Seeing the pristine Alaskan coast by cruise ship is a bucket-list trip, but for those eager to experience the Last Frontier State’s massive national parks, Princess Cruises offers a series of expanded cruisetours that combine a voyage with a land component.
With departures in 2025 and 2026, the cruise line’s schedule enables guests to visit up to five national parks in combination with its 7-day Voyage of the Glaciers cruises.
Depending on the itinerary selected, the cruisetours feature rail transportation to inland parks and overnight stays at up to five cruise line-owned wilderness lodges.
For summer 2025, Princess Cruises will deploy seven ships to Alaska, and in 2026 the number will increase by one, with the line’s newest ship, Star Princess, set to launch in fall 2025. The 4,300-guest ship, second in the line’s Sphere class after Sun Princess, is under construction at a Fincantieri shipyard in Italy.
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“Alaska is a land of towering glaciers, majestic peaks, abundant wildlife, and stunning beauty that stretches as far as the eye can see,” said Terry Thornton, chief commercial officer at Princess Cruises.
“With our seamlessly crafted cruisetours, guests are brought directly to the doorsteps of some of the world’s most iconic national parks, allowing them to explore and soak in the awe-inspiring natural splendor that makes this destination truly unique,” added Thornton.
Based on the itinerary selected, guests booking Princess Cruises’ cruisetours will stay at Copper River Princess Wilderness Lodge near Wrangell-St. Elias National Park; Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge in Denali National Park; Fairbanks Princess Riverside Lodge on Fairbanks’ Chena River; Kenai Princess Wilderness Lodge near the Kenai River in Cooper Landing; and Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge inside Denali State Park.
The longest and most land-intensive itinerary, the 15-day National Parks Expedition, features visits to five parks along with the 7-day Voyage of the Glaciers cruise. Guests will tour the Denali, Kenai Fjords, Glacier Bay, Wrangell-St. Elias, and Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park Skagway parks.
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The 2025 expedition cruisetour includes two nights’ accommodations at three lodges — Kenai Princess Wilderness Lodge, Copper River Princess Wilderness Lodge, and Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge, and one night at the Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge and night in Anchorage.
In 2026, the same itinerary is offered with one exception: Fairbanks replaces Anchorage. Other cruisetours in 2025 include the National Parks Explorer itinerary, featuring four parks in 14 days, with the 7-day Glacier Bay cruise, and the shorter Katmai National Park itinerary, which visits two parks over a total of nine days.
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The cruise line added the 6,000-square-mile Katmai National Park tour in 2024. Situated about 300 miles south of Anchorage, the park has six active volcanos and is known as a wildlife haven for having the world’s largest population of protected brown bears.
Three Parks Featured in New 2026 Cruisetour
A new itinerary for 2026 is the National Parks Adventurer itinerary, featuring the 7-day cruise and three national parks in 14 days. On this trip, guests spend two nights each at Fairbanks, Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge, and Kenai Princess Wilderness Lodge, plus one night at Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge.
The itinerary includes visits to the national parks in Denali, Kenai Fjords, Glacier Bay.
In both 2025 and 2026, Princess Cruises will offer convenient embarkation choices at five ports: Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Vancouver, British Columbia, and Anchorage (Whittier).
