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.

Icy Strait Point Alaska

Posted on Saturday, January 30, 2010

Alaska has a new cruise port. Icy Strait Point is a one-stop shop for many of the things people go to Alaska to see. Located on the same Island as Hoonah, Alaska's largest Huna Tlingit village opened to non cruisers on day trips from Juneau in 2008, but the vast majority of its visitors come on cruise ships. Visiting Icy Strait independently requires a twenty minute flight from Juneau. Icy Strait's wildlife tours will almost guarantee seeing animals. Whale-watching tours have had sightings 100% of the time so far and on wildlife-viewing trips last season, bears were spotted 85% of the time.

What also sets Icy Strait apart is that it is owned and run by locals and indigenous Alaskans.  Icy Strait is not only about wildlife. Its tribal dance show is highly rated by visitors. Since this is the site of a former fish cannery, its sportfishing trips take aspiring fishers to some of the best spots in southeast Alaska.

A cozy museum occupies the cannery that once sent salmon to all parts of the US. Guests can walk around a restored canning line and learn about the history of commercial fishing in southeast Alaska as well as about Alaskan history and native culture.

In a refreshing change, this is not a port with seven identical-looking watch and jewelry shops lining the main street. There is no main street. There are shops set in the restored cannery that sell everything from slamon jerky to locally made crafts, but no two stores offer the same products. Another nice feature is that passenegrs can walk right off the dock and onto a pristine nature trail. Also right off the dock is an eternal flame where passengers can listen to an elder Tlingit talk about Tlingit traditions, such as why it's good luck to throw the cedar wood chip given to every Icy Strait Point visitor into the fire.

Denali National Park CruiseTour Holland America

Posted on 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.