Alaska is the cruise that converts cruise skeptics. The Inside Passage is protected water, so seasickness is rarely a factor, and the scenery does not stop: whales off the bow before breakfast, glaciers calving into the sea by afternoon. Glacier Bay day is the heart of the itinerary; rangers board the ship and the captain holds position in front of the ice for an hour or more.

Be on deck, not at the buffet. In port, the money advice is simple: spend it on one big excursion rather than three small ones. Whale watching out of Juneau and the White Pass railway out of Skagway are the two that earn their price tags. May and September sailings run cheaper with fewer crowds; July gives the warmest days and the longest light.

Pack layers and a real rain shell. There is no bad-weather refund in Alaska, only bad clothing.