Alaska Cruise on Westerdam from Seattle (USA)

Seattle (USA)

Seattle is a major coastal seaport city and the seat of King County, in the U.S. state of Washington. A major gateway for trade with Asia, Seattle is the 8th largest port in the United States and 9th largest in North America in terms of container handling. Seattle has a noteworthy musical history. From 1918 to 1951, there were nearly two dozen jazz nightclubs along Jackson Street from the current Chinatown/International District to the Central District. The jazz scene developed the early careers of Ray Charles, Quincy Jones, Ernestine Anderson and others. Seattle is also the birthplace of rock legend Jimi Hendrix and the rock music style. Places to visit: the Henry Art Gallery , the first public art museum in Washington. The Seattle Art Museum , the Frye Art Museum is a free museum on First Hill. Regional history collections are at the Loghouse Museum in Alki, Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, the Museum of History and Industry and the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture. Industry collections are at the Center for Wooden Boats and the adjacent Northwest Seaport, the Seattle Metropolitan Police Museum, and the Museum of Flight. Regional ethnic collections include the Nordic Heritage Museum, the Wing Luke Asian Museum and the Northwest African American Museum. Seattle has artist-run galleries, including 10-year veteran Soil Art Gallery,and the newer Crawl Space Gallery.Other significant events include numerous art and entretainment, music, religious and ethnic festivals. Since the middle 1990s, Seattle has experienced significant growth in the cruise industry, especially as a departure point for Alaska cruises.

Alaska Inside Passage

The Inside Passage is a coastal route for oceangoing vessels along a network of passages which weave through the islands on the Pacific coast of North America. The Alaskan portion of the Inside Passage extends 500 miles (800 km) from north to south and 100 miles (160 km) from east to west. The area encompasses 1,000 islands, 15,000 miles (24,000 km) of shoreline and thousands of coves and bays. Cruising through the Inside Passage is really what has made Alaska cruising so popular. There are glaciers the size of Rhode Island. Misty rain forests and ghostly blue fjords.  And spirited communities that celebrate their varied heritage. Be sure to take in every view as you sail through one of the most beautiful parts of Alaska. Cruises to Alaska´s Inside Passage stop in four major destinations – Juneau, Skagway, Sitka, and Ketchikan – each with its own unique style and identity. Other stops on your Alaskan itinerary may include Anchorage, Icy Strait, Prince Rupert, Denali National Park, Haines, Glacier Bay, and Vancouver, British Columbia (or Victoria, British Columbia), Canada.

Ketchican (Alaska)

Ketchikan is a scenic town of approximately 14,000 people. Ketchikan´s economy is based upon tourism and fishing, and the city is known as the "Salmon Capital of the World". A stay in Ketchikan itself can be rewarding, however, as the city is the gateway to Misty Fjords National Monument, an area so beautiful, it is known as "The Yosemite of the North." With steep valleys formed by glaciers and lava flows left by volcanic activity, Misty Fjords offers gorgeous views of natural formations, all reflected in the calm waters of Pacific inlets. The Ketchikan Visitors Bureau, located near the cruise ship berth 2, publishes a comprehensive area guide that provides maps, contact information for tour operators and local attractions, sample itineraries and community information. Explore the surrounding area: set on the hillsides above the waterfront on a heavily forested, mostly wilderness island, the town of Ketchikan is worth visiting on its own merits.

Sitka, Alaska

Sitka is thought to be the most beautiful of southeast Alaska cities. Nestled on the west side of Baranof Island, it is flanked on the east by majestic snow-capped mountains, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean. Their most valuable natural resource is, without a doubt, the people of Sitka, who share a pride in their home and a love of life in all its small-town splendor. The natural splendor of Sitka along with its diverse history and cultural heritage make Sitka a wonderful place to visit and explore. With views of island-studded waters and stately spruce forests reaching to the water´s edge, Sitka is considered Alaska´s most beautiful seaside town.  Sitka has the distinctive character of a place that has been settled for thousands of years.  These ancient lands, home to the Tlingit Indians, celebrated their life and culture long before Russians or Americans walked on the rocky shores and today Tlingit living culture is deeply rooted in this small seaside city.

PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND

Valdez (Alaska)

Valdez is a city on Prince William Sound in the US state of Alaska. At the end of the 19th century, a port was developed in Valdez for gold prospectors who were pushing their way to Alaska and using the Valdez Trail. In 1964, Valdez was almost completely destroyed by the Good Friday earthquake and a tsunami that immediately followed. After the disaster, the city was quickly rebuilt. The city is important as the most important ice-free port in Alaska and the end point of the Trans-Alaska pipeline that runs across the entire state.

PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND

College Fjord (Alaska)

College Fjord is located in the northern sector of Prince William Sound in the U.S. state of Alaska. It contains five tidewater glaciers (glaciers that terminate in water), five large valley glaciers, and dozens of smaller glaciers most of them named after renowned East Coast colleges. College Fjord was discovered in 1899 during the Harriman Expedition, at which time the glaciers were named. It is a popular destination for cruise ships. From one place, it is possible to see eight of College Fjords Glaciers at once. You will not be able to describe the feeling of being in the presence of these tidewater giants. A glacier calving is an incredible event: imagine thousands of tons of ice peel away from a glacier and hearing a sound like a massive detonation of high explosives, followed by a huge roar as newly born icebergs plunging into the sea.

Dutch Harbor (Alaska)

Nome (Alaska)

Kodiak, Alaska

Kodiak is one of 7 communities and the main city on Kodiak Island, Alaska, , . Twenty thousand years ago most of the 5,000 square mile Kodiak Archipelago was covered by glaciers that scored and carved the landscape. Jagged peaks, fjord-like bays, and wide U-shaped valleys were left by the glacial retreat. Nature’s handiwork created a place of spectacular scenic beauty and a wilderness ideally suited for abundant land and marine life. Step away from civilization and rediscover nature in its purest, unruined form. While the Kodiak brown bear is the island’s most famous resident, there are a multitude of creatures to spot on Kodiak Island. The playful red fox is plentiful throughout the archipelago as are Sitka black-tailed deer. If you study the mountainside carefully, you might see a majestic white mountain goat. Whale watching is equal to anywhere in the world. Downtown Kodiak is a wonderful place to explore the island’s rich cultural history, several museums offer you a glimpse into Kodiak’s past. A unique lifestyle in an island Paradise.

Anchorage (Alaska)

Anchorage is a cosmopolitan port city and the largest city in Alaska. It makes up more than 40% of the state's total population with over 300.000. It stays light all night in the Land of the Midnight Sun. The city of Anchorage is on a strip of coastal lowland and extends up the lower alpine slopes of the Chugach Mountains. Take a walk around Anchorage's colorful Town Square where in summer you'll see flowers of all shapes and sizes.. It has been named the most tax friendly city in the United States. A diverse wildlife population exists within urban Anchorage and the surrounding area. Approximately 250 black bears and 60 grizzly bears live in the area. Bears are regularly sighted within the city. Moose are a common sight. You can visit the Alaska Native Heritage Center, Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, Anchorage Museum of History and Art and the Anchorage Zoo.

Anchorage (Alaska)

Anchorage is a cosmopolitan port city and the largest city in Alaska. It makes up more than 40% of the state's total population with over 300.000. It stays light all night in the Land of the Midnight Sun. The city of Anchorage is on a strip of coastal lowland and extends up the lower alpine slopes of the Chugach Mountains. Take a walk around Anchorage's colorful Town Square where in summer you'll see flowers of all shapes and sizes.. It has been named the most tax friendly city in the United States. A diverse wildlife population exists within urban Anchorage and the surrounding area. Approximately 250 black bears and 60 grizzly bears live in the area. Bears are regularly sighted within the city. Moose are a common sight. You can visit the Alaska Native Heritage Center, Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, Anchorage Museum of History and Art and the Anchorage Zoo.

Glacier Bay (Alaska)

Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve is a United States National Park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site that is in the Panhandle of the state of Alaska. The park is best known for its massive glaciers, but is also an ideal destination for those seeking wildlife, kayaking, or simply a chance to get away. The park has snow-capped mountain ranges rising to over 15,000 feet, coastal beaches with protected coves, deep fjords, tidewater glaciers, coastal and estuarine waters, and freshwater lakes. Each summer humpback whales return to the bay from their wintering grounds near Hawaii to feed on the abundant small schooling fish. Many land animals also use the marine environment for foraging and travel. Moose and bears, for example, are accomplished long-distance swimmers that are frequently seen "dog paddling" their way across the bay.

Hubbard Glacier (Alaska)

Hubbard Glacier is a glacier located in eastern Alaska and part of Canada and it is North America’s largest tidewater glacier. The ice you see at the terminal face is ap­proximately 450 years old and is over 2000 feet thick at some locations. The glacier was named in 1890 for Gardiner Hubbard, the first president of the National Geographic Society. The Hubbard Glacier is currently ad­vancing while most glaciers are retreating worldwide. The Hubbard Glacier will and does react in an opposite fashion to most glaciers in a warming climate. This is not in contradiction with current global tempera­ture increases.

Haines, Alaska

Set atop the mainland approximately 70 miles north of Juneau, Haines is a small port community of 2400 aproximately, characterized by its place in gold rush history and as the first Army post in Alaska.. It is located on the shores of the Lynn Canal, the state´s longest fjord, and surrounded by glacier-covered mountains of the Coast Range. The first thing you´ll notice when you arrive is how scenically beautiful it is. Haines is blessed with surrounding natural areas and wildlife in what is known as the "Valley of the Eagles." The area is a magnet for bald eagles, drawn by the warm open water and abundant supply of salmon. More than 3,500 of the birds visit from October to February. Each year, Haines hosts numerous annual events including the Southeast Alaska State Fair, the King Salmon Derby, and the Alaska Bald Eagle Festival

Juneau (Alaska)

Juneau is Alaska´s capital, however you can´t get there by road, only by air or by sea. Juneau is a main port for the Alaska Marine Highway, Alaska´s ferry system. Downtown Juneau is compact and highly walkable, The most popular activities in Juneau for visitors are flight seeing, charter fishing, visiting the Mendendhall Glacier, hiking and shopping. Look for local shop with a sign on the window that says "This store is owned by an Alaskan family", that sell awesome pins, beads, carving arts, all done by local artists or customizable gifts for travelers who don´t want a boring, touristy-looking T-shirt. Highlights in Juneau include Mount Roberts Tramway, the Red Dog Saloon, the Alaska State Museum, the Gastineau Salmon Hatchery, the Governor´s Mansion, the Alaska Gastineau Mill, and the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center.

Tracy Arm Fjord (Alaska)

Tracy Arm, a fjord not too far from Juneau, was completely packed with ice a little more than 200 years ago. It is named after a Civil War general named Benjamin Franklin Tracy and it has all: tidewater and elevated glaciers, breathtaking mountains and sheer rock walls that reach up over a mile high with waterfalls that tumble down to the emerald green water, and Alaska´s largest icebergs.  Watch for whales, bears, mountain goats, hundreds of harbour seals, and a variety of birds such as eagles, arctic terns, kittiwakes, and pigeon guillemots. The twin Sawyer Glaciers, North Sawyer and South Sawyer, are located at the end of Tracy Arm.

Wrangell, Alaska

Wrangell, in Alaska, is a tourism destination full of adventure and nature with a great variety of native cultures. In Wrangell we can find the Observatory of Wild Life, where we will discover the plant and animal kingdom. Also the Petroglyph Beach State Historic Park, in the amazing natural setting of River Stikine and the glaciars as background. In this park you can watch some of the native artistic expressions of all times, the petroglyphs. There are about forty petroglyphs on the beach that you can get from the promenade with a terrace with sea views, the river Stikene and the Zimovia Strait. The Interpretation Centre and Petroglyph Beach, are other interests that you have to visit in Wrangell.

Prince Rupert

Seattle (USA)

Seattle is a major coastal seaport city and the seat of King County, in the U.S. state of Washington. A major gateway for trade with Asia, Seattle is the 8th largest port in the United States and 9th largest in North America in terms of container handling. Seattle has a noteworthy musical history. From 1918 to 1951, there were nearly two dozen jazz nightclubs along Jackson Street from the current Chinatown/International District to the Central District. The jazz scene developed the early careers of Ray Charles, Quincy Jones, Ernestine Anderson and others. Seattle is also the birthplace of rock legend Jimi Hendrix and the rock music style. Places to visit: the Henry Art Gallery , the first public art museum in Washington. The Seattle Art Museum , the Frye Art Museum is a free museum on First Hill. Regional history collections are at the Loghouse Museum in Alki, Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, the Museum of History and Industry and the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture. Industry collections are at the Center for Wooden Boats and the adjacent Northwest Seaport, the Seattle Metropolitan Police Museum, and the Museum of Flight. Regional ethnic collections include the Nordic Heritage Museum, the Wing Luke Asian Museum and the Northwest African American Museum. Seattle has artist-run galleries, including 10-year veteran Soil Art Gallery,and the newer Crawl Space Gallery.Other significant events include numerous art and entretainment, music, religious and ethnic festivals. Since the middle 1990s, Seattle has experienced significant growth in the cruise industry, especially as a departure point for Alaska cruises.