Cruises Alaska Highway Cruises
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Alaska by sea |
| Higlights of Your Cruise Intinerary |
| Vancouver. It's renowned as the West Coast's most beautiful city. Vancouver will tempt you to spend an extra day or two. Mountains rim it to the north, and it's laced with rivers and bays and rich in verdant parks. Shopping, dining and entertainment are world-class. |
| The Inside Passage. This thousand-mile waterway is a magical world of forests, mountains, emer- ald islands floating on the blue sea and deep fjords penetrating the wilderness. Stand at the rail with binoculars ready to spot whales, porpoises and other sights along the way. You might spy an Indian village almost hidden in the trees along the shore, or catch a wave from the captain of a fishing boat. |
| Ketchikan. Come ashore to one of the state's most picturesque cities. Fishing boats, pleasure craft and planes shelter in the harbor. Some of your options: Totem Bight State Park; the Totem Heritage Center, with its unique collection of the mysterious carved cedar poles; a salmon fishing excursion; flightseeing to Misty Fjords National Monument. Or browse the Creek Street boutiques and water- front shops. |
| Juneau. Alaska's capital snuggles between Gastineau Channel and Mt. Juneau. You may opt to tour to nearby Mendenhall Glacier. Learn all about glaciers at the U.S. Forest Service Information Center. Or fly over the glacier by helicopter, touch down for a stroll on the ice. Go rafting on the Mendenhall River. |
| Skagway. This former gateway to the Klondike Gold Rush of 1898 is a National Historic Site, and still a spirited frontier town. Shop for anything from gold nugget jewelry to original works of Alaskan art; take in the "Days of '98" show; or to the summit of White Pass and back on the historic White Pass & enjoy a scenic 3-hour rail excursion Yukon Route narrow gauge railway. |
| Sitka. Once this was the capital of the Russian-American fur empire. The Russian and Tlingit Indian heritages are abundantly evident. Inspect the glowing icons in St. Michael's Cathedral. Stroll a forest walkway where awesome totems loom above you. You may opt for kayaking in the bay, salmon fishing, or a visit to the Raptor Rehabilitation Center, where injured birds of prey are nursed back to health. Kids love the chance to meet an eagle close-up. |
| Hubbard Glacier. At the head of Yakutat Bay, Hubbard is North America's longest glacier, originating in Canada, 76 miles away. You'll see it in all its explosive action, "calving" icebergs as you cruise slowly past the six-mile-long wall of ice. |
| Valdez. This is the southern terminus of the TransAlaska Pipeline, and the farthest north ice-free port in the northern hemisphere. The setting is lovely, with Alaska's glacier-clad mountains to landward, Prince William Sound to seaward. |
| College Fjord.
Dozens of glaciers meet tidewater in this
icy inlet. The fjord takes its name
from the Harriman Expedition,
which explored these waters in
i899, with financing by a group
of Ivy League colleges. |
| Glacier Bay National Park. Your memories of this day will stay with you always. Your ship cruises slowly past thickly forested slopes that give way to rocky shores, then to ice cliffs where you watch as icebergs are born. A pinnacle of ice cracks off the glacial cliff with a boom, then crashes into the sea in a cloud of spray. On-board naturalists help you spot wildlife: seals, sea lions, mountain goats on the bare cliffs, perhaps humpbacks and orcas. Seabirds are everywhere -flying overhead, patrolling their island shores, paddling in the water. |
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