Cunard Alaska & Norwegian Fjords 2026

The ships and itineraries

Cunard Alaska cruises sail primarily aboard Queen Elizabeth, making her the dedicated Alaska ship in the fleet. Itineraries typically run between 7 and 14 nights, departing from Vancouver or San Francisco and sailing north through some of the most dramatic scenery on the planet.

The Inside Passage is the centrepiece of most Cunard Queen Anne itineraries in this region, threading through islands and inlets with near-guaranteed wildlife sightings. Core ports include Juneau, Ketchikan, Sitka, and Victoria in British Columbia. Glacier Bay or Hubbard Glacier feature on longer sailings and are truly unmissable.

For context on what Alaska actually looks like from the deck of a Cunard ship, our Alaska cruise review covers the experience in full.

Cunard excursions in Alaska lean into the landscape. Whale watching from small boats, glacier hikes, floatplane tours over Denali, and kayaking through sea inlets all feature in the shore excursions programme. In Ketchikan, indigenous heritage tours and salmon fishing trips are popular choices. Juneau offers everything from helicopter glacier landings to more gentle whale-watching options.

For guests who prefer to explore independently, most Alaska ports are walkable from the dock. That said, some of the best experiences (particularly helicopter tours and wildlife boat trips) are easier to arrange through Cunard’s excursions programme.

Cunard also offers optional Rocky Mountaineer rail extensions for guests who want to extend the journey into the Canadian Rockies before or after the sailing, it’s worth asking our Voyage Consultants about these when you book.

The ships and itineraries

Cunard Norwegian Fjords itineraries run from Southampton on Queen Anne and Queen Victoria, making them ideal no-fly options for UK guests. Voyages typically run 7 to 12 nights and cover a mix of fjord scenery and city stops. Standard calls include Bergen, Flåm, Geiranger, Olden, and Stavanger.

Queen Anne’s 2026 programme includes several fjords sailings departing from Southampton through the summer months. It’s one of the most popular itinerary types on the Cunard calendar, and for good reason: The scenery speaks for itself.

For broader context on what to expect in this part of the world, our Norwegian Fjords top tips cover packing, timing, and what to look out for ashore.

A Cunard Northern Lights cruise extends the season beyond the summer fjords programme. Longer autumn sailings venture further north towards the Arctic Circle, where the Aurora Borealis becomes visible from late September onwards. These itineraries call at Tromsø and other northern Norwegian ports, combining the fjord experience with the possibility of witnessing one of the world’s great natural phenomena.

Northern Lights sightings are never guaranteed, but later season sailings (October onwards) give the best chances. If you’re specifically chasing the lights, pairing a Cunard sailing with a line that offers a Northern Lights promise (such as Hurtigruten) is worth considering.

Cunard tours in Norway cover the full range. In Bergen, guided city walking tours take in the Bryggen Wharf and the Hanseatic Museum. In Flåm, the famous Flåm Railway climbs through mountain scenery to Myrdal and back. Geiranger offers fjord kayaking, waterfall hikes, and RIB boat tours along the fjord walls.

Most Norwegian ports are highly walkable and easy to explore independently. But the Flåm Railway and longer scenic excursions into the surrounding landscape are worth booking through Cunard, as they can sell out quickly on popular sailings.