We are planning an Alaska trip for next summer.
Just 2 of us will be travelling. We want to spend about 5-7 nights in Alaska.

Is it better to fly roundtrip from Seattle to Anchorage and drive around?
Or
Is it better to take a cruise from Seattle?
Or
Is it better to take a combination of the above?

We want to see Glaciar bay, Denali and some other beautiful scenic
places in Alaska.

1. What is cheaper?
2. what are the best sights to see?

Please advise.
Thanks
-njs

5-7 nights isn't a lot of time to see very much! I don't think any of your options is necessarily 'better' than the others - it depends on what you want. I have no interest in taking a cruise anywhere, but that's just me - you may love cruises.

I think the only way you will see Glacier Bay is on a cruise.

Denali is inland.

You might be able to find a cruise that has an add-on option for a land tour to Denali, I think that is pretty common. But, it might be hard to find a package like that that could fit into your time frame.

You might consider focusing on Denali (if Denali is really important to you) and some part of the Kenai Peninsula. From Seward on the Kenai, you could take a long day cruise out into Resurrection Bay and Kenai Fjords National Park to see glaciers and wildlife. But, there will be people who will tell you even that is an aggressive itinary for as short a time as you have.

As far as cheaper, the main advice I have is that the shoulder seasons of May/early June and late August/September MAY be cheaper in some cases. But, you have to be careful there, because some things you want to see/do may not be open in the shoulder season. My other advice is to figure out what you want, and then try to find what you want at a reasonable price. If you can't find what you want reasonably, figure out where you can compromise and try again. I don't think there are a lot of 'deals' to Alaska, so I think the better approach is just to try to get the best price for what you want as opposed to chasing 'deals' and ending up with a trip that is not what you intended.

Thanks for your ideas.
We dont like cruises either.

But if there is no other option to see some sights, we have to take it.

If 5-7 nights are not enough, what do you think would be a decent amount of time to see most of the attractions in Alaska?

Is it possible to just fly roundtrip between seattle and Anchorage and see most of the attractions by driving around(rent a car) AND taking daylong cruises to the National parks inaccessible by road?

How much time would that require?
Can someone think of a good itirinary for us?

Thanks!!

It's really going to be hard to see both interior Alaska (Denali) and Glacier Bay. You can fly to Fairbanks or Anchorage and rent a car to visit the interior. You will have to take a cruise for Glacier Bay. The options are: a major cruise line, which will also give you more glaciers and several towns such as Juneau and Skagway; a private charter; or a public touring boat, available from Anchorage, Juneau, etc. I believe there is one company that says it's the only day cruise from Anchorage to Glacier Bay. The best value is the landtour and cruise combination.

If you had seven days, you could get a brief look at AK.

Day 1) Fly to AK, spend night in Anchorage. Visit Museum of History and Art if schedule allows.

Day 2) Drive to Denali with a stop in Talkeetna for McKinley glacier landing or flight seeing.

Day 3) Shuttle bus into Wonder Lake.

Day 4) Long drive to Seward with stops along Seward Highway (Alyeska tram, Exit Glacier) and dinner at Ray's in Seward.

Day 5) All-day Kenai Fjords cruise and evening drive to Homer. (This isn't Glacier Bay, but you'll likely see calving glaciers and more sealife.)

Day 6) Homer/Halibut Cove visit.

Day 7) Drive back to Anchorage with dinner at Double Musky on the way.

---

An alternate would be turn Day 4 into a drive to Palmer/ Wasilla with a stop at Hatcher Pass, then head on Day 5 to Valdez and on Day 6 catch the Valdez ferry to Whittier via Prince William Sound.

Buy the Milepost magazine to help plan your trip. We have been to Alaska twice. One in early August by taking the Alaska State ferry from Bellingham WA to Skagway but we had a car with us and had to drive about 800 miles to Anchorage. It was a beautiful drive but very long. We really liked the ferry and Skagway but it's difficult to get from Skagway to Anchorage without a car. We made our second visit this year, 3 weeks instead of 2 and I really think you need at least 2 weeks. We flew into Anchorage but spent most of our time on the Kenai peninsula. Taking an all day Kenai Fjords cruise out of Seward is a great substitute for the Inside Passage cruise. Keep in mind that the scenery from Anchorage to Seward is incredible. Anchorage to Denali isn't as pretty. We have not been to Denali, only went as far north as Peters Creek/Talkeetna. We enjoyed Hatchers Pass and visiting the mine but I think there is more to see and do on the Anchorage to Seward route. I really liked Homer and could have spent more time there. We enjoyed the package trip to Seldovia but wouldn't recommend it for people short on time. The Pratt Museum in Homer is a must see.
This year's trip was planned around some events we wanted to enjoy which included a wonderful 4th of July parade in Kenai and the Forest Fair in Girdwood. My other objective was to hear Hobo Jim which we didn't do until the last night (he plays frequently in Soldotna). I also wanted to see the wildflowers in late June.
The 2.5 hour trip from Anchorage to Seward can turn into a whole day affair if you stop at the many scenic visits and take the tram ride up Mt Alyeska. I also liked the Portage Glacier visitors center. In Seward we enjoyed the Sea Life Center but missed the earthquake movie. I think many of the towns in Alaska have a unique personality. We don't fish but watching the fishermen was interesting and a net fisherman gifted us with answers to our questions and a freshly caught salmon. If you are on a budget an the McKinley flight is too expensive, you might consider a 1/2 hour flight see out of Homer on Salty Bay Air which goes over a glacier and is about $50.
Do a search on Alaska and read what's been said over the past year. Have fun.