Here's
Your 2010 Alaska Cruising Preview!
Passengers cluster at their ships's rails to see and photograph one
of the dramatic tidewater glaciers to be viewed along Tarr Inlet
within Glacier Bay. (Mike Miller photo)
Guess whose cruiseship will be among vessels scheduled for sailing Alaska waters
in 2011?
Click Here to see the complete
list of five additional cruiselines and six
vessels.
15 Cruiselines, 39 Cruiseships
Sailing to Alaska Next Summer
Alaska-bound cruisers, as usual, have an awesome range of vessels to consider next year: In 2010, 39 ships representing 15 different cruiselines will ply the waters of Alaska's Inside Passage and beyond.Travelers can choose among hundreds of cruises which break down to basically four cruissing patterns.
First there's the traditional seven-night roundtrip Inside Passage voyage from Vancouver or Seattle to Southeastern Alaska and return. (Four lines also offer two-week expanded roundtrips or open-jaw itineraries to Southeast and Southcentral Alaska and return.) A smaller number of roundtrips or open-jaw variations, are likewise available from San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego and other west coast ports.
Popular as well are one-way Gulf and Glaciers cruises between Vancouver and Southcentral Alaska ports Seward or Whittier.
Other lines (primarily small-ship companies) will offer Cruises Within Alaska, sailing within Southeast or Southcentral, many of them visiting Glacier Bay, Prince William Sound or Tracy Arm fiord with its twin Sawyer glaciers. Finally, there is the Extended Voyage that may, for instance, explore the Aleutian Islands chain, sub-Arctic and Arctic regions, or even visit ports of the Russian far-east and Asian destinations..
Here's Alaska's cruising roundup for 2010:
Large to "Mega" Cruiseships
Carnival
Cruiselines 1-800-CARNIVAL www.carnival.com
The world’s largest cruiseline has announced that for the first time ever the company has scheduled its Alaska-bound vessel Carnival Spirit (2,124 guests) for Seattle departures on all but two of its 2010 Inside Passage weeklong round trips to Southeast Alaska. Ports of call and cruising areas include Skagway, Juneau, and Ketchikan plus cruising Tracy Arm Fiord with twin Sawyer Glaciers.
The two exceptions are the line's first and last voyages of the 2010 season: A five-night/six-day open-jaw sailing departs May 5 from Vancouver, B.C., sails to and through Southeast Alaska then ends in Seattle. A six-night seven-day season closer departs from Seattle September 7 sailing to Southeast Alaska, including Glacier Bay, then concludes the voyage at Vancouver.
Celebrity
Cruises 1-800-437-3111 www.celebritycruises.com
The company has scheduled three vessels – Celebrity Infinity (1,950 guests ), Celebrity Mercury (1,870), and Celebrity Millennium (1,950) – for cruising Alaska in 2010.
Celebrity Millennium will inaugurate the cruiseline’s first sailing of the season with a 14-night, 15-day Ultimate Alaska voyage departing San Diego on April 30 and visiting Seattle, Sitka, Hubbard Glacier, Skagway, Juneau, Icy Strait Point, Tracy Arm Fiord, Ketchikan, Victoria, and Vancouver. Core season for the vessel will be seven-night, eight-day voyages between Vancouver heading north starting May 14 and south from Seward beginning May 21. Last sailing for the season departs September 10 from Seward.
Celebrity Mercury will sail seven-night, eight-day roundtrip cruises after kicking off its season May 5 with a 12-night, 13-day "Ultimate Alaska" roundtrip from Los Angeles to Southeast Alaska and return followed by another "Ultimate Alaska" voyage departing May 17 from Los Angeles and ending in Vancouver. Core of Celebrity Mercury's summer season begins May 30 with the first of 16 seven-night, eight-day sailings from Vancouver. Highlight of the itinerary will be cruising the six-mile, 300-feet-high face of awesome Hubbard Glacier. Season closer will be a 12-night, 13-day sailing September 19, Vancouver to Alaska then San Francisco and San Diego.
Celebrity Infinity’s season begins with a May 10 departure from San Francisco for an 11-night, 12-day voyage to Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Icy Strait Point, and Sitka with journey's end in Seattle. The vessel will then offer 18 seven-night, eight-day roundtrips to Ketchikan, Juneau, and Skagway plus Tracy Arm for glacier cruising and a port call at Victoria, B.C.
Holland America Line 1-877-SAIL-HAL
www.hollandamerica.com
Holland America Line will introduce a new 14-night, 15-day "Alaskan Adventurer" cruise in 2010 to complement its seven-night, eight-day itineraries. The new offering expands Holland America itineraries to four, joining "Alaskan Explorer," "Glacier Discovery" and "Glacier Bay Inside Passage." The company will dispatch eight ships to Alaska in 2010 – the most for any company cruising Alaska.
The 1,380-guest Amsterdam’s leisurely two-week itinerary features the scenic Inside Passage, highlighted by cruising Tracy Arm fjord for glacier viewing, then huge and spectacular Hubbard Glacier in Yakutat Bay. Ports of call include Ketchikan, Skagway, Sitka, Anchorage, Homer, Kodiak, Juneau and Victoria, BC.
Four ships will home-port in Seattle during 2010, sailing 63 seven-night, eight-day roundtrip "Alaskan Explorer" cruises. Before shifting to the new two-week itinerary, HAL’s flagship Amsterdam opens the company’s season with two seven-night, eight-day "Alaskan Explorer" sailings May 3 and May 10.
May 9 through September 24, three additional vessels will embark from Seattle weekly. They are 1,432-guest Zaandam, 1,316-guest Rotterdam, and 1,918-guest Oosterdam. "Alaskan Explorer" cruises call at Juneau, Sitka and Ketchikan, plus Victoria, BC.
More...
For Ferry Cruisers...
New Site Lists 300+ B&B and Other Accommodations
Here’s news of a new region-wide Southeast Alaska accommodations website – created by the publishers of www.AlaskaCruisingReport.com for independent Alaska ferry cruisers who prefer to choose their own port calls and their own length-of-stays along Alaska’s Inside Passage. The site lists more than 300 Bed and Breakfasts, Inns, Vacation Homes, Hotels, Motels, Overnight Lodges and Hostels in communities from southernmost Hyder to northernmost Yakutat. You can visit the site at www.SoutheastAlaskaBnBs.com.Disney, Crystal Cruises, InnerSea, and Now Oceania Announce
Season-Long Alaska Cruising Vessel Deployments for 2011
P&O Will Return With A Single Sailing, It's First to Alaska in 40 Years
By Mike Miller, Publisher
www.AlaskaCruisingReport.com.
It’s sort of a seagoing game of musical deck chairs.
First, Crystal Cruises announced in late August, 2009 that the company will dispatch its 922-guest luxury vessel Crystal Symphony for a season-long schedule of 12-night Alaska cruises from San Francisco in 2011.
Shortly thereafter Disney Cruise Line likewise let it be known that it has scheduled the 1,750-guest Disney Wonder for 18 seven-night Alaska Inside Passage roundtrips from Vancouver, B.C.
Then came news from P&O Cruises that – 40 years since its last sailing in Alaska – the line will dispatch the 2,064-guest luxury vessel Arcadia on a single 72-night roundtrip from Southampton, England to Alaska and return. The ship will depart Southampton April 12, 2011 and return June 23.
The line also will offer two shorter one-way segments, both of which include nine days in Alaska visiting southeastern and southcentral ports and glacier viewing sites. The segments are: Southampton to Los Angeles in 44 nights, and San Francisco to the English port in 46.
And, to keep the vessel pot aboiling, InnerSea Discoveries (a new sister-brand with long-established American Safaris) also announced its plans to dispatch the 66-guest Wilderness Adventurer and 80-guest Wilderness Discoverer for a full season of adventure and wilderness cruises between Ketchikan and Juneau.
Most recently, Oceania Cruises has announced its entry into the mix. The 684-guest upper-premiium vessel Regatta will offer four roundtrips from Vancouver, B.C., to Anchorage, two sailings from Vancouver to Southeast Alaska and return; and four roundtrips from San Francisco to Southeast.
So... for Alaska there’ll be a gain of six new ships for 2011. Correct?
Well, no...
That's because the two largest and longest-tenured big-ship lines serving Alaska have disclosed they will each pull one vessel out of the Alaska cruise trade in 2011. Holland America Line has scheduled the 1,270-guest Ryndam for European cruises and Princess Cruises will transfer the 710-guest Royal Princess to sister-corporation P&O Line in the U.K. There the ship will be renamed Adonia. With these reductions Holland America will have seven ships in Alaska in 2011 and Princess will have six.
More information about the new entries, their sailing dates and pricing is available from the following contacts and websites:
Crystal Cruises: 1-888-799-4625, www.crystalcruises.com
Disney Cruise Line: 1-888-352-2500; www.disneycruise.com
InnerSeaDiscoveries: 1-877-901-1009; www.InnerSeaDiscoveries.com
Oceania Cruises: 1-800-531-5658; www.oceaniacruises.com
P&O Cruises: 1-877-828-4728; www.pocruises.com
Port of the Month - Alaskan Port City Vignettes
In December and January AlaskaCruisingReport.com introduced a new series of monthly reports about Alaska's fascinating port cities. First in the series came Ketchikan. For January we introduced Sitka. February highlighted Seward and March featured Juneau. (The list goes on...)To view the series, visit our Ports of Call page.
The ABC's of Alaska Cruising
Three vessel sizes; four "flavors" of Alaska cruising;
when to visit Alaska; and, oh yeah, Alaska's weather
No doubt about it, Alaska's 2010 cruise season promises to be a another banner year for seaborne travel in this land of brown bears, mountain goats, humpback whales, sprawling glaciers, ice-capped mountains, steep-walled fjords, lunker king salmon and lush towering forests.
Thirtiy-nine cruiseships are scheduled to sail in the Alaska trade in 2009. Here are the ABCs of comfortable cruising in these wondrous wilderness waters from spring and summer through early fall. More...
Cruiseship passengers and Juneau locals enjoy the "Aurora Strings" performing at the "Concert in the Park" at Marine Park on the Juneau cruiseship wharf. Cruiseship in the background is the Holland America Line vessel Zaandam. Every Friday in the summer features different local artists. (Photo by Mike Miller)
Think Alaska Cruising Is Just for Grownups?
Bring the kids! Alaska cruiseship travel can be a fabulous, fun, family vacation!See our family cruising page for details.
Concerned About How Much to Tip on an Alaska Cruise?
See our FAQ page for guidance, and to see Theron P. Keller's incredibly easy-to-use calculator that instantly tells you just the right amount to budget for gratuities – even, if you wish – before you leave home!Alaska Cruise Tours – The Way to Cruise
Alaska's Hiways, Flyways & Railways
First time cruisers sometimes wonder what a “cruise tour” might be. A “tour” of the cruiseship perhaps?
Well, no... When you buy an Alaska cruise tour (also called a "cruisetour" or a "cruise- tour") you purchase a package that includes a basic cruise plus additional tours, travel, and destinations ashore either before or after the cruise. Your pre-cruise and post-cruise choices range from wilderness lodges and national parks to scenic rail and motorcoach excursions, riverboat journeys, travel to Canada’s Yukon Territory, and any number of other pleasurable things-to-do and places-to-see.
All necessary transportation, hotels, tours, and transfers – including, of course, your basic cruise – are usually covered in a single purchase. Exceptions: Some meals ashore may or may not be included; gratuities seldom are.
The cruise tour offered most by cruiselines is a one- or multiple-night option featuring luxury rail or motorcoach from Anchorage or Whittier to Denali National Park. The package may or may not include a sightseeing bus ride deep into the park’s interior in search of grizzly bears, moose, caribou, Dall mountain sheep, foxes, and - if you’re incredibly lucky - wolves or wolverines. Some Denali tours extend north to (or from) Fairbanks. More...
Alaska's "Other" Ferry System
You've heard about cruising via Alaska's excellent state ferries. And about BC Ferries' fine service just south of the Alaska panhandle. But have you heard about Alaska's "other" ferry system? Click here to read about this "Off the Beaten Path" travel opportunity.And Speaking of Ports...
The port cities, towns, and villages you can visit on an
Alaska
cruise
or ferry ride are a diverse and exciting lot. Some communities, like
Anchorage, are big and busy and business-oriented, yet Alaskan to the
core; the Anchorage Museum of History and Art and the Alaska
Native Heritage Center are both "must see." Skagway is an authentic
19th century goldrush town. Sitka relishes the memory of its
Tlingit Indian heritage and its Russian colonial past.They don't call Petersburg "Little Norway" for nothing, and if you don't believe it drop by toward the end of May and help the locals celebrate Norwegian Independence Day. Juneau's three "G's" (Glaciers, Gold, and Government) make it a favorite stop among both cruisers and ferry patrons.
Ketchikan's world class collection of totem poles is much treasured by residents and visitors alike - as are the magnificent cedar monuments on Chief Shakes Island within the harbor at Wrangell. At Haines, residents likewise embrace historic and contemporary Tlingit Indian art, as well as the world's largest gathering of American bald eagles. Tiny Baranof Warm Springs, as the name implies, boasts natural outdoor warm springs pools in the woods - sites much appreciated both by locals, itinerant commercial fishermen and smallboat cruise passengers. Tenakee's natural springs have similar appeal.
Icy Strait Point, adjacent to Hoonah, is Alaska's first planned cultural and activity port, reserved for passengers from no more than one cruiseship a day. Cordova and Valdez, both located on the shores of glacier-rich Prince William Sound, offer unexcelled waterborne sightseeing and angling. Goldrush Nome, the Eskimo village of Gambell on St. Lawrence Island, and Little Diomede Island can only be described as "way far out," in more ways than one. More...
BC Ferries' New Vessel Northern Expedition Now Sailing
To Prince Rupert and Connections With Alaska Ferries
Our ferry page has complete details!
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