Alaska Cruise Expert Guide

The Alaska cruise is a breathtaking adventure that you'll never forget. Giant snow-capped mountains, sparkling glaciers, thick pine forests rising up from the shoreline and abundant wildlife vie for your attention in this dramatic landscape. Towns and villages brimming with history tell a story of the Great Land that will endear Alaska to you forever.

An Alaska cruise typically departs from Seattle in Washington State or from Vancouver in British Columbia. Winters are very harsh in Alaska, so the main cruising season is confined to the summer months, typically between May and September.

The most popular Alaska cruise route takes passengers on a one week round-trip up the Alaskan coastline and through the Inside Passage. This route takes in the ports of Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway and Sitka in the extreme southeast of Alaska. Other cruise routes run to Prince William Sound near the city of Anchorage, and also along the Alaska Peninsula and into the Bering Sea. These longer cruises are often one-way, requiring passengers to make their return journey by train or plane.

Ketchikan is well worth a visit alone for the Tongass National Forest - the most northerly rainforest on the North American continent. It is more than eight times the size of the Yellowstone National Park, and offers the ultimate in adventure tours where you'll find rich salmon runs and grizzly bears. Ketchikan is also home to the world's largest collection of totem poles. These can be found at the Totem Heritage Center Museum.

Juneau, often known as 'little San Francisco', is Alaska's capital. Here you can experience life in a true northern city. The Mendenhall Glacier is sure worth a visit, as is the Sawyer Glacier a little further to the South.

Skagway is Alaska's gold-rush town. It is well preserved and offers access to the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park. Disembark at this port and view the way of the world famous White Pass railroad, before panning for gold in this northern outpost. And when you're done with the gold, why not take time out to watch the whales near Sitka - a haven for these beautiful creatures all year round.

For the more adventurous, an Alaska cruise can take in Kodiak Island in the Gulf of Alaska. Known as Alaska's 'Emerald Isle' Kodiak Island takes visitors back to the time when the first inhabitants settled on the island more than 7,500 years ago. You can even locate Alaska's oldest parish here on Kodiak Island...

John Metcalfe is the author and web publisher of A to Z Cruises your #1 source
for cruise information, discounts and great deals! Visit http://www.azcruises.com now to book your very own dream Alaska Cruise vacation.

In The News:


Ed Perkins on Travel: It's a great time to cruise
San Jose Mercury News,  USA - 7 hours ago
An early season (April 25) seven-night sailing to Alaska on the Norwegian Star starts at $429 per person. A mid-January 10-night trip to the Canary Islands, ...

ABC News

Pirate attack on cruise liner is 'unlikely to put off cruisers'
Telegraph.co.uk, United Kingdom - 9 hours ago
The attack on Nautica happened at around 9.30am on November 30, when the ship was sailing through the Gulf of Aden, in an area patrolled by anti-piracy task ...
Video: Cruise Ship Attacked by Pirates Is Now Docked AssociatedPress
Cruise lines react to pirate attacks TTG live
Could Pirates Attack Your Cruise Ship? Cruise Critic
NYU Local - CBS Newsall 1,153 news articles

Cruise lines slash prices to lure consumers
Palm Beach Post,  United States - 21 hours ago
That dictates that cruise ships sail full with two passengers per berth; often, they fill the third and fourth berths available in cabins. ...

Royal Caribbean to Open Office in Australia in Response to Rise in ...
MarketWatch - Dec 2, 2008
... cruise experience." Next year, Rhapsody of the Seas will embark on its third season in the South Pacific and Australia. Rhapsody of the Seas will sail ...

Home and Away

Kids Cruise Free, Ships Add Balconies
Home and Away - Dec 2, 2008
By Marge Peterson Kids sail free this winter on Costa Cruises when traveling with their parents. This value is available on all 12 seven-day ...

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Sail World, Australia - 1 hour ago
... and his love of sailing brought him to New Zealand in 1999, when he purchased a Lidgard 44 called ‘Hijacker’ and spent two and a half years cruising the ...

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Jamestown Press,  USA - 6 hours ago
She has since retired from Olympic sailing and now focuses her life on writing for magazines such as Sailing World and Cruising World, as well as Seahorse, ...

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As Cruising Yacht Club of Australia Commodore Matt Allen said after winning the IRC Division 1 aboard his Beneteau 44.7 Ichi Ban, ‘Today it was like sailing ...
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