The very mention of Alaska conjures up awe-inspiring glaciers in pristine blue seas, breeching whales and otters, kayaking and underwater exploration in submarines, and a really cool atmosphere. This is the driving force for a hundred thousand people to go to Alaska every year . Over a hundred popular cruise lines provide all kind of vacation packages to cruisers from all over the world. The best months for taking a cruise in Alaska are the summer months of May to September . The period between June and July is particularly packed due to the length of the day, making more exploration possible .
An Alaskan cruise vacation can refer to the cruise itself or the cruise tour package . Broadly divided, there are two kinds of Alaskan cruises ? those that go around the Inside Passage and those which go one-way along the Gulf, popularly known as Alaska Glacier Cruises . The roundtrip cruises sail from Seattle or Vancouver and stop at Alaskan and Canadian ports like Juneau, Ketchikan, Sitka, Glacier Bay National Park, Skagway, Hubbard Glacier, and Haines. Those that follow glacier paths begin from Vancouver and end at Seward or Whittier for northbound cruises, and reverse for southbound cruises . Cruise tours offer motor coaching from Vancouver, Seward, or Whittier up to Anchorage, from where people can continue exploring Alaska on land. Cruise passengers are lodged at luxurious hotels at Denali, Kenai Peninsula, or Fairbanks .
Generally, Alaskan cruise vacations are at least a week long . Cruise tours, which continue with land exploration, may go up to eighteen days . There are also short weekend cruise vacations or five-day cruise vacations . Major cruise lines that offer packages on Alaskan cruise vacations are the Royal Caribbean, Princess, Celebrity, Silversea, Radisson, Holland America, Norwegian, and Carnival . Lindblad and American Safari cruise lines specialize in cruise vacations for small groups, mostly on chartered yachts .
Smaller cruise lines like Clipper and Cruise West make adventure cruising possible for their passengers. Big ships cannot navigate most of the coves of the Alaskan shore line . Hence, adventure seekers prefer smaller ships for better navigability . Small ship cruises also make many water sports possible for cruisers, along with a catamaran cruise. Apart from that, there are onshore activities like a helicopter flying session, mountain biking, and hiking .
Alaska Glacier Cruises
One of the main attractions of Alaskan cruises is glacier exploration. The northern reaches of the Pacific are well-known for their overabundance of glaciers . Several people book themselves for glacier cruises off the coast of Alaska . Glacier cruises design their itineraries around glacier-rich seas.
Alaska Glacier cruises are also referred to as the Gulf of Alaska cruises. They may be either southbound or northbound, but they have one-way itineraries . Unlike the Alaska Inside Passage cruises, they are not bi-directional, as the ships do not take a U-turn and drop passengers at their starting point . Hence, while booking an Alaska cruise, the passengers must make transport arrangements from two different locations ? one for going and one for returning.
Northbound Gulf of Alaska cruises begin from Vancouver . They travel northward and pass through the Inside Passage, stopping at Seward or Whittier . Southbound Gulf of Alaska cruises follow the reverse path ; they begin at Seward or Whittier and stop at Vancouver, passing through the Inside Passage . From wherever the disembarking location is, passengers are either flown in or motor coached to Anchorage .
A glacier cruiser in the Alaskan does not miss out on anything the Inside Passage cruise offers . In fact, they get to see the mesmerizing College Fjord, which is considered glacier heaven . The ship also takes cruisers to all the ports the Inside Passage cruise offers, such as Juneau, Ketchikan, Sitka, Glacier Bay National Park, Skagway, Hubbard Glacier and Haines . The cruise may last up to 8 to 10 days, or perhaps even to a fortnight .
The boom time for glacier watching is March to October in Alaska, since after that the sea becomes too cold. People may sometimes have to book about three months in advance due to the immense popularity of these cruises . Not only vacationers, but also glacier experts and geologists, book these cruises . The extent of glacier exploration during the cruise can be decided in advance .
A weekend cruise among Alaska ?s glaciers may cost about $3,500, depending on the cruise line and the season .
An Alaskan cruise vacation can refer to the cruise itself or the cruise tour package . Broadly divided, there are two kinds of Alaskan cruises ? those that go around the Inside Passage and those which go one-way along the Gulf, popularly known as Alaska Glacier Cruises . The roundtrip cruises sail from Seattle or Vancouver and stop at Alaskan and Canadian ports like Juneau, Ketchikan, Sitka, Glacier Bay National Park, Skagway, Hubbard Glacier, and Haines. Those that follow glacier paths begin from Vancouver and end at Seward or Whittier for northbound cruises, and reverse for southbound cruises . Cruise tours offer motor coaching from Vancouver, Seward, or Whittier up to Anchorage, from where people can continue exploring Alaska on land. Cruise passengers are lodged at luxurious hotels at Denali, Kenai Peninsula, or Fairbanks .
Generally, Alaskan cruise vacations are at least a week long . Cruise tours, which continue with land exploration, may go up to eighteen days . There are also short weekend cruise vacations or five-day cruise vacations . Major cruise lines that offer packages on Alaskan cruise vacations are the Royal Caribbean, Princess, Celebrity, Silversea, Radisson, Holland America, Norwegian, and Carnival . Lindblad and American Safari cruise lines specialize in cruise vacations for small groups, mostly on chartered yachts .
Smaller cruise lines like Clipper and Cruise West make adventure cruising possible for their passengers. Big ships cannot navigate most of the coves of the Alaskan shore line . Hence, adventure seekers prefer smaller ships for better navigability . Small ship cruises also make many water sports possible for cruisers, along with a catamaran cruise. Apart from that, there are onshore activities like a helicopter flying session, mountain biking, and hiking .
Alaska Glacier Cruises
One of the main attractions of Alaskan cruises is glacier exploration. The northern reaches of the Pacific are well-known for their overabundance of glaciers . Several people book themselves for glacier cruises off the coast of Alaska . Glacier cruises design their itineraries around glacier-rich seas.
Alaska Glacier cruises are also referred to as the Gulf of Alaska cruises. They may be either southbound or northbound, but they have one-way itineraries . Unlike the Alaska Inside Passage cruises, they are not bi-directional, as the ships do not take a U-turn and drop passengers at their starting point . Hence, while booking an Alaska cruise, the passengers must make transport arrangements from two different locations ? one for going and one for returning.
Northbound Gulf of Alaska cruises begin from Vancouver . They travel northward and pass through the Inside Passage, stopping at Seward or Whittier . Southbound Gulf of Alaska cruises follow the reverse path ; they begin at Seward or Whittier and stop at Vancouver, passing through the Inside Passage . From wherever the disembarking location is, passengers are either flown in or motor coached to Anchorage .
A glacier cruiser in the Alaskan does not miss out on anything the Inside Passage cruise offers . In fact, they get to see the mesmerizing College Fjord, which is considered glacier heaven . The ship also takes cruisers to all the ports the Inside Passage cruise offers, such as Juneau, Ketchikan, Sitka, Glacier Bay National Park, Skagway, Hubbard Glacier and Haines . The cruise may last up to 8 to 10 days, or perhaps even to a fortnight .
The boom time for glacier watching is March to October in Alaska, since after that the sea becomes too cold. People may sometimes have to book about three months in advance due to the immense popularity of these cruises . Not only vacationers, but also glacier experts and geologists, book these cruises . The extent of glacier exploration during the cruise can be decided in advance .
A weekend cruise among Alaska ?s glaciers may cost about $3,500, depending on the cruise line and the season .
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