The Alaska Experience

Posted on Thursday, April 14, 2011

Get in touch with the real Alaska with a variety of entertaining and educational experiences on board and ashore. These are just some of the many options geared specifically to Alaskan culture, cuisine and nature to enjoy during your cruise.

Culinary

• Culinary demonstrations featuring typical Alaskan dishes are featured on most ships. Many have dedicated culinary centres where you can cook side by side with the chefs while big screens display the process close up so the audience doesn't miss a thing.
• Alaskan dishes are on the menus designed by the cruise line's celebrity chef.
• Culinary and wine experts give classes and demonstrations on board Seven Seas Navigator's Food and Wine theme cruise: 14 nights, May 26, 2010, San Francisco to Vancouver via Alaska.
• The Wild Alaska Culinary Extravaganza at Icy Strait Point is an example of the culinary excursions found in many ports. Learn how to prepare and cook local seafood, including salmon, halibut and Dungeness crab then enjoy a feast.

For the Kids

• Park rangers bring Glacier Bay and the Alaska wilderness to life for kids and teens in Princess Cruises' Junior Ranger and Teen Explorer programs.
• Kids and teens explore Alaska in a meaningful and enriching way with the Club Mariner Youth Program aboard Seven Seas Navigator.

Lectures and Commentary

• In Glacier Bay and at Hubbard Glacier, park rangers will come on board to give an informative narration during your visit to the tide water glaciers.
• Attend lectures and slide shows given by the on board naturalist or historian throughout your cruise.
• The on board naturalist may also give a commentary at important parts of your voyage. Two popular places are when passing a sea lion colony or traversing the Grenville Channel, the narrowest part of the Inside Passage.

Local Entertainment

• Check the daily program to see if local entertainers are coming on board. Libby Riddles, the 1985 Iditarod sled dog race champion and first woman ever to win the famous Anchorage to Nome trek, has been visiting the ships of Princess Cruises for the past nine years.
• Russian dancers from Sitka and gold rush entertainers from Skagway may also entertain you.

Shore Excursions

• Well informed guides teach you about Alaska on shore excursions from your ship. There's a wide range of excursions which immerse you in the culture and history of Alaska. Check these out at your cruise line web site where you'll find descriptions and details and you can book ahead of sailing.
• With Holland America Line's Cruise With Purpose you'll have a chance to be a research biologist in the wilds of Alaska. This exclusive wildlife and research tour from Juneau is offered in conjunction with Alaska Sea Grant Marine Advisory Program and the Marine Conservation Alliance.

Alaska

Posted on Wednesday, February 02, 2011

Big bold and impossibly beautiful, Alaska stretches beyond the imagination.  Ancient glaciers glint majestically, as snow-mantled mountains soar into the cerulean sky.  The deep harbors and frontier towns welcome visitors with open arms, eager to reveal their riches.  The possibilities are endless, inviting excursions of untold discovery and delight.

Wildlife Viewing in Alaska

Posted on Friday, December 03, 2010

There are many ways to view wildlife in Alaska, but don't expect bears and moose at every turn. It is a matter of timing whether or not you'll be in the right place at the right time.

• Black bears are frequently seen around Juneau. You might be lucky enough to spot one near Mendenhall glacier where there is a salmon stream or in town on of Mt. Roberts as you go up the tramway. (With the addition of bear proof garbage cans in town, sightings on the downtown streets have been reduced.)
• Excursions to view bears generally take you to salmon streams where you observe them feeding.
• Bear and Mountain Goats are often seen on flightseeing tours as they feed and roam in the mountains.
• When cruising the fjords, you may see brown bear on the meadows around streams.
• Eagle sightings are frequent even in town where they are attracted to fish canneries. At Sitka there is a Raptor Rehabilitation Centre where you can see eagles, owls, hawks and other birds close up as they recover from injury for their return to the wild.
• Keep an eye out for Mountain Goats which precariously manoeuvre the steep mountain sides and moose which may suddenly appear at the road side.
• The area between Juneau and Hoonah (Icy Strait Point) is the best for observing whales, Steller sea lions, Dall porpoise and harbor seals on excursions by catamaran.
• You may see whales from your cruise ship so be alert as you look out to sea. The onboard naturalist should make an announcement of any sightings.
• The Kenai Peninsula is one of the best places to see Caribou in the wild.
• Alaska Rainforest Sanctuary near Ketchikan is a safe way to learn about the forest and its wildlife. See reindeer (domestic Caribou), a salmon hatchery and eagles, bears, seals and shorebirds during spawning season.

10 Exciting Places to Visit in Alaska

Posted on Thursday, November 18, 2010

1.  Alaska Aviation Heritage Museum in Anchorage

2.  Alaska Zoo in Anchorage

3.  Anchorage Museum of History & Art in Anchorage

4.  Elmendorf State Hatchery in Anchorage

5.  H20asis Indoor Waterpark in Anchorage

6.  The Imaginarium in Anchorage

7.  Juneau Trolley Car Company in Juneau

8.  Mount Robert Tramway in Juneau

9.  Pioneer Park in Fairbanks

10.  St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church in Juneau

Alaska Travel

Posted on Wednesday, November 03, 2010

Exciting adventures abound in Alaska where visitors are taking advantage of thrilling opportunities like never before. This great wilderness provides a playground for adventurers of all levels and interests. In our readers poll, flightseeing by helicopter or float plane came in first as the favourite Alaskan adventure followed by wildlife viewing and hiking. Be thrilled by the many adventures Alaska has to offer on your next vacation.

Alaska is a place where wondrous beauty and breathtaking stillness can be overwhelming at times. Majestic, snow capped mountains rise from deep fjords, glaciers flow to the sea, the Midnight Sun gives lengthy day light while silent hemlock and cedar forests with crystal clear streams are home to abundant bird and wildlife. This pristine paradise is the perfect place to get away from it all and experience nature at its finest.