Frommer's Alaska Cruises & Ports of Call 2009 (Frommer's Cruises)

292 Pages·2009·25.35 MB·English

by  Fran Wenograd Golden

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xperience the best a place has to offer on the cruise that’s
right for you. Frommer’s. Your trip begins with us.

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● Exact prices, including brochure rates, with tips on how to L
find deep discounts, so you can plan the perfect trip no matter A
what your budget. S
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● Extensive descriptions of all the major ships sailing in Alaska,
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with information on everything from cabins and ship facilities

to shore excursions and recreational activities. C
● Comprehensive ship ratings that grade the essential elements R
of a cruise experience (dining, activities, children’s programs, U
public areas, cleanliness, and overall enjoyment) from “poor” I
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to “outstanding.” E
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● Complete coverage of the Inside Passage and Gulf of Alaska,
A L A S K A
with off-the-beaten-path experiences and new takes on top &
attractions.

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● Bonus wwiillddlliiffee gguuiiddee in the appendix highlights the animals O C R U I S E S
you’re most likely to see—from whales to bald eagles to bears.
R
T
S & PORTS OF CALL
Front cover photo ©Ken Graham/AccentAlaska.com
Inset photo ©Altrendo Nature Photo/Getty Images
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20 09
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US $18.99/ CAN $20.99/ UK £12.99 C
ISBN 978-0-470-37185-5 A
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2009

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Alaska Cruises
& Ports of Call
2009
by Fran Wenograd Golden & Jerry Brown
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Published by:
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ISBN: 978-0-470-37185-5
Editor: Melissa Klurman
Production Editor: Lindsay Conner
Cartographer: Andrew Dolan
Photo Editor: Richard Fox
Anniversary Logo Design: Richard Pacifico
Production by Wiley Indianapolis Composition Services
Front cover photo: Prince William Sound: Cruise ship passes by Bryn Mawr Glacier in
College Fjord
Back cover photo: Homer, Alaska: Group Portrait of three bald eagles
For information on our other products and services or to obtain technical support, please
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Contents
List of Maps vi
What’s New in Alaska Cruising in 2009 1
1 The Best of Alaska Cruising 8
1 The Best of Alaska’s Ships . . . . . . . . .9 3 The Best Shore Excursions . . . . . . . .13
2 The Best Ports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
2 Choosing Your Ideal Cruise 15
1 The Alaska Cruise Season . . . . . . . . .15 Ship Size Comparisons . . . . . . . . . . .21
2 The Inside Passage or the Gulf 4 Cruisetours:The Best
of Alaska? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 of Land & Sea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22
Shore Excursions: The What, 5 Quiz Time:Questions to Ask
When & Why . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 When Choosing Your Cruise . . . . . . .25
3 Big Ship or Small Ship? . . . . . . . . . .18
3 Booking Your Cruise & Getting the Best Price 31
1 Booking a Cruise:The Short 7 Choosing Your Cabin . . . . . . . . . . . .40
Explanation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31 Model Cabin Layouts . . . . . . . . . . . .41
2 Booking through a Travel Agent . . . .32 Reading a Ship’s Deck Plan . . . . . . .42
Watch Out for Scams . . . . . . . . . . . .33 8 Choosing Your Dining Options . . . . .44
3 Cruising on the Internet . . . . . . . . . .35 9 Deposits & Cancellation Policies . . . .46
4 Cruise Costs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35 10 Travel Insurance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46
5 Money-Saving Strategies . . . . . . . . .37 Fast Facts: Alaska . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47
6 Airfares & Pre-/Post-Cruise
Hotel Offerings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39
4 The Cruise Experience 50
1 Packing for Your Cruise . . . . . . . . . . .50 Safety at Sea in the New World
2 Money Matters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52 (Dis)Order . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56
The Cost of Common Cruise 5 Keeping in Touch with
Incidentals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53 the Outside World . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57
3 Your Very Important Papers . . . . . . . .54 6 Visiting the Ports of Call . . . . . . . . . .58
4 Getting to the Ship & Checking In . . .55 7 Tipping,Packing & Other
End-of-Cruise Concerns . . . . . . . . . .61
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iv CONTENTS
5 The Cruise Lines,Part 1:The Big Ships 64
1 Some Components of Our 5 Norwegian Cruise Line . . . . . . . . . . .89
Cruise-Line Reviews . . . . . . . . . . . . .65 6 Princess Cruises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97
Weddings at Sea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68 7 Regent Seven Seas Cruises . . . . . . .109
2 Carnival Cruise Lines . . . . . . . . . . . .69 8 Royal Caribbean International . . . . .113
3 Celebrity Cruises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74 9 Silversea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119
4 Holland America Line . . . . . . . . . . . .80
6 The Cruise Lines,Part 2:The Small Ships 123
A Note on Ship Ratings . . . . . . . . .124 3 Lindblad Expeditions . . . . . . . . . . .140
1 American Safari Cruises . . . . . . . . .125 4 Alaska Marine Highway System . . .143
2 Cruise West . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .129
7 The Ports of Embarkation 148
1 Anchorage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .148 3 Vancouver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .161
The Iditarod . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .153 4 Seattle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .169
Shopping Smart for Native Art . . . .156 5 Juneau . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .177
2 Seward . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .156 6 Whittier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .179
8 Ports & Wilderness Areas along the Inside Passage 184
1 Victoria,British Columbia . . . . . . . .184 9 Sitka . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .200
2 Canada’s Inside Passage . . . . . . . . .188 10 Juneau . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .206
3 Prince Rupert,British Columbia . . .189 11 Icy Strait Point,Icy Strait &
4 Ketchikan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .193 Hoonah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .212
5 Misty Fjords National Monument . . .198 12 Glacier Bay National
Park Preserve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .214
6 Admiralty Island National
13 Haines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .216
Monument . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .199
7 Tracy Arm & Endicott Arm . . . . . . . .199 14 Skagway . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .220
8 Baranof Island . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .200
9 Ports & Wilderness Areas along the Gulf Route 226
1 Petersburg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .226 4 Prince William Sound . . . . . . . . . . .231
2 Valdez . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .229 5 College Fjord . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .233
3 Hubbard Glacier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .231 6 Seward . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .233
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CONTENTS v
10 Cruisetour Destinations 234
1 Denali National Park & Preserve . . .234 3 Prudhoe Bay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .238
A Mountain by Any Other Name...235 4 Nome & Kotzebue . . . . . . . . . . . . .239
First to the Top . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .236 5 The Kenai Peninsula . . . . . . . . . . . .240
2 Fairbanks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .236 6 The Yukon Territory . . . . . . . . . . . . .240
Denali Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .238 7 The Canadian Rockies . . . . . . . . . .241
Appendix A:Alaska in Depth 243
by Charles Wohlforth
1 Natural History:Rough 3 An Introduction to Southeast
Drafts & Erasures . . . . . . . . . . . . . .243 Alaska’s Native Cultures . . . . . . . . .253
2 A Short Gold-Rush History . . . . . . .251
Appendix B:Alaska on the Wild Side 257
by Charles Wohlforth
1 Whale-Watching 101 . . . . . . . . . . .257 2 Alaskan Wildlife . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .260
Index 265
General Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .265 Restaurant Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . .275
Accommodations Index . . . . . . . . .274
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List of Maps
Alaska 10 Sitka 203
Anchorage 149 Downtown Juneau 209
Seward 159 Glacier Bay National Park 215
Downtown Vancouver 163 Haines 219
Seattle 171 Skagway 223
Whittier 181 Petersburg 227
Victoria, British Columbia 185 The Kenai Peninsula & Prince
William Sound 232
Prince Rupert, British Columbia 190
Ketchikan 195
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About the Authors
Fran Wenograd Goldenis travel editor for GateHouse Media New England and keeps readers
up to date on the “Get Away with Fran” blog at www.wickedlocal.com/getaway. Her work
appears in numerous newspapers, magazines, and websites. She lives in Boston and is the proud
parent of Erin and Eli. Jerry Brown was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, and worked as a reporter
for Scottish 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
two grandsons, Mason Patrick and Maddox Matthew.
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 recommenda-
tion, we’d love to know that, too. Please write to:
Frommer’s Alaska Cruises & Ports of Call 2009
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 confirmation when making
your travel plans. The authors, editors, and publisher cannot be held responsible for the expe-
riences 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 wal-
lets, all favorite targets of thieves and pickpockets.
Other Great Guides for Your Trip:
Frommer’s Alaska
Alaska For Dummies
Pauline Frommer’s Alaska
Frommer’s Cruises & Ports of Call
Frommer’s Seattle
Frommer’s Canada
Frommer’s British Columbia & the Canadian Rockies
Vancouver & Victoria For Dummies
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