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If you go

February 6, 2005

WALK ON A GLACIER. Travel by seaplane for sightseeing in a remote fjord. Go for a train ride into the Yukon. Kayak, fish for salmon, walk through a temperate rain forest, attend a fish fry - or rent a Jeep and drive off into the back country.

Cruise lines call these "shore excursions." And when it comes to excursions, there is a world of possibilities when it comes to cruising Alaska.

The major cruise lines all offer a wide range of shore excursions - generally, a handful of choices at every port - covering a wide range of interests. And prices. You can easily double the cruise price with all the add-ons. Your choices can make - or break - your experience. It works like this:

Book your cruise. Choose an itinerary based on desired cruise length - Alaska cruises generally run 7-14 days - as well as destinations and sailing direction. Cabin prices vary dramatically, based on whether you want an interior stateroom [no window] or a royal suite. Air fare from New York can easily cost as much per person as the cheapest rooms.

We chose a cruise that sailed north-to-south, because I wanted to sail the picturesque Inside Passage at the end of our cruise. We also chose a cruise that departed Alaska and disembarked in Vancouver, British Columbia, rather than a cruise that began and ended in one port - usually Seattle, Vancouver or San Francisco.

Once you have reserved your cruise, the cruise lines will let you select excursions from a wide range of choices.

You can book these onboard, but it is best to reserve these as soon after booking as possible - often, participation is limited. A guided helicopter landing on a glacier can run several hundred dollars per person. A tram ride up Mount Roberts in Juneau was $19.

Budget accordingly. My son loves to fish - and so I booked a salmon fishing charter trip in Hoonah ($179 each) instead of a whale-watching excursion. I figured we could see whales from the fishing boat but couldn't fish from the whale-watching boat. It was a good choice: We caught fish - and saw whales - for the price of one excursion.

We also booked a four-hour train ride on the historical White Pass & Yukon Railway in Skagway. Cost: $99 each.

We did have two disappointments: a tour to Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau and a lumberjack show in Ketchikan. I thought the glacier tour would allow us time to walk on a glacier. It didn't. The lumberjack show turned out to be gimmicky and left us wishing we had made a different choice.

If your budget allows, consider an extra week - or weekend - in Alaska at either end of your cruise for a side trek to Denali National Forest and a visit to Mount McKinley, the tallest peak in North America.

Our total cost? Though difficult, we managed to find a booking just three weeks before our departure date of July 30. We booked an interior stateroom, the least-expensive category on the ship and got in for the near-rock bottom price of $799 per person. With airfare, port charges and tax, the bill came to $3,271. Shore excursions added another $750 to the bill but were more than worth the cost.

- John Valenti