Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth: Vancouver to Alaska

Cunard's Queen Elizabeth

Sailing Through the Inside Passage

After completing our long journey across the Trans Canada Trail, walking from the Atlantic to the Pacific and continuing northward toward the Arctic, we felt something unexpected. The trail had ended, yet the pull of northern landscapes had not. The forests, coastlines, and mountains had left their mark on us. Somewhere within that space was a simple impulse: go north again.

Answering that call, we boarded Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth in Vancouver for a ten-night voyage through the Inside Passage and along the wild coastlines of Southeast Alaska.  This would be a different kind of journey. Not a hike along remote trails, not a rail voyage across continents, and not an ocean crossing like our voyages aboard Queen Mary 2. Instead, it would be a gradual passage through fjords, island channels, and glacial waters where mountains rise directly from the sea.

What we discovered quickly was that nature, rather than the ship’s itinerary, shaped the rhythm of our days. Fog drifted across forested islands. Eagles circled overhead. Whales surfaced beside the hull. Glaciers stood over turquoise fjords. The more time we spent on deck, the more the voyage became something closer to a nature expedition than a cruise.

This blog series follows our journey north aboard Queen Elizabeth, tracing the landscapes, wildlife, and reflections that unfolded as we travelled slowly through one of the most remarkable coastal environments on Earth.

Itinerary for Alaskan Voyage on Queen Elizabeth:

Queen Elizabeth, Alaska, and the Call of the North

Day 1: Embarkation onto Queen Elizabeth: Vancouver BC

Day 2: Day At Sea: Exploring the Inside Passage

Ship's Tour of Cunard's Queen Elizabeth

Day 3: Welcome to Alaska: Ketchikan, AK

Day 4: Exploring the North: Endicott Arm Scenic Cruising

Day 5: Port Excursion: Skagway and the White Pass Route

Day 6: Visiting the State Capital: Juneau and Mendenhall Glacier

Day 7: Pacific Storms: Hubbard Glacier Deferred

Day 8: Totem Poles, Eagles and TouchTanks: Sitka, AK

Day 9: Day at Sea: Pacific Coast Birding and Whale Watching

Day 10: Connections, Trails and Final Night on Board: Victoria BC

Day 11: Final Port of Call: Return to Vancouver, BC 

Reflecting on Queen Elizabeth’s Alaskan Cruise

Tips and Advice for Cruising Alaska 

Continuing the Journey

This Alaskan voyage was not simply another destination taken off a bucket list.  In many ways, it felt like a return to northern latitudes, to immense landscapes shaped by ice and tide, and to the sense of wonder that sustained us during thousands of kilometres of walking on the Trans Canada Trail.

Travelling slowly through these waters reminded us again that landscapes and place reveal themselves...though often only gradually. The more time we spent on deck, watching the changing light, the movement of whales, and the shifting shapes of mountains in fog, the clearer it became that journeys like this reward patience and curiosity more than schedules. 

Our time aboard Queen Elizabeth now joins a growing archive of journeys that continue to shape our understanding of travel and place. From long-distance trails such as the Bruce Trail, Via Augusta, and Camino Francés, to coast-to-coast rail journeys aboard VIA Rail’s Canadian and Ocean, and transatlantic crossings on Queen Mary 2, each experience adds another line to the map of how we move through the world. 

Whether the path lies along a forest trail, across a continent by rail, or across oceans aboard a ship, we invite you to Come Walk With Us. 

Every journey continues the story. 

See you on board!