We want to take out 8 and 11 y/o sons on an Alaskan trip along. We figured on a land and cruise package; but the cost seems outrageous. Any suggestions on booking independently or package deals? Itinerary recommendations are welcome, too.

We took our 9 and 11 year old sons to Alaska last summer. We rented a RV for 2 weeks, and had a wonderful trip. We had never done a RV trip, and I am certainly not the "RV type" but I highly recommend it. We saw so much of Alaska, and could go where we wanted, when we wanted.

We did both a cruise and then drove on our own. We stayed in a beautiful spot in Seward.Alaska Saltwater Lodge is located about 2 miles south of Seward on the shore of Resurrection Bay. We stayed in the very large apartment with fantastic views for five nights. Here is the linkhttp://www.alaskasaltwaterlodge.com/seward_lodging.htm
Near Talkeetna we also enjoyed these accomodations http://www.gatecreekcabins.com/aboutus.asp
Then we found some cabins in Healy. We thought all of them were reasonable and very enjoyable.

jrecm---I looked at the Saltwater Lodge website and they do not mention an apartment. Did you stay in their Lowell Point cottage?

We are going to Alaska in June with our almost-adult kids (17 and 21). And we were also shocked at how expensive Alaska is - but I guess it makes sense considering location.

We checked into RV rental and found it as expensive as getting hotel/lodge rooms when gas, mileage costs, etc were factored in. Of course it is also a vacation-style choice so cost alone did not rule it out for us. We did not want to all be confined to that amount of space all day/night or to have to take it with us everywhere we went. But there are obvious advantages - so I think it is something to consider for your family.

What we are going to do is a one-way cruise from Whittier to Vancouver. Inside cabins are much less expensive; or you might want to look at a slightly larger balcony cabin that could fit all 4 of you. Then there are excursions at ports - I have been told one can do the same or better for less money by booking independently or even renting a car - we have not gotten that far into planning yet.

We will be spending about 8 days prior to cruise on land, with a rental car (also more expensive than anywhere else). We will do a day in Anchorage, 3 days in Denali and the rest likely driving Kenai Peninsula. There are various lodges, some including at least partial kitchen, that would save some money. But hotel rooms in Anchorage and other areas are also expensive.

Airfare is also very high, but we were fortunate enough to be able to use FF miles for that.

If you want another option, you might consider Yellowstone and Grand Teton - we did that 2 years ago and it was a huge success.

While the Grand Teton range is beautiful, in Alaska you will be completely surrounded by eye popping gorgeous mountain range after mountain range after spectacular mountain range. It is more than worth the extra cost and hassle to get there. Enjoy!