Which Cruise Lines Go to Glacier Bay?

Glacier Bay can be an incredible part of an Alaskan cruise, but which cruise lines go to Glacier Bay National Park?

There is a lot to see on an Alaskan cruise. From the incredible wildlife both on land and at sea, to the mountains and glaciers. Glacier Bay National Park is a special part of an Alaskan cruise. My first time visiting Glacier Bay National Park was back in 2011 and I’ve been able to sail through this incredible place about 50 times since then.

Glacier Bay is on the top of my list of places to visit on an Alaskan cruise, but not all cruise lines visit this incredible place.

Which cruise lines go to Glacier Bay?

Not every cruise line can sail to Glacier Bay. Only certain cruise lines have a license, or a “concession contract” to sail in Glacier Bay. There are a number of cruise lines scheduled to visit Glacier Bay in 2025 including contemporary lines, premium lines, luxury, as well as expedition.

Some of these lines have multiple ships visiting throughout the season whereas others may only have one in the region. Cruising to Glacier Bay is definitely one of the best things you can do in Alaska and put cruises that go to Glacier Bay as some of my recommended best cruises to Alaska.

Cruise Lines

• Holland America Line
• Princess Cruises
• Norwegian Cruise Line
• Seabourn
• Viking
• Cunard

Expedition Lines/”Small Ship”

• American Cruise Lines
• UnCruise Adventures
• Lindblad Expeditions – National Geographic

✅ Check current pricing and availability for Glacier Bay cruises by clicking here

How many cruise ships are allowed in Glacier Bay?

Only two cruise ships are allowed in Glacier Bay each day. The ships visiting each day are on a schedule so that there is only one ship viewing Marjorie Glacier at a time. Additionally, there are maximum quotas from May to September, meaning that there are some days that there will only be one ship allowed in the park to ensure the quota is not exceeded.

Some of the expedition cruises are considered “chartered vessels” and not considered “cruise ships” by the National Park definitions, so you may end up seeing two traditional cruise ships as well as smaller expedition vessels in the park on the same day.

✅ Check current pricing and availability for Glacier Bay cruises by clicking here

Glacier Bay cruise ship schedule

Many ships that visit Glacier Bay do so on a consistent schedule throughout the summer; whereas others will only visit once or twice throughout the season.

Cruises start going into Glacier Bay the end of April and will stay through the end of the cruise ship season in Alaska. For most lines the end of the season is the end of September, but Norwegian Cruise Line has been staying in Alaska through the end of October.

By Cruise Lines

• Holland America Line
  • 7, 14, 28 day cruises
  • roundtrip Seattle and Vancouver, plus Vancouver to Seward (and reverse)
  • Ships (for 2025):
    • Zaandam
    • Eurodam
    • Nieuw Amsterdam
    • Koningsdam
    • Westerdam
    • Noordam
• Princess Cruises
  • 7, 10, 11, 14 night cruises (14 night are combined itineraries)
  • roundtrip Seattle, Vancouver, San Fransisco, plus Vancouver to Whittier (and reverse)
  • Ships (for 2025):
    • Ruby Princess
    • Grand Princess
    • Royal Princess
    • Caribbean Princess
    • Sapphire Princess
    • Coral Princess
• Norwegian Cruise Line
  • 7, 9, and 10 night cruises
  • roundtrip Seattle
  • Ships (for 2025):
    • Norwegian Joy
    • Norwegian Bliss
    • Norwegian Encore
• Seabourn
  • 7, 9, and 10 night cruises, plus 22 night repositioning to Japan
  • Vancouver to Juneau (and reverse), Vancouver to Yokohama
  • Ship (for 2025):
    • Seabourn Quest
• Viking
  • 10 night cruises
  • Vancouver to Seward (and reverse)
  • Ships (for 2025):
    • Viking Orion
    • Viking Venus
• Cunard
  • 7, 10, & 11 night cruises
  • Seattle roundtrip
  • Ships (for 2025):
    • Queen Elizabeth

Expedition Lines/”Small Ship”

• American Cruise Lines
  • American Constitution
  • American Constellation
• UnCruise Adventures
  • Safari Endeavour
  • Wilderness Discoverer
  • Safari Quest
  • Wilderness Legacy
  • Safari Explorer
• Lindblad Expeditions – National Geographic
  • National Geographic Quest
  • National Geographic Venture
  • National Geographic Sea Bird
  • National Geographic Sea Lion

✅ Check current pricing and availability for Glacier Bay cruises by clicking here

📆 By Day of the Week (for major cruise lines)

Sunday
⚓ Holland America Zaandam
🐳 Several Sundays During the season:
⚓ Cunard Queen Elizabeth

Monday
🐳 Every other Monday:
⚓ Princess Cruises Caribbean Princess
⚓ Princess Cruises Sapphire Princess
⚓ Princess Cruises Coral Princess

Tuesday
⚓ Holland America Eurodam
🐳 Every other Tuesday:
⚓ Holland America Nieuw Amsterdam
⚓ Holland America Noordam (mostly)

Wednesday
⚓ Holland America Koningsdam
⚓ Princess Cruises Royal Princess

Thursday
⚓ Norwegian Encore
🐳 Every other Thursday:
⚓ Princess Cruises Caribbean Princess
⚓ Princess Cruises Sapphire Princess

Friday
🐳 Every other Friday:
⚓ Holland America Nieuw Amsterdam
⚓ Holland America Noordam (mostly)
⚓ Princess Cruises Coral Princess

Saturday
🐳 Several Saturdays During the season:
⚓ Princess Cruises Ruby Princess
⚓ Princess Cruises Grand Princess

Other ships visiting on a less regular schedule:

• Seabourn Quest
• Holland America Line Westerdam
• Viking Ocean Viking Orion
• Viking Ocean Viking Venus
• Norwegian Cruise Line Norwegian Bliss
• Norwegian Cruise Line Norwegian Joy

National Park Service and Glacier Bay

The National Park Service is a big part of visiting Glacier Bay National Park. From their presentations, to onboard commentary, to Junior Ranger program, the Park Rangers are part of what makes visiting Glacier Bay special.

What does the schedule on a Glacier Bay visit look like?

“Glacier Bay Day” is a great day on any cruise and can be a fun day for both passengers and crew members. The day onboard will look and feel a bit different than a normal day cruising both because of the incredible natural beauty outside, but also some different rules and regulations the ships have to follow for onboard activities.

The Highlights:

• Park Rangers are onboard from typically 6:00/7:00am – 3:00/4:00pm
• Park Rangers board the ship and disembark by a local boat and ladder
• Rangers give commentary throughout the day over the ships PA system
• Presentation in main show lounge
• Junior Ranger program for kids
• Approximate times for viewing some parts of the park will be listed in your program (Johns Hopkins & Marjorie Glacier for instance)

The park rangers will join the ship, typically at about 7:00am. The ship doesn’t dock to bring them on, and the process is somewhat similar to when a pilot joins the ship going in and out of port. A small boat comes alongside the ship, and they open up a hatch, drop a ladder down and the rangers all join the ship.

At a central location on the ship – typically in a lounge towards the front and top of the ship with lots of windows – the park rangers will set up for the day. They will have some displays available to look at and someone on hand to answer questions. After a brief welcome, it is time to really get the day started!

One of the park rangers will make commentary throughout the day. They’ll make note of different glaciers you are passing, as well as if there is any wildlife spotted and the history of the park.

This will be broadcast to the ships public address system to the outside decks. Most ships TV systems will also have an option or a channel for you to turn on that would allow you to hear the commentary in your room (typically bow or aft cameras).

A general outline of your day will be put into the daily program. This will include things like when you’ll most likely be sailing by Johns Hopkins glacier, as well as arriving at Marjorie glacier. The times for this are always approximate so it’s best to make sure you’re outside for a good bit of time before or after the listed times to make sure you don’t miss anything.

If there are two ships visiting Glacier Bay that day you will have to take turns getting up close and personal with Marjorie. One ship will be there somewhere in the 10 o’clock range where the other will be in the early afternoon.

The rangers will also do a full presentation in the ships show lounge for all guests to see.

There is a Junior Ranger program for the kids onboard as well, where the ranger will coordinate with the youth program to do a brief chat and answer questions for the kids onboard.

After the presentations are done, the rangers are often seen going around the outside decks answering questions and chatting with guests.

The rangers typically will leave the ship between 3:00 and 4:00pm depending on if there are multiple ships visiting that day.

✅ Check current pricing and availability for Glacier Bay cruises by clicking here

Onboard events and activities are different

When the ship is in Glacier Bay there are rules not only about how fast the ship can go and what type of fuel the ship can burn, but also onboard activities. The National Park Service wants to make sure that Glacier Bay is the focus of the day.

That means that while the ship is in Glacier Bay there are no other “activities” allowed. That means no basketball tournaments, no games of bingo, no raffles at the shops. The shops and casino are not allowed to be open with the exception of a “deck sale” of outdoor/photo related items.

Offerings such as afternoon tea are exempt from the “no activities” rule, as are kids club activities. But, you will notice onboard that the programming on Glacier Bay Day is going to be different than a typical sea day.

While there are lots of benefits to visiting Glacier Bay National Park, and the onboard programming provided by the National Park Service is definitely a positive – the reduction in onboard revenue on a day in Glacier Bay could be why some cruise lines decide not to visit the park.

Is Glacier Bay worth seeing on a cruise?

Yes! Glacier Bay is one of the most gorgeous places. The sail in and out of the park is as beautiful as Marjorie Glacier is – a day of spotting sea otters, whales, and seeing the majestic mountains.

If your cruise doesn’t go to Glacier Bay though, there are a lot of other beautiful glaciers cruise ships visit in Alaska, including College Fjord and Hubbard Glacier.

✅ Check current pricing and availability for Glacier Bay cruises by clicking here

Best Glacier Bay Cruise

For this we are only looking at conventional cruise lines. If you are looking for a really exploratory cruise, I would check out some of the expedition/small ship lines that visit Glacier Bay such as Uncruise Adventures, Lindblad (National Geographic), and American Cruise Lines.

1. Holland America Nieuw Amsterdam 14 night roundtrip Vancouver, May 2025
   • This roundtrip option goes north to Anchorage, Kodiak, and Valdez. I am partial to this itinerary as I worked onboard for a very similar one many years ago and it gives you so much more time in ports to explore.
     
2. Princess Cruises Coral Princess 11 night roundtrip Vancouver, May 2025
   • This roundtrip option visits both Glacier Bay and Hubbard Glacier, plus it’s roundtrip! Love the in-between length of this itinerary – not a full 2 weeks but also not as short as a week.
     
3. Princess Cruises Sapphire Princess 7 night Whittier to Vancouver, September 2025
   • This cruise features both Hubbard Glacier and Glacier Bay for the ultimate glacier adventure! Plus, you can add on before to explore Denali National Park
     
4. Norwegian Cruise Line Norwegian Joy 9 night, roundtrip Seattle, April 2025
   • This itinerary is an extended version of a classic – with 9 nights giving you just a bit more time including Ketchikan, Icy Straight Point, Juneau, Skagway, plus Glacier Bay and Victoria – this once per season itinerary is worth a second look.
     
5. Viking Cruises Viking Orion, 10 night Vancouver to Seward, June 2025
   • 10 days for a northbound itinerary? Yes, please! This itinerary gives you a bit more time to explore as you make your way north. This includes personal favorite Sitka (great for sea otter tours!) as well as Skagway, Ketchikan, Juneau, Icy Straight Point and Valdez.

Is Glacier Bay a must see on a cruise?

In Alaska there are lots of great glacier viewing opportunities, namely Hubbard Glacier, Glacier Bay National Park, and College Fjord and among my previous colleagues I can find crew members that will say that each option is there favorite for different reasons.

Glacier Bay is my favorite amongst them but honestly you can’t go wrong with any of them. Hubbard Glacier is a more impressive glacier than Marjorie Glacier in Glacier Bay. And, College Fjord is beautiful but not necessarily the most impressive glaciers.

But, it’s important to remember that every cruise contract a cruise line reserves the right to change itinerary of a cruise. Sometimes this happens before the cruise sails but sometimes it will happen while you are onboard.

While I have never been on a cruise going to Glacier Bay that missed visiting Glacier Bay (and I worked for a cruise line and have visited Glacier Bay about 50 times), picking a cruise specifically for one port is never a good decision.

Is Glacier Bay a must see on a cruise? It’s wonderful and planning a cruise that is scheduled to go there is 100% worth it. Just remember that any cruise schedule is subject to change.

✅ Click here to check current pricing and availability for Glacier Bay cruises

FAQ’s

Does Royal Caribbean go to Glacier Bay?

Royal Caribbean, nor any of Royal Caribbeans partner brands (Celebrity, Silversea) go to Glacier Bay. They do cruise in Alaska and offer a variety of itineraries.

What is glacier calving?

“Calving” is when part of the glacier falls off into the ocean. It creates a noise known as “white thunder”. There are waves that are created off of this as well and it is so interesting to see them flow across the water.

What is the chance of seeing calving?

Pretty good if you’re paying attention! The ship will be near Marjorie Glacier, typically for about an hour, with a half hour on one side of the ship and then a half hour on the other side of the ship. If you are paying attention for the entirety of the time there you will see some calving (it might just be a little bit).

You are more likely to see calving later in the summer when things have warmed up a bit, but you’ll still see it early in the season if you pay attention!

Conclusion: Which cruise lines go to Glacier Bay?

There are several cruise lines that have permission to cruise to Glacier Bay, including Norwegian Cruise Line, Holland America Line, and Princess Cruise Line on regular schedules, as well as Cunard Line, Seabourn, and Viking Cruises.

There are also expedition and small ship lines that visit Glacier Bay, including Uncruise Adventures, Lindblad Expedition (National Geographic), and American Cruise Lines.

Whichever cruise line you choose to go on, Alaska is an incredible place to cruise.

✅ Check current pricing and availability for Glacier Bay cruises by clicking here