A belated update to this thread. We had an absolutely fantastic time in Alaska, and cannot wait to return. Many thanks to the contributors in this forum (esp. fti and Jackal) for their helpful input.
I have finally gotten around to posting a trip report (focused on pictures mostly) for our trip. You can find it here:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...-pictures.html. I will be updating it over the next week or so. Hope it helps others in planning their trip!