I compared Royal Caribbean's 4 ships in Alaska. Which ship should you choose?

Royal Caribbean has a big year of Alaska cruises planned, and one ship is going to take more passengers farther northwest than ever before.

The 2026 Alaska cruise season will begin in May, and there are four Royal Caribbean cruise ships offering cruises through September.

Before you pick a ship, it's important to know the pros and cons of each, and why you might want to choose one over another.  This is especially important in a region like Alaska, because where you go on the sailing matters a lot.

This year's schedule has a big change, with Ovation of the Seas mixing up the usual order of things and doing something totally different.  But is that the right choice for you?

The largest cruise ship to to combine a cruise with a Denali land tour

A major change for Royal Caribbean this summer is Ovation of the Seas is taking over the weeklong one-way voyages between Seward, Alaska, and Vancouver, British Columbia. 

Going on Ovation means more access to what you can do within Alaska's interior. Sailings include visits across the Gulf of Alaska between Hubbard Glacier and Seward. Ports of call include Juneau, Skagway, Icy Strait Point and Sitka, Alaska.

The advantage of going on Ovation is you can tack on up to six additional nights for land-based exploration that can take you to places such as Anchorage, Fairbanks, Denali, Talkeetna and Alyeska. There's even excursions that can take you tundra trekking and glass-dome train rides.

In past years, this was a route for the smaller Radiance Class ships, but Royal Caribbean wants to offer a big, bold choice. Typically, only big ships sail roundtrip from Seattle.  

This is significant change because now you can enjoy a big ship with everything there is to do onboard, while also adding a cruisetour to it. Those preferring megaships won't have to compromise between their preferred ship size and their desired itinerary.

Before you book, you should expect a higher price tag to get to and from this sailing. In many cases, you'll have to book two separate one-way flights, one of them departing from an Alaska city, which often costs more than a simple round-trip out of Seattle or Vancouver. If you’re trying to keep expenses down, that extra airfare can add up quickly.

Another big ship with roundtrip cruises from Seattle

If you're looking for a more convenient Alaska cruise on a megaship, Anthem of the Seas might be the choice for you.

Based in Seattle, Anthem of the Seas will offer 7-night roundtrip sailings to the most popular Alaskan ports.

One thing to look for before you pick a sailing is if a glacier viewing is included.

Not all of Anthem's sailings include a glacier viewing day.  You'll know if it does if "Endicott Arm & Dawes Glacier" is listed.

The reason why a glacier viewing is preferred is it allows potentially the best viewing of a glacier you can get without boarding a helicopter or seaplane.

Your ship will get as close as safe to the glacier and then proceed to do a 360-degree turn to offer everyone a view. It's incredible to see.

However, how close your ship can get to the glacier depends on the weather and how much ice is in the channel. It's not uncommon to have a glacier viewing cancelled or simply held quite far back.

Just like Ovation, Anthem is a Quantum Class ship and that means there's lots to do onboard. In fact, Anthem of the Seas has the West End musical, "We Will Rock You".

The budget big ship in Alaska this year

Voyager of the Seas may not be as big or new as Anthem, but there's lots to love about this classic Royal Caribbean ship. There's still a big ship feel, and Voyager will sail from Seattle to offer 7-night cruises.

This will be the first year Voyager is in Alaska, but Royal Caribbean has had Voyager Class ships here in the past.

Just like Anthem, not all of its itineraries include a glacier viewing. The advantage of the non-glacier viewing sailings is you get an extra port of call in the port of Sitka. An extra port visit is arguably just as good as a glacier viewing opportunity.

This ship first debuted in 1999 and set the standard for modern cruise ships by introducing features that are still crowd-favorites today, such as the Royal Promenade, rock climbing wall, and ice skating rink.

There's also FlowRider surf simulator and Perfect Storm waterslides on the top deck, provided you don't mind the cooler temperatures on an Alaska cruise.

The hidden gem offering round-trip Alaska cruises from Vancouver

If you're looking for something a little different, Serenade of the Seas will offer 7-night Inside Passage sailings from Vancouver that have slightly more interesting itineraries than what you'll find in Seattle.

Embarking an Alaska cruise in Vancouver gives guests the opportunity to sail through Canada’s Inside Passage. As the ship departs the city, guests can enjoy mountain landscapes surrounding both sides of the ship. This provides a sneak peek into the remarkable scenery yet to come.

There are seven different itineraries, including visits to Sawyer Glacier.  Plus, some sailings stop at Prince Rupert, British Columbia. Both of these are uncommon places for a Royal Caribbean ship to sail to on an Alaska cruise.

Serenade of the Seas is a Radiance Class cruise ship, which makes her significantly smaller in size and capacity compared to Ovation and Anthem of the Seas.

Her smaller size makes it easy to get around, as well as enjoy views from around the ship.  Radiance Class ships have a lot of glass and outward viewing opportunities from inside.

However, there's far less activities to do onboard. This may be an issue for families or thrill seekers that want a higher caliber of entertainment on their cruise.

How to choose the right ship for an Alaska cruise

I think the ship is secondary to the places you'll visit on an Alaska cruise, but your ship choice shouldn't be overlooked either.

There are three different ship classes in Alaska for the 2026 cruise season, and each has its advantages.

If you want to see the most possible in Alaska, a cruise on Ovation of the Seas is going to be the best choice.

The one-way sailings can be combined with a Cruisetour, so you can visit places such as Denali National Park and Preserve and Banff National Park. It's arguably the best way to see all of Alaska in one trip.

However, if you want to save money while still seeing Alaska, I'd recommend one of the ships sailing from Seattle.

Both Anthem of the Seas and Voyager of the Seas offer roundtrip cruises that will likely reduce the cost of flights because there are many more flights into Seattle than Vancouver.

Anthem of the Seas offers state-of-the-art amenities. The vessel is more modern than Voyager or Serenade, having been launched over ten years after the latter.

Voyager, especially, is a great value because of the ship's age.  But you still get the "big ship feel" and activities onboard.

You should pick Serenade of the Seas for a ship that has more of a laid back vibe. It may not have all the bells and whistles of the Quantum Class ships, but a lot of cruisers that love Alaska pick a ship of this size for the atmosphere.

Serenade of the Seas is fairly small, with just 2,500 passengers, but the places it sails is the best reason to book it.

Departing from Vancouver on a Radiance Class ship means passengers can enjoy a more in-depth itinerary once in Alaska.

Ovation is making a big splash

I think the fact Royal Caribbean is offering a megaship to do the open-jaw sailings for the first time this year, is a big deal.

Historically, this route was relegated to older, smaller ships and it was a bit of a compromise.

If you're going to do one Alaska cruise ever, Ovation might be the best choice to check the box.

If you decide to try Ovation, I'd recommend booking a back-to-back sailing so you can do a roundtrip flight from Vancouver to make your travel plans simplest.