Denali National Park houses North America's highest mountain, 20,320-foot Mount McKinley.

Glacier Bay is designated as a national park, and only a limited number of cruise ships are allowed to sail through at one time. Glacier Bay is particularly notable for its myriad of wildlife.

A short walk from the pier in Haines is Fort William Seward, an Army outpost founded in 1903 and deactivated 60 years ago.

Don't let the remoteness of Alaska's state capital fool you. Juneau is still a city full of stores, museums and, of course, the capitol building. But there's plenty to see outside town. Cruise passengers can visit Mendenhall Glacier as part of the Glacier Helicopter Tour, the Mendenhall Glacier Float Trip, or the Mendenhall Glacier and City Highlights Tour.

Pack your poncho for the port call in Ketchikan, where it frequently rains. If you're a fisherman, take advantage of the visit to the "Salmon Capital of the World" and sign up for a fishing excursion. If people are more your thing, visit the Saxman Native Village, a real working village where hundreds of native people live. For a bird's-eye view of the Alaskan landscape, sign up for Misty Fjords Flightseeing.

Gulf of Alaska cruises usually debark or embark in Seward, which is 125 miles from Anchorage. Passengers usually head straight to or from Anchorage. But if you have some free time in Seward, check out the Alaska SeaLife Center, a research aquarium funded by money from Exxon following the Exxon Valdez oil spill, where the public can view everything from sea otters to seals.

When you arrive in Skagway, consider a trip on the White Pass and Yukon Route Railway. You can take this historic narrow-gauge railway past some stunning scenery to White Pass Summit, where the U.S. and Canadian borders meet.

As your ship sails through Tracy Arm-Sawyer Glacier, look for cliffs, waterfalls, bears and bald eagles.

Valdez is considered the Switzerland of the Alaskan coast. The cruise lines offer the Valdez Sportfishing excursion here.

Vancouver always wins rave reviews from cruisers who embark or debark here. Close to the pier, you'll find Gastown, a neighborhood filled with historic buildings housing restaurants, boutiques and art galleries.

They don't call it British Columbia for nothing! Victoria revels in its British heritage. The Empress Hotel, within walking distance of the port, offers afternoon tea. You can take a city tour via double-decker bus and, of course, how could you have a truly British experience without a castle? Craigdarroch Castle is just outside town.