Hello from fellow Cincinnatian.
My DH and I have done 8 Alaska cruises. First couple were in balcony cabins, then we switched to inside cabins for the savings. As others have said, best views are out on the decks. Some ships have better viewing locations than others.
Yes the airfare from Cincinnati is a killer, but so is the return trip. Seattle flights are a little easier, but I don’t like the itinerary for round trip Seattle.
We have not cruised since COVID, and I am still anxious about being on a large ship. I was just looking at some itineraries, but the flights turned me off. Several times we took red eyes home. Now that we’re in our early 70s, don’t want to do that any more.