Eurodam - Alaskan Explorer from Seattle

Where this cruise calls, day by day

7 ports and 1 sea day over 7 Nights.

1. Day 1

   Seattle, WA

   United StatesDepart
   Seattle, WA port guide: where ships dock and what to do ashore

2. Day 2 · At sea

3. Day 3

   Juneau

   United StatesPort
   Juneau port guide: where ships dock and what to do ashore
4. Day 4

   Glacier Bay (Scenic Cruising)

   United StatesPort

   A full day of scenic cruising inside Glacier Bay National Park, with no landing anywhere - the ship is the only way to see it. Access is tightly rationed: the Park Service permits just two cruise ships per day in season, so a berth here is a genuine itinerary feature rather than a filler sea day. Rangers board from a small boat near the mouth and stay aboard for the whole transit.

   • Margerie Glacier at the head of Tarr Inlet, the usual turnaround point where ships hold position and calving is likeliest
   • The dark, rubble-streaked face of Grand Pacific Glacier alongside it
   • Johns Hopkins Inlet, closed to vessels in May and June to protect unweaned harbour seal pups
   • Ranger commentary on deck, plus talks and a Junior Ranger programme in the ship's theatre

   Getting ashore

   Scenic cruising only - the ship never berths and no one goes ashore; Park Service rangers board by tender and disembark as you leave the bay.

   Best months

   May-Sep (Jun-Aug clearest; Johns Hopkins Inlet is off limits May-Jun)

5. Day 5

   Sitka

   United StatesPort

   Sitka is the one Southeast Alaska call that faces the open Pacific rather than the Inside Passage, and it was the capital of Russian America until 1867 - St Michael's Cathedral still stands in the middle of the main street. The volcanic cone of Mount Edgecumbe sits across the sound. Its history is also the hardest of any Alaskan port: the Tlingit fought and lost a battle here in 1804, on ground that is now a national park.

   • Sitka National Historical Park, with a totem trail through the 1804 battlefield
   • St Michael's Cathedral and the Russian Bishop's House
   • Alaska Raptor Center's flight training centre for injured eagles
   • Wildlife boat tours into Sitka Sound for sea otters, puffins and whales

   Getting ashore

   Larger ships use the Old Sitka Dock about five miles north with a paid shuttle; smaller ships still tender straight into the downtown harbour.

   Best months

   May-Sep (Jun-Aug best; Sitka is exposed to Pacific weather and can be rough at the shoulders)

6. Day 6

   Ketchikan

   United StatesPort
   Ketchikan port guide: where ships dock and what to do ashore
7. Day 7

   Victoria, BC

   CanadaPort
   Victoria, BC port guide: where ships dock and what to do ashore
8. Day 8

   Seattle, WA

   United StatesArrive
   Seattle, WA port guide: where ships dock and what to do ashore