Alaska's Class of 2015

PHOTO: Holland America offers a variety of cruise options in Alaska.

It's early 2015 and it’s time to start thinking about booking your customers on that big Alaska cruise during the May-September period. Indeed, it may actually be too late for some sailings given the popularity of the destination.

Every year, major travel agency groups put out their annual surveys of top domestic and worldwide destinations — and Alaska is always near the top. And that’s largely due to the popularity of Alaska cruises. You can find all kinds of products, from large ships with a proven track record of Alaska cruises to small adventure vessels to luxury cruises.

The key is to discover what your clients are looking for in an Alaska cruise, and there’s something to suit almost any taste. Here is our list of the top Alaska cruise options in the market:

American Cruise Lines
Ships: American Spirit (100 passengers)
Sailings: Southeast Alaska Cruise (eight days) departing from Juneau; Alaska Inside Passage Cruises (11 nights) departing from Seattle
Phone: 800-460-4518
Website: www.americancruiselines.com

Carnival Cruise Lines
Ships: Carnival Legend (2,124 passengers)
Sailings: Glacier Bay (seven days) from Seattle; Alaska (seven days) from Seattle; Glacier Bay (eight days) from Vancouver.
Phone: 800-764-7419
Website: www.goccl.com; www.carnival.com

Celebrity Cruises
Ships: Celebrity Solstice (2,850 passengers), Celebrity Millennium (2,158 passengers), Celebrity Infinity (2,170 passengers)
Sailings: Alaska Sawyer Glacial Cruise (seven nights) from Vancouver; Post Canadian Rockies (12 nights) from Vancouver; Alaska Sawyer Glacial Cruise (seven nights) from Seattle; Post Canadian Rockies (12 nights) from Seattle; Seattle Stay and Alaska Sawyer Glacier Cruise (10 nights) from Seattle; Post-Cruise Alaska Cruisetour (10 nights) from Vancouver; Golden Gate Alaska Cruise (11 nights); Alaska Northern Glacial Cruise (seven nights) from Vancouver; Post Alaska Cruisetour (10 nights) from Vancouver; Post Alaska Cruisetour (10 nights) from Vancouver
Phone: 877-530-7276
Website: www.cruisingpower.com, www.celebritycruises.com

Crystal Cruises
Ships: Crystal Symphony (922 passengers)
Sailings: Pagodas & Puffins (18 days, Tokyo to Vancouver). In 2016, Crystal will feature seven Alaska cruises on Crystal Serenity.
Phone: 866-446-6625
Website: www.crystalcruises.com

Disney Cruise Line
Ship: Disney Wonder (2,700 passengers)
Sailings: Alaska cruises from Vancouver calling at Tracy Arm, Skagway, Juneau and Ketchikan (seven nights).
Phone: 800-951-3532
Website: www.disneytravelagents.com, www.disneycruise.com

Holland America Line
Ships: Oosterdam (1,916 passengers), Noordam (1,918 passengers), Statendam (1,260 passengers), Volendam (1,432 passengers), Westerdam (1,916 passengers), Zaandam (1,440 passengers)
Sailings: 10- to 20-day Yukon and Denali land and sea journeys; 11- to 14-day Denali land and sea journeys, and seven- or 14-day Alaska cruises.
Phone: 877-932-4259
Website: www.hollandamerica.com

PHOTO: Discover Juneau with Norwegian.

Norwegian Cruise Line
Ships: Norwegian Jewel (2,376 passengers), Norwegian Pearl (2,394 passengers), Norwegian Sun (1,936 passengers)
Sailings: Norwegian offers a wide variety of sailings that depart from Vancouver, Seattle and Seward. Cruises last from seven to 14 days.
Phone: 866-234-7350
Website: www.ncl.com

Oceania Cruises
Ships: Oceania Regatta (684 passengers)
Sailings: Frontiers & Glaciers (10 days, Seattle to Vancouver); Alaska Wonders (10 days, Vancouver to San Francisco); Alaska Passages (10 days, Seattle to Seattle); Majesty of Alaska (10 days, Vancouver to Seattle); Northwest Wonders (10 days, San Francisco to Vancouver); Glacial Explorer (12 days, Seattle to Seattle); Alaskan Glory (10 days, Seattle to Seattle); Coastal Alaska (seven days, Seattle to Seattle); Alaskan Grandeur (10 days, San Francisco to Vancouver); Pacific Pathway (10 days, Vancouver to Vancouver)
Phone: 855-623-2642
Website: www.oceaniacruises.com

Ponant
Ships: L’Austral (264 passengers), Le Boréal (264 passengers)
Sailings: In the Wake of the Pioneers (eight days, Vancouver to Juneau roundtrip); Fjords of Alaska (eight days, Vancouver to Juneau); Aleutian Islands & Wrangel Island Reserve (10 days, Seward to Seattle); Pribilof Archipelago & Kodiak Peninsula (10 days, Seattle to Seattle); Alaska & British Columbia (11 days, Seward to Vancouver, Vancouver to Vancouver).
Phone: 888-400-1082
Website: www.ponant.com

Princess Cruises
Ships: Ruby Princess (3,080 passengers), Crown Princess (3,080 passengers), Golden Princess (2,590 passengers), Coral Princess (1,970 passengers), Pacific Princess (680 passengers), Star Princess (2,600 passengers), Grand Princess (2,594 passengers)
Sailings: Princess offers roundtrip cruises of seven days from Seattle or Vancouver, or 10 days from San Francisco; it also features seven-day, one-way cruises from Vancouver or Anchorage; and land and sea cruises.
Phone: 800-744-6237
Website: www.princess.com

Regent Seven Seas Cruises
Ships: Seven Seas Navigator (490 passengers)
Sailings: San Francisco to Vancouver (nine nights); Vancouver to Vancouver (10 nights); Vancouver to Seward (seven nights); Vancouver to Vancouver (15 nights) Anchorage to Vancouver (seven nights); Vancouver to Anchorage (seven nights).
Phone: 844-473-4368
Website: www.rssc.com

Royal Caribbean International
Ships: Radiance of the Seas (2,112 passengers), Jewel of the Seas (2,112 passengers)
Sailings: Southbound Alaska & Hubbard Glacier (seven nights from Seward): Northbound Alaska & Hubbard Glacier (seven nights from Vancouver); Alaska Sawyer Glacier Cruise (seven nights from Vancouver); Alaska Sawyer Glacier Cruise (seven nights from Seattle).
Phone: 866-562-7625
Website: www.cruisingpower.com, www.royalcaribbean.com

Silversea Cruises
Ships: Silver Shadow (382 passengers), Silver Discoverer (120 passengers)
Sailings: San Francisco to Vancouver (10 days); Vancouver to Seward (seven days); Seward to Vancouver (seven days); Vancouver to Seward (seven days); Seward to Vancouver (12 days); Vancouver to Seward (12 days); Seward to Nome (12 days)
Phone: 877-276-6816
Website: www.silversea.com

Un-Cruise Adventures
Ships: Safari Endeavor (84 passengers), Safari Explorer (36 passengers), Safari Quest (22 passengers), Wilderness Adventurer (60 passengers), Wilderness Discoverer (76 passengers), Wilderness Explorer (74 passengers)
Sailings: Discoverers’ Glacial Country (seven nights); Famed Passages of Discovery (12 nights); Inner Reaches Eastern Coves (seven nights); Inner Reaches Western Coves (seven nights); Northern Passages & Glacier Bay (seven nights); Ultimate Adventure (14 nights); Ultimate Bays & Fjords (14 nights); Ultimate Coves & Passages (14 nights); Ultra Adventure (21 nights).
Phone: 888-862-8881
Website: www.un-cruise.com