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Alaska cruise line guide

Alaska with Norwegian Cruise Line.

Freestyle cruising: no set dining times, big-ship energy, and weekly Alaska round-trips from Seattle.

Best for Families and groups who want flexibility, entertainment, and a Seattle round-trip.
Norwegian Cruise Line Alaska cruise ship at sea

Why sail Alaska with Norwegian Cruise Line?

Norwegian sails Alaska with four ships: Norwegian Encore, Bliss, and Joy on Seattle round-trips, and Norwegian Jade on the one-way Glacier Route to Whittier. The appeal is Freestyle cruising: dine when you like, dress as you like, and choose from a long list of restaurants and bars. The big Breakaway Plus ships carry observation lounges built for Alaska, so a scenic day never means leaving the warmth.

  • Freestyle dining, with no assigned seating or set dinner time.
  • Observation lounges and wide outdoor decks built with Alaska in mind.
  • The Speedway go-kart track, Galaxy Pavilion, and open-air laser tag on the big ships.

The fleet

The ships sailing Alaska

Specs from each line's published ship fact sheets; itineraries reflect the 2026 Alaska programs.

Norwegian Encore

Alaska
Year built
2019
Last refurbished
2024
Tonnage
169,116 GT
Guests (double / max)
3,958 / 4,966
Crew
1,735
Decks
20
Length
1,094 ft (333 m)
  • The Speedway go-kart track and the Galaxy Pavilion virtual reality complex
  • Q Texas Smokehouse and The Choir of Man
  • An Observation Lounge with floor-to-ceiling windows

Itineraries

Glacier Bay, Skagway and Juneau

Norwegian Bliss

Alaska
Year built
2018
Last refurbished
2025
Tonnage
168,028 GT
Guests (double / max)
4,010 / 4,900
Crew
1,716
Decks
20
Length
1,094 ft (333 m)
  • A 180-degree Observation Lounge facing the bow
  • The first go-kart racetrack at sea
  • The Waterfront, an open-air promenade of bars and restaurants

Itineraries

Juneau, Ketchikan and Sitka

Norwegian Joy

Alaska
Year built
2017
Last refurbished
2024
Tonnage
167,725 GT
Guests (double / max)
3,776 / 4,622
Crew
1,821
Decks
20
Length
1,094 ft (333 m)
  • The Galaxy Pavilion virtual reality complex and The Speedway
  • The Haven, a private ship-within-a-ship suite complex
  • The H2O Glow outdoor party venue

Itineraries

Alaska and Glacier Bay, nine nights

Norwegian Jade

Alaska
Year built
2006
Last refurbished
2022
Tonnage
93,558 GT
Guests (double / max)
2,352 / 2,882
Crew
1,037
Decks
15
Length
965 ft (294 m)
  • The Haven suite complex, added in the Norwegian Edge refit
  • 19 dining venues and 11 bars and lounges
  • A forward-facing Spinnaker Lounge for scenic cruising

Itineraries

Glacier Bay and Skagway, one-way

Routes

Alaska routes and itineraries

One schematic map per route variant, with the port calls in order.

Glacier Bay, Skagway and Juneau

7 nights · Round-trip from Seattle

Norwegian Cruise Line Glacier Bay, Skagway and Juneau route map Route map with 6 stops, starting at Seattle, Washington and ending at Victoria, British Columbia, including the scenic cruising areas. Illustrative only. 1 Seattle 2 Juneau 3 Skagway 4 Glacier Bay 5 Ketchikan 6 Victoria Legend Homeport Port call Scenic cruising Direction of cruise Illustrative map, not to scale

Route in order

  1. 1 Seattle, Washington
  2. 2 Juneau, Alaska
  3. 3 Skagway, Alaska
  4. 4 Glacier Bay National Park
  5. 5 Ketchikan, Alaska
  6. 6 Victoria, British Columbia

Scenic cruising

  • Glacier Bay National Park

Ships on this route

Norwegian Encore

Juneau and Skagway back to back, then a full Glacier Bay day, Ketchikan, and an evening in Victoria before the run back to Seattle.

Juneau, Ketchikan and Sitka

7 nights · Round-trip from Seattle

Norwegian Cruise Line Juneau, Ketchikan and Sitka route map Route map with 7 stops, starting at Seattle, Washington and ending at Victoria, British Columbia, including the scenic cruising areas. Illustrative only. 1 Seattle 2 Sitka 3 Juneau 4 Dawes Glacier 5 Icy Strait Point 6 Ketchikan 7 Victoria Legend Homeport Port call Scenic cruising Direction of cruise Illustrative map, not to scale

Route in order

  1. 1 Seattle, Washington
  2. 2 Sitka, Alaska
  3. 3 Juneau, Alaska
  4. 4 Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier
  5. 5 Icy Strait Point, Alaska
  6. 6 Ketchikan, Alaska
  7. 7 Victoria, British Columbia

Scenic cruising

  • Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier

Ships on this route

Norwegian Bliss

The port-heavy rotation: Sitka, Juneau with a Dawes Glacier morning, Icy Strait Point, Ketchikan, and Victoria in a single week.

Alaska and Glacier Bay, nine nights

9 nights · Round-trip from Seattle

Norwegian Cruise Line Alaska and Glacier Bay, nine nights route map Route map with 7 stops, starting at Seattle, Washington and ending at Victoria, British Columbia, including the scenic cruising areas. Illustrative only. 1 Seattle 2 Ketchikan 3 Icy Strait Point 4 Juneau 5 Skagway 6 Glacier Bay 7 Victoria Legend Homeport Port call Scenic cruising Direction of cruise Illustrative map, not to scale

Route in order

  1. 1 Seattle, Washington
  2. 2 Ketchikan, Alaska
  3. 3 Icy Strait Point, Alaska
  4. 4 Juneau, Alaska
  5. 5 Skagway, Alaska
  6. 6 Glacier Bay National Park
  7. 7 Victoria, British Columbia

Scenic cruising

  • Glacier Bay National Park

Ships on this route

Norwegian Joy

Two extra nights buy a slower pace: five Alaska calls plus Glacier Bay, with sea days on either side to enjoy the ship.

Glacier Bay and Skagway, one-way

7 nights · Vancouver to Whittier

Norwegian Cruise Line Glacier Bay and Skagway, one-way route map Route map with 7 stops, starting at Vancouver, British Columbia and ending at Whittier, Alaska, including the scenic cruising areas. Illustrative only. 1 Vancouver 2 Inside Passage 3 Ketchikan 4 Juneau 5 Skagway 6 Glacier Bay 7 Whittier Legend Homeport Port call Scenic cruising Direction of cruise Illustrative map, not to scale

Route in order

  1. 1 Vancouver, British Columbia
  2. 2 Inside Passage scenic cruising
  3. 3 Ketchikan, Alaska
  4. 4 Juneau, Alaska
  5. 5 Skagway, Alaska
  6. 6 Glacier Bay National Park
  7. 7 Whittier, Alaska

Scenic cruising

  • Inside Passage
  • Glacier Bay National Park

Ships on this route

Norwegian Jade

The one-way run north: the Inside Passage, Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, and a Glacier Bay day before arriving in Whittier for the land portion.

Explore another line

Princess Cruises Holland America Line Celebrity Cruises Royal Caribbean Carnival Cruise Line

Personal travel planning

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