Alaska Cruise tours range from 10-17 nights and include your 7-night Alaska cruise. Most cruisetours feature an inclusive tour into Denali National Park, a 6.3 million acre park home to Mt. McKinley and one of the largest wildlife habitats in the world.

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Book Early: Frommer's Alaska Cruises & Ports of Call                                                                                Return to home port

Planning an Alaska cruise or cruisetour next year? Here's a word of advice. Book it now or you may be out of luck. If that sounds like something the cruise operators say every year, be assured -- it has never been more valid than in 2008. As a rule of thumb, cruise lines hope to have their Alaska product -- both cruise and cruisetour -- at least half-sold during the heavy booking season between, say, September and mid-December of the previous year. And although -- for perfectly understandable competitive reasons -- the lines are reluctant to speak openly about their results this early, sources privately indicate that some of the biggest of them have accomplished that -- and more. Holland America, Princess and Royal Caribbean, the big three in Alaska, fall into that category from all accounts. It's a safe bet, then, that many others do, too. This, mind you, despite the fact that the industry is offering about 6% more berths this year than last.

Though you can generally save money by booking a cabin without a balcony, or windows for that matter, in Alaska, you may regret it. Big ships are built with hundreds of balcony cabins (the smallest ships won't have any) that afford you anytime access to a whale sighting or sudden calving glacier. Plus, you'll appreciate being able to have a little privacy at times, considering the open decks will be jammed with passengers and crew craning to check out the great scenery. Also, remember, the sunsets really late during summertime in Alaska, so you can soak up a beautiful lingering scene from your balcony way past 9 and 10 at night.

Obviously, with so much of the inventory already sold and proportionately that much less still available from January on -- when reservations pick up again after the holiday season lull -- the opportunity for would-be travelers to find prime staterooms and ideal dates, is diminished. And discounts are likely to be at a minimum. The word here, we stress again, is make your plans now.

TIP: Now is the time to be thinking about that 2008 summertime vacation in Alaska. Next Summer will be here before you know it and soon enough you will want to visit Alaska. If you want too long to decide, bargain hunters looking for a genuine deal will only find discounts on inside cabins, but you won't be so lucky if you want a balcony cabin or suite. As of March 2006 for this summer's Alaska season, on lots of ships and sailing dates, there was nothing left available with a balcony at any price.

TIP: If you're doing a one-way trip, the side of the ship your cabin is on could affect the view in certain areas. If you're cruising northbound from Vancouver to Seward, book a starboard side cabin or you'll miss views of lush British Columbia and have west-facing sea views. If you're doing a round-trip cruise or are sailing on a small ship, sides won't really matter, as the ship will be moving in all directions.

The now virtually-assured increase in the number of cruise and cruisetour participants in Alaska this summer may have a negative "ripple" effect on the ability of late bookers and independent travelers to get the exact itineraries that they want. The cruise lines are the prime movers of people to the state and, as a consequence, they get first dibs on the components that go into making up an Alaska vacation. It's not too much of an exaggeration to say that they effectively control - or at least dominate - the rooms inventory at many hotels and lodges, motor coaches, and national and state park entrances. That makes it very difficult for small, independent tour packagers to offer as extensive and array of products as they would like. They simply cannot get the pieces the need to create tour packages.

You can cruise Alaska between early May and late September, though weather conditions can vary quite a bit in southeast Alaska. June, July and August are the warmest months, ranging anywhere from 50 to 80 degree Fahrenheit during the day, and considered the high season. Ships are full these months, so there will be more people to share the Inside Passage with. June tends to be drier than July and August, and August the warmest, though none of course, Mother Nature is never entirely predictable. If you crave the lower cruise rates of the shoulder season, statistically May is the driest month of the season and a very pleasant time to visit the state.

One cruise line executive foresees a day when visitors to the Denali Corridor, overnighting in small communities such as Denali and Talkeetna, which are just outside the Denali National Park boundary, will be unable to get into the park proper. Why? Because early-booking cruisetour passengers will have snapped up all the available seats on the limited number of buses that are permitted to enter the environmentally-sensitive home of mighty Mount McKinley. It may well be, as he anticipates, that the day will come when "you snooze...you lose."

All of the above is the reason that Alaska-bound vacationers should move quickly to lock up their places on their favorite ships and on their preferred land packages. The word from the 49th State is don't delay. Book today.

The communities of Alaska, large and small, and the providers of visitor services throughout the state, not to mention the major U.S. and British Columbia ports are girding for a banner year.

For an really intimate and upclose encounter with Alaska that doesn't have anything to do with elaborate meals, cabaret acts and clanging casinos, definitely do Alaska by small ship. Carrying fewer than 150 passengers each, the expedition vessels of lines like Cruise West, Glacier Bay Cruiseline, Clipper Cruise Line, and Alaska Safari Cruise, can edge into remote places the big ships could only dream about. Seals napping on icebergs drift pass the ship within arm's length and whales can be spotted without squinting. On the other hand, definitely go big if you're want to see Alaska and have amenities like spas, kids' playrooms and lots of restaurants at your fingertips while you're doing it. Mega ships offer it all, a taste of Alaska and a mouthful of big-resort-style vacation.

Big Ships: (around 2,000 passengers, give or take a few hundred)

Princesss Cruises

Holland America

Royal Caribbean

Celebrity Cruises

Norwegian Cruise Line

Carnival Cruise Lines

Mid-sized Ships (between about 400 and 700 passengers)

Regent Seven Seas

Silversea Cruises

Small Ships: (between 12 to 150 passengers)

Cruise West

Glacier Bay Cruiseline

Clipper Cruise Line

Alaska Safari Cruises

Lindbland Expeditions

Most Luxurious Big Ships: Crystal Harmony is the top-of-the-line ship in the Alaska market, with superb cuisine, elegant service, lovely surroundings, great cabins, and sparkling entertainment. If you want a more casual kind of luxury, Radisson Seven Seas' Seven Seas Mariner (which is slightly smaller than the Harmony) offers just that. Among the mainstream cruise ships, Celebrity's Mercury, Infinity, and Summit are the big winners, offering cutting-edge modern ships with great service, dining, and design.

Best Cruisetours: Holland America Line and Princess are the leaders in linking cruises with land tours into the Interior, either before or after your cruise. They own their own hotels, deluxe motorcoaches, and railcars, and after many years in the business, they both really know what they're doing. Princess concentrates more on the Anchorage/Denali/Fairbanks routes, while Holland America has many itineraries that get you to the Yukon Territory's Dawson City and Whitehorse.

Editors Note: These are excerpts from several articles we read.

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