Okay, except the cruises are on huge ships with stabilizers, and are on protected "Inside Passage" waters, not on open ocean, provided you depart and arrive in Vancouver BC.

I would happily swap a glacier cruise on Prince William Sound for the expense and hassle of going all the way to Glacier Bay. Use that money for a flightseeing or bear viewing trip in southcentral or interior Alaska, or to visit someplace in the north.

What's your plan in the event the Denali road isn't open?

We are now thinking whether we should include Denali in the itinerary. Not sure if we want to be sitting in a bus for hours. Is it worth going all the way to do a few short hikes? If We are not going to Denali then does visiting Talkeetna also becomes questionable?

As for Glacier bay, yes it certainly adds to the expense but I am also reading that PWS and Glacier bay are very different experiences. Is that the case?

With a long list of places to visit, we are unlikely to do another trip to Alaska so definitely want to get to the special places.