I'm in Greenville, NC, and we did an Alaskan cruise from Seattle last year. The best deal I found was on Alaskan Airlines out of RDU (American from RDU to Dallas Forth Worth, then Alaskan from there to Seattle). We flew home direct on Delta. It was actually cheaper for us to book one-way flights on different carriers, so check that out. I would wait until after the new year to book. Experts say that the best prices are about 6-8 weeks out.