Small ship and luxury Alaska cruises from Vancouver, compared

Seabourn, Silversea, Regent Seven Seas, Explora Journeys, Viking, Oceania and Azamara all sail to Alaska from Vancouver on ships far smaller than the big Princess, Holland America and Royal Caribbean ships, with more of the trip built into the fare. Virgin Voyages is here for a different reason: it sails adults only.

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Guest numbers below are the ones each line gives on its own ship page or release. Inclusions are as each line's own page listed them when we read it on 4 November 2026. Lines change their packages, so check the fare you book. Fares are starting fares per person in US dollars, for the cheapest suite or cabin, with taxes and fees included, as we read them on 4 November 2026.

Small ship Alaska cruises from Vancouver, line by line

Line	Ships and guests, as the line lists them	Alaska trips from Vancouver on our schedule	7-night fares from
Silversea	Silver Whisper 392, Silver Moon 596, Silver Muse 632	One-way to Seward, 7 or 9 nights, by Hubbard Glacier or Tracy Arm	$4,600
Seabourn	Seabourn Encore 600	One-way to Juneau, 7 nights; round trips of 14, 15 and 21 nights	$6,498
Azamara	Azamara Pursuit 712, Azamara Quest 736	Pursuit: round trips of 10 and 11 nights, and a 10-night trip to Whittier	10 nights from $3,069
Regent Seven Seas	Seven Seas Explorer 748, Seven Seas Splendor 748	One-way to Whittier, 7 nights	$6,699
Viking	Viking Orion 930, Viking Venus 930	One-way to Seward, 10 nights, by Hubbard Glacier	10 nights from $5,999
Oceania	Oceania Riviera 1,250	One-way to Seattle, 10 or 11 nights	10 nights from $3,599
Explora Journeys	Explora III, 461 suites (no guest total published)	Round trips of 8 to 14 nights; one-way to Seward, 7 nights	$5,430
Virgin Voyages	Brilliant Lady, adults only	A 9-night trip to Seattle	9 nights: $1,251

For comparison, the cheapest 7-night Glacier Bay cruise on the bigger ships started at $631 on 4 November 2026.

How small are the luxury ships sailing from Vancouver?

Small here means small next to the ships that carry most Alaska passengers from Vancouver. Silversea lists Silver Whisper at 392 guests, the lowest figure any line gives for a ship on our schedule. Oceania calls Riviera "the 1,250-guest Riviera", the highest figure in this group. Princess's fleet overview gives 3,090 for Crown Princess and Emerald Princess and 3,660 for Discovery Princess, counted as lower berths.

Explora Journeys gives no guest total for Explora III. It lists 461 suites, all facing the ocean. Virgin's ships page gives a maximum of 2,762 sailors in its ship stats, without naming a ship. Brilliant Lady is on this page because Virgin sails adults only.

The smaller ships on our schedule also call at ports the big ones mostly skip. Haines (48 sailings), Wrangell (28), Klawock (22) and a day of scenic cruising at the Inian Islands (36) turn up almost only on these lines. Seabourn Encore also stops at Alert Bay in British Columbia (19 sailings).

Luxury Alaska cruises from Vancouver: what the fare includes

Line	Gratuities	Drinks	Wi-Fi	Shore excursions	Restaurants
Regent	Pre-paid	Unlimited, with fine wines and cocktails, and a mini bar refilled daily	Unlimited	Unlimited, included	All speciality restaurants
Silversea (All-Inclusive fare)	Onboard gratuities included	Champagne, spirits and up to 50 wines, and an in-suite bar	Included	Bought separately	Up to 6 venues, varying by ship
Seabourn	"Tipping is neither required nor expected"	Premium spirits and fine wines, and an in-suite bar	Complimentary, unlimited minutes	Ventures by Seabourn tours cost extra	All venues complimentary
Explora Journeys	Onboard gratuities included	Unlimited, with fine wines, champagne and premium spirits	Complimentary	Not on its inclusions page	Nine venues; Anthology, Chef's Kitchen and Chef's Table cost extra
Oceania	Shipboard gratuities included	Coffees, sodas, juices and water; wine and beer at lunch and dinner if you choose it over a shore excursion credit	Complimentary	A credit, if you choose it over wine and beer	All speciality restaurants
Azamara	Onboard gratuities included	Beer, wine and spirits	Not on its list	Not on its list	"Variety of dining venues"
Viking	Not on its list	Beer, wine and soft drinks with lunch and dinner	Free	One in every port	Alternative restaurants at no extra charge
Virgin Voyages	Not on its list	Soda and water	Included	Not on its list	All dining, at 20+ eateries

"Not on its list" means the line's own inclusions page did not mention it when we read it. It does not mean the line charges for it. Ask the line, or check the booking page for your sailing.

Regent includes the most on paper: unlimited shore excursions, gratuities and Wi-Fi in every fare, plus valet laundry and 24-hour in-suite dining. Regent's page for Seven Seas Explorer's Alaska departure of 26 May 2027 shows up to 50 shore excursions included. Regent also adds a pre-cruise hotel night for Concierge suites and higher.

Silversea's list covers its All-Inclusive fare, which it says is sold only on its Classic voyages. It adds butler service in every suite, and onboard gratuities, port taxes and fees are in the fare. Shore excursions and extended land trips are sold separately.

Adults-only cruises from Vancouver

Virgin Voyages and Viking take only adults. Virgin calls itself an adults-only cruise line and its trips "18+ cruises". Viking's page "What Viking Is Not" starts with "No children under 18".

Virgin Voyages. Brilliant Lady's Alaska trip on our schedule is 9 nights from Vancouver to Seattle, leaving on 11 May 2027, by way of Juneau, Lynn Canal, Icy Strait Point and Ketchikan. She also has an 8-night trip south to Los Angeles. Virgin's own story of 27 October 2026 announces 18 Brilliant Lady sailings in Alaska from Seattle and Vancouver between 1 May and 14 September 2028, with booking from 12 November 2026. Those are not on our schedule yet.

Viking. Viking Orion and Viking Venus sail 10 nights from Vancouver to Seward. Viking's itinerary page lists the Inside Passage, Ketchikan, Sitka, Juneau, Skagway, Icy Strait Point, Hubbard Glacier and Valdez before Seward. Viking's own list adds no casinos, free Wi-Fi and no charge for beer and wine with lunch and dinner.

Seabourn Alaska cruises from Vancouver

Seabourn Encore has 40 sailings from Vancouver on our schedule, most of them in Alaska. Her 7-night trips end in Juneau after Ketchikan, Sitka, the Inian Islands and Haines, and some add Glacier Bay. Her 14-night round trips go to Glacier Bay or Tracy Arm and come back by Prince Rupert and Alert Bay. Seabourn is one of the lines the National Park Service authorizes to operate in Glacier Bay.

Seabourn says all dining venues are complimentary, along with premium spirits, fine wines, caviar, and Wi-Fi with unlimited minutes. Its gratuities page says tipping is neither required nor expected. At the end of each season she sails from Vancouver to Japan; see the repositioning cruise guide.

Silversea Alaska cruises from Vancouver

Silver Moon, Silver Muse and Silver Whisper all sail north to Seward. Silver Moon's 7-night trips go by Hubbard Glacier, with Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway and Sitka. Silver Muse and Silver Whisper mostly go by Tracy Arm, then Icy Bay and Valdez. Our schedule has 33 Silversea sailings from Vancouver, starting at $4,600.

Regent Seven Seas Alaska cruises from Vancouver

Regent's Alaska trips from Vancouver are 7-night one-ways to Whittier, on Seven Seas Explorer in 2027 and Seven Seas Splendor in 2028. Our schedule lists Juneau, Skagway and Icy Strait Point on them, with Ketchikan or Klawock. They started at $6,699 on 4 November 2026. Regent's fare includes the shore excursions, which most of the other lines sell separately.

Explora Journeys Alaska cruises from Vancouver

Explora III sails round trips from Vancouver of 8 to 14 nights, so you can fly in and out of Vancouver. They take in Endicott Arm, Tracy Arm or Hubbard Glacier, with ports such as Wrangell, Juneau, Sitka and Prince Rupert. She also sails 7-night trips one-way to Seward. Our schedule has 21 Explora III sailings from Vancouver, starting at $5,060.

Oceania and Azamara Alaska cruises from Vancouver

Oceania Riviera sails 10 and 11-night trips from Vancouver to Seattle, calling at Ketchikan, Sitka, Juneau and Victoria, with Wrangell, Skagway, Haines or Klawock on some. Oceania includes all its speciality restaurants, gratuities and Wi-Fi, and lets you pick wine and beer by the glass at lunch and dinner or a shore excursion credit.

Azamara Pursuit has 10 and 11-night round trips from Vancouver with Ketchikan, Klawock, Sitka and Wrangell, and Haines or Nanaimo on some, plus a 10-night trip to Whittier by way of Hubbard Glacier and Valdez. Azamara Quest is on our schedule for a 7-night trip south to San Diego, not Alaska. Azamara lists dining, beer, wine and spirits, its AzAmazing Evenings, onboard gratuities and self-service laundry as always included.

Getting home from a one-way luxury Alaska cruise from Vancouver

Most of these trips are one-way, so plan the end before you book. The one-way trips end at Seward (Silversea, Viking, Explora Journeys), Whittier (Regent, Azamara), Juneau (Seabourn) or Seattle (Oceania). The one-way Alaska cruise guide covers the trains and transfers from Seward and Whittier to Anchorage. Viking includes ground transfers when you buy its flights.

Our schedule does not list Windstar's Star Seeker.

For the rest of the Alaska schedule, including the bigger ships' round trips, see the main Alaska guide. Before you sail, read the cruise documents guide and see hotels near Canada Place.