts of nature.
Andrea Hancock shared this photo of kids looking out over a balcony at a marvelous view.
To get this perspective outside your bedroom window, you’d want to book a balcony stateroom on your Alaska cruise.
But it’s not a requirement!
The best type of cabin for your cruise depends on what your travel preferences and needs are.
If you’re a budgeter looking forward to spending time out on the ship or on land, an interior cabin is a cheap, efficient option.
Traveling with family and kids who want their privacy? You can book two connecting rooms for extra living space.
For luxury, try a suite stateroom such as a Loft Suite.
Joelle Hotte captioned this picture: “Mom and baby at the end of an incredible whale-watching tour in Juneau.”
Whale-watching is just one of many incredible tours you’ll have the opportunity to take on your Alaskan cruise.
This picture makes us want to hop straight on a ship to Alaska!
But, before you go, there are a few things you’ll want to prepare for.
For example, shore excursions like these can get expensive, adding it when it comes to creating a marvelous vacation.
To save money, look for last-minute cruise deals in the shoulder season, starting in March or April.
You’ll find lower fares on the Radiance Class ships that sail to Alaska: Radiance of the Seas and Brilliance of the Seas.
Christina Topp’s family is all bundled up with smiling faces.
Wondering what you should pack on an Alaska cruise? It’s not as difficult as it might seem.
We recommend packing lots of layers. Start with base layers, such as T-shirts, long-sleeve shirts, and leggings.
Next, make sure you have some warm layers: pullovers, sweaters, fleece jackets, and crewnecks. Anything with down or fleece in it is likely to keep you toasty!
Make sure you also have something with a waterproof layer, like a rain jacket.
For bottoms, bring thick jeans and fleece leggings.
Read more: I’ve been on 5 Alaska cruises, and I see people making the same 12 mistakes: here’s how to avoid them
Ruth Madewell submitted a photo of the White Pass and Yukon Railroad Train, a popular attraction in Skagway, Alaska.
If you’re passionate about history or just want to learn more about Alaska’s vibrant heritage, then there’s plenty for you to explore on an Alaskan cruise.
You can wander charming coastal towns, visit indigenous communities, or witness historic sites like in Skagway.
Booking a train ride on the White Pass Railroad offers a scenic route towards Canada’s Yukon territory. On your journey, a guide will offer nuggets of information about frontier Alaska, Skagway’s gold rush history, and modern insight into the town today.
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Two environmental groups are asking an Anchorage Superior Court judge to pause a program killing bears in the southwest part of the state before it gets underway later this month.
The plaintiffs in the case, the Alaska Wildlife Alliance and Center for Biological Diversity, are seeking a preliminary injunction. Their attorney as well as a lawyer for the state of Alaska argued before Superior Court Judge Adolf Zeman on Friday afternoon in Anchorage.
The state’s intensive management efforts are slated to resume this month for a fourth season. Since 2023, personnel with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game have used small airplanes and a helicopter to kill 191 bears in a remote part of Southwest Alaska between Dillingham and Bethel where the Mulchatna caribou herd calves each May.
Proponents of the program in the department and on the state Board of Game argue that predation from bears is a primary reason the Mulchatna herd has drastically declined over the last decade, and that they are required by state statute to implement policies that will increase the abundance of prey species for subsistence users and hunters.
At issue in Friday’s hearing is a dispute over whether policymakers used sufficient biological data to justify the program when it was authorized. The Mulchatna predator control policy was initially approved by the Board of Game in 2022, and in the years since, a series of legal challenges has played out in lawsuits and regulatory meetings.
The lawyer for the plaintiff, Michelle Sinnott, said the emergency request for an injunction is needed because there could be irreparable environmental harm if the state goes forward with aerial gunning this month.
“The state will start killing bears any day now under an unconstitutional predator control program,” Sinnott argued.
Much of the plantiffs’ argument that the program is illegal under Alaska laws hinges on the assertion that the Board of Game and state wildlife managers don’t have enough credible data on the region’s bear population to responsibly justify removing hundreds in a few years without causing ecological devastation. The injunction, they argued, is necessary because time is of the essence, and letting the constitutional challenge play out along the court’s normal timelines is insufficient.
“(The state) could kill a hundred more bears before being told once again that it needs bear population data,” Sinnott said. “Killing a bear permanently removes that bear from the landscape. That harm is irreparable.”
Kimberly Del Frate, the lawyer for the state, disputed that there was insufficient data weighed by the Board of Game when it reauthorized the bear cull program last summer.
“The plaintiff’s case is built upon a foundation of an incorrect and faulty premise. What became clear through the plaintiff’s argument is that their understanding of the record is that the Board considered nothing new and no data in July of 2025,” Del Frate said.
She pointed to several different metrics evaluated by policymakers in reapproving the predator control program after it was halted last spring by a separate lawsuit. Among the data managers presented to the board, Del Frate said, was an estimated 19% increase in the Mulchatna herd’s population. The state needs to continue with aggressive bear culling this spring, she argued, for that trend to continue and not be prematurely “stunted.”
Sinnott raised a point made by critics asserting that managers have relied on shoddy data collection methods far below the standards of sound wildlife biology in justifying the Southwest bear culling.
The rebuttal to that criticism from the state during Friday’s hearing is that it is not the court’s job to evaluate the relative merits of data used by officials setting policy.
If the court agrees to an injunction, state crews would be legally barred from killing bears this season. Should the state prevail, however, aerial gunning could begin in mid-May and last approximately three weeks with no limit on the number of bears killed.
Zeman concluded Friday’s hearing by clarifying that his ruling “won’t be today, but it will be soon.”
The national nonprofit A Better Childhood is appealing the dismissal of a lawsuit against the Alaska Office of Children’s Services. Judge Sharon Gleason dismissed the federal class-action lawsuit in March.
The lawsuit was filed by the nonprofit, alleging foster children in state custody are at risk of harm because of systemic problems, and that the state violated federal laws, including the Americans with Disabilities Act. Attorneys for the organization pointed to high caseloads for caseworkers and inadequate systems for hiring and training.
In her dismissal, Gleason wrote that attorneys from A Better Childhood didn’t prove that the foster youth whose stories were presented at trial were actually harmed or at serious risk of harm.
Marcia Lowry, the attorney who led the lawsuit against OCS said they’re appealing because the dismissal “focuses on the wrong issues” and “departs from long-standing precedent.”
Gleason’s decision is based on a “narrow and incorrect interpretation of whether the children have ‘legal standing’ to bring the case,” Lowry said.
She said the organization hopes to correct that legal error by appealing to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Tracy Dompeling, who heads the state’s Department of Family and Community Services, emailed a statement that said the nonprofit wasn’t able to show in court that the state is violating the federal rights of foster children. She said the state is working “with care and professionalism to keep the state’s most vulnerable children safe.”
RELATED: Alaska’s foster care system is among the worst in the nation. Can a lawsuit force real reform?
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