Alaska has never been more popular. A record 3.08 million visitors traveled to the state last year alone, and cruise travel is leading the way — the Alaska cruise industry has grown 84% over the past decade, even faster than tourism to the state overall.
But more travelers are discovering that the best way to see Alaska isn’t a cruise alone. Sail through Glacier Bay to witness towering tidewater glaciers calving into the sea, then continue inland aboard a glass-domed rail car, watching Alaska’s untamed wilderness unfold outside your window, with nights spent at handpicked wilderness lodges along the way. It’s this pairing of sea and land — a cruisetour — that captures the full scope of the Great Land in a single trip.
Princess Cruises has led Alaska cruising since 1955, and today sails more ships, operates more wilderness lodges, and holds more Glacier Bay access than any other line — making them the natural choice for this journey.
Vancouver to Glacier Bay by ship, then inland by rail to Denali and Fairbanks
UNESCO World Heritage tidewater glaciers
Why is the ice blue?
Densely packed glacier ice absorbs the warmer colors of light and reflects back the blues — the more compact the ice, the more brilliant the blue.
Will we see it calve?
Calving is when a chunk of ice breaks off the glacier and crashes into the bay — and the odds are good. Glaciers here can advance more than 5 feet a day. Keep your eyes on the ice; it can happen any time.
Wildlife to spot
Keep a lookout for humpback whales, sea otters, bald eagles, and puffins along the shoreline — and if you’re especially lucky, a brown bear or mountain goat on the hillsides above the water.
Only two ships a day
Glacier Bay is protected wilderness, and the National Park Service limits entry to just two cruise ships daily. That means you’re never sharing this view with a crowd.
Margerie Glacier
One of Alaska’s most photographed sights — a wall of ice reaching down to meet the sea, and one of the most active, ever-changing glacier faces in the bay.
Signature experiences at sea
Cook my catch
Reel one in on a Princess excursion, and one of the ship’s chefs cooks it up for you that night, prepared exactly how you like it. Doesn’t get fresher than that.
Fire & ice candlelight concert
An intimate evening of live music by Alaska singer-songwriters, lit by candlelight — offered just twice per voyage, so it’s worth planning around.
Puppies in the Piazza
Meet Alaskan huskies, some still in training as future sled dogs, and hear from an Iditarod champion about the history behind them. A guaranteed favorite for kids and adults alike.
Tales from the Deadliest Catch
Hear real stories from a real crab boat captain who’s fished the Bering Sea — the same waters you may recognize from TV.
Stargazing nights
On clear nights, the ship’s deck lights dim and a naturalist guides you through the constellations overhead. Weather dependent, but worth staying up for.
Whittier to the interior, aboard glass-domed rail cars
Glass-domed rail cars
Floor-to-ceiling glass overhead means the mountains, rivers, and wildlife you’re passing are never out of view — a completely different way to take in Alaska after days at sea.
Hurricane Gulch Bridge
Your train crosses this bridge nearly 300 feet above the gorge below — one of the most dramatic moments of the entire rail journey.
Open-air observation platform
When you want more than a view through glass, step outside onto an open-air platform and feel the wilderness firsthand as it rolls by.
Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel
At 2.5 miles long, this is one of North America’s longest tunnels shared by both trains and highway traffic — a quick, curious detour through the mountain on your way to Denali.
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Watch the rail journey
A short clip of the glass-domed cars in motion through the Alaska wilderness.
Watch on YouTubeSet at the edge of Denali National Park
Husky Homestead Tour
Meet the sled dogs at Iditarod champion Jeff King’s own kennel — including puppies still in training. A favorite for families and dog lovers alike.
Flightseeing around Denali
Weather permitting, a flightseeing tour offers views of North America’s tallest peak that you simply can’t get from the ground — often the single most memorable moment of the whole trip.
On the Nenana River
Choose your pace: a scenic float for wide-open mountain views, or a faster-paced jetboat ride for something with a bit more adrenaline.
Fly fishing at Fish Creek
Wade into Fish Creek with a guide for a chance at grayling in the shadow of the Alaska Range — a quiet, hands-on way to spend a few hours in the wilderness.
Guided park tours
From a relaxed naturalist-led walk to the full Tundra Wilderness Tour deep into the park, there’s a guided option suited to almost any pace or interest.
Remote wilderness on the banks of the Copper River
King salmon fishing by jet boat
Jet up the Copper River’s tributaries with a guide, tangling with king salmon that can run anywhere from 5 to 70 pounds. Land one, and Princess’s Cook My Catch program means the lodge’s chefs will prepare it for you that night.
Copper River red salmon
Even outside king season, the Copper River’s sockeye run is famous enough that restaurants as far as Seattle and San Francisco fly it in fresh. You’re fishing the same waters, right at the source.
Float the Copper River
A calmer alternative to the jet boat: drift past traditional fish wheels and a working fish camp while a guide shares the history and geology of the Copper River Basin.
Sea kayaking near Valdez
A scenic drive from the lodge over Thompson Pass — past waterfalls worth stopping for — leads to sea kayaking on Prince William Sound.
Kennecott ghost town
Step into an abandoned copper mining camp inside Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, America’s largest national park, and hear the story of the boom that gave the lodge its name.
Cozy, bungalow-style stays near Kenai Fjords
Fishing the Kenai River
Widely considered Alaska’s premier trophy salmon river, the Kenai draws anglers from around the world for king and silver salmon. Land one, and Cook My Catch means the lodge kitchen will prepare it for dinner.
Kenai Fjords wildlife cruise
Trade the fishing rod for binoculars on a cruise into Kenai Fjords National Park, where sea otters, whales, and calving glaciers share the same stretch of coast.
Gold panning with a prospector
Learn the real technique from someone who’s done it for a living, then try your own hand at panning for gold — an easygoing activity that’s a hit with kids and adults alike.
Float the Kenai River
A quieter alternative to fishing: drift the river’s calm stretches, watching for eagles and wildlife along the banks without a rod in hand.
Historic Seward and Exit Glacier
A short trip from the lodge brings you to the historic port town of Seward and a walk out to Exit Glacier — an easy way to fit in more of the Kenai Peninsula’s scenery.
Some of the best views of Denali in the state
Play in a real treehouse
At Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge, a custom-built treehouse offers one of the best views of North America’s tallest peak.
Meet the mountain climber
Firsthand stories and photos from people who’ve actually climbed Denali, shared in the lodge’s own theater.
Zip-line through Talkeetna
Soar above the treetops on a zip-line course just outside Talkeetna — a fast, exhilarating break from the pace of the rest of your trip, and one of the few adrenaline-driven excursions on this itinerary.
Flightseeing and glacier landing
Closer to Denali than almost anywhere else on your journey, this lodge offers some of the most dramatic flightseeing options of the trip — circle the summit, or land right on a glacier for a few minutes on the ice itself.
On the banks of the Chena River
Riverboat Discovery cruise
Board a narrated sternwheeler down the Chena and Tanana rivers, stopping at an Iditarod champion’s kennel for a sled dog demonstration and a walk through a recreated Athabascan village.
Chasing the northern lights
Fairbanks sits directly under the aurora oval, making it one of the best places on Earth to see the northern lights. Princess runs a dedicated viewing excursion late in the season — you’re driven out to a heated yurt, away from city lights, for an evening under the sky with a guide.
Gold Dredge 8
Try your hand at traditional gold panning at a historic dredge site, where hands-on demonstrations bring Fairbanks’s gold rush past to life.
Garden-to-table dining
Meals made with produce grown steps from where you’ll eat them — a fresh, local twist you won’t expect from a wilderness lodge.
Whether you’re an angler chasing a king salmon on the Copper River, an adventurer ready to zip-line through Talkeetna or land on a glacier, a wildlife lover hoping to watch a whale breach in Glacier Bay, or just someone who wants to fall asleep to the northern lights — a cruisetour doesn’t make you choose. Sea, rail, and wilderness, all in one trip.
Start planning your Alaska cruisetour