Entries Tagged "alaska cruises"

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Many of North America's early inhabitants depended on the Yukon River, the mythical "highway of the North." Today you can follow in their wake, passing First Nations settlements, 1890s gold stakes, and abandoned sternwheelers.

Holland America offers a unique experience.  Board our own mv Yukon Queen II for an exclusive day cruise through 102 miles of unspoiled scenery and local lore. Watch for bear and caribou foraging at the forest's edge. Catch a glimpse of moose wading in the shallows. Glide past rock cliffs where peregrine falcons nest. Disembark in Eagle and take a short walk to the nearby Visitor Center. Here you can learn more about the Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve that protects a storied segment of the Yukon River.

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.