You'll spend a day in Seattle, where there's plenty to do. Lively Pike's Place Market (where vendors famously toss fish) the Space Needle, and the Experience Music Project are among the city's best-known attractions

You'll continue on to Astoria, Ore., on the Columbia River, just a few miles off the Pacific Coast. This was an important fur-trading portand today it offers tour of historic homes or museums, such as the Columbia River Maritime Museum. The two-week voyage concludes with two days at sea, a day in San Francisco, and your arrival in San Diego.

Hubbard Glacier, Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve (MedioImages/Corbis) [enlarge photo]

Be sure to pack layers! The weather in mid-September varies greatly between some stops along the route (think San Diego vs Seattle vs Juneau). Be forewarned that in southeastern Alaska, temperatures are typically in the mid-50s during the day and cooler at night.

Getting There The cruise departs from Vancouver and ends in San Diego; airfare is not included. Recent searches on Kayak for mid-September produced the following round-trip multicity fares: $235 from Seattle (Alaska Airlines), $353 from L.A. (United), $384 from Chicago (Frontier), $439 from New York City (Delta), and $459 from Boston (Northwest).

Related Stories:

• Alaska Cruise Tips

• Homer, Alaska: Coolest Small Town

• Vancouver's Vintage Fashion Boutiques