natiann,
Where do you live? My husband and I went on an inside passage cruise 1 1/2 years ago and fell in love with Alaska! While on a couple of excurisions we were able to talk in depth with some residents and they really loved it there! I realize we only saw a small part, and there is so much more!
To everyone thinking of a cruise to alaska: I highly recommend it! I don't know if it was the fact that that was my husband and I's first cruise completely alone (not with a group or our kids), but it was by far our best cruise EVER. We are sailing in a month to the Southern Caribbean (again alone), and I just don't have the excitement as I did for Alaska.
An alaskan cruise is amazing... The beauty of sailing the inside passage seeing the mountains so close (and many times from both sides of the ship as you sail up the fiords, not sure if that is the correct term)... Having the sun be setting at midnight...Standing on a glacier... kyaking with a beautiful glacier in the background...seeing seals laying on a inceberg from our balcony...seeing bald eagles circle overhead as we salmon fished...drinking hot cocoa and delicous cookies from room service while watching the glacier calve from our balcony...sailing through the small icebergs by the glacier...Walking through the adorable towns of ketchikan and Skagway...talking to the residents and seeing how much they like living there...etc.etc.etc. And the best part was doing that during the day and then coming back on board and having great meals, wonderful tablemates, fun shows and excellent service!
I love the RCCL commercial with the people on the glacier and saying they have to get back to a spa treatment. It is so true! There is so much to do in Alaska, but on a cruise you can still do the usual stuff also, it is the best of both worlds!
The only bad part of an Alaskan cruise is the cost! It is expensive to get there, the cruises are more expensive than the carribean, and then the excurisions cost so much! I would go every year if I could, but we can do the caribbean so much cheaper! Oh well, we will go back again and take the kids in a few years.
As far as which cruise ship or line, I am partial to RCCL, and loved the Radiance, but I'm sure you would have a great time no matter what cruiseline you took. Check out Cruisecritic.com and see what people there recommend.
Good luck and have a wonderful time!!!!!
Hope you get to go and have a great time. Ave'
