Several years ago, DH and I went on a 7 day Alaska cruise on a Royal Caribbean ship. It was a newer vessel, very modern and beautiful decor. We had a "regular" outside cabin that was very nice and the food was great. We had a wonderful time and I would definitely go again.

We went on a family cruise on Princess that was 10 days, a seven day cruise and 3 days on land visiting Mckinley. Regular cabins, and we all had a blast. Took the Princess train to where we embarked the ship.

My husband and I have only been on one cruise, on the American Hawaiian Cruise Line around the (duh) Hawaiian Islands. American ship so we didn't have to waste time going to a foreign port. But, after 9/11, not many folks wanted to fly, and tourism in Hawaii dropped so much that the American Cruise Lines company dropped the Hawaiian cruises altogether. The company is still in business, and does river boat cruises, and they do have two Alaskan cruises -- the Alaska Inside Passage Cruise for 15 days/14 nights, and the Southeast Alaska Cruise for 8 days/7nights.

Most staterooms on their ships have private balconies, and the staterooms are larger than you'll find on larger ships. The range of budgets that you mentioned won't be a problem, because all of the staterooms seem really nice, and there's bound to be a rate that will fit every budget in your group. I recommend checking these out.

It depends what you like and what you're looking for. The cruise industry has significantly increased capacity over the last 10+ years and has for me significantly reduced the quality of the experience, the food, and level of service measurably. You can't necessarily judge by the name of the brand because several of the large operators own and continue to operate others. Carnival (not an up-market brand) owns Holland America, as an example. They used to be separate companies at which time HA was more of a premium line than it is now. Newer ships for all the lines are too big, the on board food and amenities on the last two "popular large operator" cruises we've taken (chosen by others we went with) are crowded and mediocre. There's no size of stateroom to compensate for that. With two, we paid a fair sized supplement for the special restaurants and even they were VERY disappointing.

If you have a range of budgets for this group, then really the priority is having everyone together and enjoying that experience. Accommodate the range of budgets this time, and plan on having another "first class" experience with your husband on another trip. When you do that, look for smaller lines, smaller ships, and much higher prices. It's more than worth it.

When you pick a cruise there are choices of round trip or oneway and flying home from last port. You most likely will be locked into the cruise line airfare if you fly home from the last Alaskan port. Round trip flights might be doable on your own. I mention this because we had a huge amount of travel miles and wanted to use them to cut costs. Not able to do it with so many cruise people needing air on same days.

Would suggest if you can possibly do the inland part of the Alaska trip , the train trip out is really outstanding. But it does increase costs. There are so many areas on the ship that a group can gather for viewing the landscape. I would not spend the money on a balcony. Did ii once and really never made use of it. Of all we did on our Alaska trip, I enjoyed the wildlife boat excursion we booked. Saw evey kind of wildlife that Alaska has to offer, really a great afternoon. Cannot remember what port, but was pretty far North.

Thanks everyone. Some good points to consider. We would likely do round trip from Seattle as it's easier for everyone. Alaska Air offers non-stop flights from all of our closest airports.

Marco, we did the train that you mention. It was great! I was a little nervous at some points as I'm afraid of heights but I think I would do it again.

Elmer, have you done any of the smaller lines? There's a chance no one will actually want to go, so we might end up alone.

Yes. Azamara is one we took and enjoyed very much. 700 passengers. Let me check, we're signed up for one in the spring.

Okay, the line this coming Spring is Ponant. It was highly recommended by a friend for a cruise in Europe. I believe their ships do stuff in North America as well as elsewhere around the world. The ship we're taking carries under 300 people.

We did the Regent Seven Seas Cruise a couple of years ago. Vancouver to Seward up the inner passage. Then we did a week on land which I planned myself. We had a rental car plus did the train trip to Denali mid week and stayed 3 nights. Small cruise line, about 700 passengers and excellent crew to passenger ratio. All-inclusive, so no tipping, although we did tip our wonderful concierge team at the end of the trip. There are several levels of staterooms, with the concierge level being quite large and big enough for a sleeper sofa for a couple of small kids if necessary. We also saw a Penthouse stateroom that was huge.

As I recall, children’s fares are at a reduced rate, so it might be worthwhile to check sizes of staterooms and inquire how many people could actually sleep in a larger room if kids are involved. We went in late May and I only recall one other couple with children, and they were in the 9-12 year old range. The grandparents were also on the trip. There was also a couple with a small infant. If you are planning a lot of shore excursions, you should obviously make plans around the children and whether babysitting is available or plan activities which they could also enjoy.

I have not done an Alaskan cruise but have sailed on Holland America, Royal Caribbean, Carnival and Celebrity. Since you may have a large age range in your group I would suggest one of the larger cruise lines as they can offer activities etc for all ages as the smaller (and more expensive) lines may not offer much for the kids.

Is there any chance you could find a smaller cruise line- as in a line with smaller boats in order- to better get around all the little ins and outs of the coast line? I am not sure if that would drive the price up too much, but I have heard that the smaller ships are really fantastic for the Alaska cruises.

I've heard good things about Seabourn too.

I live near Seattle and I've been on a number of Alaska cruises. For the majors you can't go wrong with Holland America. I like Princess as well.

I avoid Royal Caribbean. They only have two ships in the area and they are pretty tired.

The passenger capacity on the ships for the American Cruise Lines vary from the smallest at 100 passengers to the largest at 185 passengers. Not a typo - that's 185.

I've looked at the smaller ships and I think that would be good if we went alone, but they tend to be more expensive and I doubt they have any kind of kids club. My niece and nephew will be 3 and 6 so I think they might be bored on a smaller ship.

I'm also the only foodie in the group so while I would love the finer dining options of the luxury lines, I worry others wouldn't. My brother and husband are simple, large quantity eaters, lol.

We took the last cruise of the year out from Seattle: BIG mistake. The weather at the end of September is iffy that far North. We ended up having the trip drastically shortened by Holland America when a storm hit. Because Seattle departures have to go around Vancouver Island (out in the Pacific) rather than the sheltered Inside Passage, bad weather affects the itinerary.

As dramatic as it was to look out onto 15'-20' waves smashing into the portholes, the captain chose wisely to turn around and take the Inside Passage. But that cost the ship 2 full days, cutting off the end of the trip.

The company refunded the cost of those land excursions that had to be canceled. As one would expect, weather interruptions are part of the risk passengers take; there are no refunds for missing the last two planned ports.

The weather continued rainy and foggy the entire week. Not much to be seen from the deck.

Ironically, the weather two weeks earlier had been not only clear, but actually hot - in the mid 80's!

You might want to think of organizing a family get-together on one of the San Juan Islands: Lopez Island, Orcas Island, or San Juan Island are the largest. There are good accommodations on all the islands, and a wide variety of activities are available.

There's a number of ways to get to the San Juans from Sea-Tac since these are major vacation destinations for locals or visitors who've already done the familiar local tourist sites.

I'd offer everybody a choice of vacations and take a vote.

Sorry if I wasn't clear, chi. I was suggesting a smaller, upscale experience when you and your husband take a trip alone. For the whole gang, accommodating lower cost budgets means taking one of the larger lines with bigger ships. Just don't expect an elegant experience, that isn't what they offer.

You won't be spending as much time alone in your cabin when you have a crew along. Don't try to compare the two trips!

Weather is always iffy, but the dry season is actually in May, and possibly into early June if you’re lucky. We had beautiful mild weather on our cruise also. Only one day was a bit overcast and it drizzled a little rain one evening and into the next morning a bit, but not during the on-shore excursion. We had blue skies and saw Denali every single day we were there and enroute on the train, which is extremely rare.

Sorry your weather was bad jakkom. Chi, glad you had such a wonderful honeymoon. We were celebrating our 25th anniversary and a milestone birthday for DH. The cruise folks treated us like royalty.

We have only been on two cruises both Windstar cruises in the Mediterranean. Small boats 150 people max and the entire crew will know your name, food and drink preferences by the end of your trip. In fact one of the stewards regonized us on our second cruise from the one we had taken 5 years earlier! Visits both large and small ports. Not for young kids though, older teens maybe depending on the teen.

I could not get my husband on one of those “cattle boats”

We have been wanting an Alaska cruise but I am afraid we are spoiled. Hmm maybe a Winstar cruise of the Caribbean?

We went on Alaska Dream Cruises, a family owned/operated company. Our boat held about 58 passengers. It was phenomenal! A “small” boat was the best! This was our boat:

https://www.alaskandreamcruises.com/fleet/admiralty-dream

Because the boat was small, we were able to travel waterways that the large cruise boats couldn’t. We got very close to glaciers. Every day there were opportunities to leave the boat to go kayaking or to take a pontoon boat to shore for hiking. 2 naturalists were on the cruise with us and were always available for questions/answers. The naturalists and members of the crew always went kayaking with us. Native Alaskans and National Park Service folk came on board a couple of times to make presentations.

Food was fresh and cooked daily for each meal - no pre-packed food. Fresh baked goods made daily, including fresh cookies at 3pm.

I would not take this cruise with super small kids. However, Alaskan Dream Cruises has family packages and recommends an age limit of 7 yrs. this company was wonderful and I wish We could go again tomorrow!

You may want to wait until your niece and nephew are older. I can understand the 7+ age limitation on the cruise Jmc101 enjoyed so much.

We have never taken an Alaskan cruise. We have cruised the Caribbean, Panama Canal, Mexican Riviera, Mediterranean, Baltic -- a couple of repeats in there.

We took a 7-day Caribbean cruise with my mother and then-3 year old son -- where Grandma and DS shared a cabin and had first sitting, while DH and I lived it up with the late sitting group. DS, of course, doesn't remember any of this, but my mother was ill, and she loved doing it. She'd enjoyed other cruises with friends, and she and I sailed French Line first class to and from England/France when I was 14. (Spoiled me for life...and for any cruise experience available within our budget now. Be careful what treats you allow your youngsters!)

Fortunately, bad weather on our cruise didn't ruin our trip. It was part of a 6-wk drive through the PNW and we had a blast before and after the cruise.

Ironically, after we had done a whale-watch excursion on the cruise (where we saw almost nothing except a couple of spouts and a few glimpses of an orca pod), the next week afterwards we ended up taking a couple of friends on a whale-watching excursion leaving from Victoria BC .

The Victoria boating trip was terrific - just the luck of the draw, lol! Our friends were absolutely thrilled, with humpbacks all around us for several hours, spyhopping and gliding around the boat for lots of up-close shots. It was their first visit to the Seattle area and they loved it all. We go up regularly so the cruise disappointment was minor, really, in the overall scheme of things.

Oh, just had a thought about cruising from Seattle - some hotels run cruise specials for people driving in. Stay one or two nights, and you can leave your car at the hotel for the full week you're on the cruise. Plus, the hotel provides a shuttle to/from the pier. It's a GREAT deal if you're driving.

I was on an 14-day Alaska cruise in June. I saw a Disney ship. Consider that company.

My parents have travelled by ship to Alaska at least 4 times, each time with a different cruise line. Their favourite was the Holland America. Their first time was with Princess Cruise Lines and they were on board for the July 1st Canada Day celebration as well as the 4th Of July celebration. They had a blast. BUT: they never cruise first class. Dad is cheap. They take a room near the boiler room (sarcasm) that has no window and two single beds that mom says, "leave them apart! I never get to sleep alone anymore!" lol They loved all their trips.