| Alaska: Fun Facts |
 |
 Alaska is a land of superlatives. It is, first and foremost, the biggest state in the Union. At 570,000 square miles (365 million acres) it has the equivalent of one-fifth of the landmass of the combined Lower 48 states. (Yes, it's bigger than Texas -- twice as big, in fact -- and it would take three Californias, 12 New Yorks, or 470 Rhode Islands to equal it in size!) It is home to North America's tallest peak, Mount McKinley (known to the locals as Denali) whose 20,320-foot crown dominates the Alaska Range. Barrow, on the Arctic Ocean, is the most northerly community in the U.S. Even its disasters lead the pack: the Good Friday earthquake near Anchorage in 1964 measured 9.2 on the Richter scale, the highest ever recorded in the nation. The message is clear: Alaska is big and bold, and while hardly the most populous state in the nation (with 627,000 residents, it ranks low, low, low), it is an intriguing, culturally diverse destination with thousands of miles of scenic coastline that make it a natural for cruise ships. Each of the ports offers a different perspective on life in the most northerly U.S. state. Ketchikan (which dubs itself "Alaska's First City" because it's the first place ships dock on the northbound Inside Passage cruise) is a center of Tlingit (pronounced KLING-kit) Indian culture. Its totem pole parks and museums reflect that Indian heritage. Juneau, the capital city, and one of America's most photogenic seats of state government, seems, in some ways, less Alaskan than other ports -- as might be expected from a city in which a third of whose residents are civil servants, many of them outsiders. Skagway, the port of entry for 1898's Klondike gold seekers, is heavily Gold Rush-era oriented (if, that is, you can overlook the sign on the side of the Mercantile Building which proclaims "We proudly serve Starbucks coffee"). Petersburg's theme is Norwegian, Valdez's is the Alaska Pipeline (it's the southernmost terminal), Sitka's is Russian ... and on and on. It's no wonder that more than 700,000 cruise visitors flock to the state during its all-too-short season (mid-May to mid-September) each year. They come to enjoy the history, the frontier ambiance, the wildlife and -- above all -- the scenery. Towering mountains, massive glaciers, tranquil (and sometimes turbulent) waterways, countless miles of rainforest and Arctic tundra -- these are the magnets for cruise passengers. Who Goes There? Nine cruise lines have scheduled a total of 27 large ships in Alaska service this year (not counting the six companies that offer service on small ships with capacities ranging from 6 to 235 passengers). Most of the major lines are represented. The two biggest Alaska operators, Princess and Holland America, each have no less than seven ships in the market. Just your basic, run-of-the-mill 800-pound gorillas! The two Royal Caribbean Cruises brands -- Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity -- combine for another six. Choosing an Itinerary There are essentially two Alaska cruise itineraries -- the Inside Passage and the Gulf of Alaska. The first is primarily a seven-night round trip voyage from Seattle or Vancouver. Princess, Crystal and Silversea also offer 10-night and 12-night versions out of San Francisco. The Gulf itinerary is a seven-night one-way cruise between Seattle/Vancouver and Seward/Whittier, the two ports for Anchorage. An occasional misconception among would-be cruisers is that a Gulf of Alaska itinerary does not offer passengers the opportunity to visit the Inside Passage ports. It does. The gulf in question is that stretch of water north of Glacier Bay and the south side of the Kenai Peninsula, where the Anchorage ports are located. To get between those ports and either Seattle or Vancouver, it is necessary to pass along the Inside Passage coastal strip so a typical Gulf of Alaska cruise will probably include the likes of Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway. A word of caution: If you are going to run into choppy seas it's more likely to be in the open waters of the Gulf of Alaska than in the largely protected stretch of the Inside Passage. As an alternative to the big ships (some as big as 113,000 tons and carrying 2,600 passengers) cruisers can opt for a different kind of trip on one of the smaller vessels -- the luxury yachts of American Safari; American West Steamboat Company's Gold Rush-era replica sternwheeler, Empress of the North; or one of the small (78 to 114 passenger) ships of Cruise West. The advantage of all of these vessels, of course, is that they can go to places that the big boys can't -- for instance, the Indian village of Kake, Petersburg, Wrangell Narrows, and a dozen tiny inlets too shallow for the megaships. Also -- again as a function of size -- they have the maneuverability to follow aquatic wildlife when it's spotted, to get a little closer than their bigger competitors. (It should be noted here that in order to protect the sea creatures, there are legal restrictions on the amount of time any vessel of any size may 'shadow' wildlife.) Best Time To Go  The weather in Alaska is always a factor. Although the season lasts through the summer, it's not prudent to expect warm weather all the time. This isn't Florida! But, for less crowded conditions, the early and late seasons are preferred. And the weather can be most accommodating. Just ask anybody who's meandered through Glacier Bay on a cruise ship in May -- in short sleeves. It does happen! May, in fact, is one of the driest months in the Inside Passage region. Of course, "driest month" is a relative term in places such as Ketchikan, which gets 155 inches of rain a year. (Only nine inches of it in May!)Temperatures during the season may not be balmy but they're generally livable. The trick is to dress in layers of clothing so that you can peel off slowly as the thermometer dictates. Extending Your Cruise Vacation Think cruise-tour! For all its appeal as a cruise destination, Alaska has much to offer that can only be experienced by touring ashore either before or after your cruise. The gulf itineraries, because of geographic considerations, lend themselves more readily to Alaska touring. (Ships that begin or end in Vancouver or Seattle, also offer land add-ons, but in the Canadian Rockies and Washington State, not in Alaska.) By far the most popular cruise-tour itinerary is along the Denali Corridor, between Anchorage and Fairbanks. It's usually a three-night add-on (before a southbound Gulf of Alaska cruise or after the northbound return.) The appeal is the majestic Alaska Range with Mount McKinley as the centerpiece, which is easily visible from some of the accommodations in and around the village of Talkeetna, near the entrance to Denali National Park. (Because of environmental concerns, there are no lodge or hotel accommodations in the park proper.) For another wilderness delight, a cruise-tour of some significance is offered by some lines into Canada's Yukon Territory, the site of the find that triggered the gold stampede of 1898. Cruise-tour land packages are also available to the Kenai Peninsula, Arctic Alaska, the Aleutian Islands and more. Port Highlights Most cruise ships include Juneau in their itineraries -- on both Inside Passage and Gulf patterns. When you get off the ship, head straight to the pier-side terminal of the Mount Roberts Tramway for the six-minute ride to the upper station 1,800 feet above; the view of the city and the Gastineau Channel on which it stands is spectacular. Later, look in on the raucous fun and games in the Red Dog Saloon, possibly the most talked about pub in the nation. There you'll find honky-tonk music, a laugh-a-minute emcee and wholesome (but hardly gourmet) food. Skagway is another staple on cruise itineraries, a tiny, historically significant community at the head of the Lynn Canal. It came into being in the last part of the 19th century as the nearest port of entry for stampeders making their way into the Klondike in search of gold. Today, the narrow gauge White Pass & Yukon railroad is a must-ride for cruise passengers. It follows the staggeringly photogenic route the gold-seekers took -- on foot -- over the pass to the Canadian border. In town, there's another bar worth visiting for a filling lunch and a few laughs. It's the Red Onion Saloon, in a building that once served as (whisper it!) a bordello.  Sitka offers cruise passengers a fascinating shore excursion opportunity -- the Alaska Raptor Center. The volunteer staff at the not-for-profit facility is dedicated to restoring to health birds of prey, primarily American eagles, injured in fights, accidental contact with electrical wires and even by gunshot. (It still happens occasionally, even though shooting at these magnificent creatures is against the law.) Many of the birds are made well enough to be restored to the wild; some who are too badly hurt are housed permanently at the center. Every cruise line includes the facility in its shore excursions brochure. Many remnants of Alaska's Russian past (St Michael's Cathedral, the Russian Bishop's House, the historic park in which are found totem poles and story boards commemorating the battles between the Russian invaders and the Tlingit Indians) are to be found in Sitka.Creek Street, which has been called "the most photographed street in the world" is the main attraction in Ketchikan. Built on pilings over the creek, it once was the city's red light district and now is lined with funky little stores and restaurants overlooking canoeists and (at the right time of the year) leaping salmon. Article copywright Cruise Critic article.cfm?ID=84 |
|
