By Mike Miller
This is for would-be cruisers who had hoped 2006 would be their year for an Alaska cruise – but things didn't quite work out:
Not to worry. 2007 is coming and you're not going to miss a thing.
Virtually all the lines in the 2006 Alaska cruise trade, with one exception, have announced Alaska cruising plans for year 2007 and it's going to be another blockbuster year up north. Alaska-sized choices will vary from the traditional "Inside Passage" sailings from Seattle and Vancouver – a choice that has pleased travelers for more than a century – to "expedition" sailings as far out as the Aleutian Islands chain. At least two lines have scheduled port calls in Russia.
15 Cruiselines, 45 Vessels
At present, 15 companies have announced plans to dispatch 45 large and small cruising vessels. Their passengers will, as usual, cruise steep-walled fjords that make Norwegians homesick. They'll see mammoth glaciers (one of them five miles wide at its face) which "calve" giant thundering, splashing, wave-making icebergs the size of tour buses.
Elsewhere, humpback whales will breach in full view then dive only to rise again, sometimes bursting completely out of the water. Travelers may spot white mountain goats negotiating precarious mountainside paths on lofty precipitious cliffs. Along forested or rocky shores cruisers may see brown bears or blackies or Sitka black-tailed deer.
Too, there are authentic 19th century goldrush towns where visitors can still pan for "color" in creeks and streams. Alaska Native communities and cultural centers offer fascinating glimpses into Alaska's rich human history from centuries past.
Vessel Vary Greatly
The ships in Alaska's cruise fleet again vary greatly. They range from large and "mega" floating resorts (guest capacity up to 2,670) down to cruise yachts with staterooms for a pampered dozen. (There are even fewer guests aboard a century-old "tall ship" sailing vessel that accommodates ten.) Too, you can book passage aboard a converted and decidedly upscale former mine sweeper circa World War II, a genuine sternwheel paddle boat, or a completely modern vessel cleverly disguised as a turn-of-the-20th-century coastal packet steamer.
Or, if you're a do-it-yourself cruiser you can plan your own itinerary and port calls by booking stateroom space aboard sailings of Alaska's state ferry system.
Following are the lines that will dispatch their "ships of summer" to Alaska waters in 2007 along with phone contacts and internet URLs. Many companies offer reduced fares for early bookings.
Lines With Large to Mega Ships
Carnival Cruise Lines, 1-800-CARNIVAL, www.carnival.com
Celebrity Cruises, 1-800-437-3111, www.celebrity.com
Holland America Line, 1-877-SAIL HAL, www.hollandamerica.com
Norwegian Cruise Line, 1-800-327-7030, www.ncl.com
Princess Cruises, 1-800-PRINCESS, www.princess.com
Royal Caribbean International, 1-800-327-6700, www.royalcaribbean.com
Mid-Size Vessels
Regent Seven Seas Cruises, 1-800-285-1835, www.TheRegentExperience.com
Smaller Ships
American Safari Cruises, 1-888-862-8881, www.americansafaricruises.com
The Boat Company, 1-360-697- 4242, www.theboatcompany.com
Clipper Cruiseline, 1-800-325-0010, www.clippercruise.com
Cruise West, 1-800-888-9378, www.cruisewest.com
Discovery Voyages, 1-800-324-7602, www.discoveryvoyages.com
Lindblad Expeditions, 1-800-EXPEDITION, www.expeditions.com
Majestic America Line, 1-800-434-1232, www.majesticamericaline.com
Maple Leaf Adventures, 1-888-599-5323, www.mapleleafadventures.com
Alaska Ferries
Alaska Marine Highway System, 1-800-642-0066, www.FerryAlaska.com
Copyright (c) 2006 by Mike Miller; All rights reserved
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Mike Miller lives and writes travel stories and guidebooks from his home office in Juneau. For a comprehensive report on all aspects of Alaska cruising in 2007 – including family cruising, ports of call, shore excursions, plus land-and-sea cruisetours – visit the author's website at http://www.AlaskaCruisingReport.com.
