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| Denali (Formerly Mt. McKinley) by Dennis M. Gragg (June 2017) |
Alaska has always been a final frontier, a place where everyone wanted to go. Even 70 years ago.
Once in the geographical clutches of Russia, Alaska was bought by the US for a measly 3c an acre 150 years ago and, ever since tourists started hitching a ride on a cargo ship to cruise the Inside Passage in 1881, a voyage to the True North of Alaska has equaled a perennial gold star on the travel bucket list.
About two million people visit Alaska a year and cruising is a popular way to do it. In 2017, Seattle (the departure point for most round-trip cruises) will host 218 cruise ships and more than one million passengers. Holland America Line, the first tour company in Alaska back in 1947, this year increased their ships to seven, with 135 Alaska departures.
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| Haines, Alaska. Photo by Kevin Gragg - Dancing Moon Travel (July 2017) |
Here is what you should know before you go.
1. PICK YOUR TIME
“If you want to see snow, book early in the season,” Captain John Scott tells us aboard the MS Eurodam where he’s been manning the bridge during this 70th anniversary season of sailing.1. PICK YOUR TIME
“You’ll see more wildlife midsummer to late-summer.”
2. CONSIDER YOUR SHORE EXCURSIONS
With
everything from dog sledding to hiking, sea kayaking and whale watching
on offer, don’t leave the decision-making until you’re on board. Have a
back-up plan in case the weather turns, and if you prefer to get off
the beaten track, go for activities with longer hiking times that might
deter some travelers.
3. IT’S BUSY
There
are five ships in Ketchikan the day we arrive. In Juneau, every day
from the end of April to October, ships lay down their gangways to
deliver up to 15,000 people into the old town.
4. BALD EAGLES ARE LIKE ALASKAN PIGEONS
Half
the world’s 70,000-strong population of bald eagles stick to Alaskan
skies, with about 15,000 said to be found in Juneau alone. Gaze up at
the spruce trees that blanket the hills.
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| Photo by Tom Molina - Jason Odell Photo Safari July 2017 |
5. GLACIER BAY WILL BLOW YOUR MIND
With
an entire day dedicated to skulking through Glacier Bay National Park
on most Alaskan cruises, you’ll spend hours watching a real-life screen
saver outside, dwarfed by groaning glaciers and ice-blue jagged cliff
faces. Only two ships are permitted inside the park at any one time and
ranger commentary guarantees you get well acquainted with Margerie,
Lamplugh, Reid and John Hopkins glaciers. |
| Entering Glacier Bay. Photo by Kevin Gragg - Dancing Moon Travel (July 2017) |
6. NATIVE HISTORY
As
well as learning more about the indigenous history of Alaska in
Ketchikan, members of the Huna indigenous community of Glacier Bay come
aboard the MS Eurodam to share stories of ravages of new land
ownership and Mother Nature’s own pitfalls documented by the community
over thousands of years.
7. CHOOSE YOUR STATEROOM
Two words: Balcony Room. There’s no better spot to take in glacier views and spot sea lions and otters.
8. TRACY’S CRAB SHACK
In
downtown Juneau, Tracy’s Crab Shack has been a red beacon of dungeness
deliciousness since it started as a humble food stand in the ’90s. But
beyond this dock delight, every stop on an Alaskan cruise provides the
opportunity to feast on the wild salmon, just-caught halibut and crab
cakes that will ruin your taste for traditional fish and chips.
9. ALASKAN BREWING CO. BEER
It
started with a crowd-funding campaign before Kickstarter was a thing,
uses beer to power the making of its beer, and uses Juneau’s maze of
underground mine shafts to store cases to the optimal 12.8C. A special
pale ale was brewed for Holland America Line’s 70th anniversary. Sample
on board.
10. BOOK AHEAD
As any cruiser knows, on-board, it’s all about the food. On MS Eurodam there
are four restaurant options as well as the all-inclusive Lido Market
with dining supplements ranging from $15 to $35 per head. Make
reservations so you don’t miss out on Thai fusion at Tamarind or a hefty
President’s Cut – carved at your table and best shared between two or
more – at Pinnacle Grill (extra supplement).
11. WILD ENTERTAINMENT
Given
the scenery, it makes sense that Holland America Line partner with BBC
Earth to beam documentaries on to the big screen, while live music set
against the series Wild Alaska ignites all the senses.
12. SPOTTING WHALES
While you’re just as likely to spot a humpback or orca while on the treadmill, a whale watching tour from Victoria BC with Orca Spirit provides
the advantage of a marine naturalist to explain behaviors like surge
feeding – humpbacks fat-load in the North Pacific through the summer. |
| Photo by James Knighten - Jason Odell Photo Safari July 2017 |
13. WI-FI IS LIMITED
14. EDUCATE YOURSELF
Brush up on your tech and photography skills on-board MS Eurodam with Windows workshops and camera tips out on deck.
15. RAIN GAUGE
Rain
is a constant companion in Alaska but Ketchikan locals make light of it
with a “liquid sunshine” measure of the annual drizzle. The record is
202 inches in 1949.
16. GIANT RAINFOREST
Tongass National Forest is North America’s largest national forest, spread across 17 million acres of glacial-carved landscape.Book the Sitka Great Adventure shore excursion to hike through the otherworldly landscape, past 500-plus-year-old trees and across spongy muskeg (peat bog).
17. TOTEM POLES
The
Totem Heritage Center was built to preserve and exhibit the only
original totem pole collection in the United States. Thirty-three poles
were retrieved from abandoned Tlingit and Haida villages around
Ketchikan.
18. IT FEELS LIKE RUSSIA
In
the 1800s, Sitka was the capital of Russian America so you can expect
onion-domed cathedrals and other Soviet architecture from the days after
Alexander Baranoff sailed in and founded New Archangel (which would
later become Sitka). |
| Village of Haines, Alaska. Photo by Kevin Gragg - Dancing Moon Travel (July 2017) |
19. STOP OVER IN SEATTLE
There’s a bustling food market celebrating 110-years this year, quirky
underground tours, and works of glassblowing artist Dale Chihuly
showcased at the foot of the Space Needle. Stay a few nights pre- or
post-cruise to discover the salmon ladder, the Seattle Art Museum and
book ahead for the next-level seafood brunch at West Seattle
institution, Salty’s.
Article Written By: Celeste Mitchell
Published by: Escape
Escape appears as a Sunday lift-out in News Corp newspapers across Australia and, along with their website, will help you plan your next dream holiday.
Published by: Escape
Escape appears as a Sunday lift-out in News Corp newspapers across Australia and, along with their website, will help you plan your next dream holiday.
The writer was a guest of Holland America Line and Port of Seattle.
1 comment:
LOVE Alaska -- everyone falls in love. Save money and go in May or after mid-August. Best opportunity to see bears in August ... whale watching great most anytime in the summer months. Book now for next summer!
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