An Alaska family vacation has become synonymous with an Alaska cruise vacation. In 2012, one million visitors, almost two-thirds of all summer visitors, arrived in Alaska on a cruise ship.

Like the majority of Alaska cruise ship passengers, I disembarked the ship completely smitten with Alaska — that was ten years ago. This summer I returned to Alaska — this time with kids — and spent two weeks exploring Southeast Alaska by ferry, small plane and small ship cruise; I’m smitten all over again.