Alaska Trip-Cruise or Hotels

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If so, do you think you got to see more if you were to have just gotten a rental car and hotels instead?

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I've not done an Alaskan cruise, but I did just go to Alaska last month, saw a few cruise ships there and am pretty darn sure that we saw tons more staying in Anchorage and making a bunch of day trips (and one overnight after fishing in Seward) than you'd be able to do with cruise ship excursions.

Gratuitous plug of my post on the outdoor board with trip itinerary and pics - Alaksa trip TD thread (outdoor board)

Seriously though, the scenery you see in Alaska on or right off the roads is totally worth spending some time driving around in my opinion.

We took Princess. I'm not hearing that they are so great since the pandemic reopening. I've heard better things about Holland America.

The Alaskan Cruise and an Alaskan land vacation are just 2 totally different things. Most cruises go from either Seattle or Vancouver up to Haines/Skagway and Glacier Bay. There are one way ones that start or end in Whittier. Look at a map of Alaska. This area is all coastal and you'd see a lot of wonderful things...Glaciers, whales, cute towns, possibly a trip into the Yukon with some beautiful scenery or maybe next year, the train will be running into the Yukon as well.

Look at the map again. Most land vacations in Alaska are Denali and the Kenai Peninsula. Both of those are completely different trips than the cruise. The good thing about Alaskan cruises is that usually the port times are very long and it stays light pretty much all night. You basically go back to the ship, go to bed, and wake up in a different place, ready to tour it. I'd love to go back and do Denali. Imagine it as a much larger version of Yellowstone/Glacier National parks, and much, much more wild/untouched.

Only did it by cruise. Many towns and places we saw are inaccessible by car. And those were the best parts of the trip.

Remember, you can always do both. After the cruise ends, rent a car and explore Denali.

I've done an Alaska cruise and really liked it. Beautiful scenery while at sea and the ports were interesting. Look for local alternatives to the cruise line excursions - they are every bit as good, cheaper, and less crowded.

I've also spent a month there seeing the state in a camper van; we even made it up to Prudhoe Bay. That was the best trip I've ever done (we also spent a month driving up and back). Completely different experience. The solitude is something you just don't get on a cruise, and you see more wildlife on a road trip. If you can rent a camper that's really the way to do it. Hotels are a bit scarce in places and really expensive. With a camper you can go anywhere you feel like. People tent camp too but it's not a great option when you get to the wild places because of the bears.