If you have ever muttered "I should really do an Alaska cruise someday," Princess has heard you and moved the deadline up. The line just opened its 2028 Alaska season, and it is not messing around: 185 departures, eight ships, and 14 itineraries stretching from four to sixteen days.

The fleet pulling glacier duty includes Star Princess, Discovery Princess, Emerald Princess, Royal Princess, Coral Princess, Crown Princess, Island Princess and Ruby Princess. Departure ports span Seattle, Vancouver, Anchorage (Whittier), San Francisco and Los Angeles, so wherever you are on the West Coast, there is probably a gangway with your name on it.

The good glacier stuff

Itineraries call at 16 destinations — the Alaska greatest hits of Juneau, Ketchikan and Skagway among them — plus scenic cruising through four glacier regions: Glacier Bay National Park, Hubbard Glacier, College Fjord, and Endicott Arm with Dawes Glacier. Most sailings pair with the cruisetour side of things: Princess Wilderness Lodges, Denali National Park, and the general business of standing very still while a glacier does something dramatic.

• On sale: August 11, 2026
• Departures: 185 across eight ships
• Glacier regions: Glacier Bay, Hubbard, College Fjord, Endicott Arm/Dawes

For the first-timers in the audience: Alaska is the one cruise where the veranda cabin actually earns its price tag, because the scenery is the entertainment. Circle August 11, decide early, and let Jenn talk you into the balcony you were going to regret not booking anyway.