Alaska

Where the cruising is cool and the bargains are hot

Alaska hosts so many ships these days that not only has it officially surpassed the Med as the world's second busiest cruise region (after the Caribbean), but there are some excellent bargains to be found. In the words of cruise expert and author of the Berlitz Ocean Cruising and Cruise Ships guide, Douglas Ward, "prices today are as low as they were in 1980".

Alaska's cold climate limits cruising to roughly four months a year from mid May to mid September. While July and August produce warmer temperatures, they are also the American summer vacation period and best avoided if it's a tranquil cruise holiday you're after. May and September have the best deals as the weather can be chillier.

Cruising in Alaska is split into two main itineraries: the Inside Passage and Glacier (or Gulf of Alaska) route. The Inside Passage is visited on weekly round-trip voyages from Vancouver or Seattle to the old gold rush town of Skagway. Ports of call most commonly include Ketchikan, Sitka, Juneau and Glacier Bay or Hubbard Bay.

The Glacier Route encompasses the Inside Passage plus ports as far north as Anchorage and includes more glacier and fjord visits. Glacier-Route voyages can be one-way north or southbound voyages between Anchorage, Seward or Whittier in the north (in 2004, Whittier will replace Seward as the turnaround point for Princess and Carnival ships) and either Vancouver, Seattle or San Francisco to the south. Longer cruises, from 10 to 14 nights, begin and end in Vancouver, Seattle or San Francisco. Sea conditions can be rougher on sailings to/from San Francisco so a larger ship is recommended for those who suffer from seasickness.

This year will see 29 ships from 13 cruise lines operating in Alaska. Apart from looking for the best deal, the best way to curb your choices is to decide between big and small. Besides the on board activities and entertainment offered by the larger vessels, they have higher decks for viewing and newer ships, such as Star Princess, have many private balconies, lots of glass and well-positioned viewing lounges - great for scenic cruising. What these larger vessels can't do is sail right up to the face of a glacier, into the spray of a waterfall or into a small bay to get intimate with whales, eagles and sea lions. In the big ship category, Holland America - the pioneer of Alaskan cruising - has seven ships in the region, as does Princess. Celebrity, Carnival and RCI also have a presence there. Interestingly, NCL has deployed SuperStar Leo to Alaska for the first time for the 2004 season and, at the luxury end of the market, another newcomer, Silversea's Silver Shadow, will join Crystal Harmony and Seven Seas Mariner in the region.

Sizing down, Alaska's premier small ship company, Cruise West, has the only regularly scheduled program in Prince William Sound, while Society Expeditions sails its expedition vessel World Discoverer to remote parts of Alaska and Russia. Glacier Bay cruise lines offers adventure cruises with sea kayaking and hiking, while Lindblad Expeditions runs adventure cruises of seven nights between Juneau and Sitka. At the high end of the small ship market, Clipper Cruise Line's Yorktown Clipper combines off-the-beaten-path cruising with ultimate luxury.

While Alaska's jaw-dropping glaciers and fjords are best viewed from the water, travellers can experience the best of its abundant national parks and wildlife on land. Most cruise lines combine cruises with a range of land tours, commonly including a train journey in a glass-enclosed railcar through Denali National Park, a stay at a luxury wilderness lodge in Denali and Mount McKinley, and an overnight in Fairbanks, thus bringing the best of both worlds together.

Issue 15 Autumn 2004

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