Seems as though I'm the young whippersnapper around here. We juse did an Alaskan cruise last summer. Its one of the most affordable ways to see Alaska, but it is not terribly immersive. You only get a few hours in each place every day, but getting there and getting around can be very costly. I don't even know what hotels run.
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Cruises seem to be the most popular way to see Alaska; at least for the first time. DH and I have no interest in cruising and want to drive either a car or an RV for 7 - 10 days starting in Anchorage. Our cruise addict friends think we're nuts but they like cruising anywhere and do short excursions. They're already booked on cruises through 2018!
I can see that. As I walked through the touristy part of Juneau I secretly wished we were staying in a hotel somewhere so that I could experience the night after the tourists from the ships were gone.
Plus there is so much that you don't see from the ship, Denali, the Aleutian Islands, and only the one way cruise ships see Anchorage. I enjoyed both my Alaskan cruises, but it's more of a sampler, than a fully immersive trip.
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Thank you AJ (?)
it does confirm that we need to plan a land tour!
We still hope to do at least 1 glacier day cruise to see the calving.