I am new to this site. Does anyone have an opinion to the absolute best of the best cruises in Alaska?

Welcome mboston. I would say that Regent ranks up there with the best of the best. Regent uses smaller ships and you can get up close and personal, unlike the bigger ships. There is also free and reduced shore excursions in Alaska this year which is HUGE for this area as the excursions are very $$$$. I am taking advantage of the good rates and going for a second time this September.
The only other cruise line that I would consider would be Silversea but I am not sure if they are doing Alaska this season?

Silversea is doing Alaska this season and I think in 2010 as well.

Nancy

Welcome, Mboston.
I agree with Karen that the smaller the ship, the better the scenery. However, I did HAL and enjoyed it because at the time I didn't know about Regent. So, I would think the bottom line is your budget, but if that is not a problem, go for Regent or Silversea.
Lynn

Hmmm... How about a 7-day Regent cruise from Vancouver to Seward, then two weeks by car and plane so you can visit Denali and other interior sites, and then a 7-day Regent cruise from Seward back to Vancouver -- that sounds pretty "best" to me! ;)

Joking aside, the one significant shortcoming to Regent's Alaska itineraries, to me, is that they don't go to Glacier Bay. We were contemplating flying there after our cruise next month to do it on our own, but there were too many other things for us to see on this first visit to Alaska, and because that side trip would add several days, we had to drop the idea. Otherwise, having cruised with Regent multiple times before, I fully expect the cruise experience to be top notch -- and the free and reduced cost excursions this year make a huge difference in allowing us to see and do more than we'd have done paying full cost for the expensive Alaska excursions.

-- Eric

Wow, I like that idea, of back to back Alaska cruises with a couple of weeks touring in between! Now all I have to do is win the lottery!

Wish I'd thought of that! Sounds great! Is Glacier Bay restricted only to HAL and Princess?

I never looked closely at the itinerary. I have only been to Glacier Bay, but some people I know have been to both Glacier and Hubbard, and they liked Hubbard better, so who knows?
Lynn

The National Park Service issues a limited number of permits each year, and Regent must be too small, or too new to Alaska cruising (compared to the others), or not as environmentally sound to qualify.

The number of cruise ships entering the bay during the prime season of June through August is limited to 153, with no more than two per day, in order to protect park resources. Up to 92 additional ships are authorized in May and September.

About half the allowed trips are alloted to lines which have historical rights that pre-date the current system, and the rest are awarded under a competitive bidding process. The NPS recently signed new 10-year contracts for the next decade of cruising with four cruise ship companies: Princess, Holland America Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, and Cruise West. From what I read, Regent did not submit a bid -- and therefore won't likely have a cruise that visit Glacier Bay until at least 2020!

From comments I've read over the past year of researching our upcoming Alaska trip from people who have visited at least two of the big three -- Hubbard, Glacier Bay and Tracy Arm -- each has its champions, but more people seem to name Glacier Bay as their top destination among those three. We tried to work it into our post-cruise itinerary for this June, but flying there and back took too much time, and we'll have to save it for a future visit to Alaska!

-- Eric