We went Princess. We have done several cruises, and chose an inside cabin for this one. It was one of the few cruises I wish we would have chosen a balcony. Aslo cruising north get a cabin on the right side of the ship. The coast line, and most of the view, is out the right going up, and left coming back. As most only cruise one way, pick your best view. Now even though we had an inside cabin, it did not stop us from the v iews. There is always somewhere on the ship to sit and watch the scenery go by.
Take a heavy coat, and a rain slicker jacket, even in July. You may not need it, but if you do, you really do! If I could do only one cruise, it would be Alaska.
I would also fly to Alaska, do Denali National Park, and cruise back. Why, you ask? It's hurricane season! There are very few flights out of Anchorage. We went south to north, and Allison hit Houston while we were gone. Our flight was canceled out of Alaska, due to the fact the Continental could not get planes out of Houston. It took us 48 hours to get home!