Popular Sights

Thursday, October 01, 2009

The City of Whittier is at the head of Passage Canal, a fjord of Western Prince William Sound. Whittier is approximately 47 air miles (62 miles by road) southeast of Anchorage. 

Whittier is a year round ice-free port and is a focal point for marine activity and freight transfer from sea train barge serving Southcentral Alaska. The Whittier townsite lies on a fan-shaped delta on the south shore of Passage Canal. The delta, approximately a mile square, is bordered by Whittier Creek on the west and by a mountain ridge on the east.

If you are visiting Whittier as part of a cruise, one of the most popular shore excursions is the Prince William Sound Glacier Cruise.

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Here's a a great 3 minute showing some of the beautiful sites you will see while on an Alaskan cruise. 

Sunday, August 30, 2009

Ever wonder why glacier ice looks blue?

This is because of how the sunlight passes through the ice and what happensto the sunlight.  Sunlight looks white; however, the light is really made up of all the colors of the rainbow.  You may recall seeing this when using a prism in middle school science classes.  Each of the sun's colors have different wavelengths, or amounts of energy in them.  When the sunlight tries to go through the solid glacier ice crystals the sun gets broken up into lots of colors.  Red and yellow have very little energy and the thick ice soaks up the red light more than it soaks up the blue light. The blue light has enough extra energy to get away from the solid ice crystals without getting absorbed or soaked up.  This is why the only color people see is the blue color that escaped.

Best Glaciers of Alaska:

• Grand Pacific Glacier (Glacier Bay National Park): Three intimidating walls of ice surround boats that pull close to the glaciers.
• Exit Glacier (Seward):  It towers above like a huge blue sculpture, the spires of broken ice are close enough to breathe a freezer-door chill down on watchers.
• Western Prince William Sound: On a boat from Whittier, you can see a couple dozen glaciers in a day. Some of these are the amazing tidewater glaciers that dump huge, office-building-size spires of ice into the ocean, each setting off a terrific splash and outward-radiating sea wave.

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Holland America offers a 3 part video series on what you can expect on a Holland America Alaska cruise tour.

You can already book your 2010 Alaska cruise tours. At Atlas we hold hundreds of groups, which mean better priced and added value for our customers including shipboard credits, specialty dining experiences and more.

The good news is that if you book early and price go down before you make your final payment, we can adjust the price, and by booking early, you ensure you are getting the best cabin location. Call 800-942-3301 to speak to an Alaska Cruise tour specialist.         

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Juneau, the capital of Alaska, was founded during a gold rush in 1880. Today, the former gold-mining town counts among its riches some of Alaska's most spectacular scenery. Nestled at the foot of Mt. Juneau in the Alaska Panhandle, it faces the water from the mainland side of Gastineau Channel. Several magnificent fjords are located along the channel coast, and the majestic Mendenhall Glacier, a favorite of visitors, is nearby.