The price of this luxury cruise was not high, considering the "all inclusive" stuff and size of the cabins (300 sf+ balcony). We booked one of the few outside cabins but were offered a $400 pp upsell to a balcony a week before sailing. The Navigator sailed from Seward with 390 souls on board, on a ship with capacity of 490 or so. The empty cabins meant no long lines, never a wait in the Compass Rose for a two or four top, and extra reservations at steak-house-type Prime 7. We scored four of them without trying.

We did Regent Air. Note that if they can't fly you in timely to make the sailing, they fly you in one day early, and pick up the Hilton room for the night before sail. So our vacation had an extra "free" day.

The itinerary had two more stops in Alaska and then Petropravosk, four stops in Japan and finally Bejing, with the 6* Regent Hotel for one night. I won't describe each stop except to say Bejing was my favorite. A "young" happening city, with prices one-third that of Tokyo. Read more