A full day easing through southeastern Alaska's Inside Passage, a maze of fjords, bays, and forested islands that's home to orcas, mountain goats, bald eagles, and sea otters. With daylight running long this time of year, it's a genuinely good day for wildlife watching from the deck, keep an eye out for humpbacks, they're known to breach right out of the water here. No agenda otherwise. Spend it at the spa, or just watching the coastline go by with a coffee in hand.

Here's the thing about Sitka: it's the one port on this sailing you'll tender into, which naturally keeps the crowds smaller. It was Russian territory until the 1867 Alaska Purchase, and that history is still visible downtown at St. Michael's Russian Orthodox Cathedral. Whale Park's waterfront promenade is a solid spot for watching humpbacks breach, and Sitka Historical Park has century-old totem poles set right into the coastal trails.

A scenic cruising day through a 30-mile fjord marking the edge of the Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness, granite walls, waterfalls, and drifting icebergs the whole way. It's one of the largest harbor seal breeding grounds anywhere, so watch for pups riding the ice. The day builds to Dawes Glacier at the far end, over 600 feet tall, and it calves often enough that you'll likely see chunks break off in real time. Nothing to book, just be on deck and dress warm, it's colder out on the water than it looks.

Home to the Tlingit people for thousands of years, near the small town of Hoonah. It's built around a historic cannery, and it's a quieter stop than the bigger port towns, good for families who want a slower day mixed into the itinerary. Whales, orcas, seals, eagles, and brown bears all show up in the waters and hillsides around here.

Alaska's capital, and it's only reachable by boat or plane, no roads in. This is where you can book a glacial dogsledding excursion if that's on your list, along with the more classic Mendenhall Glacier and whale watching combos. If you'd rather keep it simple, downtown Juneau is walkable straight off the ship.

Your last scenic cruising day, and it's worth setting an alarm for. Hubbard is the longest tidewater glacier in the world, about 7 miles wide and 76 miles long, named for the founder of the National Geographic Society. The ship sails into Disenchantment Bay to get close, and the currents there keep it calving daily, so you're genuinely likely to see and hear ice crashing into the water. No excursion to book, just be on deck.

Your cruise ends in Seward, not Vancouver, since this is a one way sailing. It's the gateway to Kenai Fjords National Park and the Harding Icefield, where around 40 glaciers calve straight into the sea. Most guests continue on to Anchorage from here, about a 2.5 hour drive by train, coach, or rental car. If a land extension into Denali or Anchorage sounds appealing, let me know early, it's much easier to plan alongside your cruise than to add on afterward.