rothbear13

Very good info thank you. Still haven't really decided as we dropped a bundle on 3 bathroom remodels this year....the master was a total gut job, the second had new toilet, sink, faucet and counter top and the loft one got a new toilet and faucet. A lot of people have said they liked HAL, so I may have to take a closer look there.

Yes, this is going to be a once in a lifetime thing. My hubby is not big on cruising, so we really haven't been on a cruise for a long, long time. That's why I was asking for suggestions. I am looking for both a cruise and land, but I have found a company I think I would like to use for the land part, it's just the cruise part I'm having problems with. I would like to do nothing less than 7 days and am willing to go up to maybe 11 or 12. Since it's a trip I have been talking about for years my hubby says he isn't worrying about the money, but I get a little nervous when the trip starts heading towards $20k for the two of us. And since the planning is all on me I don't want to have to hear him complain about it after the fact, I just want him to also enjoy himself. Are the higher cost companies (Viking, Crystal, etc.) really worth the cost? I really don't want to deal with a lot of kids. Would like to have good food and good service, but don't really want to deal with formal weat. More interested in the experiences both included and available than things like onboard games, casinos, onboard shopping, etc. I keep leaning towards Viking but the price is making me question. I realize you have to take a look at everything that is included. I just don't want to make a huge mistake here.

Oh, I didn't realize. I tried to edit my comment but it appears I can't to that, so what happens happens.

Thanks, Cruisemonty.......we will check out Crystal. We haven't done much yet as life happens. What does anyone think about the online cruise travel companies? I signed up for newsletters from 2 of them and now they are bugging me both by phone and text. So far I have ignored them all as I am just not ready to speak with anyone yet. I just wanted some info to see if we could do better directly through the cruise lines. They are 1-800-cruises and CruisesOnly.

Thanks to everyone so far....I'm getting some ideas. Love to hear more.

I just turned 71 and hubby will be 72 in October. Easy to mildly moderate activities, but not up for strenuous hiking or other rigorous activities. We will be celebrating our 50th anniversary next year in August and would like to take an Alaska cruise and tour to commemorate it. We don't care if it overlaps our actual anniversary, but might be nice. Anyway, I have been looking at cruises and just not sure which ones would be best for us. Neither of us like large ships or tons of kids running around yelling and screaming. We want to relax and enjoy the scenery and onboard amenities. We also don't gamble, so casinos are not important. I have been leaning toward Viking, Windstar, and American Queen Voyages, but they are so expensive that I'm not sure. This would be a one time deal for us. Anyone have any thoughts, ideas or suggestions? TIA. Oh and, "Why Alaska" you might ask....I have traveled a lot around the US during my lifetime and have been to 49 of the 50 states. Yep, Alaska is the only one I have not seen.