The 2026 Alaska cruise season has kicked off in a big way from Vancouver, Canada, and Seattle, Washington. This year – the busiest on record in terms of the sheer number of passengers set to visit the Last Frontier – sees plenty of new entrants to the region, including MSC Cruises and Virgin Voyages.
Virgin Voyages made its maiden call into Vancouver on 11 May with the arrival of Brilliant Lady – just one of the 360 individual vessel calls that the Port of Vancouver is expected to receive this season.
MSC, meanwhile, welcomed the newly refitted MSC Poesia to its new summertime homeport of Seattle, where the line will operate its first Alaska voyages. MSC has never had a presence on the US West Coast, or in Alaska, until this moment, and the deployment could bring broader brand awareness to Americans and Canadians on the West Coast.
Other lines are returning after a multi-year absence from the region, with Windstar Cruises sending its new Star Seeker to Alaska, and Azamara Cruises returning after a seven-year absence with sailings aboard Azamara Pursuit.
Bigger Ships in Alaska
Existing players in Alaska are also sending increasingly large tonnage to Alaska each year.
Princess Cruises has deployed its brand-new Star Princess to Alaska this year. The 177,800-gt ship, which carries 4,300 passengers at double occupancy, makes its home at the Port of Seattle, sailing round-trip weeklong journeys to the Last Frontier.
While Disney Cruise Line is not sending its largest or newest ships to Alaska, Disney Magic joins fleetmate Disney Wonder for the first time this year, doubling the line’s capacity on its sailings out of Vancouver.
Royal Caribbean is sending its enormous Voyager of the Seas to Alaska this year, along with larger sister ships.
However, this increase in passenger capacity comes at a time when companies like Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings are warning investors of softening demand in the region.
Has Alaska hit its saturation point in 2026? Time will tell whether the season – the busiest on record – will be something that both lines and ports will be willing to repeat. One line, Cunard, has already decided that this will be its last season in Alaska for the foreseeable future, withdrawing Queen Elizabeth from the region after the close of the 2026 season.
