Uncover the wonders of an Alaskan Cruise with Travel Escapes as we explore the untamed beauty of Alaska. Known as America’s Last Frontier, Alaska offers a diverse range of experiences, from breathtaking natural landscapes to rich cultural heritage. Join us as we uncover the wonders of Alaska on a cruise with Travel Escapes.
Easy Accessibility and Departure Points
Start your adventure from multiple convenient departure points. Whether you’re beginning your cruise from Seattle, Vancouver, San Francisco, or Los Angeles, Travel Escapes ensures a seamless and enjoyable start to your journey. Each port offers its unique charm and attractions, setting the tone for an extraordinary voyage.
Natural Wonders of Alaska
Wildlife Extravaganza
Alaska is a paradise for wildlife enthusiasts. The state is home to a vast range of animals, including roaming bears, wolves, caribou, and bald eagles. The North Pacific’s fertile waters offer excellent whale-watching opportunities, featuring orcas, humpback whales, and many other species. Additionally, you can spot sea otters, sealions, and spawning salmon in their natural habitats. An Alaskan cruise is an ideal way to uncover the natural wonders of Alaska.
Adrenaline Adventures
For those seeking adrenaline-pumping experiences, Alaska has it all. Engage in flight-seeing trips, zip-lining, glacier hiking, and whale-watching. You can also try white-water rafting, dog-sledding, and wildlife-spotting tours. These activities are sure to make your trip unforgettable.
Natural Spectacles
Alaska’s vast wilderness, known as America’s Last Frontier, is more than 20 times larger than Ireland. The state’s snow-topped mountains, glaciers, and national parks offer some of the most spectacular natural scenery in the world. Uncover the wonders of an Alaskan Cruise. Key highlights include:
Glacier Bay National Park
Spanning 3.3 million acres, this park is a natural wonderland filled with mountains, glaciers, and rainforests along craggy coastlines and deep fjords. There are around 100,000 Glaciers, though only 650 or so are named. Glacier Bay National Park has several ice floes that reach the sea. Margerie Glacier is one of them. Other notables include Hubbard Glacier, Mendenhall Glacier and Sawyer Glaciers, one of the largest and most active tidewater glaciers in North America.
Rich Cultural Heritage
Alaska’s cultural heritage is a colourful tapestry woven from its indigenous peoples, the Gold Rush era, and Russian influences. Explore the stories of Alaskan natives, relive the excitement of the Gold Rush, and delve into the Russian history that shaped the state.
Juneau:
The state capital, accessible only by air or sea, is a bustling hub and gateway to natural wonders like the Mendenhall Glacier and Tongass National Forest.
Ketchikan:
Known for its numerous totem poles, this town has strong links to the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian native tribes and is a gateway to the Misty Fjords.
Sitka:
Founded by Russian fur traders, Sitka was the capital of Russian Alaska and offers a rich historical experience.
10 Things to know before you go:
Bring the right clothes
Alaska’s changeable weather calls for a versatile wardrobe to cope with chilly or hot temperatures with lots of layers, waterproofs and walking shoes for hiking trips. It’s worth packing binoculars too. Alaska can have exceptionally bright days so don’t forget the sunscreen and above all sunglasses are a must.
Plan Ahead
with such a tempting line-up of activities and adventures in Alaska, pre-planning is essential as excursions can get booked up early, so if there are specific tours you have in mind, reserve them before departure. This is especially important given the wide range of activities and adventures
Pick your best time
The Alaskan cruise season runs from May to September when summer temperatures can range from 15-25C. If you’re into spotting the wildlife there are specific times for bird and whale migrations and salmon spawning.
When to see Salmon, Birds and Whales
Pacific salmon start returning to Alaska during May and continue to show in some rivers well into autumn. Arctic Terns nest and raise their young in Alaska each summer and then undergo a mammoth migration, the longest known, flying about 25,000 kilometres to wintering areas in Antarctica. During the cruising season, May – September various species of whales can be seen throughout Alaska, including the North Pacific Humpback, Killer Whale (Orca), and Gray Whale
Beware the crowds
Pick the start or end of the Alaska season, cruises tend to be less expensive, so you might even bag a bargain and enjoy some savings! Plus you will be sharing the ports with fewer passengers and you won’t be as overwhelmed by fellow tourists as you would be if travelling at the height of the season.
Choose your ship and itinerary
Okay so you’ve decided Alaska is where you want to go. Now, which cruise ship is the best one to take? Large ships tend to follow similar itineraries through the Inside Passage and the Gulf of Alaska, but smaller vessels sail to smaller bays, focusing more on natural surroundings and wildlife, calling at small towns rather than larger ports. Travel Escapes voted Cruise Agent of the Year can help you decide
Extend your stay
Alaskan cruises lend themselves to cruise-and-stay options as departure cities
include Seattle, Vancouver & Anchorage. Travel Escapes can help you plan your stay. Fans of the popular TV series ‘Yellowstone’ may even want to take a side trip to Montana.
Get set for rain or shine
Alaskan weather is famously unpredictable and the state is renowned for having more than its fair share of rain, making it one of the wettest spots in the USA, though it can be hot and sunny too.
Big pockets for adventure
Such bucket list experiences don’t come cheap with some excursions running into hundreds of Euro, so weigh up which ones are worth it, book in advance and budget accordingly.
Short stops in Victoria
If you want to visit this Canadian city, study the itinerary as some sailings from US ports stop here for only two or three hours, often at night, as a technical stop to meet US cabotage laws, making it impossible to go ashore for any meaningful time
10 Reasons to Cruise Alaska
Animal magic
Alaska runs alive with wildlife, notably roaming bears, wolves, caribou and bald eagles, while the North Pacific’s fertile waters offer rich whale-watching with orcas, humpback and many other species, plus sea otters, sealions and spawning salmon. Creating unforgettable moments for wildlife enthusiasts.
Spectacular Scenery:
Alaska is known as America’s Last Frontier and its vast wilderness (twenty-one times larger than Ireland) packs an impressive punch with snow-topped mountains, pristine fjords, glaciers and national parks. Providing an unparalleled visual feast for nature lovers.
Cultural Heritage
Alaska’s rich native cultures and history is a colourful mix of the state’s indigenous people, known as Alaskan natives; the Gold Rush and its logging history brought to life in tourist lumberjack shows; and Russian influences from when Alaska was a Russian colony until 1867.
Alaskan hot-spots
The state capital Juneau is the jumping-off point for the Tongass National Forest; Sitka was founded by Russian fur traders and was the capital of Russian Alaska; Skagway is the gateway to Gold Rush territory
Outdoor Adrenalin Adventures:
From Glacier hiking to kayaking, from dog sledging to whale-watching zip-lining to flight-seeing trips. All are bucket-list adventures.
Alaska provides a playground for outdoor enthusiasts seeking adventure and adrenaline in a pristine and remote environment.
Quaint Coastal Towns:
Explore charming towns like Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan, each with its own unique character, offering a mix of history, local charm, and vibrant arts scenes.
Glaciers-a-plenty
There are around 100,000 glaciers though only 650 or so are named. Glacier Bay National Park has several ice floes that reach the sea, with Margerie Glacier being one of them. Other notables include Hubbard Glacier, Mendenhall Glacier and Sawyer Glaciers.
Unbeatable Sunsets
Experience the magic of the midnight sun during the summer months, when the sun appears to never set, creating enchanting sunsets that cast a warm glow over the Alaskan wilderness.
Catching Salmon
Searching for black bears, catching salmon at Neets Bay (from Ketchikan). Indeed if you are a Fishing enthusiast why not indulge in a pre-arranged excursion fishing world-class salmon? Again one for the bucket list
Luxurious Cruising
Cruising is the way to see Alaska and an Alaskan Cruise will uncover the wilderness and wonders in the comfort and luxury of your chosen ship. It’s important to decide what you want to see and do in Alaska as many cruise lines are navigating through some of the most stunning landscapes on Earth. Travel Escapes can help you choose the right ship and cruise line to suit you and your budget.
8 Key Attractions
Glacier Bay National Park
Covering a mind-boggling 3.3 million acres along Alaska’s Inside Passage, it brims with mountains, glaciers and rainforests along craggy coastlines and deep fjords offering a plethora of natural wonders.
Juneau Cruise destination
Alaska’s state capital, only accessible by air or sea, is a bustling hub of tourist shops and a gateway to natural wonders including the Juneau Icefield and Mendenhall Glacier plus the
Tongass National Forest
Ketchikan Cruise Highlights
Ketchikan – famous for numerous totem poles signifying its links to Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian native tribes; its history of logging and fishing; and its reputation as one of America’s rainiest cities. Gateway to the Misty Fjords explored on floatplane trips.
Gold Rush territory
Hark back to the Klondike Gold Rush of the 1890s, with trips from Skagway to the route taken by prospectors along the Chilkoot Trail or ride the Yukon Route Railroad through the historic White Pass.
Anchorage
Alaska’s largest city, its backdrop of mountain peaks is a reminder of the wilderness beyond. Cruises start or end here, or at the town of Seward 200 kilometres away, or the hamlet of Whittier 100 kilometres distant.
Rocky Mountaineer Train
Ride the railroad across Canada on this famous train that weaves between snowy peaks and glacial lakes. Journeys start and finish in Vancouver, making this a perfect add-on to Alaska cruises from the city.
Canadian Coast
Vancouver’s lively cosmopolitan vibe contrasts with Victoria’s cosy homespun charm on Vancouver Island – with both Canadian cities’ mainstays of Alaskan cruise itineraries.
Seattle
As the home of Starbucks, this buzzing West Coast hub is famous for its coffee house culture, along with foodie delights at picturesque Pike Place Market and sky-high views from the Space Needle.
Best time to take an Alaskan Cruise
The cruising season in Alaska spans from May to September, coinciding with the warmer summer temperatures ranging from 15- 25 degrees Celsius. As you travel further north, expect cooler temperatures. Alaska is renowned for its rainy weather, with May being relatively dry. However, rainfall tends to increase as the summer advances. By August, the likelihood of rain is reported to be slightly over 50%.
Book Your Alaskan Cruise Today
A cruise through Alaska with Travel Escapes is the perfect way to explore this amazing region. From the wildlife and glaciers of Alaska to the vibrant cities of the West Coast, this journey promises to be a memorable adventure.
Call Travel Escapes Dublin at 01-2941000 today to book your Alaskan cruise. Uncover our full range of cruises at www.travelescapes.ie. Let us help you plan a trip that combines the allure of the open ocean with the excitement of discovering new destinations.
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