I received a number of inquiries this week from readers with questions about Alaska vacation options. As I pointed out in a past column, your choices for Alaska vacations are almost overwhelming. For more detail on Alaska vacation options visit http://www.alaskacruisesandlandtours.com/. You’ll find itinerary descriptions, maps and trip information there.
Q: I only have one week of vacation that I can be gone in the summer. What’s the best way to see Alaska in that amount of time?
A: Your best option would probably be a one week Inside Passage Cruise. This will be a roundtrip cruise visiting southeast Alaska. You will only see about 28% of the state, but it is an incredibly beautiful 28%. These are often times referred to as the Voyage of the Glaciers. They are typically seven day itineraries embarking and disembarking from Seattle or Vancouver BC.
Your typical Ports of Call on an Inside Passage cruise would be any three of the following depending on which ship you are on;
Ketchikan – The Salmon capitol of the world
Juneau – Alaska’s capitol and the only state capitol inaccessible by driving
Hoonah – Icy Point Straight– rich in fishing history and wildlife viewing
Skagway – Gateway to the great Gold Rush in the Yukon
Sitka – home of beautiful Russian Orthodox cathedrals and rich history.
You will visit one of the three principal glaciers on an Inside Passage cruise. All of these are spectacular in their own way and I don’t think you will be disappointed.
Glacier Bay National Park
Hubbard Glacier
Tracy Arm/Misty Fjord with the Twin Sawyer Glaciers
You have plenty of choices for an inside passage cruise from Seattle. If you are doing a roundtrip cruise, unless you have a great desire to go to Vancouver, it is much easier to simply embark and disembark from Pier 66 & Pier 30 right here in Seattle. Just a few short years ago there was only one ship sailing to Alaska from Seattle. That has changed dramatically. Here are your choices for 2007;
Princess Cruise Line – Premium quality with traditional cruising experience
Golden Princess
Sun Princess
Holland America – The “granddaddy” of Alaska cruises and tours celebrating their 58th year sailing to Alaska. Premium quality, very traditional with two formal nights. All those “Dam” ships
Amsterdam.
Oosterdam,
Noordam
Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines – A solid choice for families and active adventurers
Vision of the Seas
Norwegian Cruise Line – Relaxed and informal with freestyle cruising. A comfortable way to see Alaska without taking tuxedos, suits, ties and evening gowns There is a strongly held belief in Alaska that “tuxedos and sequins scare the bears,”
Norwegian Pearl – the newest ship sailing to Alaska with an onboard bowling alley
Norwegian Star
If you want to travel to Vancouver for your roundtrip Alaska cruise, there are plenty of choices with seven ships sailing these itineraries. You will have additional transportation cost whether you fly, drive, or go by train. Roundtrip transfers from SeaTac airport generally run around $80 per person. A great way to go is by AMTRAK leaving Seattle’s Union Station at 7:30AM and arriving in Vancouver at 11:45AM. You are just a short cab ride to the cruise pier. Cruises embark and disembark from Canada Place and Ballentyne Piers in downtown Vancouver.
If you want to see a little more of Alaska and you only have seven days to do it, you can opt for a Gulf of Alaska Cruise. These are seven day cruises either northbound from Vancouver to Seward or Whittier or southbound cruises in reverse. You would fly into Anchorage for southbound cruises or home from there for northbound itineraries. Obviously your airfare costs make this a more expensive option. The advantage of a Gulf of Alaska cruise is you continue northbound from either Hubbard or Glacier Bay across the Gulf of Alaska visiting Prince William Sound and College Fjord and the seven Ivy League Glaciers. You will begin or end your cruise through Kenai Fjords National Park. All the major cruise lines have ships sailing north and southbound itineraries.
In addition to the choices outlined above, there are a number of small ship “up close and personal” options with Cruise West, America West Steamboat Company, American Safari cruises and Clipper Cruises. These will take you where the big ships can’t go and focus on the history, culture and lifestyle of rural Alaska.
Q: I only have one week of vacation that I can be gone in the summer. What’s the best way to see Alaska in that amount of time?
A: Your best option would probably be a one week Inside Passage Cruise. This will be a roundtrip cruise visiting southeast Alaska. You will only see about 28% of the state, but it is an incredibly beautiful 28%. These are often times referred to as the Voyage of the Glaciers. They are typically seven day itineraries embarking and disembarking from Seattle or Vancouver BC.
Your typical Ports of Call on an Inside Passage cruise would be any three of the following depending on which ship you are on;
Ketchikan – The Salmon capitol of the world
Juneau – Alaska’s capitol and the only state capitol inaccessible by driving
Hoonah – Icy Point Straight– rich in fishing history and wildlife viewing
Skagway – Gateway to the great Gold Rush in the Yukon
Sitka – home of beautiful Russian Orthodox cathedrals and rich history.
You will visit one of the three principal glaciers on an Inside Passage cruise. All of these are spectacular in their own way and I don’t think you will be disappointed.
Glacier Bay National Park
Hubbard Glacier
Tracy Arm/Misty Fjord with the Twin Sawyer Glaciers
You have plenty of choices for an inside passage cruise from Seattle. If you are doing a roundtrip cruise, unless you have a great desire to go to Vancouver, it is much easier to simply embark and disembark from Pier 66 & Pier 30 right here in Seattle. Just a few short years ago there was only one ship sailing to Alaska from Seattle. That has changed dramatically. Here are your choices for 2007;
Princess Cruise Line – Premium quality with traditional cruising experience
Golden Princess
Sun Princess
Holland America – The “granddaddy” of Alaska cruises and tours celebrating their 58th year sailing to Alaska. Premium quality, very traditional with two formal nights. All those “Dam” ships
Amsterdam.
Oosterdam,
Noordam
Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines – A solid choice for families and active adventurers
Vision of the Seas
Norwegian Cruise Line – Relaxed and informal with freestyle cruising. A comfortable way to see Alaska without taking tuxedos, suits, ties and evening gowns There is a strongly held belief in Alaska that “tuxedos and sequins scare the bears,”
Norwegian Pearl – the newest ship sailing to Alaska with an onboard bowling alley
Norwegian Star
If you want to travel to Vancouver for your roundtrip Alaska cruise, there are plenty of choices with seven ships sailing these itineraries. You will have additional transportation cost whether you fly, drive, or go by train. Roundtrip transfers from SeaTac airport generally run around $80 per person. A great way to go is by AMTRAK leaving Seattle’s Union Station at 7:30AM and arriving in Vancouver at 11:45AM. You are just a short cab ride to the cruise pier. Cruises embark and disembark from Canada Place and Ballentyne Piers in downtown Vancouver.
If you want to see a little more of Alaska and you only have seven days to do it, you can opt for a Gulf of Alaska Cruise. These are seven day cruises either northbound from Vancouver to Seward or Whittier or southbound cruises in reverse. You would fly into Anchorage for southbound cruises or home from there for northbound itineraries. Obviously your airfare costs make this a more expensive option. The advantage of a Gulf of Alaska cruise is you continue northbound from either Hubbard or Glacier Bay across the Gulf of Alaska visiting Prince William Sound and College Fjord and the seven Ivy League Glaciers. You will begin or end your cruise through Kenai Fjords National Park. All the major cruise lines have ships sailing north and southbound itineraries.
In addition to the choices outlined above, there are a number of small ship “up close and personal” options with Cruise West, America West Steamboat Company, American Safari cruises and Clipper Cruises. These will take you where the big ships can’t go and focus on the history, culture and lifestyle of rural Alaska.
