Alaska Inside Passage Cruises
Alaska Inside Passage small ship cruises allows you to explore Alaska's Inside Passage where other megaliner ships can’t. Experience the largest national forest in the United States, the world's deepest fjords and massive glaciers, like the ones found in remarkable Glacier Bay. Get close to shore to view grizzly bears, black bears, mountain goats, bald eagles and wolves. View Alaska's marine wildlife, such as humpback whales, sea lions and sea otters all around your ship, or even closer from Zodiac landing craft and kayaks. And through it all, you'll be guided by explorations leaders, naturalists and regional experts to provide the richest, most memorable experience possible.
Alaska Small Ship Cruise Statistics
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| *Temperatures cooler near glacial areas. | ||||||||||||
| Sailings | • | • | • | • | • | |||||||
| Avg Temp | 60/39°F | 65/44°F | 68/49°F | 65/46°F | 59/42°F | |||||||
| Avg Precip (in) | 3.53 | 3.13 | 4.29 | 5.34 | 7.21 | |||||||
Alaska Small Ship Cruise Itineraries
- Exploring Alaska's Coastal Wilderness
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Sail with National Geographic photo instructors and naturalists. Partnership between Lindblad and National Geographic provides a dose of education, as well as 30 years of experience sailing in Alaska. Become introduced to an Alaska that others never see, much less experience. Explore Alaska's Inside Passage, spending a full day in Glacier Bay National Park under special permit. Kayak and Zodiac among icebergs with a five-person expedition team. Visit the Raptor Rehabilitation Center and St. Michael’s Cathedral in Sitka.
- Discoverer's Glacier Country (Luxury Yacht Cruise)
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Providing 12, 22, 36 and 86 passenger yachts. Providing comfortable, yet elegant luxury ships and experience. Meander through the largest national forest in the United States - home to grizzly bears, black bears, mountain goats, bald eagles and wolves. On our way to view Alaska's massive glaciers, we enter some of the world's deepest fjords to hike and kayak while other vessels' guests stay shipside.
- Alaska, British Columbia and the San Juan Islands
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Sail with Lindblad and National Geographic on longer sailings with large distances to cover. More time on board sailing through British Columbia. On this expedition, you’ll explore not only the wonders of Alaska, but also the unexpected delights of British Columbia and the San Juan Islands that so many travelers miss. Learn about the area's rich Native American culture through first-hand interactions. Explore Alaska’s Inside Passage; whales, glacier-carved scenery and abundant wildlife. Travel with special guest experts and a veteran expedition team.This itinerary sails at the very beginning and end of the Alaska cruise season.
- Alaska's Inside Passage
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New for 2012: 100 passenger, largest cabins in a small ship. Many with balconies. Big on ports and nature, less on high activity. To cruise the forest-lined passages, pristine bays and magnificent inland waterways of Alaska is to experience America at its most majestic. Nearly every mile offers another breathtaking sight, from a pod of orcas surfacing to play alongside the ship to Tlingit totem poles that point to the skies where snowy peaks rise to astonishing heights. It’s a world of electric-blue glaciers, shimmering northern lights, and an amazing diversity of wildlife.
- The Famed Inside Passage (Luxury Yacht Cruise)
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14 nights of luxury yacht sailing. Sure to make you feel like the rich and famous. Cruise via luxury yacht the full length of the West Coast of North America's Inside Passage without the open ocean, but with shores ever-so-tight to the sides of your yacht for most of the 900 nautical miles between Seattle and Juneau.This itinerary sails at the very beginning and end of the Alaska cruise season.
- Wilderness Passages of Discovery
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14 nights, more sailing time in addition to Canadian ports of call. Cruising the 900 nautical miles between Seattle and Juneau, you will be exhilarated by snow-capped mountains, wildlife and birds, waterfalls, tree-lined narrow passageways and surprises at every turn. Whether you choose May or September, it is an optimal time for cruising with vivid foliage, fewer boats and people, and active bears and other animals foraging along the shoreline.
This itinerary sails at the very beginning of the Alaska cruise season.
- Alaska Inside Passage: Eastern Coves
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Sailings with high activity options. Good hiking and salmon fishing. Explore the back passages and narrow waterways of the most remote areas of Southeast Alaska’s Inside Passage. This 8-day Alaska adventure cruise to Inside Passage Eastern Coves navigates the waters and wilderness by small ship, enabling us to reach rarely seen areas where explosive scenery and pristine beauty are around every turn. How you choose to explore it further – by kayak, by skiff or by foot – is entirely up to you.
- Alaska Inside Passage: Western Coves
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Sailing with high activity options. Exploring a Tlingit Vaillage and ancient caves. This Ketchikan to Juneau itinerary is focused on taking you into the Alaska Inside Passage isolated waterways and secret passages where bigger cruise ships can’t travel. You’ll have the opportunity to see wildlife and wilderness up close as you are surrounded by the majestic beauty of the remote Tongass National Forest.
- Alaska Inside Passage: Ultimate Adventure
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Ultimate in high activity options. Combination of Eastern and Western Coves. This truly is the Ultimate Alaska Adventure cruise and will reveal all the best of what Alaska’s Inside Passage has to offer. Over the course of 15 days you’ll experience the wealth of Alaska wilderness and wildlife traveling deep into the heart of the Inside Passage, the way only a small ship can. Adventure and discovery is around every corner and the pristine, unspoiled beauty will leave you with memories you will never forget.
- Northern Passages & Glacier Bay
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Glacier Bay National Park and remote wilderness exploration highlight this adventure. Spend your days hiking into wildlife-rich forersts, standing atop a glacier, kayaking and riding a skiff along a dramatic fjord, learning about the Tlingit culture, and whale watching.
- Ultimate Bays & Fjords
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15 day, 14 night Ultimate Bays & Fjords Alaskan cruise between Sitka and Ketchikan aboard Wilderness Explorer and Wilderness Discoverer. This unmatchable adventure filled exploration is a combination of Glacier Bay National Park and rainforests of the Northern Passages with the waterfalls and fjords of the Eastern Coves.
- Ultimate Coves & Passages
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15 day, 14 night Ultimate Coves & Passages Alaska cruise sailing between Ketchikan to Sitka Alaska aboard the Wilderness Discoverer and Wilderness Explorer. Combine Glacier Bay National Park and rainforests of the Northern Passages with the waterfalls and fjords of the Eastern Coves for a 15-day unmatchable adventure filled exploration.
- Ultra Adventure
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22 day, 21 night Ultra Adventure Alaska cruise sailing between Juneau and Sitka, Alaska aboard both Wilderness Discoverer and Wilderness Explorer. Embrace the ultra Southeast Alaska expedition by combining all the wildlife, wonder, wildness, and adventure of the Eastern and Western Coves with Northern Passages and Glacier Bay.
- Luxury Alaska Inside Passage
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490 passenger luxury ship, not expedition sailing. Sails large ship itinerary but with 490 instead of 3,000. Includes ALL shore excursions, free air options. Sails from Vancouver to Anchorage. Unspoiled, natural beauty abounds in every direction — deep fjords, snow-mantled mountains and stately forests — providing an unparalleled setting for towns like Ketchikan, Juneau (Alaska's capital), and Sitka.
- Alaska's Inside Passage and Glaciers
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490 passenger luxury ship, not expedition sailing. Sails large ship itinerary but with 490 instead of 3,000. Includes ALL shore excursions, free air options. Sails from Vancouver to Anchorage. Every spring and summer the Pacific Northwest emerges from its frozen slumber and Mother Nature reveals her talent as the grand architect — frosting mountain peaks with a pristine layer of pure white snow, sculpting towering glaciers and throwing blankets of colourful wildflowers across vast meadows. At each turn, remarkable, picture perfect landscapes and remarkable wildlife await.
- Alaska by Sea Kayak: Whales, Bears, and Ice
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Note: This is a physically active Kayak Adventure, not a cruise. National Geographic Adventures are unique, active itineraries for intrepid travelers that combine spectacular places, cultural interaction, and physical challenge. Take to the sea in a kayak in one of the wildest places on Earth. Exploring from the intimate perspective of your kayak, encounter the forests and shores of beautiful Chichagof Island close up. Venture far into Glacier Bay and spend three days paddling through this otherworldly wilderness of ice and mountains.


