Does anyone out there have any views on Alaska Cruises they would like to share? Does the seven day trip from Vancouver on the inland passage to Juneau do the job or should one include Anchorage, Denali Park and FAirbanks to truly get the flavor of it?? Kind thanks..

Am retired in AK-- cruises are OK. -IF you are set on one. Then, p.r.n. your physical cond. maybe consider cruise to ANC them a motorhome to travel the `circle' and fly back home from ANC. Sssurely can't see AK from the boat nor the road. Come up and I'll take you flying-- THEN you can see AK !!!

We had such a great time on our cruise the year before that my brother & his wife took our parents, who are in their mid-80's last June. Everyone loved it.

We took the Princess lines, went from Vancouver to Seward, then up to Fairbanks and Denali. We did the extra leg in 3 nights, they did 4.

Our feeling was that we were only going once, time was limited and we wanted to see as much as possible. We do not ordinarily favor going as part of the herd, but felt we couldn't have covered the same area on our own.We took the side trips that appealed to us, and left the usual cruise stuff to the folks that enjoy it while we spent most of the time watching for wildlife.

There was plenty to be seen. The whales were great, but we'd have missed the grizzlies, moose and caribou if we had only done the water portion. My folks got a picture of the grizzly who stopped their bus so he could amble down the middle of the road in Denali Park. That was worth the whole trip for them. Reminded them of the family bulldog.

Does anyone out there have any views on Alaska Cruises they would like to share? Does the seven day trip from Vancouver on the inland passage to Juneau do the job or should one include Anchorage, Denali Park and FAirbanks to truly get the flavor of it??

I've been twice and highly recommend it. Since you're bothering to go, I think you should go on up to Anchorage (for glaciers) and then to Denali and Fairbanks. I found Fairbanks one of the more interesting places in Alaska, and the scenery on the trip is spectacular.

For maximum interior scenery, I recommend the train from Anchorage to Fairbanks, with return by air (an "F" seat). During anything other than the dead of winter, from the air is the only way you'll have a good chance to see Mt. Denali.

We took the cruise a couple of years ago aboard a Holland America liner, The Westerdam. Dutch officers, Indonesian wait staff/cabin stewards, Filipino cooks and crew. Cruise director and his staff were mostly American and British. She's not real glitzy ala the big white liners, but the service was impeccable! Also, no tipping until after the cruise and then only if you felt the service deserved it (it did!). My only complaint...too much food. You can literally eat from the time you wake up until you go to bed. But who goes on a cruise for the food?

We had limited time so couldn't take the add-on trips to Anchorage, Fairbanks, etc. Everyone we talked to said those trips are well worth the time and extra expense.

Our cruise left Vancouver BC to Juneau, Sitka, Glacier Bay, Ketchikan, back to Vancouver, 7 days. Each of the towns are small enough that you can get a good feel for the area on foot. From Sitka we took a nice tour from a tour vendor hawking his trips from a street corner. It was perfectly legit, comfortable vans, amusing driver, for about half the price of the ship-arranged tours. Opportunities to take float plane flights, helicopter to the glaciers, salmon fishing abound. We enjoyed the Inside Passage cruise immensely.

Went to AK last year to see my son in Valdez, plus a few other sights. I would humbly suggest that, if you are able and adventurous, you use the ferry system and the trains. Bookings for both are easy to do over the internet. The three of us (wife, youngest son, and I) had a fantastic time on the ferries. Smaller boats = better viewing of glaciers, wildlife, scenery, etc. Ferries stop at towns that are not so heavily hit by cruise ships. Prices were very moderate, and naturalists on board were extremely helpful.

I can tell you that towns like Valdez are very different when the cruise ships are at anchor vs. when they are gone. The cruise ship pulls up to a cruies ship pier about a half mile out of town, offloads several hundred people, and all of the tourists scramble to see the sights in a couple of hours. With the ferry, you stop right at the town's waterfront, walk to a local motel & check in. Then you can leisurely explore the town for a day or so before moving on.

The train to Denali was pulled by the same locomotive as the Princess cars. I'm sure ours were not as plush, but the simplicity was made up for by the number of locals on board who were more than happy to share insights, gossip, etc.

Both the ferry and train systems are used a lot by the younger crowd. Lots of hikers, foriegn tourists, hostelers, etc. We plan to do it all over again in two years. Can't wait!

My wife and I went on a Holland America Line cruise through the Inside Passage several years ago. Very similar to the one that "Rollinstone" discussed. We were on the Statendam. Excellent service, beautiful scenery and lots of excursions/tours in the ports of call. We booked a cabin with a small balcony so that we could sit outside and watch the coast move passed in the early evening. I highly recommend the cruise and the balcony. We thought it was the best vacation that we ever had.

Does anyone out there have any views on Alaska Cruises they would like to share? Does the seven day trip from Vancouver on the inland passage to Juneau do the job or should one include Anchorage, Denali Park and FAirbanks to truly get the flavor of it?? Kind thanks..

I did the inland passage cruise. I enjoyed it a lot, especially the day trips in the stops we made.

We took the helicoptor to the glacier.Train ride to the Canadian border and a nature trail small boat ride/hike.

The view of the college glaciers was great.

I've not been to Denali Park or Fairbanks, although our bus driver on the trip from Anchorage to Seward told us about his experiance going to school in Fairbanks.

Have any of you Retired Fools taken a small cruise ship to Alaska? Linblad Expeditions and Cruise West offer small ships (about 70 to 120 passengers) up the inside passage. They skip the gambling and entertainment shows and let the whales, seals, eagles, and glaciers entertain you. There are on-board naturalists and libraries--a very small and friendly bunch of folks. I haven't taken the cruise, but this small cruise ship idea appeals to me more than the big ones. Hope to get to Alaska soon.