saint_em

Hi all,

My boyfriend and I are getting married next July, and we're considering Alaska as the destination for our honeymoon.

We'd normally travel to the US in September as we find we can get cheap flights from the UK/Europe at that time of year, but I'm aware that we'll need to travel earlier to make Alaska a practical option.

We've been looking at cruises, but frankly are a little horrified by the awfulness of some of the massive boats. Does anyone have any recommendations for smaller boats? We only really need somewhere to eat, a bar, and a decent spot for sitting on the deck and taking it all in - nightly shows and posh dinners really aren't our cup of tea at all.

I think we want a one-way cruise so that we can add on some time in Alaska to explore further afield than the cruise ports, so is there any advantage to cruising north versus south?

In terms of travelling within Alaska, we'd love to go to Denali, but also to explore the Kenai peninsular. I've read that one-way car rental charges between Fairbanks and Anchorage can be pretty high, so is there a sensible loop that we could do in a week that would mean we'd avoid this? I think we'd like to get the train from Anchorage to Seward as we both love trains.

We're keen on seeing some wildlife, doing a boat trip or two, some short hikes, and eating and drinking (if there's a craft beer brewery or two that you can recommend please do!).

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. We've got the Canadian Rockies on the list too, and possibly Hong Kong and Singapore, so we're still quite open to suggestions, but Alaska is definitely winning so far.