# Travel >> Transportation >> Cruises

Alaskan Cruises Departing From Seattle

Cruises from Seattle to Alaska travel through gorgeous waterways, starting with the lovely San Juan Islands in Washington's Puget Sound and sailing through stunning marine and coastal wildernesses along Canada's Pacific shoreline. Throughout the trip, passengers can look for orcas, humpback whales, sea otters and other marine mammals that inhabit the many icy fjords and bays. Cruises normally run from late May through September. Due to the compressed season, reserve early because round-trip cruises from Seattle tend to fill up fast.

Tracy Arm Fjord Cruise
- Celebrity Cruises offers a seven-night, round-trip Seattle cruise aboard the Infinity cruise liner. Ports of call include Seattle, Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway and Vancouver, and the ships travel through the spectacular Inside Passage and the Tracy Arm Fjord. A highlight of the cruise is a foray into the Tracy Arm Fjord, which is surrounded by the Tongass National Forest, which is home to grizzly bears, wolves and moose. At the end of the fjord are the majestic Sawyer Glaciers, which appear to glow turquoise blue from a fine mist that lingers in the air. Passengers can take an optional seaplane trip to the Misty Fjords National Monument to see miles of unspoiled wilderness.
  
  Celebrity Cruises
  1050 Caribbean Way
  Miami, FL 33132
  800-760-0654
  celebritycruises.com
Gold Rush Inside Passage Cruise
- Cruise West features small ship cruising on its 11-day Inside Passage round-trip tour that charts the same course followed by gold miners during the 1898 Klondike Gold Rush. The ship departs Seattle and travels past the misty San Juan islands in Washington's Puget Sound, towards the celebrated Inside Passage. The ship also travels along the spectacular Frederick Sound, a waterway that provides a popular feeding ground for humpback whales and orcas. Along the way, passengers will see stunning tidewater glaciers, pristine fjords and an abundance of wildlife. Ports of call include Peterburg, Sitka and Skagway.
  
  Cruise West
  2301 Fifth Ave., Suite 401
  Seattle, WA 98121-1856
  888-851-8133
  cruisewest.com
Alaska Explorer Cruise
- The Alaska Explorer Cruise is a popular trip Seattle-to-Alaska round-trip journey aboard a Holland America cruise ship. The cruise ports of call are Sitka, Juneau, Ketchikan and British Columbia's capital city, Victoria. The cruise takes passengers through the scenic Stephens Passage and through the stunning Glacier Bay National Park, which is known for its tidewater glaciers, rugged fjords and uniquely Alaskan icescapes. Other highlights include a dog sledding trip in Juneau, a visit to the Native Cultural Center and totem poles in Ketchikan and a stop at the Raptor Center. Travelers can take a number of optional side trips such as sea kayaking excursions, canoe trips in a traditional Tlingit canoe and backcountry jeep tours.
  
  Holland America Line
  300 Elliott Ave. W.
  Seattle, WA 98119
  206-281-3535
  hollandamerica.com