Vancouver cruise season: Alaska cruises from Vancouver by month

Cruise season in Vancouver is the Alaska season, plus the voyages that bring the ships north in spring and take them away in autumn. This guide covers what leaves in each month, how the routes change through the season, the weather and daylight in Vancouver and Southeast Alaska, and fares per night by month. The month-by-month table under the guide is rebuilt from the schedule every day.

This site is an independent schedule, not the Port of Vancouver, Canada Place or a cruise line. Counts and fares below come from our schedule and change daily.

When is cruise season in Vancouver?

From April to October, running into November in 2027. The first departure on our schedule is 7 April 2027 and the last of 2027 is 8 November 2027. The 2028 season starts on 12 April 2028 and runs to 9 October 2028, the last date on sale. Nothing on the schedule leaves between the two seasons.

The port's own 2027 calendar, version 1.2 of 24 September 2026, shows ships at Canada Place from 24 March to 8 November 2027. That count includes ships that only call partway through a longer voyage, which we do not list as departures.

Month	2027 departures	2028 departures	What leaves
April	7	10	Holland America's Hawaii round trip on Koningsdam, one-way trips to Seattle, and the first Alaska round trips late in the month
May	73	64	Alaska round trips, the first one-way trips north to Seward and Whittier, and a few one-way trips ending in Seattle or California
June	78	68	Alaska round trips and one-way trips north, and in 2028 a Silversea voyage to Tokyo
July	85	73	Alaska round trips and one-way trips north
August	79	73	Alaska round trips and one-way trips north, and in 2028 Seabourn and Silversea voyages to Tokyo
September	71	47	The last Alaska trips, then one-way voyages to Japan and Hong Kong, Hawaii, California, the South Pacific and through the Panama Canal
October	17	3	One-way trips to California, Hawaii, Florida by way of the Panama Canal, and South America
November	1	0	Royal Caribbean's Ovation of the Seas to Honolulu in 2027

The route notes describe the schedule on 4 November 2026. Fewer September and October 2028 sailings were on sale then than for the same months of 2027, so the 2028 autumn looks thinner for now. Cruises by month lists every month page, and the 2027 schedule and 2028 schedule list every date.

Alaska cruises from Vancouver, month by month

Most departures from Vancouver are Alaska trips: round trips up the Inside Passage, mostly 7 nights, and one-way trips north that end at Seward or Whittier. On our schedule 672 sailings call at Ketchikan, 522 at Juneau and 516 at Skagway. The weather figures below are 1991 to 2020 climate normals from Environment and Climate Change Canada for Vancouver Harbour and from NOAA for Juneau.

Alaska cruises from Vancouver in April

Only a few, late in the month. The first Glacier Bay trip on our schedule leaves on 24 April 2027, and Princess's first departure is 27 April 2027. Vancouver's normal April high is 57°F (13.9°C) with 117.7 mm (4.6 in) of rain, and Juneau's is 49°F. See April 2027 and April 2028.

Alaska cruises from Vancouver in May

The season fills up. Our schedule has 73 departures in May 2027 and 64 in May 2028. The one-way trips north start in the first half of the month. The first to Seward leaves on 7 May 2027 and the first to Whittier on 8 May 2027. Endicott Arm trips start on 1 May 2027, Hubbard Glacier trips on 7 May 2027 and Tracy Arm trips on 8 May 2027.

Vancouver's normal May high is 64°F (17.8°C) and Juneau's is 58°F. Juneau's normal May precipitation is 3.51 inches, close to April's 3.47 and June's 3.82. On 4 November 2026 the lowest fare per night in May 2027 was $90. See May 2027.

Alaska cruises from Vancouver in June

78 departures in June 2027 and 68 in June 2028, nearly all to Alaska. June has the longest days. On 21 June 2027 the U.S. Naval Observatory gives Juneau 18 hours 17 minutes between sunrise and sunset, against 16 hours 15 minutes in Vancouver. Vancouver's normal high is 68°F (20.2°C) and Juneau's 62°F, with 3.82 inches of precipitation in Juneau. On 4 November 2026 the lowest fare per night in June 2027 was $96. See June 2027.

Alaska cruises from Vancouver in July

85 departures in July 2027 and 73 in July 2028. July and August are the warmest months on both sets of normals. Vancouver's normal high is 73°F (23.0°C) in each, and Juneau's is 64°F in July. July is also Vancouver's driest month, with 43.5 mm (1.7 in) of rain on 7.2 days. Juneau gets 5.14 inches. On 4 November 2026 the lowest fare per night in July 2027 was $114. See July 2027.

Alaska cruises from Vancouver in August

79 departures in August 2027 and 73 in August 2028. Vancouver stays dry, with 48.6 mm (1.9 in) of rain on 7.1 days, while Juneau's normal precipitation climbs to 6.41 inches. On 4 November 2026 the lowest fare per night in August 2027 was $108. See August 2027.

Alaska cruises from Vancouver in September

The Alaska season ends. 71 departures leave in September 2027 and 47 in September 2028, but a growing share are the long voyages south and west described below. On our schedule the one-way trips north stop in the first half of September, and the last Alaska round trips leave late in the month.

September is Juneau's wettest month of the season, with 9.15 inches of precipitation on 22.3 days. Vancouver's normal high drops to 67°F (19.4°C). By 15 September the time between sunrise and sunset is 12 hours 37 minutes in Vancouver and 12 hours 50 minutes in Juneau. On 4 November 2026 the lowest fare per night in September 2027 was $83, a figure that covers every September sailing, not only Alaska. See September 2027.

Vancouver and Alaska weather through the cruise season

Month	Vancouver high / low	Vancouver rain	Juneau high / low	Juneau precipitation
April	57 / 44°F (13.9 / 6.9°C)	117.7 mm (4.6 in), 16.4 days	49 / 33°F	3.47 in, 17.2 days
May	64 / 50°F (17.8 / 10.2°C)	72.6 mm (2.9 in), 12.1 days	58 / 40°F	3.51 in, 16.1 days
June	68 / 55°F (20.2 / 12.8°C)	65.7 mm (2.6 in), 11.7 days	62 / 47°F	3.82 in, 16.7 days
July	73 / 59°F (23.0 / 14.9°C)	43.5 mm (1.7 in), 7.2 days	64 / 50°F	5.14 in, 18.5 days
August	73 / 59°F (23.0 / 14.8°C)	48.6 mm (1.9 in), 7.1 days	63 / 49°F	6.41 in, 19.4 days
September	67 / 54°F (19.4 / 12.1°C)	71.4 mm (2.8 in), 9.8 days	56 / 44°F	9.15 in, 22.3 days
October	57 / 47°F (13.9 / 8.6°C)	156.8 mm (6.2 in), 16.9 days	47 / 37°F	8.42 in, 23.0 days

Highs and lows are normal daily maximums and minimums for 1991 to 2020. Vancouver's figures are Environment and Climate Change Canada's for Vancouver Harbour, published in °C and mm and converted here; its days count those with 0.2 mm or more. Juneau's are NOAA's for Juneau International Airport, and its days count those with 0.01 inch or more.

Ketchikan, the most common call on our schedule, is wetter than Juneau. NOAA's normals for Ketchikan International Airport give 7.02 inches of precipitation in June, 11.30 in August and 14.30 in September, with a normal July high of 64.5°F.

Date	Vancouver, sunrise to sunset	Juneau, sunrise to sunset
1 May 2027	5:51 am to 8:29 pm (14 h 38 min)	5:04 am to 8:47 pm (15 h 43 min)
21 June 2027	5:07 am to 9:22 pm (16 h 15 min)	3:51 am to 10:08 pm (18 h 17 min)
1 August 2027	5:44 am to 8:52 pm (15 h 8 min)	4:49 am to 9:17 pm (16 h 28 min)
15 September 2027	6:49 am to 7:26 pm (12 h 37 min)	6:27 am to 7:17 pm (12 h 50 min)
1 October 2027	7:12 am to 6:51 pm (11 h 39 min)	7:02 am to 6:31 pm (11 h 29 min)

Times are from the U.S. Naval Observatory, in Pacific daylight time for Vancouver and Alaska daylight time for Juneau.

What is the best time to cruise Alaska from Vancouver?

None of the official sources we read names a best month, so this answer sticks to what they and the schedule show.

• Warmth. July and August have the highest normal temperatures in both Vancouver and Juneau.
• Rain. Vancouver is driest in July and August. Juneau's driest months of the season are April to June, at 3.47 to 3.82 inches, and its wettest is September.
• Daylight. The longest days are around 21 June, when Juneau has more than 18 hours between sunrise and sunset.
• Choice of sailings. Most departures fall from May to September; the table above and the one under the guide give the counts.
• Fares. On 4 November 2026 the lowest fare per night was $90 in May 2027, $96 in June, $114 in July, $108 in August and $83 in September.

Fares are starting fares per person in USD for the cheapest cabin listed, with taxes and fees included, as read on 4 November 2026. This site began recording Vancouver fares on 4 November 2026, too recently to show how they move through a season. The cheap and last-minute guide picks out the lowest fares, and the Alaska guide compares the routes.

Spring and autumn repositioning cruises from Vancouver

The ships that sail to Alaska all summer spend the winter elsewhere, so each spring and autumn they move. Voyages that end in Vancouver, such as trips up the coast from Los Angeles, are not departures and are not on our schedule. What you can book from Vancouver is the start of the Alaska season in late April and May, and the voyages out in September and October.

In spring, April's few departures include Holland America's Hawaii round trip on Koningsdam, which leaves on 7 April 2027, and one-way trips to Seattle. Our schedule has 15 one-way trips ending in Seattle, the first on 23 April 2027.

In autumn the choice is wider:

• Japan and Asia. 28 one-way voyages across the North Pacific, from 2 September 2027, most of them in September. 22 end in Tokyo, 2 in Yokohama and 4 in Hong Kong. See Japan and Asia.
• Hawaii. 6 one-way voyages end in Honolulu, between 9 September 2027 and 8 November 2027, and Koningsdam repeats its Hawaii round trip in October 2027. See Hawaii.
• California. 33 one-way Pacific coast trips in all, most of them in September and October, from short runs of a few nights to longer trips by way of Mexico. Counting every route, 20 one-way trips end in Los Angeles and 12 in San Diego.
• Panama Canal. 5 voyages from 22 September 2027, ending in Fort Lauderdale, Port Canaveral or New York. See Panama Canal.
• Further south. Voyages to the South Pacific from 21 September 2027 and to South America from 7 October 2027.

The last departure of 2027 on our schedule, on 8 November 2027, is Royal Caribbean's Ovation of the Seas to Honolulu. The repositioning guide and the Hawaii guide compare these voyages.

When each cruise line sails from Vancouver

Lines bring their ships to Vancouver at different points in spring. This table gives each line's first and last departure on our schedule and how many sailings it has here in all.

Cruise line	First departure	Last departure	Sailings
Holland America Line	7 April 2027	30 September 2028	180
Princess Cruises	27 April 2027	9 October 2028	223
Celebrity Cruises	2 May 2027	1 October 2028	64
Royal Caribbean International	7 May 2027	17 September 2028	64
Disney Cruise Line	10 May 2027	20 September 2027	39
Norwegian Cruise Line	10 May 2027	11 September 2028	22
Explora Journeys	10 May 2027	9 September 2028	21
Virgin Voyages	11 May 2027	10 September 2027	2
Oceania Cruises	13 May 2027	21 August 2028	6
Seabourn	14 May 2027	8 September 2028	40
Azamara	17 May 2027	26 July 2027	5
Regent Seven Seas Cruises	26 May 2027	13 September 2028	20
Silversea	27 May 2027	7 September 2028	33
Viking	30 May 2027	21 September 2028	30

The schedule lists what was on sale through Cruisebound when it was last built, so a line with no 2028 dates here had none on sale then.

Summer events and traffic in downtown Vancouver

The City of Vancouver closes West End streets for its big summer events. On 29 July 2026 it announced closures on parts of Beach Avenue, Davie Street and Denman Street for the Summer Lights fireworks at English Bay on 31 July, and on parts of Pacific, Hornby and Burrard streets for the Pride Parade on 2 August. It asked people travelling in and around downtown that weekend to plan ahead and expect delays. It had not posted 2027 dates when we checked on 4 November 2026.

If your sailing falls on a summer weekend, check the City's news page before you drive to Canada Place. The parking guide and the terminal guide cover getting to the ship.