Want to see Alaska’s most famous wilderness areas in one trip? A Princess Cruises cruise might be the answer.
The California-based cruise line has long been a leader in Alaska cruise travel, combining cruises along the state’s southeastern coast with overland tours of the rugged interior. Princess is also known for its longer itineraries, taking you to many of Alaska’s most iconic places in one easy-to-plan itinerary.
For example, of the 28 different Alaska cruise itineraries offered by Princess Cruises in Alaska (more than any other company), several truly epic itineraries are as long as 17 nights and include visits not only to Denali and Glacier Bay National Parks, but also to at least one (and sometimes more than two) of the major national parks.
These include Kenai Fjords National Park, home to one of the most spectacular ice fields and glacier-carved fjords in North America, and Wrangell-St. Louis National Park. Elias National Park, the largest national park in the United States.
Princess has its own hotels and other infrastructure in all of these national park destinations – something no other tour company can match. Princess also has its own glass-domed Princess railcar and fleet of Princess tour buses to take you from one place to another.
Here, we take a look at three of the most epic Princess cruises that take you into the Alaskan wilderness and visit multiple national parks. For an in-depth look at all 28 cruise itineraries Princess Cruises offers in the state, ranging in length from 10 to 17 nights, see our guide to Alaska Princess cruises.
3 major national parks including Kenai Fjords
Itinerary name: 15 Days Connoisseur Accompanied Tour
Denali National Park and Preserve may be Alaska’s most famous national park, but don’t overlook the less visited Kenai Fjords National Park.
Located just south of Anchorage on Alaska’s stunning Kenai Peninsula, this massive park (almost as big as Rhode Island) is a major hub for outdoor activities, as is the entire Kenai Peninsula, and it plays a major role in this princess getaway.
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Visitors will spend three full nights at the Kenai Princess Wilderness Lodge near the park, allowing ample time to explore Kenai Fjords National Park and its surrounding areas.
Home to the Harding Icefield, one of the largest ice fields in the United States, and numerous glacier-carved fjords, the park itself offers visitors the opportunity to see the glaciers up close, whether on foot or on a boat tour, kayaking or flight tour. Visitors can spot wildlife such as sea lions, puffins, white-spotted porpoises, American black bears, snowshoe hares, mountain goats and humpback whales.
Other popular activities include world-famous salmon fishing and scenic rafting trips on the Kenai River, which flows 75 miles from Cooper’s Landing (where the Kenai Princess Wilderness Lodge is located) to Cook Inlet. Hiking is also available on the trails near the hotel’s front door.
The trip will include three nights at the Kenai Princess Wilderness Lodge, three nights at a Princess-owned lodge in the Denali National Park area, and two nights in Fairbanks, Alaska. Princess combines an 8-night overland trip with a 7-night cruise along the southeastern coast of Alaska for an epic 15-night adventure.
During the cruise portion of your trip, you’ll experience the third major national park, Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve.
Details: In 2026, Princess Cruises will offer 15-day Connoisseur escorted tours with 17 departures, with fares starting at $7,576 per person (double occupancy). Such pricing is based on staying in a windowless “inside” cabin for the cruise portion of the trip. Cabins with windows and balconies start at $7,575 and $8,836 per person, respectively.
3 major national parks including Wrangell-St. Elias
Itinerary name: 13 Days Connoisseur Accompanied Tour
Quick, can you name the largest national park in the United States? If you’re talking about Yellowstone National Park or Grand Canyon National Park, you couldn’t be more wrong.
Until now, you probably didn’t even know about America’s largest national park: Wrangell-St. Louis National Park. Elias National Park and Reserve. It covers an area of over 20,000 square miles, approximately six and ten times the size of Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon, respectively.
Located in south-central Alaska, the park is relatively unknown due to its remote location. It attracts less than 100,000 visitors annually. But visiting it, however brief, is a key part of this unusual princess journey.
The 13-day trip includes an overnight stay at the Princess-owned Copper River Princess Wilderness Lodge, located on the Copper River just outside the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park Visitor Center.
The lodge has just 85 rooms and offers stunning views of the Wrangell Mountains at the heart of the park and overlooks one of Alaska’s most famous man-made features: the Trans-Alaska Pipeline.
For visitors, it’s a base for hiking, salmon fishing, ATV tours, rafting tours, jet boat tours, coastal kayaking, glacier viewing boat tours, and even visits to the Kennecott Ghost Town (a former mining camp).
In addition to an overnight stay at the Copper River Princess Wilderness Lodge, the land portion of the trip includes four nights at a Princess-owned lodge in the Denali National Park area and an overnight stay in Fairbanks, Alaska. This six-night overland trip is paired with a seven-night cruise along the southeast coast of Alaska.
Like the 15-night tour mentioned above, the cruise portion will allow you to experience the third largest national park, Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve.
Details: In 2026, Princess Cruises will offer 13-day Connoisseur escorted tours with eight departures, with fares starting at $6,501 per person (double occupancy). Such pricing is based on staying in a windowless “inside” cabin for the cruise portion of the trip. Cabins with windows and balconies start at $6,771 and $7,704 per person, respectively.
4 major national parks
Itinerary name: 17 Days Connoisseur Accompanied Tour
If you want to visit Kenai Fjords National Park and Wrangell St. For a one-way trip to Elias National Park, consider this 17-day Princess Tour.
This Alaska trip is the longest itinerary offered by Princess and includes two nights at a Princess Lodge in each park, two nights at each of the two Denali area lodges (Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge and Mount Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge), and two nights at the Fairbanks Princess Riverside Lodge. This 10-night overland trip is paired with a 7-night cruise along the southeastern coast of Alaska.
For those doing the math, that’s the equivalent of two full nights in each of the princess’s five cabins in Alaska. It will also take you to four of Alaska’s eight national parks: Denali National Park, Kenai Fjords, Wrangell-St. Elias and Glacier Bay (the latter on the cruise portion of the trip).
Given that the cruise portion of the itinerary also includes a stop in the historic gold mining town of Skagway, Alaska, a large part of which is part of the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, you’ll likely experience five national park sites on this trip.
There are two ways you can spend this vacation: travel overland first or take a cruise first.
If you choose the cruise section first, you will experience slight changes. Your ship will visit the glacier area of College Sound instead of Hubbard Glacier (both are great for glacier viewing).
Details: In 2026, Princess Cruises will offer 17 land-first and nine cruise-first itineraries on its 17-day Connoisseur escorted tours. Tickets for the overland travel priority version are $9,157 per person (double occupancy). Fares for the cruise priority version start at $8,126 per person, double occupancy.
bottom line
Princess Cruises is especially known for its long-distance Alaska cruises, which combine cruise and overland travel to take guests to some of the state’s most famous wilderness areas. If you’re looking for a one-way trip to iconic Alaska destinations like Denali National Park, Glacier Bay National Park, Kenai Fjords National Park, and Wrangell Sacred Land, Elias National Park, Princess Cruises are all great options.
