A protected 500-mile stretch of Pacific coastline, incorporating Washington state, British Colombia and Alaska, the Inside Passage offers one of cruising’s most picturesque adventures. On glacier-carved waterways sheltered by numerous islands and islets, the passage gives access to misty fjords and a densely forested coastline, backed by snow-capped mountains and pristine wilderness. Within these waters and this wilderness lives a huge variety of wildlife – great grizzly bears, soaring bald eagles, majestic humpback whales and orcas, sea lions and porpoises, all easily spottable from your ship.

Among this epic nature, smalls ports and Klondike Gold Rush-era towns nestle, the likes of Juneau (Alaska’s capital), Ketchikan, Sitka and Skagway, offering cultural sights and a taste of the Wild West spirit. They are also a good gateway to the vibrant cultures of the Alaskan First Peoples, Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian, their lands often marked by towering totem poles.