<p class="ingestion featured-caption">I keep booking Alaskan cruises to see more of the state's beautiful scenery and wildlife. Ken Edmonds</p><ul class="summary-list"><li>I've been on four <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/alaska-cruise-expensive-princess-7-day-what-it-costs-2024-1">Alaskan cruises</a>, and I'd happily take more just for the beautiful sights.</li><li>I love starting the cruise in Vancouver and traveling north <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/alaska-state-ferry-inside-passage-cruise-juneau-ketchikan-review-photos-2022-7">through the Inside Passage</a>.</li></ul><p>If there were <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/skip-caribbean-cruises-what-to-do-instead-frequent-traveler">only one place I could cruise</a> for the rest of my life, I'd choose Alaska. I've enjoyed other destinations, but the northernmost US state is unmatched in terms of sheer, unspoiled beauty.</p><p>Glaciers — particularly those <a target="_blank" href="https://affiliate.insider.com?h=e779760528ddfc203a57428c1ffc8e79b06632a72deb55cbcb07d03523def6c1&postID=67190c5b3c2e2ca7570bf091&postSlug=alaskan-cruises-best-things-views-better-than-tropical-ships-2024-10&site=bi&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nature.com%2Farticles%2Fs41467-024-49269-y">in and around Juneau</a> — are melting at alarming rates, and I don't want to squander any of my remaining opportunities to take the natural beauty in.</p><p>Luckily, Alaska's cruise industry is booming. In fact, at the start of October, residents of Juneau <a target="_blank" class href="https://juneau.org/clerk/elections">voted against a bill</a> that would ban cruise ships on Saturdays because the industry is so crucial to the local economy.</p><p>With four Alaskan cruises under my belt — and more to come — here are some of the things that make the route so great.</p>