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Alaska Travel: Choose the Right Cruise
By Edward Readicker-Henderson, May & June 2008
Follow these ship tips before picking your Alaska dream boat
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Dozens of ships ply Alaskan waters, on routes ranging from the bread-and-butter Inside Passage trip to far-flung itineraries into the Bering Sea and beyond. So which boat (and which route) is the one for you? Consider these four big factors.
The Size of Your Budget (and the Boat) First, decide how much you want to spend. Simple math shows that shorter runs on bigger ships are cheaper, and trips along the Inside Passage (which are closer to typical departure points such as Vancouver, British Columbia) cost less than those in the harder-to-reach Bering Sea. As for size, the big ships are perfect for those who want "to see the greatest hits of each port of call, then want to retire back to your ship to enjoy other pleasures—fine dining, casino gambling, and Broadwaylike shows," says Carolyn Spencer Brown, editor of Cruise Critic. More interested in the scenery? Consider a smaller ship.
"On the big ships Alaska's landscape is the backdrop to the ship's diversions, not the main attraction," says Heidi Sarna, coauthor of Frommer's Cruises & Ports of Call 2008: From U.S. and Canadian Home Ports (Wiley Publishing, 2007). "The smaller the better, if you want a more up-close look."
The Length of the Trip The one-week runs tend to stay in Southeast, with a few variations for those looking for more scenery: Glacier Bay is a common add-on; small ships can head into Tracy Arm (a fjord that winds through the Tongass National Forest) or to still-quiet towns such as Wrangell and Petersburg, which aren't major cruise-ship destinations.
Add a second week and the possibilities increase. Ships on longer itineraries cross the Gulf of Alaska and dock on the Kenai Peninsula, giving easy access to Anchorage, Denali, and inland points beyond.
The Time of Year Midsummer days are glorious in Alaska. The sun barely dips below the horizon; the sky is a shade of blue you expect to see only in someone's eyes. Okay, the Inside Passage is populated with rain forests, and clouds cover the skies much of the time. But the average temperature is in the upper 60s, so the living is good.
And the towns are jammed.
In early May or September, though, the fares are a little cheaper and fewer ships run, so the days are quieter. Best of all, the towns are a lot more relaxed than during the June-to-August, high-season rush. Also, if you take the September runs, nearly everything in the shops is on sale.
The Most Interesting Alternative Can't find the time or schedule you want? Although no commercial cruises take on Alaska in the winter, the Alaska Marine Highway System (800-642-0066; www.ferryalaska.com) runs year-round. Stopping at towns the big ships never visit, the ferry links the coast together—from Ketchikan to the Aleutians. It's cheaper, it's local—which means you meet real Alaskans instead of tourists from Des Moines—and it frequently offers better views than you'll find on the cruise ships.
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