Everything you hear about "The Great Land of Alaska" is true!

It is big. It is magnificent. It is wildly beautiful…and I believe every American should experience our 49th state at least once in a lifetime.

There are more mountains than buildings and more wildlife than people. Everything seems to be magnified in Alaska including the highest concentration of glaciers and the longest stretch of coastline in the United States.

It is a must-see destination for spectacular natural scenery, majestic wildlife and historic Native Alaskan culture - and it's an excellent cruise vacation for the entire family.

A cruise to Alaska is anything but typical. Many travelers take a one-week Inside Passage cruise while others combine a coastline cruise with a land tour of the interior. The most popular time to travel throughout Alaska is mid-May thru mid-September when the days are longer and the temperature is warmest.

If this is your year to cruise Alaska you're in for a real treat! Alaska offers a huge variety of extremely popular port excursions that sell out on every cruise. Be sure to talk to your travel agent and lock in your favorite tours before you set sail.

Here are a few of my favorite Alaskan port excursions -

KETCHIKAN -
Well-known as the Salmon Capital of the World (a great place to buy and ship salmon home at a fair price), it also boasts the largest collection of totem poles anywhere on the planet. Be sure to check out the Totem Heritage Center and Totem Bight State Park. If you're lucky, you'll be able to watch a certified master carver (fewer than 50 certified carvers in Alaska) at work. Ketchikan is also an easy walking town, featuring a rustic boardwalk on historic Creek Street, famous as the former "red light district". If you like adventure - take off from Ketchikan's bustling harbor to experience a great thrill aboard an awe-inspiring seaplane flight to Misty Fjords National Monument. I guarantee it'll take your breath away.

JUNEAU -
Originally called Harrisburg (before co-founder Richard Harris fell out of favor with the locals, who then turned their allegiance to Joe Juneau), Juneau is Alaska's capital city. Due to its rugged mountainside position, it can not be reached by road, only by sea and air. I recommend a walking tour beginning at the State Capital building with stops at the Wickersham House , Alaska State Museum (loved the Museum shop for authentic craft souvenirs) and the Governor's Mansion (where a relatively unknown governor named Sarah Pallin once lived with her family a few years ago). I don't think you can be in Juneau without visiting the gigantic bluish-white Menenhall Glacier, the most easily accessible glacier in Alaska, or taking the Mt. Roberts Tramway for a bird's-eye view of the harbor. Before you head back to the ship, enjoy an award-winning Alaskan Amber at the Alaskan Brewing Company or another busy downtown pub.

SKAGWAY -
In 1898, Skagway was a crowded Gold Rush boomtown with a Wild West attitude and reputation. By the mid 1930's, historic preservation began. Today, more money and more than 20 times the visitors come to Skagway in just one year than they did during the entire Gold Rush days. In my opinion there are two things to do in Skagway - take a walking tour to see all the old buildings and historic Gold Rush places, and get onboard The White Pass and Yukon Route train. Considered an international historic civil engineering landmark train trip passing waterfalls, glaciers, tunnels and natural mountain terrain. The vintage parlor cars will take you from the dock to the Trail of '98, including Dead Horse Gulch and cliff-hanging turns up to the White Pass Summit, the boundary between Canada and the United States. You can sit back, relax and take in the scenery while learning all about the exciting Gold Rush days.

SITKA -
Considered one of the world's best places to view wildlife, Sitka is a picturesque town reflecting the history of the early Russian settlers. My top tour choices in Sitka are the Sitka National historic Park (totem poles are everywhere and seem to appear out of nowhere) ; Alaska Raptor Center, a flight training center that looks and feels like a rain forest and where injured bald eagles (and other birds) are nursed back to health ; the Russian Bishop's House ; and St. Michael's Cathedral. Be sure to get your picture taken in front of the cathedral, Sitka's most photographed site.

ANCHORAGE -
Alaska's largest city is a thriving metropolis surrounded by the stunning snow-capped Chugach Mountains. You can easily explore Anchorage by foot with visits to The Anchorage Museum of History and Art and the traditional villages at the Alaska Native Heritage Center. If you're in need of some exercise, rent bikes and ride (or walk) the 11-mile Tony Knowles Coastal Trail. Enjoy the scenery and keep your eyes open for moose - we passed by three of them. The most famous hotel in Anchorage is the rustic Hotel Captain Cook and a good choice for a relaxing drink and a view to remember is the popular Crow's Nest overlooking Cook Inlet, downtown Anchorage and the Chugach Mountains. You never know who you might bump into - Harrison Ford was leaving as we were walking in and apparently a frequent traveler to Alaska.