Alaska cruise lines

Here's a site listing several possible options. Here's one of them that might work for you, one way between Seattle and Juneau. They're expensive because the fixed costs are shared by fewer passengers. You might consider starting from Juneau or another Alaskan port, rather than Seattle.

I've done several big-ship cruises, none like these. No question that a smaller ship will get you closer to nature. You could easily find yourself in a zodiac or kayak, hiking a remote coastal trail, getting close to animals. And a smaller ship, unless it's very expensive, won't have the amenities of a bigger one -- pools, multiple dining options, a theater, casino, spa, multiple bars, etc. No need to pack formal wear! ;-)

EDIT -- Also check out Cruise Critic for much more info, reviews, and advice from people who are more into cruising than most RS fans.

Check out Alaskan Dream Cruises (www.alaskandreamcruises.com). I took one of their cruises and loved it even though I normally dread cruises.

NatGeo/Lindblad has small ship Alaska cruises. We have traveled with them twice (Galapagos and Belize/Guatemala) and will be doing two more cruises with them this summer (Alaska Inside Passage and Svalbard and the Norwegian Fjords). Their cruises are outstanding and very educational. They also are very customer oriented. When a bunch of us were delayed getting to our Galapagos cruise due to an airline kerfuffle, they comped us with a voucher to be applied to a future cruise without being asked. That being said they are not inexpensive. I think the smaller the group the more you will pay.

National Geographic Expeditions is one of the few small ships I've noticed on my previous cruises to Alaska: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/expeditions/destinations/north-america/ocean/alaska-cruise-cruise-land-tour-packages/

While not a "cruise" you could always take the ferry. Runs from Bellingham, WA to Whittier, AK with stops along the way. This is what locals use, and it's a lot closer to "nature" than the cruises. Plus you can actually take the time to see the other cities/towns along the way and even stay overnight (or a couple days) and see the stuff tourists don't have time for.

Note that most one way cruises start or end in BC due to the Jones Act.

I've been going to Anchorage every other year for some time now, and I looked into one way cruises. My recommendation is if you do go that route take the southern trip by boat. That gives you the ability to structure your time in Alaska better. I'd also suggest going in September; it may be wetter, but the odd's are better for seeing wildlife, and it's the end of the season so the prices go down.

We did Alaska with Norwegian Cruise Line. It is one of the few that are allowed to visit the AMAZING Glacier Bay.
I think Princess also does it.
DO NOT MISS Glacier Bay it is special.

As for the size of cruise ships, we prefer the ships with passenger capacity of less than 3000 and our NCL ship qualified. We don't care for the huge mega ships with 5000-6000 passengers.

As for a really small ship, get ready to pay through the nose.

As far as getting close to nature, our NCL ship qualified, we were within a couple of hundred yards of a huge glacier and we watched it shed huge chucks of ice. Nature is what Alaska is all about.

We did a one way cruise from Vancouver to Seward and loved it.

NCL is not a particularly small ship.

Here is one I read about on TripAdvisor and had not seen mentioned before. Their ship is small enough that it doesn’t even use the cruise ship docks in Alaska; apparently they dock at the Fisherman’s Terminal. They have several different options for visiting Southeast Alaska.

https://www.americancruiselines.com/cruises/alaska-cruises

Not necessarily a "small cruise line", but a smaller ship on a big cruise line is the Sapphire Princess. Right now there are some amazing bargains on one way from Vancouver BC to Anchorage. This ship does Glacier Bay and another bay on Sea Days. The single supplement is currently waived on some voyages which is a big boon to solo travelers and the ship holds about 2200 passengers which is about 1/2 the size of the larger cruise ships.

So the term “small ship” has a particular meaning with respect to cruises. It doesn’t just refer to one of the smaller ships operated by a regular cruise line like Princes, Holland-America, NCL, Celebrity, etc., so it carries 2000-3000 passengers instead of 5000 or more. Rather, it means a much smaller ship carrying a few hundred passengers, 300 or fewer. They tend to offer more nature-focused and educational experiences, and less entertainment and fewer amenities like swimming pools, etc. or more luxury in. Smaller, more intimate setting.

https://www.cruisebooking.com/articles/cruise-tips-and-tricks/guide-to-small-ship-cruising

I never heard of American Cruise Lines either, but I looked at their ship, the M/V Constellation, and it says the capacity is 170 passengers. That sounds more like a true “small ship” to me and the price is not crazy like some “small ship” Alaska cruises I have looked at. Some of the others mentioned above, like Uncruise and Alaska Dream look OK too, around $6000. Basically they are mostly around $900 -$1000 per person per day.

I will note that UnCruise got a terrible reputation on TripDvisor because they would not refund anyone’s payment for the 2020 cruises, they only offered credit toward a post-pandemic cruise. People who did not have trip insurance (a bad choice) and could not or would no take a cruise later we’re out their $$$. At least one “expert” on TripAdvisor thought this was terribly unfair and even immoral. But other small family-run Alaskan businesses did the same thing—they could not afford to be generous with refunds of non-refundable payments.

Yet another lesson on the importance of travel insurance for big-ticket tours and cruises.

The original post didn't say "small ships lines" it said a smaller ship. I think that if being on a truly small ship is important, then it is also important to realize that the cost with be about triple the alternatives. If that is what the OP want, no problem, but it is good to think through all the alternatives.

I realize they said “smaller ship” not “small ship”.

It was the “more nature oriented” part and “we don’t care about amenities” that indicate to me they might be looking for something other than the usual cruise lines.

We have done 2 cruises on Alaska Dream Cruises. First cruise had maybe 50 people. The last one had maybe 60. Our captain from the first one was our captain on the the second. Our bartender on the first cruise was on the second cruise, part time as bartender and the rest of the time as a mate.

I can't recommend them enough if you want a true Alaskan experience.

They are based out of Sitka. They are an Alaska company. Please check them out and PM is you have any question. Not inexpensive but they have some discounts.

Yea, small ship cruises are great, but at what cost. When I have priced them their prices are always double or more of a main cruise line.

With NCL we saw tons of wildlife and got very close to two huge glaciers. It was great.

Mary, years ago we went on a 20-passenger, converted wooden minesweeper "Liseron" (they also have a new boat) from an environmental charity, "The Boat Company". These luxury tours book up heavily in advance, and are very expensive. But kayaking in a huge empty cove in the evening, where even small cruise ships cannot make their way in, is a special pleasure. Our Naturalist spent her off-season as either a nature-lobbyist in the capital, or observing bears from a scientific treetop research station.