Creek Street, totem poles and floatplanes over Misty Fjords: Alaska’s first city.
Ketchikan is usually the first Alaska stop on a Seattle or Vancouver cruise, and most ships tie up at one of four downtown berths a few minutes’ walk from Creek Street, the boardwalk town built on stilts over Ketchikan Creek. Cruisers spend the day on a floatplane over Misty Fjords, at the Lumberjack Show, or among the totem poles at Saxman and Totem Bight. SmartCruiser lists every cruise that calls at Ketchikan from every line, priced with taxes and fees included, with the sailings that carry SmartCruiser bonus onboard credit or instant savings at the top.
Three ways to do Ketchikan
Fly over Misty Fjords, see the totems and the lumberjacks, or just walk Creek Street; the buttons filter the list of sailings below.
Misty Fjords by floatplane
- About 2 hours, roughly 90 minutes in the air plus a lake landing in the monument
- Sheer 3,000 foot granite walls, waterfalls and alpine lakes 35 miles east of town
- About $300 to $400 per person as of 2026; book early, it sells out
Best for: first-timers, photographers, couples marking an occasion
Lumberjacks, totems and crab
- Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show is steps from Berths 1 and 2, about $45 and an hour long
- Saxman Native Village or Totem Bight State Park by trolley, about $70 to $95
- Bering Sea Crab Fishermen’s Tour on the Aleutian Ballad from Deadliest Catch, about $200
Best for: families, grandparents with kids, anyone who wants a full day without a flight
Creek Street and the rainforest for free
- Creek Street boardwalk, Dolly’s House and the salmon ladder are a 10 minute walk from the ships
- Cape Fox funicular up the hill for the view, the Rainbird Trail for a rainforest walk
- Alaska Fish House and Annabelle’s for chowder and halibut right on Front Street
Best for: budget travelers, repeat Alaska cruisers, walkers
Ketchikan cruises: SmartCruiser picks first
Every cruise that calls at Ketchikan from every line, priced live with taxes, fees and port expenses included. The picks at the top are sailings where booking with SmartCruiser gets you something extra: instant savings or bonus onboard credit. Below them, every other sailing that stops here, with full sorting by home port, line, month, length and price.
SmartCruiser picks
Sorted by what you save, biggest firstEvery cruise that calls at Ketchikan
Stack any filters, then pick a sortPrices are per person, double occupancy, in US dollars, and include cruise fare, taxes, fees and port expenses as published by the cruise line at the moment you load this page. Fares are capacity controlled and change daily; the fare is confirmed when you book. Flights, hotels and transfers are extra unless the line’s offer says otherwise. SmartCruiser instant savings and bonus onboard credit are provided by SmartCruiser on top of the cruise line’s price and are not available when booking direct; amounts are per stateroom, vary by stateroom category and are shown for the lowest category offered. Special SmartCruiser rates are pricing SmartCruiser holds on that sailing for its clients, with extra onboard credit; you book your own stateroom and travel on your own. Senior fares apply to guests 55 and over; resident fares need proof of residency in a listed state or province at check-in; police and fire fares apply to active or retired police, fire and EMT personnel with ID. Qualifier-fare savings are measured against the best fare the cruise line offers the general public for the same stateroom category on the day the list was pulled, updated weekly.
Home ports that sail to Ketchikan
Pick a home port and the list above filters to cruises leaving from there.
Things to do in Ketchikan
Most of the famous sights are inside a 15 minute walk of the ship; the big adventures leave from the dock by floatplane, trolley or boat.
Which lines call at Ketchikan?
Nearly every Alaska itinerary stops here; Norwegian, Oceania and Regent use the Ward Cove dock with a free shuttle, everyone else docks downtown.
When to go
Ketchikan sits in a temperate rainforest and gets rain about 230 days a year; May and June are the driest and least crowded, July and August the warmest and busiest, September the wettest cruise month.
Ketchikan questions we answer every day
Where do cruise ships dock in Ketchikan and how far is town?
Four berths line the downtown waterfront. Berths 1 to 3 put you at the foot of Front Street, 5 to 10 minutes from Creek Street; Berth 4 is a 10 to 15 minute walk north, with a free borough bus every 20 minutes for anyone who would rather ride. Norwegian, Oceania, Regent and Disney ships use Ward Cove, a former pulp mill site 7 miles north, with free shuttles that take 20 to 30 minutes and drop you next to Berth 4. No ship tenders here.
How do I get around Ketchikan?
Walk. Downtown is flat and compact, and most tours pick up at the berths. Taxis exist but are scarce when four ships are in; Uber and Lyft work but are limited. The city bus runs north toward Totem Bight for about $2 and the free Ward Cove shuttle runs continuously while ships are in port.
What currency, language and time zone?
US dollars and English; this is Alaska. Ketchikan is on Alaska Time, one hour behind Seattle and Vancouver, so check whether your ship stays on ship time or local time before you go ashore. US cell plans work normally, and most restaurants and the public library have free Wi-Fi.
Is Ketchikan safe?
Yes. It is a small American town with a big summer visitor industry. The only real risks are weather and wildlife: wear a waterproof jacket and real shoes, and on the trails make noise and keep to the path in bear country.
What is the best excursion, and should I book it through the ship?
If the weather cooperates and the budget allows, the Misty Fjords floatplane is the memory people bring home. For families it is the Lumberjack Show plus Saxman or Totem Bight. Book flightseeing through the ship or a long-established operator so the timing is guaranteed and the ship waits if a flight runs late; walk-up tickets for the show and the trolleys are easy to buy at the dock.
Do I need a passport for an Alaska cruise?
If your cruise is a round trip from Seattle, San Francisco or Los Angeles, the closed-loop rule lets US citizens sail with a government photo ID plus an original or certified birth certificate, but we recommend a passport. Sailings that start or end in Vancouver, Seward or Whittier, and any one-way itinerary, require a valid passport because you cross the Canadian border.
Are taxes and fees included in the prices here?
Yes. Every price on this page includes the cruise fare, taxes, fees and port expenses. Flights, hotels, shore excursions and gratuities are extra.
Talk to a Ketchikan cruise specialist
Tell us which month and which home port, and we will find the Ketchikan sailing with the most included value and the SmartCruiser bonus onboard credit on top. Monday to Thursday 9 to 6, Friday 9 to 5, Saturday 10 to 6 ET.