Frommer's Alaska Cruises & Ports of Call 2005

289 Pages·2005·15.02 MB·English

by  Jerry Brown

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Alaska Cruises
& Ports of Call
2005
by Jerry Brown & Fran Wenograd Golden
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About the Authors
Jerry Brown was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, and worked as a reporter for Scot-
tish newspapers before joining the news department of the London Daily Mail.
Later, for 31 years, he was the West Coast Bureau Chief of a leading travel trade
newspaper. He and Margaret, his wife and best editor, have two grown sons, a
granddaughter, Victoria Rose, and a grandson, Mason Patrick. Fran Wenograd
Goldenis travel editor of the Boston Herald,and a well-established travel writer.
She is also author of TV Vacations: A Fun Guide to the Sites, the Stars, and the Inside
Stories Behind Your Favorite TV Shows,and co-author (with Jerry) of Cruise Vaca-
tions For Dummiesand Frommer’s European Cruises & Ports of Call.She lives north
of Boston with her husband, Ed, and is the proud parent of Erin and Eli.
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Contents
List of Maps vi
What’s New in Alaska Cruising in 2005 1
1 The Best of Alaska Cruising 6
1 The Best of Alaska’s Ships . . . . . .6 2 The Best Ports . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Personal Reminiscence . . . . . . .10 3 The Best Shore Excursions . . . . .13
2 Choosing Your Ideal Cruise 14
1 The Alaska Cruise Season . . . . .14 Ship Size Comparisons . . . . . . . .17
2 The Inside Passage or the Gulf 4 Cruisetours:The Best
ofAlaska? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 of Land & Sea . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
Shore Excursions: The What, 5 Quiz Time:Questions to Ask
When & Why . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 WhenChoosing Your Cruise . . .24
3 Big Ship or Small Ship? . . . . . . .16
3 Booking Your Cruise & Getting the Best Price 29
1 Booking a Cruise:The Short 7 Choosing Your Cabin . . . . . . . .37
Explanation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29 Model Cabin Layouts . . . . . . . . .39
2 Booking Through a Travel Reading a Ship’sDeck Plan . . . .40
Agent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
8 Choosing Your Dining
Watch Out for Scams . . . . . . . .32
Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42
3 Cruising on the Internet . . . . . .33
9 Deposits & Cancellation
4 Cruise Costs . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33 Policies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43
5 Money-Saving Strategies . . . . . .35 10 Travel Insurance . . . . . . . . . . . .43
6 Airfares & Pre-/Post-Cruise Fast Facts: Alaska . . . . . . . . . .44
HotelOfferings . . . . . . . . . . . . .36
4 The Cruise Experience 47
1 Packing for Your Cruise . . . . . . .47 Safety at Sea in the New World
2 Money Matters . . . . . . . . . . . .49 (Dis)Order . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53
The Cost of Common Cruise 5 Keeping in Touch with the
Incidentals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50 Outside World . . . . . . . . . . . . .54
3 Your Very Important Papers . . . .50 6 Visiting the Ports of Call . . . . . .54
4 Getting to the Ship & 7 Tipping,Packing for
Checking In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51 Disembarkation & Other
End-of-Cruise Concerns . . . . . .57
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iv CONTENTS
5 The Cruise Lines,Part 1:The Big Ships 60
1 Some Components of the 6 Norwegian Cruise Line . . . . . . .90
Cruise-Line Reviews . . . . . . . . .61 7 Princess Cruises . . . . . . . . . . . .99
Weddings at Sea . . . . . . . . . . .63 8 Radisson Seven Seas
2 Carnival Cruise Lines . . . . . . . .64 Cruises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .108
3 Celebrity Cruises . . . . . . . . . . .69 9 Royal Caribbean
4 Crystal Cruises . . . . . . . . . . . . .75 International . . . . . . . . . . . . .111
5 Holland America Line . . . . . . . .80
6 The Cruise Lines,Part 2:The Small Ships 118
1 American Safari Cruises . . . . .119 5 Glacier Bay Cruiseline . . . . . . .137
2 American West Steamboat 6 Lindblad Expeditions . . . . . . . .141
Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .123 7 And Now for Something
3 Clipper Cruise Line . . . . . . . . .125 Completely Different:Cruising
4 Cruise West . . . . . . . . . . . . . .130 Using the Alaska Marine
Highway System . . . . . . . . . . .144
Like a Road Trip,
but by Boat . . . . . . . . . . . . . .131
7 The Ports of Embarkation 149
1 Anchorage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .149 4 Seattle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .168
The Iditarod . . . . . . . . . . . . . .154 5 Juneau . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .175
2 Seward . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .157 6 Whittier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .177
3 Vancouver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .162
8 Ports & Wilderness Areas along the Inside Passage 181
1 Victoria,British Columbia . . . .181 7 Tracy Arm & Endicott Arm . . . .194
2 Canada’s Inside Passage . . . . .185 8 Baranof Island . . . . . . . . . . . .195
Shopping for Native Art . . . . .185 9 Sitka . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .195
3 Prince Rupert,British 10 Juneau . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .200
Columbia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .186
11 Icy Strait,Point Adolphus
4 Ketchikan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .187 & Gustavus . . . . . . . . . . . . . .205
5 Misty Fjords National 12 Glacier Bay National Park
Monument . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .193 & Preserve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .206
6 Admiralty Island National 13 Haines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .207
Monument . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .194
14 Skagway . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .211
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CONTENTS v
9 Ports & Wilderness Areas along the Gulf Route 218
1 Hubbard Glacier . . . . . . . . . . .218 4 College Fjord . . . . . . . . . . . . .222
2 Prince William Sound . . . . . . .218 5 Seward . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .222
3 Valdez . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .220
10 Cruisetour Destinations 223
1 Denali National Park & 3 Prudhoe Bay . . . . . . . . . . . . .226
Preserve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .223 4 Nome & Kotzebue . . . . . . . . .226
A Mountain by Any Other
5 The Kenai Peninsula . . . . . . . .227
Name... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .224
6 The Yukon Territory . . . . . . . . .227
2 Fairbanks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .224
7 The Canadian Rockies . . . . . . .228
Denali Changes . . . . . . . . . . .225
Appendix A:Alaska in Depth 230
by Charles Wohlforth
1 Natural History:Rough Drafts Dateline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .241
& Erasures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .231 An Alaska Glossary . . . . . . . . .246
2 A Short Gold-Rush History . . .239 4 An Introduction to Southeast
3 Politics & History:Living a Alaska’s Native Cultures . . . . .249
Frontier Myth . . . . . . . . . . . . .241
Appendix B:Alaska on the Wild Side 252
by Charles Wohlforth
1 Whale-Watching 101 . . . . . . .252 Alaska’s Animals: Did You
2 Alaskan Wildlife . . . . . . . . . . .255 Know . . . ? . . . . . . . . . . . . . .259
Index 261
General Index . . . . . . . . . . . . .261 Restaurant Index . . . . . . . . . . .272
Accommodations Index . . . . . .272
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List of Maps
Alaska 8 Ketchikan 191
Anchorage 150 Sitka 197
Seward 159 Downtown Juneau 201
Downtown Vancouver 163 Glacier Bay National Park 207
Seattle 169 Haines 209
Whittier 179 Skagway 213
Southeast Alaska 182 The Kenai Peninsula & Prince
Victoria, British Columbia 183 William Sound 219
Prince Rupert, British Valdez 221
Columbia 188
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An Invitation to the Reader
In researching this book, we discovered many wonderful places—hotels, restaurants,
shops, and more. We’re sure you’ll find others. Please tell us about them, so we can share
the information with your fellow travelers in upcoming editions. If you were disappointed
with a recommendation, we’d love to know that, too. Please write to:
Frommer’s Alaska Cruises & Ports of Call 2005
Wiley Publishing, Inc. • 111 River St. • Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774
An Additional Note
Please be advised that travel information is subject to change at any time—and this is
especially true of prices. We therefore suggest that you write or call ahead for confirma-
tion when making your travel plans. The authors, editors, and publisher cannot be held
responsible for the experiences of readers while traveling. Your safety is important to us,
however, so we encourage you to stay alert and be aware of your surroundings. Keep a
close eye on cameras, purses, and wallets, all favorite targets of thieves and pickpockets.
Other Great Guides for Your Trip:
Frommer’s Alaska
Alaska For Dummies
Frommer’s Cruises & Ports of Call
Cruise Vacations For Dummies
Frommer’s Canada
Frommer’s British Columbia
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What’s New in Alaska
Cruising in 2005
J
ust like the glaciers, the world of than in others. Just last year in this
Alaska travel is always changing. New space, we wrote, “This is where it’s all
ships come, and others go—in some happening in 2004. More ships, big-
years more so than in others, as you ger ships—and brand-new ships.
will see. Cruise lines add new shore There are half a dozen vessels in the
excursions and land packages and market this year that weren’t there
enhance their onboard offerings. before.”
Embarkation ports suddenly get very Guess what? There’s not a single
popular. And in our travels, we con- brand-new ship in the market in 2005
stantly find interesting new changes in and none that hasn’t been there before.
the tourism industry of the 49th state. One, Silversea’s Silver Shadow, has
In writing this book, we’ve tried to departed for other destinations, but
keep track of the latest and greatest the total complement of ships remains
developments. the same because of the return of the
THE CRUISE INDUSTRY IN Norwegian Dream.This lack of expan-
GENERAL 2004 was a very good sion makes it an unusual summer
year for cruise companies in Alaska. for an Alaska market in which the
There were more ships in the market number—and certainly the size—of
(an 11% increase in bed capacity over ships has risen steadily in recent years.
2003), yet they were surprisingly Last year was a year of spectacular
full.We expect the trend to continue growth in the number of berths being
in 2005 (with only a 6% capacity offered, with the arrival of two huge
increase). What this means for con- new vessels right out of the builder’s
sumers is there may not be as many of yard, Princess Cruises’ Diamond
those big discount last-minute deals as Princess and the Sapphire Princess, as
there were in 2002 and 2003 (years well as the Oosterdam of Holland
when the aftereffects of the Sept 11, America (HAL).These three, and two
2001, terrorist attacks were still being dozen others, are back in 2005.
felt big time). We believe your best bet Norwegian Cruise Line, a rela-
for getting a good deal on a cruise tively young and innovative company
in 2005 is to book early, by mid- in the Alaska market, does have a ship
February 2005—earlier if possible— with a new name there in 2005—the
for the best selection and biggest early- Norwegian Spirit.But don’t be fooled;
bird savings. If you take your chances it’s not a new ship in the truest
and wait, be prepared to take leftovers. sense of the word. Rather, it is the
Alaska is hot, hot, hot. renamed SuperStar Leo, joining three
fleetmates in the Pacific Northwest.
SHIPS As we indicated above, some
The strengthening demand for Alaska
years see greater increases in capacity
cruising, of course, makes life easier