ALASKA

If you can reach out and touch an iceberg or come within feet of a brown bear fishing for salmon, we'd call that getting up close and personal. In Alaska, there's an abundance of glowing blue glaciers and wild animals patrolling the land, air and sea -- and you can see them from the comfort of your cruise ship.

Of course, encountering a moose on a hike or an otter by kayak is arguably more thrilling, but for the less adventurous or able, the wildlife viewing from the deck of your ship is equally satisfying.

As a bonus, most, if not all, Alaska itineraries include scenic cruising days where your sole intention is to whip out the binoculars, grab a coffee and scour the horizon for any sign of a whale tail or bald eagle's white head.

Part of the fun of cruising to Alaska more than once is that it is never the same experience twice. Alaska’s scenery changes from hour to hour, day to day, month to month. In that way, sailing to Alaska is always an adventure.

Cruisers who visit in early spring are likely to still see snow-capped mountains and ice-choked fjords. Those who visit in summer have a great shot at seeing the most wildlife. And those late-season sailing, like my current voyage on Carnival Luminosa, can see everything from sunny, warm days to stormy seas and heavy downpours.