Alaska Cruise

[mikecat adjuster]

Wow! Good stuff with that sailboat cruise. I'd love to travel to so many places. This sounds like it could be one of them.

 

[TooFarTampa]

We did 10-12 days on a sailboat out of Juneau and I recommend it highly. Througout our travels we saw several cruiseships and all of the people looking at everything from afar while we were getting up close and personal...and not making such a impact on the environment. While sitting in an outdoor tub fed by a hot spring, overlooking a HUGE waterfall I watched a cruiseship navigate up as far as it could, everyone took their picture of the falls and then they threw it in reverse and headed out again.
We relaxed in hot springs, kayaked with whales and sea lions, hiked on several islands, enjoyed copious amounts of beer, wine and various other beverages, dined on fresh caught salmon and dungenous crab among other delicious meals prepared by Capt. Laurie and her first mate and sometimes by us if we felt like it. We got to lay out our goals and she tailored the route to meet that. My brother and sister had sailed with her the previous year as well.
Capt. Laurie has turned the helm of the Kirsten Anne over to Capt. Neil but I have been assured it is the same wonderful experience. The best adventure of my life. I came back completely relaxed and in awe over what I had seen and done.

http://www.alaskasailingcharters.com/images/callout/callout_ka23.jpg


Alaska Sailing Charters
2660 Fritz Cove Rd.
Juneau, AK 99801
907-523-0560
cell: 907-723-0883
alaskasailingcharters@gci.net
www.alaskasailingcharters.com <http://www.alaskasailingcharters.com>

Totally OT, but this is how I want to see the Galapagos.

I may have to print this one too and add it to my Wish List.

Goofer report back and tell us what your plans are!

 

[swantree]

a friend of mine is part owner in this boat.

Alaska Yacht Charters and Cruises Aboard Ursa Major Yacht Charters in Alaska & The Pacific Northwest

it is a great way to see Alaska and i highly recommend them, they also do the Baja thing in the winter that is awesome as well!
tell them Swantree sent you through the Alaska connection! via Kit Defever.

speaking as an Alaskan, this is the best way to see Alaska hands down. the only better way is using the ferry system.

 

[Miss Kitty]

Thanks for all the suggestions. The sail boat experience sounds awesome !!

Wow, I agree about that sailboat trip, but I would have hurled through Alaska, myself.

Goofer...an Alaska cruise should be on everyone's list! I am so excited you and Mrs. G are planning this trip! We sailed from Anchorage to Vancouver a few summers ago and it is on my top three list of trips. We were on a Regents Seven Seas ship and took the side trips to get up close and personal. Even got stuck on a glacier for an hour because the weather changed and the helicopters couldn't fly in...I was a mess.


BTW...I could become a professional cruiser. I was so surprised at how much I loved this mode of travel!

 

[GoodWitch58]

a friend of mine is part owner in this boat.

Alaska Yacht Charters and Cruises Aboard Ursa Major Yacht Charters in Alaska & The Pacific Northwest

it is a great way to see Alaska and i highly recommend them, they also do the Baja thing in the winter that is awesome as well!
tell them Swantree sent you through the Alaska connection! via Kit Defever.

speaking as an Alaskan, this is the best way to see Alaska hands down. the only better way is using the ferry system.

The Ferry System is awesome. We boarded the Ferry in Bellingham Wash and spent five days on it to Sitka. We had a cabin. None of the luxuries of the high end cruise for sure, but what a fabulous trip. We met some of the most wonderful people: Alaskans who were traveling from one place to the next as part of their normal day or week; military families relocating to Fairbanks with their vans, children and pets; students from all four corners of the earth who were backpacking around the world; an entire elder hostel tour group, most of whom were in their 70s and the most energetic group, both physically and mentally...the first day was foggy and almost surreal as we traveled through the Inside Passage; the next day, the fog had lifted and it was a sunny, blue sky day--the ferry is big and the one we were on had 504 people and I am not sure how many vehicles and animals. The accommodations are comfortable, clean, and basic. Food is good and reasonably priced. There was a naturalist on board( from the state wildlife organization) who daily gave presentations and helped us identify animals and plants. We stopped in almost every town and had an hour or two, sometimes more, to wander around.
It was a fantastic experience. We also got up close and personal and traveled through areas that the big cruise ships can not go. We could not get "sailboat close" on the ferry, but we did later.
We got off in Sitka and spent several days with friends--if you get a chance to hike to see where the Bald Eagles nest, I recommend the trek. We saw eagles as we see seagulls here in Florida.

From Sitka we flew to Glacier Bay and took a boat tour to the glacier. In fact, we stopped in front of one glacier for the wedding of a young couple on our boat. They had met when they were working in the park, and wanted to be married in front of the glacier, so our captain (she is from Orlando--works in Florida in the winter, and captains the sightseeing boat at Glacier other times. we were there in May) stopped the boat for the wedding ceremony afterwards the bride and groom shared champagne with all of us!

From Glacier Bay we flew to Fairbanks and then caught the train to Denali for several days. That is a whole trip report by itself. The park is huge, open, and I felt the loneliness of the people who had pioneered the land--how courageous they were.

Next, we took the train down to Seward, the city where the 1964 earthquake hit. It is my favorite Alaska town--not sure why, but I had an "at home" feeling there. We went out into Resurrection Bay and on into the Pacific to see the Orcas...awesome! Then, I visited the summer camp of one of the Idederod dog sled teams and got a ride on the sled on a training run. What speed those dogs have. The young man who took me on the run had won the junior race twice.

I loved Alaska -- the part I would do again is the Ferry trip through the Inside Passage. I would also like to get to Homer and Kodiak Island. If you are looking to see Alaska up close and want to interact with some of the residents and also with travelers who are exploring, I highly recommend the ferry system.
http://www.dot.state.ak.us/amhs/index.shtml

 

[goofer]

Wow, I agree about that sailboat trip, but I would have hurled through Alaska, myself.

Goofer...an Alaska cruise should be on everyone's list! I am so excited you and Mrs. G are planning this trip! We sailed from Anchorage to Vancouver a few summers ago and it is on my top three list of trips. We were on a Regents Seven Seas ship and took the side trips to get up close and personal. Even got stuck on a glacier for an hour because the weather changed and the helicopters couldn't fly in...I was a mess.


BTW...I could become a professional cruiser. I was so surprised at how much I loved this mode of travel!

We have decided to take the Regent Seven Seas cruise line. We are taking the same Anchorage to Vancouver route on the Mariner Seven Seas ship. We are arriving four days early to go to Denali and then we are staying two days in Vancouver at the end. I am in the process of booking the excursions now. Definitely psyched about the trip to the top of the glacier by helicopter. The excursion that does dog sledding is completely sold out We are leaving late August. I am going to seriously restrain myself as far as the dining is concerned because the cuisine looks overwhelming !!! I don't think I have ever been so pumped up about a vacation as I am about going to Alaska.

 

[GoodWitch58]

We have decided to take the Regent Seven Seas cruise line. We are taking the same Anchorage to Vancouver route on the Mariner Seven Seas ship. We are arriving four days early to go to Denali and then we are staying two days in Vancouver at the end. I am in the process of booking the excursions now. Definitely psyched about the trip to the top of the glacier by helicopter. The excursion that does dog sledding is completely sold out We are leaving late August. I am going to seriously restrain myself as far as the dining is concerned because the cuisine looks overwhelming !!! I don't think I have ever been so pumped up about a vacation as I am about going to Alaska.

You will love every minute of it. Keep trying on the dog sledding--maybe someone will cancel...those animals are amazing and the people who work with them or race them are delightful.

 

[scooterbug44]

Alaska is an amazing place - the glaciers alone are worth the trip! Then you add the whales, seals, sea lions, salmon, fishing.............

 

[Matt J]

Alaska is an amazing place - the glaciers alone are worth the trip! Then you add the whales, seals, sea lions, salmon, fishing.............

I thought the glaciers had left?

 

[scooterbug44]

No, glaciers are still there - though sadly they are much smaller than they used to be 10 or 20 years ago.

Dailymotion - Mendenhall Glacier Juneau, Alaska (Please Raise Volume) - a Travel video@@AMEPARAM@@http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/x29on2@@AMEPARAM@@x29on2