Catch the wave with some Alaska cruise discounts

This is the time of year when cruise lines unleash some early-booking discounts, and Princess Cruises put some Alaska “cruisetours” on sale Tuesday for May and June sailings.

You can’t just saunter down to the dock in Seattle and board the ship; these deals are for “Denali on sale” cruise/land vacations between Vancouver, B.C., and Anchorage. The Princess deals include a seven-day cruise and land vacation on Alaska, and includes two of the most popular sights – Glacier Bay National Park and Denali National Park.

The Star Princess cruise ship approaches Vancouver’s Lions Gate Bridge at dawn. (Photo by Alan Berner / The Seattle Times)

Some sample fares (per person, based on double occupancy):

10-night Fairbanks/Vancouver On Your Own cruisetour: starting at $989 interior (was $1,370).

11-night Anchorage/Vancouver On Your Own cruisetour: $1,149 interior (was $1,587),

You could, of course, take one of the many cruises out of Seattle to Alaska; the Port of Seattle cruise website has a schedule of all the sailings. Most Seattle-Alaska cruises are seven-day round-trip sailings, which saves on airfare.

But the advantage of Alaska cruises from Vancouver, B.C., is that most cruise ships sail through the Strait of Georgia between mainland B.C. and Vancouver Island, a very scenic way to go with a web of islands, narrow channels and mountain peaks. From Seattle, ships travel up the outside (west side) of Vancouver Island.

So shop around, for price and route, if you’re thinking of sailing north.

Comments | More in Cruises, Tips & deals | Topics: Alaska, B.C., Cruise

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Kristin Jackson, travel editor at The Seattle Times, grew up in Italy, went to university in Britain, and worked as a journalist in London and Vancouver, B.C., before migrating back to Seattle where she’s happy at her desk but way happier on the road.

Brian J. Cantwell, Outdoors editor at The Seattle Times, is a Seattle native who chose not to leave -- except for every chance he gets to go someplace interesting or adventurous. He lives on his sailboat at Shilshole Bay Marina.