The Inside Passage threads between forested islands to Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan, with a day of scenic cruising past tidewater glaciers and a last evening in Victoria. The season runs May to September; June and July are the longest days, August the best for salmon and bears.
Cruise route for your dates
9 days from Sat, Dec 5.
- Day 1 Seattle · board the ship
- Day 2 At sea
- Day 3 Juneau · a day ashore
- Day 4 Skagway · a day ashore
- Day 5 Glacier scenic cruising
- Day 6 Ketchikan · a day ashore
- Day 7 At sea
- Day 8 Victoria · a day ashore
- Day 9 Seattle · leave the ship
Good to know
- Pack layers and a waterproof jacket even in July; it's often 10–15°C and drizzly in port.
- Whale-watching and glacier flightseeing sell out; book them when you book the cruise.
- The stop in Victoria, Canada, means everyone needs a passport or other approved document.
Eat this
Places the planner can use
Mark places as a must or something to skip. The itinerary is built only from this list; ★ marks the destination’s highlights.
The 1907 market with fish throwers, flower stalls, the first Starbucks and bakeries for piroshky.
Rotating glass-floor observation deck next to a glasshouse of Dale Chihuly's glass sculpture.
Boat locks connecting Puget Sound and Lake Union with an underwater salmon viewing window and botanical garden.
Classic skyline photo spot with Mount Rainier showing on clear evenings.
Local history museum in a former armory beside Lake Union with good Seattle exhibits and a lakeside cafe.
A short trail to a thundering waterfall beside the glacier's face, with black bears fishing the creek in late summer.
Humpbacks feed here all summer, often bubble-netting together; many tours refund part of the fare if you see no whales.
Cable car from the cruise dock to alpine trails, a raptor centre and views down the Gastineau Channel.
Fly over crevassed glaciers and land on the ice, with an optional dog-sled ride on the snow in summer.
Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian art and objects plus gold-rush history, a short walk from the pier.
Narrow-gauge train climbing the gold-rush trail to the Canadian border summit, past waterfalls and trestle bridges.
Restored 1898 saloons and stores along the boardwalks, with free ranger walks through the boomtown.
A steep but short forest climb from town to a quiet lake with mountain reflections.
A former brothel turned bar with a lively tour of its upstairs rooms and a good chowder.
Wooden houses on stilts over a salmon creek, once the red-light district, now shops and a brothel museum.
Two parks of carved poles at the heart of Ketchikan's claim to the world's largest collection of standing totem poles.
Floatplane over sheer granite fjords and waterfalls, often landing on a remote lake.
Log rolling, axe throwing and pole climbing under a covered grandstand by the docks.
Fifty-five acres of sunken, rose, Japanese and Italian gardens, lit up on summer evenings.
Seaplanes, buskers and the grand Fairmont Empress, where afternoon tea is a Victoria ritual.
Natural history dioramas, the Old Town street and a walk-through section of Captain Vancouver's HMS Discovery beside the harbour.
Piroshky, chowder and the first Starbucks on your last morning, a short cab from the cruise terminal.
Frank Gehry-designed museum covering music, sci-fi and horror, with a guitar sculpture inside.
35-minute crossing with skyline views to a small town with shops, wine tasting and a waterfront trail.
Two hours by car to wildflower meadows and glacier views; check road and snow conditions outside summer.
Seattle's densest nightlife: cocktail bars, vinyl shops and some of the city's most inventive restaurants.
Public art including the Fremont Troll, a Sunday market, and an old gasification plant turned lakeside park.