A grand armada of vessels for 2009 Norwegian Pearl
There are 4 basic cruising choices for Alaska-bound cruisers. There is the traditional (and popular) 7-night, 8-day round-trip "Inside Passage" voyage from Vancouver or Seattle to Southeastern Alaska and return. There are longer round-trips or “open-jaw” variations on the basic Inside Passage voyage that sail from San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, and other west coast ports. Then there are the one-way "Gulf and Glaciers" cruises between Vancouver and the Southcentral Alaska ports of Seward or Whittier. And finally, there are itineraries that sail entirely within Southeast or Southcentral Alaska waters or feature expedition-like voyages that explore the Aleutian Islands chain, sub-Arctic and Arctic regions, or call at a Russian far-East port city.
Following is a round-up of cruiseships serving Alaska this summer.
Large to MEGA SHIPS
Carnival Cruise Line: The world's largest cruiseline will be represented in Alaska by the 2,124-guest Carnival Spirit with round-trip "Glacier Bay" route sailings from Vancouver, British Columbia. The line has scheduled mostly 7-night, 8-day Gulf and Glaciers "Northbound Alaska" and "Southbound Alaska" voyages between Vancouver and Whittier, Alaska. These sailings feature the Inside Passage, the Gulf and Glaciers waters of Southcentral Alaska (including Prince William Sound), plus port calls in Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan, and Sitka.
Contact: 1-800-CARNIVAL or visit www.carnival.com.
Celebrity Cruises: 3 Celebrity vessels—Celebrity Mercury (1,878 guests), Celebrity Infinity (1,950) and Celebrity Millennium (1,950)—will cruise Alaska in 2009. Mercury begins Celebrity's season with a 14-night round-trip "Ultimate Alaska Cruise" from Los Angeles then begins a series of 7-night season-long round-trips to Alaska's Southeast. Infinity starts with an open-jaw 11-night "Ultimate Alaska" voyage from San Francisco then spends the rest of the season traveling round-trip Seattle to Ketchikan, Skagway, Hubbard Glacier, Sitka, Victoria, and return to Seattle. Millennium will sail a similar round-trip itinerary from Vancouver on May 22, then on May 29 will start a season of 7-night 1-way voyages between Vancouver and Seward
Contact: 1-800-437-3111 or www.celebritycruises.com. Holland America Line: The oldest-tenured cruiseline on the Alaska “big ship” scene, will again dispatch 8 cruiseliners to Alaska offering 7-night 8-day round-trips via the 1,432-guest Zaandam, the Amsterdam (1,380 guests), and Westerdam (1,916). Their ports of call are Juneau, Sitka, and Ketchikan plus Victoria in Canada. The Volendam (1,432 guests) and Zuiderdam (1,916) visit Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan, Glacier Bay National Park and Tracy Arm Fiord. The Ryndam (1,258), Statendam (1,258), and Veendam (1,266) will sail 54 weekly cruises between Vancouver and Seward. The Statendam and Veendam will visit southeast Alaska ports plus Glacier Bay and glacier-rich College Fjord in Prince William Sound.
Contact: 1-877-SAILHAL or www.hollandamerica.com. Norwegian Cruise Line: 3 vessels—Norwegian Star (2,244 guests), Norwegian Pearl (2,394), and Norwegian Sun (2,002)—comprise the NCL “Alaska Fleet” for 2009. NCL inaugurates its 2009 season with an “early bird” open-jaw Norwegian Star departure from Los Angeles en route to Ketchikan, Juneau, and Skagway then returns to Vancouver. The Norwegian Star and Norwegian Pearl will homeport in Seattle for the rest of the season. The Star’s itinerary includes Prince Rupert, B.C. The Pearl will visit Victoria. The Norwegian Sun will sail round-trips from Vancouver. In addition to southeast Alaska port city visits, NCL journeys will offer 1 of 2 glacier-viewing options on each sailing.
Contact: 1-866-234-0292 or www.ncl.com.  Sapphire Princess prepares to dock at Ketchikan.
Contact: 1-800-PRINCESS or www.princess.com.
Royal Caribbean International: 3 vessels—Radiance of the Seas (2,100 guests), Rhapsody of the Seas (2,000), and Serenade of the Seas (2,100)—will observe Alaska’s 50th anniversary of statehood and the line’s own 20th anniversary of Alaska cruising by offering 57 sailings in 2009 from embarkation ports San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Seward and Vancouver. Alaska ports of call may, depending on voyage and vessel, include Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Sitka, Astoria (OR), Prince Rupert and Victoria (BC), Seattle and San Francisco. RCI also will make 38 calls at Icy Strait Point, more than any other cruiseline. Located near the Tlingit Native community of Hoonah, this is Alaska’s only purpose-built cultural and soft-adventure site.
Contact: 1-800-327-6700 or www.royalcaribbean.com.
MID-SIZE VESSELS Regent Seven-Seas Cruise: The Seven Seas Mariner (700 guests) will sail 17 1-way voyages between Seward and Vancouver. Make that 19 voyages if you count the ship’s 2 international cruises from Osaka, Japan, to Kodiak and Seward, AK, May 7-20, and its season-closer that commences from Seward on September 18 to Osaka via Kodiak, Petropavlovsk, Russia and 4 additional port calls in Japan. The ship has been rated a 5-star “luxury/premium” vessel by Berlitz’ Complete Guide to Cruising and Cruise Ships. All cabins are outside view.
Contact: 1-800-285-1835 or www.RSSC.com. Silversea Cruises: Vessel Silver Shadow (382 guests) offers probably a greater variation of choices among its 12 Alaska voyages than any other cruiseship in the Alaska trade this year. 10 of the luxury-rated vessel’s 12 sailings offer Southeast Alaska Inside Passage cruising from port cities in the “Lower 48” states while 2 trips offer Gulf and Glaciers itineraries between Vancouver and Seward in Southcentral Alaska. The range of Alaska itineraries include: 9-day, round-trip Vancouver; 10-day Vancouver to San Francisco; 12-day round-trip San Francisco; 10-day San Francisco to Vancouver; a 7 day Vancouver to Seward or Seward to Vancouver; 12 day Vancouver to Los Angeles and a 9-day round-trip Los Angeles.
Contact: 1-877-215-9986 or www.silversea.com.
SMALLER SHIPS American Safari Cruises: The line will dispatch 2 vessels to Alaska in 2009: their largest and newest yacht Safari Explorer (36 passengers), and Safari Spirit (12). ASC's Alaska itineraries maximize whale encounters, bear viewing, glacier visits and exclusive explorations such as an unprecedented two days exploring spectacular Glacier Bay National Park with an onboard park ranger. The Alaska Inside Passage 2009 season runs May 2 to September 11.
Contact: 1-888-862-8881 or www.amsafari.com. The Boat Company: This 2-vessel company emphasizes environmental awareness while offering programs out of Juneau that combine wildlife viewing on land and sea, shore excursions, fishing, and kayaking. The line’s 2 vessels are Liseron (20 guests), a converted 1940s minesweeper that has been refurbished to decidedly upscale standards, and Mist Cove (24), an equally upscale replica. Both vessels operate 7-night, 8-day voyages between Sitka and Juneau. For fishers, the crew will clean and pack salmon, halibut, and other species for shipment home.
Contact: 1-360-697-4242 or www.theboatcompany.com. Cruise West: The nation’s largest small ship cruiseline, founded in Alaska by the late Alaska tourism pioneer Chuck West, has the largest number of entries in the smallship category. Cruise West sails 10 itineraries in 2009 on 5 vessels: the 138-guest Spirit of Yorktown; 78-guest Spirit of Columbia; 84-guest Spirit of Discovery; 102-guest Spirit of Endeavour; and their flagship, the 120-guest Spirit of Oceanus. Ten distinct Cruise West itineraries offer guests the opportunity to focus on everything from sea-based and land-loving wildlife to indigenous cultures. Cruises range from 4 to 25 days and are as diverse as Alaska’s Inside Passage and Glacier Bay Highlights to extended trips that include coastal Alaska and the Russian Far East.
Contact: 1-800-888-9378 or www.cruisewest.com. Discovery Voyages: The ship Discovery, a refurbished missionary vessel (now comfortably accommodating 12 guests), offers a variety of Prince William Sound options. They vary from a 12-night 13–day photo-birding-wildlife expeditions to a variety of 7-night 8-day hike and kayak adventures or “classic voyages” which explore Prince William Sound’s glaciers, islands, hikes, and wildlife. Longest trips are a 5-day classic Prince William Sound voyage combined with Denali National Park for a total 12-day itinerary, and the company’s “Ultimate Alaska Discovery Adventure” that combines 6 days of voyaging plus Katmai and Denali National Parks in 15 nights 16 days. Final offering of the season will be a 7-night 8-day whale-watching voyage. All trips include 2 overnights in an Anchorage B&B.
Contact: 1-800-324-7602 or www.discoveryvoyages.com. Lindblad Expeditions: 2 vessels—National Geographic Sea Lion and National Geographic Sea Bird (62 passengers each)—will return to Alaska in 2009 with the passenger-pleasing cruise options the line has offered for years. The company’s season-long staple is a 7-night 1-way cruise between Juneau and Sitka called “Alaska's Coastal Wilderness.” The weekly 1-way journeys (with National Geographic Sea Lion sailing 1 direction, National Geographic Sea Bird the other) feature Tracy Arm fjord and twin Sawyer glaciers, Petersburg, whale watching in Frederick Sound and Chatham Strait, Point Adolphus, and Inian Pass plus cruising a full day in Glacier Bay National Park. Activities on all cruises include kayaking among icebergs, beach hikes, and listening to actual below-the-surface “whale songs” on the ships' hydrophones.
Contact: 1-800-EXPEDITION or www.expeditions.com. Maple Leaf Adventures: This company's single vessel, generally accommodating 8 guests, offers something unique among lines operating in the Alaska cruise trade: The cruiselines' Maple Leaf is an authentic “tall ship” sailing schooner more than a century old. In 2009 the vessel will make two 1-way Alaska voyages (under sail whenever possible) departing northbound or southbound between Prince Rupert, BC, and Sitka. On these voyages passengers sail between towering fjord walls, pick their way through iceberg-laden waters to the face of glistening blue glaciers, soak luxuriously in natural rock hot springs, explore coastal island shores by Zodiac or kayak, hike beaches and trek through ancient forests–all the while surrounded by towering mountains. Each trip ends or begins with a guided trip of Sitka.
Contact: 1-888-599-5323 or www.MapleLeafAdventures.com.
Alaskan Mike Miller is a former state legislator who has covered the 49th state in books, magazine articles, and newspaper features since his 1954 arrival in the then-Territory of Alaska. Currently, in addition to writing for print media, Mike publishes a comprehensive Alaska cruise website called www.AlaskaCruisingReport.com. |
