Cruising Alaska: A Guide to the Ships & Ports of Call 7th ed.
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Cruising Alaska - Norton
Cruising Alaska
7th Edition
Clark Norton
Hunter Publishing, Inc.
Acknowledgements
I want to give special thanks to those who helped make my researches more productive and enjoyable: Mike Miller of AlaskaCruisingReport.com; Elizabeth Arnett of the Juneau Convention & Visitors Bureau; Gordon Thorne, Susan Kelly, Amy Venema and the entire crew of American Safari Cruises; my favorite Aussie fellow travelers, Richard and Anne Church and Rob and Jill Robertson; Mike Frey, for pulling me out of the mud in Glacier Bay, and Diane Frey, for waking Mike up; talented NPS ranger Emily Mount for her insights into Glacier National Park; fellow New Yorker James Duffy for his wit and grit; Tim Gallagher, Vance Gullicksen and Joyce Oliva of Carnival Cruise Lines; Elizabeth Jakeway of Celebrity Cruises; Rose Abello and Mary Schimmelman of Holland America; AnneMarie Matthews, Courtney Recht and Susan Robison of Norwegian Cruise Line; Susanne Ferrull, Julie Benson and Karen Candy of Princess Cruises; Lynn Martenstein, Tracy Quan and Lyan Sierra-Caro of Royal Caribbean International; Dena DiOrio of Crystal Cruises; Brian Major and Andrew Poulton of Regent Seven Seas; Brad Ball of Silversea; Wendy Hooper-Greenhill of Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, who sustained me with Twiglets; Jerrol Golden and Terence Gallagher of Cruise West; my friends Peter Knego of Maritime Matters and Steve Kravitz of the Niche Cruise Marketing Alliance; and Lanie Fagan and Dawn Weissman at the Cruise Lines International Association. Many thanks also (for their trust and patience) to Kim Andre and Michael Hunter of Hunter Publishing, and finally to my supportive family, especially those who have accompanied me on cruises to Alaska: Catharine, Grael, Lia, Mary Beth, Mary E. and Clark F. Norton.
Preface
Where would we take my parents for their 50th wedding anniversary? One destination quickly popped to mind: My mother and father had already traveled to 49 states; Alaska would be their 50th. And with seven of us - including my 70-something parents, my sister, my wife, and our two then-preteen kids - set to make the trip, we chose the one mode of transport guaranteed to please three generations: a cruise through southeastern Alaska's Inside Passage.
It worked out beautifully. As we sailed north on a seven-night Royal Caribbean International ship out of Vancouver, each generation was able to pursue its own interests onboard. My parents seemed determined to partake in every shipboard activity geared toward anyone over school age - from power-walking the ship's jogging track (dressed in their sweats) to attending lectures on Alaska's natural wonders (taking copious notes) to applauding the stage shows offered in the evenings (some of them corny and amateurish, sure - but free!). My parents even participated in a shipboard version of the Newlywed Game,
in which they were the token oldieweds
(enough said about that).
My kids - son Grael, age 11, and daughter Lia, age eight - immersed themselves in the supervised children's programs, which kept them busy with arts and crafts projects, games, and parties. Grael also sang in the shipboard talent show, performing his soprano version of Shenandoah that he had honed during his years with a boys chorus. Meanwhile my sister, my wife, and I took advantage of a week at sea - and the kids being otherwise occupied - to sit on deck reading, absorbing the scenery, watching for whales and eagles, and enjoying the late-August breezes. I also volunteered to organize the shipboard table tennis tournament - and still lost. We had plenty of family time together as well, joining up for three multi-course meals a day in the dining room, including one salmon dinner capped appropriately by baked Alaska, another by a celebratory wedding anniversary cake. We exploring every port call as a group.
On this cruise, we stopped at Ketchikan, Skagway, Haines and Juneau, four of the most colorful and scenic ports along the Inside Passage, the protected waterway that wends its way past islands, villages, glaciers, fjords and mountain peaks. With seven of us, we couldn't afford most of the pricey official shore excursions, so we happily made do with strolling through the towns, soaking up the local color and pausing from time to time to browse through museums or souvenir shops. In Ketchikan, which exudes a frontier, almost Wild West atmosphere, we discovered parks and museums filled with totem poles, and intriguing wooden walkways that crossed creeks and led to twisting back alleyways. Skagway was another atmospheric frontier-style town, where we hiked out to a Gold Rush-era cemetery, peered into old-time saloons, and watched salmon spawning in a stream. Tiny Haines, just south of Skagway, occupies one of the most beautiful settings in the entire state, while the modern, bustling capital of Juneau is home to a nearby glacier, a mountain tramway, a Russian Orthodox church and the Alaska State Museum.
We did splurge on one organized shore excursion, and it was a good one: the famous White Pass and Yukon Railroad out of Skagway. This vintage narrow-gauge railway climbs to the 2,865-foot White Pass summit following an 1890s-era Gold Rush trail to the Yukon, complete with views of waterfalls, gorges, and trestles. During the three-hour, 40-mile ride, passengers sit in parlor cars while listening to narrated Gold Rush tales. But some of the most memorable sights of the trip were visible right from the ship's deck. In Tracy Arm fjord, which the captain maneuvered about expertly, we were treated to close-up views of ice-blue glaciers, sheer cliffs, floating icebergs and cascading waterfalls. And when we saw a glacier calving
- with huge chunks of ice breaking off and plunging into the water, creating a thundering roar that echoed down the narrow fjord - the entire shipload of passengers broke into a collective chorus of oohs
and aahs.
That cruise was some years ago, and, while there have been changes on the Alaska cruising scene since then (see What's New in Alaska Cruising,
below), much of what we discovered there remains. Recently back from my latest Alaska cruise - this one an adventure-oriented American Safari Cruises small-ship voyage through Glacier Bay and some lesser-known parts of the Inside Passage - I was struck once again by how the powerful allure of Alaska never seems to fade, no matter how many times one returns. Alaska's combination of scenic splendor, raw nature, native cultures, Gold Rush history, and extraordinary wildlife continues to seduce even the most jaded travelers, making it no surprise that Alaska has exploded in popularity as a cruise destination over the past two decades. Where else can Americans cruise through such an exotic
wilderness without having to leave the country? Alaska cruises also make sense for practical reasons. Most ship itineraries last one week, long enough to really get away from it all but short enough to sustain everyone's interest throughout. Most departures are from Seattle or Vancouver, B.C. (a few are from California), so North Americans don't have to cross an ocean to get there. And because of its far-north weather, the cruising season neatly coincides with summer vacation time - from May to mid-September, with peak season from June through August - when Alaskan temperatures average from the 50s up to the mid-70s.
A few things to keep in mind: High demand, combined with a short season, means that Alaska cruises have traditionally been priced higher than those in Mexico or the Caribbean. Last-minute discounts may also be hard to come by, although in 2009's economic downturn, at least, they were plentiful. Generally speaking, though, to be assured of securing space on the ship you want, it's wise to book an Alaska cruise in January or February (especially if you require family-sized cabins in mid-summer).
You have plenty of options: some 40 ships on 14 different lines - totaling hundreds of sailings - sailed Alaska itineraries in 2009. (You can also travel the Alaska Marine Highway system, ferries that make numerous stops and allow you to get on and off where and when you please; we cover that in Part 2 of this book.) Besides the ports that my family visited on that first Alaska voyage, many Inside Passage cruises include the historic town of Sitka, capital of 19th-century Russian colonial Alaska, with its colorful onion-domed churches and native Tlingit heritage. You can also venture beyond the Inside Passage north to the Gulf of Alaska, home of Prince William Sound, Kenai Fjords National Park, and the towns of Seward, Whittier, and Cordova as well as nearby Anchorage. Some ships even roam as far northwest as the Aleutian Islands and Russia.
No matter where you go in Alaska, you'll take in sights that are found nowhere else in the country. But the way you see them - the vantage point and the experience - can vary greatly, depending largely on which type of ship you choose, particularly its size. Alaska cruise ships range from small yachts that carry a dozen passengers to mega-ships capable of hauling 2,500 people or more. For many cruisers, the larger ships, operated by Carnival, Celebrity, Norwegian, Holland America, Princess and Royal Caribbean cruise lines, have a lot to recommend them. Averaging around 2,000 passengers, they're geared toward satisfying a wide variety of tastes - visiting the most popular ports and serving up near-round-the-clock food and entertainment - and are loaded with shipboard activities of every type. The big ships also tend to be relatively easy on the budget, averaging much lower basic cruise rates than small ships. They tempt passengers with attractive shore excursions such as lumberjack shows, Tlingit dance exhibitions, salmon bakes, gold panning, dog sledding, glacial river floating and even bear-watching by floatplane. Keep in mind that while organized shore excursions can add a lot to a cruise experience, they can also add a lot to your expenses.
At the other end of the spectrum, much smaller expedition-style
vessels, such as those operated by American Safari Cruises, Lindblad Expeditions, Cruise West, Discovery Voyages and others, offer a more adventurous cruising experience. Accompanied by naturalists and carrying no more than 120 passengers - often far fewer - these more maneuverable ships can visit out-of-the-way islands, ports, and inlets that the bigger ships can't reach. On many, passengers can board Zodiacs or kayaks to get even closer to whales and other attractions. Expect to pay handsomely for all this personal attention; small ships often come at luxury-line prices. And if you're just seeking plain old-fashioned luxury, you can opt for lines like Regent Seven Seas or Silversea, which have mid-size ships (400 to 700 passengers) and plenty of onboard amenities. We'll explore all of these options in greater depth later in the book.
Contents
Preface
Part I: Introduction to Alaska & Cruising
Cruising: A Hot Travel Trend
What's New in Alaska Cruising
A Brief Survey of Alaska
Facts
Alaskan Superlatives
Geography
Alaska's Parklands
Alaskan History
Alaskan People &Culture
Alaskan Wildlife
Part 2: Cruise Lines & Their Ships
Setting Priorities
Choosing the Right Cruise Line
Selecting a Ship
Settling on a Stateroom
Alaska Cruising Itineraries
Evaluating the Itineraries
The Cruise Lines
Interpreting the Ship Statistics
Mainstream/Big Ship Lines
Luxury Lines
Small Ship/Expedition-Style Lines
Other Lines (Segments of World Cruises)
Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS)
Part 3: Onboard Sightseeing
The Frozen World Of Glaciers
Icebergs - Glacier Offpsring
The Inside Passage
Misty Fjords National Monument
Tracy & Endicott Arms
Lynn Canal
Glacier Bay National Park
Prince William Sound
College Fjord
Part 4: Ports of Call
Options in Port
Cruise Ship Shore Excursions
Independent Organized Shore Excursions
Exploring the Port On Your Own
Inside Passage Ports
Ketchikan
Tourist Information
Arrival
Getting Around
Internet Access
A Day in Ketchikan
Totem Poles - Silent Storytellers
Other Attractions
Entertainment
Festivals
Shopping
Organized Excursions
Sitka
Travel Information
Arrival
Getting Around
Internet access
A Day in Sitka
Other Sights
Entertainment
Festivals
Shopping
Sports & Recreation
Juneau
Travel Information
Arrival
Getting Around
Internet Access
A Day in Juneau
Other Museums & Historic Attractions
Food- & Drink-Related Attractions
Attractions Outside Town
Entertainment
Shopping
Sports & Recreation
Skagway
Travel Information
Arrival
Getting Around
Entertainment
Out-of-Town Excursions
Shopping
Sports & RcreationPorts of Call
Cruise Ship Shore Excursions
Less-Visited Inside Passage Ports
Haines
Travel Information
Arrival
Day Trip from Skagway
Getting Around
Internet Access
A Day in Haines
Festivals
Attractions Outside Town
Shopping
Sports & Recreation
Cruise Ship Shore Excursions
Icy Strait Point
Travel Information
Arrival
Getting Around
A Day in Icy Strait Point
Shopping
Cruise Ship Shore Excursions
Petersburg
Travel Information
Arrival
Getting Around
A Day in Petersburg
Shopping
Sports & Recreation
Excursion to LeConte Glacier
Wrangell
Travel Information
Arrival
Getting Around
Sightseeing
Festivals
Shopping
Sports & Recreation
Excursions
Gulf of Alaska Ports
Anchorage
Travel Information
Arrival & Departure
Getting Around
Internet Access
A Day in Anchorage
Museums
Museums & Other Attractions Outside Town
Public Art
Parks
Entertainment
Shopping
Sports & Recreation
Cordova
Travel Information
Arrival
Getting Around
A Day in Cordova
Attractions Outside Town
Sports & Recreation
Homer
Travel Information
Arrival
Getting Around
A Day in Homer
Shopping
Sports & Recreation
Kodiak
Travel Information
Arrival
Getting Around
Internet Access
A Day in Kodiak
Out of Town Attractions
Shopping
Sports & Recreation
Seward & Kenai Fiords National Park
Travel Information
Arrival
Departures
Getting Around
A Day in Seward
Events
Out of Town Attractions
Sports & Recreation
Kenai Fiords National Park
Travel Information
Exit Glacier
Valdez
Travel Information
Arrival
Getting Around
Internet Access
A Day in Valdez
Sports & Recreation
Whittier
Travel Information
Arrival
Getting Around
A Day in Whittier
Cultural Attractions
Sports & Recreation
British Columbia (Canada) Ports
Prince Rupert, BC
Travel Information
Arrival
Getting Around
Internet Access
A Day in Prince Rupert
Parks
Out of Town Attractions
Shopping
Sports & Recreation
Victoria, BC
Travel Information
Arrival
Getting Around
Internet Access
A Day in Victoria
Inner Harbor Attractions
Out of Town Attractions
Ports of Embarkation
Seattle
Travel Information
Port Information
Arrival
Getting Around
A Day in Seattle
Vancouver, BC
Travel Information
Port Information
Arrival
Getting Around
A Day in Vancouver
Other Attractions
North Vancouver
Shopping
Sports & Recreation
Shore Excursions
San Francisco Port & Visitor Information
Part 5: Beyond the Cruise
The Alaska Railroad
Cruisetour Itineraries
Bus Tours
Driving a Car
North of Anchorage (en Route to Denali)
Sidetrip: The Matanuska Valley &Palmer
Approaching Denali
Denali National Park &Preserve
Travel Information
Arrival
Getting Around
Wildlife Viewing
Dog Kennels
Other Park Recreation
Fairbanks
Travel Information
Arrival
Getting Around
Fairbanks Sightseeing
Out of Town Attractions
Attractions Farther Out of Town
Shopping
Sports & Recreation
Part I: Introduction to Alaska & Cruising
Cruising: A Hot Travel Trend
With an annual 7.4% growth rate since 1990, and a 2,100% growth rate since 1970, cruising is the fastest-growing segment of the travel industry. Rather than strictly a luxury experience as it may once have been viewed, cruising has become one of the best deals in all of travel. Whether opting for a budget or a luxury cruise, you get your transportation, accommodations, food, and entertainment all for one price. And, once you've paid, you don't have to worry about the rise and fall of the dollar or exchanging big sums of other currencies as you travel. Compare the average $100 per day per person cost of a mainstream cruise (some are much cheaper, others much higher) to the cost of vacationing on land, where you could easily pay that much each day just for lodging.
Cruising is also one of the easiest ways to travel. Rather than dashing from airport to airport or negotiating highways and traffic in unfamiliar lands, you can leave the navigating to the ship's captain and crew. If it's white-glove service you seek, you can still find it on many of the premium and luxury lines, harking back to the days of more genteel travel; even a number of mainstream lines still adhere to the traditions of periodic formal dressing for dinner. There's also the matter of convenience: everything is close at hand on your floating resort
: restaurants, bars, theaters, nightclubs, spas, exercise equipment, swimming pools - all the while offering front-row views of passing landscapes, islands, marine life and deep blue sea. (For many people, just being out on the water is one of the most relaxing experiences there is.) If you crave variety in your travels, cruising is one of the best ways to achieve it - you may hit a new port, even a new country, every day you're at sea. And, once you're onboard, you only have to unpack once - no matter how many ports you visit.
Worldwide, nearly 13 million people take a cruise each year, with more than 10 million of those hailing from the United States and Canada. (Passenger embarkations at U.S. ports totaled 9.18 million, nearly three-quarters of the global total.) And more than 50 million North Americans have indicated they intend to take a cruise over the next few years. Still, to date, a bit less than one-fifth of the U.S. population has cruised - so there's still plenty of room for growth. Meanwhile, the average age of cruise-goers is getting younger: 46 (as of 2010), down from 49 in 2006. Average annual household income is around $100,000, but many cruise-goers earn far less. Cruisers are big travelers in general: they take 39% more vacations per year than non-cruisers, with nearly one in four being a cruise. In surveys, they rank cruising as providing the best value of any type of travel.
The cruise industry is responding by increasing capacity in a big way. A total of 34 new ships have been or will be added to the North American fleet by 2012. More than 100 new ships have been introduced since the year 2000. And the U.S. cruise industry contributed some $38 billion to the country's economy in 2007, creating more than 350,000 jobs.
Still, some myths and misconceptions about cruising continue to persist. Here are a few:
Myth: Everyone (else) on board will be old. Fact: The average age of cruisers has dropped into the mid-40s, and on many ships you'll find a preponderance of families and young couples (not that there's anything wrong with being old!).
Myth: You'll break your bank account. Fact: Actually, cruising is one of the best values in travel, with many of your major expenses coming in one prepaid package. While you can spend a lot on a cruise if you have the money, it's also possible to spend a week on a cruise ship - including transportation, food, accommodations and entertainment - for just a few hundred dollars.
Myth: You'll feel too structured and confined. Fact: With larger ships and ever more choices being offered in dining and activities, passengers won't feel constrained by being out at sea for several days. Not to mention that most cruises make port stops nearly every day, allowing you plenty of time to stretch your legs on land.
Myth: You'll be bored on a cruise. Fact: Today's typical cruise ships are so loaded with amenities and entertainments that you can be busy any hour of the night or day, if you wish.
Myth: You'll probably get seasick. Fact: With today's sophisticated ship stabilizing systems, only a small percentage of passengers experience seasickness. If you are prone to queasiness, you can take easy preventative measures to avoid it.
So if you haven't taken a cruise yet, maybe now's the time!
What's New in Alaska Cruising
About one million people cruise in Alaska each year, the vast majority via one of the 2,000-plus ships that crowd into a handful of Alaska's largest ports. According to Cruise Lines International Association statistics, Alaska ranks fourth in regional cruise popularity after the Caribbean (still the giant among cruising destinations) and the increasingly popular areas of the Mediterranean and northern Europe. Among those who have cruised previously, however, Alaska ranks ahead of the Caribbean and is tied for first with Europe in the appealing places to cruise
category.
Despite a downturn in 2009 that carried over into 2010, these positive statistics have shot up dramatically over the past decade, in tandem with cruise passengers seeking new destinations beyond the Caribbean. Total passenger days spent on Alaska cruise ships jumped about 75% between 2000 and 2008 - reflecting both the growing popularity of the destination and the cruise lines providing both more and bigger ships to meet demand. Another factor is that more people are repeat Alaska cruisers; Alaska is no longer considered a once-in-a-lifetime
destination. And more families are discovering that it's a great place to bring the kids; with all due respect to Disney World, Alaska is the real thing, not just a theme park.
If you want to experience the wonders of the 49th state, which celebrated its 50th anniversary of statehood in 2009, a cruise there makes sense on many levels. Alaska is a huge and difficult place to tour on land; highways and railroads still lead to comparatively few destinations. Along the Inside Passage, which is the most popular Alaska cruise ship route, most ports are accessible only by air or sea, and flying is very expensive. So the easiest and least expensive way to see glaciers, wildlife and other Alaskan coastal wonders is from the deck of a ship. Add to that the convenience (and savings) of knowing where you're going to sleep each night and where you're going to eat all or most of your meals - not to mention taking advantage of all the activities readily available onboard ship - and cruising becomes the logical choice for most Alaskan travelers. (This doesn't mean that you can't or shouldn't add a land tour to your visit before or after your cruise, as many cruisers do; we'll explore these options in Part 5, Beyond the Cruise.
You also have the option of exploring Alaska by ferry boat along Alaska's Marine Highway; we'll cover that in Part 2, Cruise Lines and Their Ships.
One unmistakable trend over the past decade is that cruise lines have been deploying larger and more amenity-loaded ships to Alaskan waters - which has both its upsides and downsides.
First, the upsides: With more cabins to fill, cruise lines have had to keep prices lower. Passengers get more cabin choices and more onboard activities, including climbing walls, skating rinks, fancy spas and multiple dining venues. Bigger ships also enable cruise lines to offer more shore excursions (though you should also think seriously about arranging your own excursions in Alaska, because traveling independently there can easily be arranged and geared to individual tastes - as well as save you some money).
The downsides: Bigger ships provide a less intimate experience and are less capable of navigating small bays and waterways or docking in smaller ports where some of Alaska's best scenery and experiences are found. And with 2,000 passengers or so each, a number of big ships docked at once in even the larger Alaskan ports (which really aren't all that large to begin with) can overwhelm those communities with sheer waves of people. But Alaska cruisers do have alternatives to the big ships: a number of small-ship cruise lines operate in these waters, offering the kind of intimate, close-up experiences that the mega-ships cannot. What they don't offer are the low prices of the big ships, nor all of the onboard amenities.
So would-be Alaska cruisers have to decide which factors are most important for them. We'll talk more about how to make these choices in Part 2. (Keep in mind that on a big ship, you do have the option of taking shore excursions that will get you off the beaten track and replicate some of those small-ship experiences.) Besides greater ship size and variety, some other changes are afoot: Seattle has now surpassed Vancouver, B.C., as the leading embarkation point for Alaska cruises. Seattle hosted 210 cruise ships and 886,039 passengers in 2008, while Vancouver reported 854,453 passengers. Seattle is now home port for 12 cruise ships, and the city opened a new facility on Pier 91 in 2009. Carnival is one of the latest lines to switch from home-porting in Vancouver to Seattle; its one ship in Alaskan waters, the Carnival Spirit, sails out of Seattle now.
Besides the new cruise ships that are coming on line, Alaska's Marine Highway ferry system is also due for an overhaul. With its 11-vessel fleet aging - four ferries were built before 1964 - officials are shooting to have a replacement plan for some of them in place soon..
Cruise lines have also been adding numerous new Alaska shore excursions and cruisetours
- packages that include both cruises and land tours - to their offerings. Holland America, for instance, is increasing the number of its adventure-oriented shore excursions, including a four-by-four ride up to the top of a volcanic crater in Sitka and rainforest zipline adventures in Juneau and Ketchikan.
With the general downturn in the economy (resulting in curtailed travel plans for many consumers), 2009 brought lower - sometimes drastically lower - Alaska cruise prices. Discounts were easy to find even into late spring of 2009; Princess was offering some week-long Alaska cruises for as little as $350 per passenger, virtually unheard of in the Alaska market for years. A Carnival cruise that cost $750 in spring 2008 was going for under $400 as well. Even the luxury lines were offering big discounts and incentives, such as shipboard credits and free airfare and shore excursions. Whether or not this trend continues depends largely on the economy.
While price reductions sound like great news for the consumer, there is a downside. A number of major cruise lines - Norwegian, Royal Caribbean, Holland America and Princess - are reducing their Alaska service for 2010. Royal Caribbean is pulling the 2,100-passenger ship Serenade of the Seas from Alaska - reducing its ships there from three to two - while Norwegian has removed the Norwegian Sun from Alaska, also reducing its number of ships from three to two. Meanwhile, Holland America and Princess are cutting back on their Gulf of Alaska sailings, Holland America by 10 sailings aboard the Amsterdam and Princess by withdrawing one ship, the Star Princess, out of Alaskan waters altogether.
Total Alaska capacity could be cut by 100,000 berths, including 42,000 on Royal Caribbean alone. The concept behind pulling the ships from their Alaska routes is to reduce supply and allow base prices to go back up a bit. Complicating this is the $50-a-passenger tax that the Alaska Legislature voted to impose on the cruise industry back in 2006, following a citizens' referendum approving the idea. Theoretically, the money was supposed to be used for improving port facilities and other support services to cope with the massive influx of cruise passengers, but it hasn't always been used that way. Ketchikan, for instance, is using $500,000 from the fund to build a performing arts center. In any event, the tax has the effect of adding $50 to every Alaska cruise price - or, in some cases, cutting into cruise line profits if they are forced to eat the cost themselves in an era of heavy discounting.
All the cruise lines have cited the $50-a-passenger tax as a key reason for their 2010 cutbacks. Alaskan tourism officials fear that the taxes and subsequent cutbacks could help kill - or at least pluck some