For our Vancouver to Seward cruise, we flew into SEA and spent the night. The next day we took the train to Vancouver and spent another night there before boarding. We made the extra "hop" a part of the experience as the train had some great views especially of eagles.
Also, when dealing with airlines, I try hard (even though sometimes its more expensive) to get direct flights. As a 2 hr delay on a direct flight is annoying, but nothing major. But that same 2 hr delay to a connection could cause a day or more wait due to missing that connection. I know that sometimes you have no choice, but minimizing those connections can really lower the risk level. 🙂
And finally, arriving a couple of days early can be very helpful in getting over jet-lag. We have a cruise out of Rome coming up (traveling from the US) which means there is a 7 hr time difference. If possible, I'd rather be well on my way to getting over jet-lag before the cruise starts.