Alaska — all you hoped for and more

SKAGWAY, Alaska — This landlocked Midwesterner was among some 900,000 people to cruise the Alaskan coast this year. For me, and for many others, the trip was spurred by the promise of one thing: incredible scenery.

That promise was kept.

"We had visions of untamed wilderness, soaring bald eagles and humpback whales flapping their tails in the water. Thankfully, we were not disappointed," said Eron Garcia of the San Francisco Bay area, on his first cruise with wife, Kari.

The Garcias were among our table mates for a one-week, 2,300-mile cruise, beginning in Seattle, that my wife, Gina, and I took last summer. We'd cruised previously in the sunny Caribbean, but to celebrate out 25th wedding anniversary, we chose an early June tour of Alaska's Inner Passage. We like taking cruises to relax, enjoy the food, shop and sightsee. An Alaska cruise has all of that, and more.

We were told by those who've been to the 49th state that the landscape is stunning, and fellow passengers were impressed by the rugged coast, blue sea and plentiful wildlife. The mountain and glacial vistas were spectacular.

A highlight of the trip was a surreal morning spent leisurely meandering among nomadic icebergs in Tracy Arm, a 30-mile fjord beginning at the base of the Sawyer Glacier. Steep granite slopes scale the banks of the narrow inlet, which is 900 feet deep. The ship went so far into the fjord that is seemed there was barely room to turn around before heading out to sea.

In addition to the raw scenery, the Garcias were thrilled with the cruise experience aboard Sapphire Princess, a sparkling 113,000-ton, 2,600-passenger ship first launched in 2004.

"The ship itself offered plenty of things to do: lectures, shopping, bars, restaurants, swimming pools, hot tubs, movies, live shows, wine-tasting, yoga, massages, line-dancing class, scavenger hunts," said Eron, a quality control specialist for a large video-game company. "There were only dull moments if you let them."

The choice of activities at Alaska ports also is mind-boggling. You can hire a helicopter for a hop to a glacier, hitch a ride on a dog sled, hike in a rain forest, view amazing native art, enjoy salmon fishing and go whale watching.

Large cruise ships sail the Alaska coast from May through September, but Charlie Ball, president of Princess Alaska Tours, recommends booking Alaska cruises early because of high demand. Most people book in January and February, followed by October, he says.