Alaska Cruise on Westerdam from Vancouver (Canada)

Vancouver (Canada)

Vancouver is the third largest city in British Columbia and is considered to be one of the most attractive cities to live in the world. Its location by the sea and nearby mountains is popular for tourists and is often compared to Sydney and Rio de Janeiro. It is a cosmopolitan city with the flashing skyscrapers and tourist centers. Places to visit in Vancouver: the Anthropological Museum and its surroundings, Gastown, Granville Island, Chinatown, Waterfront Canada Place, World Science Centre, North Vancouver, West Vancouver, Stanley Park, Vancouver Aquarium, University of British Columbia (UBC), Mountains and Beaches.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Dutch Harbor (Alaska)

Kauai (Nawiliwili, Hawaii)

Kauai is the oldest of the hawaiian islands. Used as the backdrop for the Hollywood film Jurassic Park, the island boasts spectacular volcanic peaks and lush rainforrests. With more miles of sandy coastline than the other Hawaiian islands this virtually untouched tropical paradise is also known by locals as the "Garden Isle". Natural wonders such as Waimea Canyon, the Na Pali Coast and Wailua Falls are all popular with visitors as well as offering a wide range of wtar based activities.

Honolulu (Hawaii)

The isle of Hawaii is named Grnad Island, and we explain why. It is more than double the size than all the rest of Hawaiian isles together, and is completely full of luxuriant nature, from the rugged volcanoes to the cascades and the rainy forrests. It is the home of smokey volcano craters and rivers of dry lava in the National Park of the Volcanoes.

Honolulu (Hawaii)

The isle of Hawaii is named Grnad Island, and we explain why. It is more than double the size than all the rest of Hawaiian isles together, and is completely full of luxuriant nature, from the rugged volcanoes to the cascades and the rainy forrests. It is the home of smokey volcano craters and rivers of dry lava in the National Park of the Volcanoes.

Kona, Hawaii

Situated on the western coast of the Hualalai Volcano, Kailua-Kona, or "kona" to the locals, is the principal city of western Hawaii. Boasting a spectacular volcanic coastline from otherworldly lava formations to lush greenery with calm and clear waters that are perfect for snorkeling, diving and spotting dolphins and honu (Hawaiian green sea turtles). Kailua-Kona itself is a bustling, social hub, home to shops, restaurants and nightlife.Visitors can also explore the islands rich history by visiting Kealakekua Bay, where Captain James Cook first landed on the island in 1778, Puuhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park or the Kaloko-Honokohau National Historic Park, a 1160-acre park that lets you explore early "Heiau" or "temples"

Hilo, Hawaii

Hilo is the county seat of the County of Hawai?i and is located in the District of South Hilo. The town overlooks Hilo Bay, situated upon two shield volcanoes; Mauna Loa, an active volcano, and Mauna Kea, a dormant volcano and the site of the world's most important ground-based astronomical observatories.

Scenic Cruising Kilauea Volcan

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.