How much is a cruise to Alaska comes down to cabin category, sailing length and what you add onboard: on a 7-night Seattle to Vancouver sailing, the lowest listed fares start at $724 per person for an interior cabin, in double occupancy.
That fare is a starting point, not a trip budget. Suites, optional extras and shore excursions change the total, and the sections below show how the pieces fit together. If Alaska is your first cruise, our overview of the best cruise destinations for first timers sets it beside other ports and regions.
What sets the price of an Alaska cruise
An Alaska cruise fare is built from cabin category, sailing length, ship and season, and the number you see advertised is only the first layer of what you pay.
Fare listings are quoted per person in US dollars, based on double occupancy. In a shared cabin, each traveller is priced individually. A “lowest rate” is the cheapest fare shown for a sailing, so treat it as a floor and confirm the price for your own dates before you build a budget around it.
- Cabin category: interior, oceanview, balcony and suite fares can differ widely within a single sailing, and the suite tier varies most from ship to ship.
- Sailing length: ten-night itineraries start higher than seven-night ones on the same route.
- Ship and line: Princess Cruises, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity and Holland America all sail Alaska, and each prices its cabins differently.
- Season: Alaska sailings from Seattle run through a May to September season, with June to August the peak.
- Optional extras: drinks, Wi-Fi, dining upgrades and excursions are priced outside the base fare.
The next section puts real cabin fares side by side so you can see which of these factors moves the price most.
Fares by cabin type and sailing length
Interior cabins are the entry price on every sailing below, and the cost of moving up a tier depends heavily on which ship you choose.
| Sailing (Seattle to Vancouver) | Nights | Interior | Oceanview | Balcony | Suite | Planning use |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Star Princess (Princess Cruises) | 7 | $724 | $924 | $1,174 | $1,474 | Lowest suite price of the four; fares include taxes and fees |
| Celebrity Edge | 7 | $796.66 | $883.66 | $1,083.66 | $3,675.66 | Good mid-tier value; suite costs far more; fares include taxes and fees |
| Ovation of the Seas (Royal Caribbean) | 10 | $1,082.66 | $1,402.66 | $1,743.16 | $3,652.66 | Longest itinerary with every cabin tier listed |
| Royal Princess (Princess Cruises) | 10 | $1,174 | Not listed | $2,124 | $2,524 | Choose between interior and balcony only; no oceanview fare shown |
Figures are the lowest listed per-person fares in US dollars, double occupancy, from CruiseBooking’s Seattle to Vancouver listing.
What the comparison tells you
On both seven-night sailings, the step from interior to oceanview is smaller than the step from oceanview to balcony. If you want a window but not a private outdoor space, oceanview is the cheaper upgrade. Celebrity Edge is cheaper than Star Princess for oceanview and balcony, but its suite fare is far higher, so the better value depends entirely on the cabin tier you want.
Length matters too. A ten-night Royal Princess interior fare of $1,174 matches the seven-night Star Princess balcony fare. That leaves a straightforward choice: more days at sea and in port, or a balcony on a shorter trip. Holland America also sails this corridor, and its Koningsdam appears on the same Seattle to Vancouver listing, so price it for your dates alongside the lines above.
Routes, ports and where you start
Your embarkation city shapes both the itinerary and the cost of getting there, so decide it before you compare fares.
Celebrity runs round-trip Alaska cruises from Seattle from May through September on Celebrity Edge. The seven-day itinerary visits Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway, plus Victoria, BC. Celebrity also lists Alaska itineraries departing from Vancouver, British Columbia, on Celebrity Solstice.
A round trip returns you to the city where you started, which keeps your flight, parking or hotel plans simple. A one-way Seattle to Vancouver sailing, like the ones in the table above, ends in a different city. That means arranging your own return travel, and you should add its cost to your budget rather than judging the sailing on its fare alone.
Juneau appears on both the round-trip itinerary and the one-way route, and Ketchikan and Skagway also appear on both. Those ports are where most shore excursion spending happens, so the same ports often decide your excursion budget no matter which line you pick.
Extras that sit outside the fare
The base fare does not cover everything onboard, and extras are the part of an Alaska budget most likely to be underestimated.
Princess states that its standard fare excludes some items sold as optional add-ons. You can buy them individually or upgrade to a Princess Plus or Princess Premier package. The add-ons Princess lists include:
- Drinks: beer, wine, cocktails, specialty coffees, and sodas and juice bar.
- Wi-Fi: sold separately from the fare.
- Specialty dining: restaurants outside the included dining options.
- Shore excursions: bought through the line rather than included.
- Spa and laundry: both listed as optional.
The practical decision is package versus pay-as-you-go. A package suits travellers who know they will use several of these items every day. If you only expect a drink or two and light Wi-Fi use, buying individually keeps the total closer to the fare. Confirm whether gratuities are included in the fare you are quoted, and add them to the budget if they are not. Ask each line for its current prices, because add-on rates are set by the line and sailing.
Building a total-cost Alaska budget
A realistic Alaska budget adds the fare, extras, excursions and travel to the port, and then compares totals instead of fares.
- Record the per-person fare for your cabin category and sailing, and apply it to every traveller in the cabin.
- Check taxes and fees. The Star Princess and Celebrity Edge fares in the table include them; confirm the same for any other sailing you compare.
- Add the onboard extras you will actually use, such as drinks, Wi-Fi, specialty dining, spa or laundry.
- Price your shore excursions for ports such as Juneau, Ketchikan and Skagway, using the line’s listings or a local operator’s current rates.
- Add travel to and from Seattle or Vancouver, including the return trip if your sailing is one-way.
- Compare totals across sailings. A lower fare with expensive add-ons can cost more than a pricier fare with what you need included in a package.
An interior or oceanview cabin suits travellers who plan to spend most of the day ashore or on deck, since the money saved can go to excursions. A balcony makes more sense if time in the cabin, watching the scenery, is part of the trip. The same total-cost method works for any destination. If you are weighing Alaska against warm-water ports, the guide to Best Caribbean Cruise Stops: Top Ports, Beaches, and Shore Excursions for 2026 – Electracruises shows what to price there, and travellers comparing other nature-led trips can read about a galapagos cruise.
Choosing the month to sail
The Alaska season from Seattle runs May through September, and the months you pick decide how crowded and how cool your trip will be.
Celebrity describes May and September as offering fewer crowds and cooler weather than the peak months of June through August. Those shoulder months are the first dates to compare, because fewer crowds is the clearest advantage they bring. Check the actual fare for each sailing before assuming a saving, and compare the same cabin category and itinerary across months.
If summer weather and the busiest season matter most to you, plan to price June to August sailings early so you can compare cabins while more options remain. If you prefer cooler days and quieter ports, May or September is the better starting point. Either way, the cabin tier, ship and extras will usually shift your total more than the choice between two neighbouring dates.
Frequently asked questions
Are Alaska cruise fares quoted per person or per cabin?
The CruiseBooking listings quote per person, in US dollars, based on double occupancy. Each traveller sharing a cabin is priced separately.
Do the listed fares include taxes and fees?
The seven-night Star Princess and Celebrity Edge fares in the table include taxes and fees. Confirm this for any other sailing before comparing it with them.
Which ports does the Seattle to Vancouver route visit?
The seven-night route on the CruiseBooking listing calls at Seattle, Ketchikan, Endicott Arm, Juneau, Skagway and Vancouver.
How big are the ships sailing these routes?
Princess lists Royal Princess at 3,560 guests. CruiseBooking lists Holland America’s Koningsdam, launched in 2016, at 2,650 passengers.
