It's winter in Alaska, and cruise ships have departed the waters until the spring.
But Alaska's popularity is apparent.

Gearing Up For Alaska Cruising

Plans for the 1999 cruise season are well underway, and Princess Cruises alone is scheduling seven different options for a total of 104 departure dates next year. And if land tours are counted, the total comes to 59 different cruise-tour options. Why are Princess and other cruise lines repositioning so many of their ships to the 49th state during the upcoming spring and summer? As a destination, Alaska seldom disappoints its visitors. The frontier spirit still exists among residents. Wildlife abounds on land and water. And the scenery, from jagged glaciers to thick forests, stuns the senses. Even rain, cold and wind, which can occur during the summer, add to the unconquerable wildness of the state.

GLACIER PREP TALK
To show more of the state to its passengers, Princess schedules most of its cruises to run one way, either from Vancouver, British Columbia, to Seward, Alaska, or vice versa. Because ships sail both the Inside Passage and the Gulf of Alaska, sightseeing options are plentiful. Certainly, glaciers are on everyone's list as the most spectacular natural sight. And though glacier history is complex, Princess invites a park ranger on board to explain the phenomenon before the trip begins, complete with a slide show of Glacier Bay and College Fjord. When the ship later floats slowly through these bodies of water, "educated" passengers marvel at the blue and white rivers of ice that stop at the water's edge. Periodically, a large chunk breaks off from the face of the glacier, splashing noisily into the water and sending a giant wave across the bay. The scene almost appears choreographed, as seals, lying on the ice floes, bob up and down staring curiously at the passing vessel.

PORT SAMPLERS
On the Seward to Vancouver itinerary, the first port is Skagway, which brings to life the Gold Rush of 1898 when thousands of miners purchased provisions in that town before heading to the gold fields over the Chilkoot and White passes. Passengers off the ship can visit the excellent Trail of '98 Museum, which exhibits artifacts and photographs from those days. They can also attend a lighthearted stage show about con man Soapy Smith or tour a re-created tent city and pan for gold. The town itself has been restored to its short-lived glory days with saloons, wooden sidewalks and false-front buildings. Juneau, the second port of call, is a surprisingly small town for a state capital. Intermingling along its narrow hilly streets are local fishermen off their boats wearing knee-high rubber boots. Also present are Tlingit Indians, perhaps attending the octagon-shaped St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church, built in 1894 by Russian missionaries. Tourists spend much of their time shopping at the many souvenir stores that sell native handicrafts and Russian-inspired goods. But the chief attraction is the Mendenhall Glacier, the only drive-up glacier in the world with its wall of ice standing 100 feet tall and nearly 11/2 miles wide. The Visitor's Center presents a comprehensive exhibit on glaciers, explaining why they advance and recede. Ketchikan, another port of call, is known for its rainfall–a whopping 169 inches per year. Native Americans and totem poles are the highlight here. At Totem Bight State Park, visitors see excellent examples of these tall cedar poles with carved like-nesses of walruses, eagles, ravens and men. They learn that totem poles were never objects of religious worship. Instead, the carvings represented family lineage, honored ancestors or related legends. On the Saxman Village tour, also in Ketchikan, the Tlingits welcome visitors to their village and entertain guests by performing traditional dances at the Beaver Clan Tribal House. Before long, members of the audience dress in the dancers' handsome black and red capes and shuffle alongside the natives to the sound of a beating drum. Finally, Alaska's largest city is also on the itinerary because most of the cruises either start or end in Anchorage, with motorcoach rides from the port of Seward. In Anchorage, hanging baskets of lobelia and marigolds represent the colors of the state, and a statue of a dog symbolizes the official start of the Iditarod race. In the distance are the snow-capped Wrangell Mountains. Occasionally, Mount McKinley and Mount Fouraces show themselves from behind the clouds. And despite the high-rise buildings and the automobile traffic, the frontier spirit prevails in Anchorage. A sign in a funky cafe called Blondies reads, "The management at this establishment absolutely takes no responsibility." Nevertheless, the halibut steak and Alaskan ale are absolutely delicious.

SHORESIDE ADVENTURE
While most passengers enjoy cultural experiences, a fair number seek a little physical adventure too. Thus, Princess offers sea kayaking in Auke Bay; sportfishing for King Salmon aboard a 36-foot boat; whitewater rafting past floating icebergs along the Mendenhall River; helicopter tours and landings on various glaciers; and floatplane flightseeing piloted by expert Alaskan bush pilots. Bike tours in the Ketchikan Mountains attract the physically fit passengers, eager for some strenuous exercise, as do nature hikes through a coastal forest, mountain lake canoeing, and fly-in fishing trips to a pristine wilderness lake. A journey aboard the historic White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad can be combined with a fully guided five-mile hike along the Skagway River to an isolated cabin near the base of Laughton Glacier. Guides carry pepper spray to ward off the occasional bear.

DETAILS
Rather than cruising from Vancouver to Skagway and back, Princess has expanded its routes to include the Gulf of Alaska. This way, the ships are not doubling back but taking passengers through the Inside Passage and the Gulf. More important, passengers can view the spectacular scenery for which Alaska is famous. Prince William Sound, College Fjord, the Kenai Peninsula, and the south-central coastline are recent additions to the itineraries.

The Sun, Dawn, Regal, Crown, Sky, and the new Sea Princess, debuting at the end of 1998, are scheduled to sail Alaskan waters from early May to late September. Both the north- and south-bound departures start on Saturdays and Mondays with a seven-night round trip from Vancouver to Skagway. In addition, there are 11-night round-trip cruises from San Francisco and a 10-day repositioning cruise.

Reservations for the 1999 cruises are already being booked. Princess offers guaranteed Love Boat Saver Fares if reservations are made before, appropriately, Valentine's Day.
We can make all your arrangements.