<p>H & I will also be leaving in 10 days for a trip to Alaska on Celebrity. We will be flying up to Victoria for 1 night before joining the cruise. Afterwards, we will be taking the dome train up to Denali for 2 nights. H has been planning this for over 6 months…</p>
<p>As an Alaskan I can tell you the BEST cruise is to take the Alaska Marine Highway (the ferry) from Bellingham, Washington. Book a double sleeper - get on and off when you want. It’s no frills, no shills.</p>
<p>Check out Cruise West - small, intimate, pricey, but loaded with service - very adult.</p>
<p>Alaskans love Princess - they bring lots of $$$ to towns. I personally HATE Princess this and Princess that - they show and tell what they think Alaska is - WRONG</p>
<p>Enjoy - August can be rainy - we have had a GREAT summer so far.</p>
<p>Looking forward to seeing you. Safe travels :)</p>
<p>The cruise we took several years ago was on Regent Seven Seas and we included a train ride to Denali along the way. It was fabulous, definitely five star. Every cabin had a balcony (which we never used because it was too cold). The food was wonderful and we never felt rushed or crowded. However, it depends on whether you enjoy being elbow to elbow all the time or having a more quiet experience. The staff were terrific, very high level and we also happened to be on the same floor as the washer/dryer, and since I’m one who likes to pack fewer clothes, I needed to use them a few times. We did all the land based activities we could although I understand we could have saved money had we booked these things ourselves. I highly recommend the helicopter ride to see the glaciers and/or the dog sled visit on the glacier. Also, whale watching was fantastic, but we could have just been lucky to see a huge pod that day, with a breaching baby. Great memories that I would repeat if I wanted to revisit Alaska.</p>
<p>My niece & her hubby just returned from a cruise. They said there was a spiel all the time, trying to get them to pay more or buy this & that. They tuned it out but found it annoying. They said the food was very good & they had food available at least 4x/day. Niece was thrilled she didn’t gain any weight, tho her hubby did.</p>
<p>They didn’t do the Regent Seven Seas, which sounds like a very nice outfit. When we get closer to taking a cruise, we’ll have to do some research; I find being hawked at constantly too tiring also.</p>
<p>End of August is towards the end of the season, fewer cruises, all ending in September. You may be able to get some better deals though. Chances are that you’ll see more rain, but so far this year hasn’t been bad. </p>
<p>While the Alaska Marine Highway is a great way to see SE Alaska, you’ll have to work much harder to plan your trip, especially if you want to stay in an area longer than a couple of hours. Also, while the food can be good, it’s not great, will not have the variety and can be expensive. </p>
<p>There are low cost options for things to see in most towns, including self-guided walking tours, state/city museums, etc. In Juneau, you can hike the Mt. Roberts trail and take the tram down for a nominal charge. There’s also a bus that runs to the glacier. If you want a tour, you can either purchase it on board or check out each city’s visitor site to find out most of the things available and contact them directly.</p>
<p>I should have noted that while we cruised on Princess, we did not take any of their shore excursions. We used local companies that were recommended on Cruise Critic. We were very pleased.</p>
<p>BAck from our trip! It was fabulous. We were on Regent Seven Seas Mariner. Spectacular scenery, fun (and mostly free/included) excursions, delicious food, extremely comfortable balcony suite – the ship is all balcony suites – and a really good time.</p>
<p>Glad your trip went well. I believe Regent is supposed to be one of the top cruise lines.</p>