2009 Alaska Cruises…
Another Big Year for Voyaging in Alaska
Fifteen cruiselines –
count ‘em,
15! – have scheduled Alaska cruises in 2009. In total, visitors have an awesome 41 ships to choose among. Some are big and awesome, as in 2,670 passengers awesome. Some are small and intimate awesome, pampering 12 or fewer guests.
Here’s the skinny on each of your cruiseline and ship options. For more information use the company website or phone contact listed with each entry.
Photographer, far right, photographs one of many Glaciers in Glacier Bay National Park. (Mike Miller photo)
Large and
Mega-Size Cruise Vessels
Carnival
Cruiselines:
1-800-CARNIVAL, www.carnival.com.
The world’s largest cruiseline will operate one vessel, the 2,124-guest Carnival Spirit, in Alaska beginning May 6 with one of its three “Glacier Bay” route sailings scheduled for 2009. The cruise includes a full day in Glacier Bay National Park.
For most of the season the line has scheduled seven-day one-way “Northbound Alaska” or “Southbound Alaska” cruises either north from Vancouver or south from Whittier (near Anchorage). Cruises in either direction feature College Fjord and other glacier sites in Prince William Sound, sailing the Inside Passage, plus port calls in Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan, and Sitka.
The company’s three seven-night “Glacier Bay” route cruises are roundtrip voyages from Vancouver. These trips spend full days cruising Glacier Bay National Park and feature sites along the Inside Passage as well as port calls in Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan.
Celebrity
Cruises: 1-800-437-3111, www.celebritycruises.com.
Three vessels – Celebrity Mercury (1,870 guests), Celebrity Infinity (1,950), and Celebrity Millennium (1,950) – will return to Alaska cruising in 2009.
Mercury will begin its 2009 Alaska season (and Celebrity’s) with a 14-nite roundtrip “Ultimate Alaska Cruise” from Los Angeles, embarking on April 27. Ports en route include Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Hubbard Glacier, Sitka, Victoria (B.C.) and return to Los Angeles. May 11 it will depart L.A. for Seattle, and Southeast Alaska ports (including Icy Strait Point) with a return to Vancouver. On May 24 it will begin a series of seven-night season-long roundtrips to Alaska’s Southeast from Vancouver.
Infinity will kick off its season May 11 with an open-jaw 11-night “Ultimate Alaska” voyage from San Francisco to Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Icy Strait Point, Hubbard Glacier, Sitka, Victoria (B.C.) and Vancouver. Starting May 22 the ship will then sail round trips for the balance of the 2009 season from Seattle to Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Hubbard Glacier, Sitka, Victoria (B.C.) and return to Seattle.
Millennium will sail a similar roundtrip itinerary from Vancouver on May 22, then on May 29 initiate a season-long series of seven-night one-way voyages between Vancouver and Seward with Inside Passage cruising and port calls. Its final cruise of the season will be September 11 from Seward to Vancouver.
Holland
America Line: 1-877-SAIL HAL, www.hollandamerica.com.
Again in 2009 Holland America will dispatch no fewer than eight cruiseliners to Alaska, offering three basic itineraries. Three vessels homeported in Seattle will sail 61 seven-day roundtrip Inside Passage “Alaskan Explorer” cruises: the 1,432-guest Zaandam starting Holland American Line’s 2009 Alaska season May 8; Holland America Line flagship Amsterdam (1,380 guests); and Westerdam (1,916). The Amsterdam highlights Hubbard Glacier. The Zaandam showcases Glacier Bay or Tracy Arm Fiord with twin Sawyer Glaciers. The Westerdam also cruises Glacier Bay. All “Alaskan Explorer” cruises will call at ports Juneau, Sitka, and Ketchikan plus Victoria in Canada.
“Glacier Bay Inside Passage” itineraries offer round trips from Vancouver, B.C. to and through the Inside Passage. Vessels sailing this route are: Volendam (1,432 guests) and Zuiderdam (1,916). They visit Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan, Glacier Bay National Park and Tracy Arm Fiord. Five more Inside Passage sailings – with port and glacier variations – will be offered by the Ryndam (1,258), Statendam (1,258), and Veendam (1,266). The Ryndam, Statendam, and Veendam will also sail 54 weekly cruises between Vancouver, B.C. and Seward. The Statendam and Veendam will visit southeast Alaska ports plus Glacier Bay and glacier-rich College Fjord in Prince William Sound.
The Ryndam will call at Ketchikan, Juneau, Haines and Sitka plus cruise the face of Hubbard Glacier in Yakutat Bay.
Norwegian
Cruise Line: 1-866-234-0292, www.ncl.com.
Three vessels – Norwegian Star (2,244 guests), Norwegian Pearl (2,394 guests), and Norwegian Sun (2,002) – comprise the NCL “Alaska Fleet” for 2009. NCL will inaugurate its 2009 season with an “early bird” open-jaw
Norwegian Star departs from Los Angeles on April 25 en route to Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway with journey’s return to Vancouver. Then, following a single open-jaw trip from Vancouver to Southeast Alaska with trip’s end in Seattle the Norwegian Star will homeport in Seattle for the rest of the season, as will the Norwegian Pearl. The Star’s itinerary will also include Prince Rupert, B.C. The Pearl will include Victoria, B.C. The Norwegian Sun will sail round trips from Vancouver. In addition to southeast Alaska port city visits, NCL journeys will offer one of two glacier-viewing options on each sailing: Glacier Bay or Tracy Arm Fiord’s twin Sawyer glaciers. The final NCL sailing of the season will be a September 13 seven-day open-jaw sailing to San Francisco aboard the Norwegian Sun. The journey features seldom-visited, steep-walled Endicott Arm with spectacular Dawes Glacier at its iceberg-clogged terminus.
Princess
Cruises: 1-800-PRINCESS, www.princess.com.
This major player in the Alaska cruising sweepstakes will once again dispatch eight cruiseships to Alaska in 2009, ships ranging from the 670-guest Pacific Princess to the mega-sized 2,670-guest sister ships Diamond Princess and Sapphire Princess.
Three voyage choices break down as follows:
On Princess’ Gulf and Glaciers “Voyage of the Glaciers” between Vancouver and Whittier (with access to Anchorage) the Diamond Princess and Sapphire Princess will be joined by the Coral Princess and Island Princess (each 1,970 guests) on a route with port calls at Ketchikan, Juneau, and Skagway plus cruising in Glacier Bay and among the 16 glaciers of College Fjord in Prince William Sound.
The 2,600-passenger Golden Princess and Star Princess both return to sail seven-day roundtrip Inside Passage itineraries from Seattle to Southeast Alaska with port calls in Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, and Victoria, B.C., plus glacier viewing in Tracy Arm Fiord with its twin Sawyer Glaciers. Sea Princess (1,990 guests) takes over the line’s San Francisco Inside Passage departures.
Princess’ new Alaska “Connoisseur Voyages” – which debuted in 2008 – will feature 14-day voyages aboard the smaller and more intimate Pacific Princess from Seattle. It will call at less-visited Valdez, Kodiak, and Icy Strait Point in addition to Seward, Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, and Victoria. The itinerary will also feature daylight cruising in Glacier Bay.
Royal
Caribbean International: 1-800-327-6700, www.royalcaribbean.com.
Three 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 (B.C.), Victoria, Seattle, and San Francisco.
In 2009 Royal Caribbean 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.
Radiance of the Seas will alternate seven-night “Alaska Northbound” and “Alaska Southbound” itineraries between Vancouver and Seward throughout the season in addition to its 11-night “Ultimate Alaska” open-jaw season-opener May 11 from San Diego to Alaska and Vancouver. A 14-night open- jaw “Ultimate Alaska” closer will depart Vancouver September 11 en route to Southeast Alaska points and journey’s end in San Diego.
Rhapsody of the Seas will open its season with a May 8 “Alaska Sawyer Glacier” open-jaw journey from Vancouver to Southeast Alaska to Seattle. Then, sailing roundtrips from Seattle, Rhapsody of the Seas will feature “Alaska Sawyer Glacier” cruising through the Inside Passage and up the narrow, steep-walled Tracy Arm Fiord to reach Sawyer Glacier. The ship’s last sailing, September 11, will be another open-jaw voyage, this time Seattle/Alaska/Vancouver.
After a 14-night San Francisco-to-Vancouver “Ultimate Alaska” open-jaw opener embarking May 2 Serenade of the Seas will offer “Alaska to Hubbard Glacier” roundtrips to Southeast Alaska from Vancouver. The September 19 “Ultimate Alaska” last cruise of the season departs northbound from Vancouver to Southeast Alaska then south to San Diego.
Mid-Size Vessels
Regent
Seven Seas Cruises: 1-800-285-1835, www.TheRegentExperience.com.
One vessel, Seven Seas Mariner (700 guests) will sail 17 one-way voyages between Seward and Vancouver in 2009. Make that 19 voyages if you count the ship’s two international cruises from Osaka, Japan to Kodiak and Seward May 7-20 or its season-closer that commences from Seward on September 18 to Osaka via Kodiak, Petropavlovsk, Russia and four additional port calls in Japan.
The ship has been rated a five-star “luxury/premium” vessel by Berlitz’ Complete Guide to Cruising and Cruise Ships. All cabins are outside view.
Silversea
Cruises: 1-877-215-9986, www.silversea.com.
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. Ten of the luxury-rated vessel’s 12 sailings offer Southeast Alaska Inside Passage cruising from port cities in the “Lower 48” states while two trips offer Gulf and Glaciers itineraries between Vancouver, B.C. and Seward in Southcentral Alaska. Port cities visited in Alaska may – depending on specific voyage – include Ketchikan, Wrangell, Juneau, Sitka, Haines, Skagway, Seward and Victoria (in British Columbia). Glacier cruising, again depending on voyage, may include Sawyer Glacier in Tracy Arm Fjord or College Fjord in Prince William Sound.
The range of itineraries include: three roundtrip Vancouver to Vancouver offerings in nine days; one open-jaw Vancouver to San Francisco in 10 days; three round trips San Francisco to San Francisco in 12 days; one open-jaw San Francisco to Vancouver in 10 days; one one-way trip Vancouver to Seward in seven days; one one-way voyage Seward to Vancouver in seven days; one open-jaw trip Vancouver to Los Angeles in 12 days; and one round trip Los Angeles to Los Angeles offering in nine days.
Small Ships
All Aboard Yacht Charters: 1-800-767-1024, www.alaskacharters.com.The name says "Charters" but in Alaska you book passage aboard the 10-passenger yacht Discovery just like you would any other cruiseship in the Alaska trade. But there's this difference: The company's single vessel is an historic 1931-vintage yacht created in the rich classic tradition. The line has been offering Alaska cruises since 1981. Itinerary choices vary on this year's 11 eight-night/seven-day voyages, from Inside Passage trips between Ketchikan and Juneau to roundtrip wilderness exploring out of Juneau. Season closer sails from Ketchikan to Seattle in September. All trips, according to the company website, feature "humpback whales, brown bears, sea lions, Tracy Arm, and fishing."
American
Safari Cruises: 1-888-862-8881, www.amsafari.com. This company will dispatch two luxury yacht vessels to Alaska in 2009: their largest and newest vessel Safari Explorer (36 passengers) and Safari Spirit (12). The Explorer, sailing round trip from Juneau, will spend two days in Glacier Bay National Park then explore additional wilderness waters as well as “Nordic” Petersburg in northern Southeast Alaska. Spirit will sail one-way trips between Juneau and Petersburg taking in off-the-beaten-path Tenakee Hot Springs as well as Alaska wildlife and sealife “hot spots.”
Escape offers an international option with a one-way voyage between Juneau and Prince Rupert, B.C. Canada. Between these ports the ship takes in Petersburg, tiny Meyers Chuck, Misty Fiords National Monument, and Ketchikan. All voyages are seven nights, eight days except the cruise to Prince Rupert, which is nine days and eight nights. Positioning cruises are available from Seattle and Juneau in spring and fall, respectively.
The
Boat Company: 1-360-697-4242, www.theboatcompany.com.This 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 two 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 seven night, eight-day voyages between Sitka and Juneau and feature hotel accommodations on Saturday nights before each embarkation plus transport to the vessel Sunday mornings. Features of the trip include guided hiking, kayaking, and fishing, all meals and snacks prepared by a gourmet chef, wines with dinner, and an open bar. For fishers, the crew will clean and pack salmon, halibut, and other species for shipment home.
Cruise
West: 1-800-888-9378, www.cruisewest.com.
This is the nation’s largest small ship cruiseline, founded in Alaska by the late Alaska tourism pioneer Chuck West. Five vessels – the largest number of entries in the smallship category – will sail a wide variety of 10 itineraries.:
The vessels are: 78-guest Spirit of Columbia, 84-guest Spirit of Discovery, 102-guest Spirit of Endeavour, 120-guest Spirit of Oceanus (Cruise West's flagship) , and 138-guest Spirit of Yorktown.
Ten distinct Cruise West itineraries offer guests wanting to experience Alaska in its special year the opportunity to focus in on everything from sea-based and land-loving wildlife to indigenous cultures. Cruises range from four 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.
Discovery
Voyages: 800-324-7602, www.discoveryvoyages.com.One vessel: 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 expedition to a variety of seven-night eight-day hike and kayak adventures or “classic voyages” which explore Prince William Sound’s glaciers, islands, hikes, and wildlife.
Longest trips are a five-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 six days of voyaging plus Katmai and Denali National Parks in 15 nights 16 days. Final offering of the season will be a seven-night eight-day whale-watching voyage. All trips include two overnights in an Anchorage B&B.
Lindblad
Expeditions: 1-800-EXPEDITION, www.expeditions.com.Two 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 season opens with 11-night northbound positioning cruises (called “Alaska, British Columbia, and San Juan Islands” on April 28 or 29, 2009 (depending on vessel) and closes with departures southbound September 5 or 6 again depending on ship. The cruise extensively explores the Inside Passage between Seattle and Juneau.
The company’s season-long staple is a seven nights’ one-way cruise between Juneau and Sitka called “Alaska's Coastal Wilderness.” The weekly one-way journeys (with National Geographic Sea Lion sailing one 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.
Maple
Leaf Adventures: 1-888-599-5323, www.MapleLeafAdventures.com.One vessel, generally accommodating eight guests, offers something unique among lines operating in the Alaska cruise trade: The company’s Maple Leaf is an authentic “tall ship” sailing schooner more than a century old.
In 2009 the vessel will make two one-way Alaska voyages (under sail whenever possible) departing northbound or southbound between Prince Rupert, B.C. and Sitka on adventures simply called “Alaska Supervoyage 1” and “Alaska Supervoyage 2.” 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. Among sealife and wildlife encountered along the way passengers spot humpback whales, orca (killer) whales, seals and sea lions, brown (grizzly) bears, black bears, mountain goats plus eagles and birdlife beyond counting. Each trip ends or begins with a guided trip of Sitka – Alaska’s history-laden last headquarters of “Russian America” and the first capital community of the then-District of Alaska.
Cruising by Ferry
ALASKA
MARINE HIGHWAY SYSTEM: 1-800-642-0066, www.FerryAlaska.com.The State of Alaska will, in 2009, continue its operation of an extensive fleet of 11 large and small passenger and vehicle ships serving Southeast, Southcentral, and even (in summer) Aleutian Islands communities. The vessels range from the 931-passenger Columbia (serving Southeastern Alaska, Southcentral, and even Bellingham, Washington) to the 149-passenger Lituya which operates between Ketchikan and nearby Metlakatla.
In between are the Southeast-based ferries Malaspina (745 passengers), Matanuska (701), Taku (370), and Kennicott (748). The latter vessel also provides connecting voyages between Southeast and Southcentral Alaska. One ship, the Columbia, offers connections to Bellingham, WA. The ocean-going Tustumena (220) connects Kodiak with the Southcentral Alaska mainland and, in summer, with ports in the Aleutians.
Newest additions to the fleet are the speedy passenger and vehicle catamaran ferries Fairweather (250), serving Southeast Alaska and the Fairweather’s sister ship Chenega, which operates from Cordova into Prince William Sound. Smaller ferries Aurora (300) and LeConte (300) provide service for locals and Alaska visitors from Southeast and Southcentral mainline ports to smaller towns and villages. The Alaska Marine Highway System accepts reservations for summer ferry trips starting in the preceding December of each year.
For so-it-yourself cruisers these ships provide comfortable, wide-ranging, modern vessels (most with staterooms) that open up areas for cruising that are not accessible by traditional cruiseships.
BC FERRIES:
Phone 1-888-BCFERRY, 1-866- 308-4848, www.bcferries.com.The newly acquired (and extensively refurbished) passenger and vehicle ferry Northern Adventure (600 passengers, 101 vehicles) provides an alternative option for ferry travel from the “lower 48” U.S. states or from Canada to Southeast Alaska.
The 384-foot vessel sails north or south on alternate days in summer between Port Hardy at the northern end of highway-accessible Vancouver Island and the Canadian mainland port of Prince Rupert. This community is the turnaround port for many Alaska ferries serving Ketchikan and other cities in Southeast Alaska.
INTER-ISLAND
FERRY AUTHORITY: 1-866-
308-4848. www.interislandferry.com.The IFA operates two ferry vessels – the 200-passenger Stikine, which entered service in 2006, and the 160-passenger Prince of Wales that inaugurated IFA service between Prince of Wales Island and Ketchikan in 2002. For 2009 the Stikine will sail daily throughout the year between Ketchikan and Hollis on Prince of Wales Island.
During summer 2009 the Prince of Wales had been scheduled to provide three round trip "Northern Route" sailings each week from Coffman Cove on POW Island to Wrangell and to Mitkoff Island where travelers could drive 25 miles to Petersburg. However, an IFA press release in March announced that the "Northern Route" sailings north from Prince of Wales Island had been canceled due to financial feasibility problems.
Sprawling POW Island nonetheless remains a prime and promising destination, especially for travelers seeking an "off the beaten path" experience. It is the second biggest island in Alaska and is largely uninhabited but boasts an extensive highway network of former logging roads. A number of small communities lodges, fishing camps, and camping/RV sites are located there as well. Wildlife is abundant. For more extensive coverage, click this website’s "Cruise Alaska by Ferry" link list at upper left.
World Cruises With Alaska Segments or Port Calls
In addition to the cruiseline and ferry choices above – whose voyages
embark and
disembark in Alaska and other U.S. or Canadian ports – there are a
number of foreign-flag carriers which schedule wide-ranging world
cruises that begin and end in Europe or Asia. Most of these offer
shorter segments for passengers who cannot commit to extensive
itineraries. A number feature Alaska and British Columbia regions and
port visits. Cruiselines listed below have announced such
itineraries for 2009. Cruisers who are interested in such journeys
should determine before booking whether the sailings of interest are
bilingual (English, for instance, in addition to German or Japanese). Crystal Cruises: 1-800-820-6663, www.crystalcruises.com. Beginning April 16 Vessel Crystal Serenity (1,100 guests) will sail a 22-day segment voyage from Yokohama and Otaru, Japan to Petropavlosk, Russia, Alaska’s Dutch Harbor, Kodiak, Seward, Ketchikan, then Vancouver, Victoria, San Francsco and segment’s end in Los Angeles on May 7.
Fred Olsen Cruiselines,+44(0)1473 746175, www.fredolsencruiselines.com/. Vessel Balmoral (1,400 guests) offers a Singapore-Vancouver cruise segment which originates in Asia, cruises the Aleutian chain, calls at two Alaska ports (Seward and Skagway, July 18 and July 20 respectively) then continues southbound to Vancouver, Seattle, San Francisco, and San Diego.
Hapag-Lloyd (agency Euro-Lloyd Travel), 1-800-782-3924, www.euro-lloyd.com. Vessel Hanseatic's international cruising this summer will include an Alaska/British Columbia segment for the 184-guest ship from Cold Bay, Alaska to Vancouver, B.C. embarking July 12 and ending July 15. Port visits and cruising areas include Cold Bay, Unga Island, Prince William Sound, Sitka, Haines, Juneau, Tracy Arm and twin Sawyer Glaciers, Wrangell, Ketchikan, Campbell River B.C, Victoria, and Vancouver.
Peace Boat, 03-3363-8047 (Japanese, English, Spanish), www.peaceboat.org. Vessel Peace Boat embarks on its 66th wide-ranging international cruise this summer, departing from Yokohama April 8, 2009. It will return to Japan July 22 after cruising the Alaska coast and visiting its last port of call, Seward, Alaska on July 12. In the course of its international travel, passengers will engage in varied peace-building programs and activities.
Venus Cruise, www.venus-cruise.co.jp. This is primarily a Japanese cruiseline with a Japanese-language website which caters to Japanese speakers. The vessel will cruise Misty Fiords on June 30 and call at Ketchikan, its only Alaska port of call, on July 1.
ResidenSea, 1-800-970-6601 (for rental shipboard apartments), www.aboardtheworld.com. Vessel The World is the world's only private residential community at sea. It's sort of a floating, globe-circling, ever-traveling condo. Physically she is a 644-foot ship whose on board passenger count averages 150-200 residents and guests. The World's 2009 itinerary in Alaska waters begins in late July with cruising in Misty Fiords and port calls in Ketchikan, Wrangell, and Sitka then continues in August with cruising and port calls which include Tracy Arm Fiord, Haines, Juneau, Icy Strait Point, Valdez, Anchorage, Shelikof Strait, Kodiak, Dutch Harbor, and then – following a 13-day Bering Sea expedition – Nome.