Im planning a suprise Alaskan holiday for my parents. but i need help!!? -

Its both my parents 50th birthdays next year, and since its a bit of a milestone i want to do something special for them. They have both always wanted to go to alaska, I thought about just booking them in for a fortnight in a nice hotel, but they ll want to explore - especially my dad -. I also thought about booking a camper van, but i cant imagine 2 weeks stuck in a camper would be that appealing - especially for my mum - . Maybe a cruise for a week and a camper for the other week? but where should i get the cruise from, and where will it drop off...blah blah blah, basically i think i need to know where are the best places to go, what should they see, this is a once in a lifetime trip and i want to make it as special as possible but also try to keep it with in a reasonable budget. and if anyone can recommend any good cruise companies/ hotels / camper van or car rental companies, i would really appreciate your help.thanks

It s hard to make a recommendation without more information about their likes/dislikes and your budget. But as somebody who has lived in Alaska for over 10 years and brought many friends and family here to see it too, I would recommend a combined approach.First, a cruise from Seattle up the inside passage including Glacier Bay. This will show them the beauty of SE Alaska. Best months are June and July. I would buy them the basic passage and then let them use their own funds to choose and pay for their shore excursions along the cruise. Best excursion is probably the Yukon/Whitepass rail trip out of Skagway. Most cruises are a loop that return them back to Seattle. Choose one that terminates as close to Anchorage as possible instead of looping back to Seattle. Secondly, let them see Denali. Either by renting an RV (google Anchorage RV rental for the main players) or a guided bus trip. (RV would be preferred). After seeing Denali and anything else they want to see, fly back home from Anchorage or Fairbanks. You could reverse the order (land trip first and then cruise back to Seattle) too.Just remember that Alaska is huge, and they won t be able to see everything in one trip. I ve been exploring for over 10 years and have yet to see it all.