Barb, I haven't been on an Alaskan cruise, but from reading others' experiences, if I were ever to go, Id pay the etxra $$ and go on a much smaller boat. Read Erika Burkhalter's trip aboard a 54 passenger boat. https://medium.com/six-word-photo-story-challenge/humpback-whales-bubble-net-feeding-in-glacier-bay-alaska-91a28185a1b6 This was a 32 passenger boat. This story had 54 passengers. https://medium.com/globetrotters/stepping-back-to-a-primordial-time-into-an-alaskan-muskeg-bog-171e2f6618d8 She's written a few which make me want to do the small boat. Ecologically much better than a big cruise liner and a more personal experience which is why we want to go to Alaska in the first place. These small boats are bloody expensive but I'm willing to wait and save up!