Frommer's Alaska Cruises and Ports of Call 2011 (Frommer's Cruises)

292 Pages·2010·20.21 MB·English

by  Fran Wenograd Golden

E
xperience the best a place has to offer on the cruise
that’s right for you. Frommer’s. Your trip begins with us.

● Exact prices, including brochure rates, with tips on A
how to find deep discounts, so you can plan the perfect L
trip no matter what your budget. A
S
● Extensive descriptions of all the major ships sailing
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in Alaska, with information on everything from cabins
A
and ship facilities to shore excursions and recreational

activities. C
R
● C omprehensive ship ratings that grade the essential
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elements of a cruise experience (dining, activities,
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children’s programs, public areas, cleanliness, and S
E
overall enjoyment) from “poor” to “outstanding.”
S
A L A S K A
● Complete coverage of the Inside Passage and Gulf of
&
Alaska, with off-the-beaten-path experiences and new

takes on top attractions. P
O C R U I S E S
● Bonus wildlife guide in the appendix highlights the
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animals you’re most likely to see—from whales to bald
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eagles to bears.
S & PORTS OF CALL

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Front cover photo ©Danny Lehman/Courtesy Princess Cruises 2011
Inset photo ©Wolfgang Kaehler/Alamy Images F

US $18.99/ CAN $22.99/ UK £14.99 C
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EENNTTRRAANNCCEE
01_876121-ffirs.qxp:Layout 1 11/19/10 10:06 PM Page i
Alaska Cruises
& Ports of Call
2011
by Fran Wenograd Golden & Gene Sloan
01_876121-ffirs.qxp:Layout 1 11/19/10 10:06 PM Page ii
Published by:
Wiley Publishing, Inc.
111 River St.
Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774
Copyright © 2011 Wiley Publishing, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey. All rights reserved. No
part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in
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John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, 201/748-6011, fax 201/
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Wiley and the Wiley Publishing logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of John
Wiley & Sons, Inc. and/or its affiliates. Frommer’s is a trademark or registered trademark
of Arthur Frommer. Used under license. All other trademarks are the property of their
respective owners. Wiley Publishing, Inc. is not associated with any product or vendor
mentioned in this book.
ISBN 978-0-470-87612-1 (paper); ISBN 978-1-118-00559-0 (ebk);
ISBN 978-1-118-00560-6 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-00561-3 (ebk)
Editor: Ian Skinnari
Production Editor: Lindsay Conner
Cartographer: Anton Crane
Photo Editor: Richard Fox
Production by Wiley Indianapolis Composition Services
Front cover photo: Coral Princess cruising the Inside Passage © Danny Lehman /
Courtesy Princess Cruises
Back cover photo (inset): Bald Eagle © Wolfgang Kaehler / Alamy Images
For information on our other products and services or to obtain technical support, please
contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at 877/762-2974, outside the
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Manufactured in the United States of America
5 4 3 2 1
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Contents
List of Maps vi
Whats New in Alaska Cruising in 2011 1
1 The Best of Alaska Cruising 7
1 The Best of Alaska’s Ships . . . . . . . . .8 3 The Best Shore Excursions . . . . . . . .13
2 The Best Ports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
2 Choosing Your Ideal Cruise 14
1 The Alaska Cruise Season . . . . . . . . .14 4 Cruisetours: The Best of
2 The Inside Passage or the Land & Sea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22
Gulf of Alaska? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 Should You Take Your Cruisetour
Shore Excursions: The What, Before or After Your Cruise? . . . . . . .23
When & Why . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 5 Quiz Time: Questions to Ask When
3 Big Ship or Small Ship? . . . . . . . . . .17 Choosing Your Cruise . . . . . . . . . . . .25
Ship Size Comparisons . . . . . . . . . . .19
3 Booking Your Cruise & Getting the Best Price 31
1 Booking a Cruise: The Short 6 Airfares & Pre-/Post-Cruise
Explanation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31 Hotel Deals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39
2 Booking Through a Travel Agent . . . .32 7 Choosing Your Cabin . . . . . . . . . . . .40
Watch Out for Scams . . . . . . . . . . . .33 8 Choosing Your Dining Options . . . . .43
3 Cruising on the Internet . . . . . . . . . .35 9 Deposits & Cancellation Policies . . . .45
4 Cruise Costs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35 10 Travel Insurance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45
5 Money-Saving Strategies . . . . . . . . .37 Fast Facts: Alaska . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46
4 The Cruise Experience 49
1 Packing for Your Cruise . . . . . . . . . . .49 Safety at Sea in the New World
2 Money Matters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51 (Dis)Order . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55
The Cost of Common Cruise 5 Keeping in Touch with the
Incidentals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52 Outside World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56
3 Your Very Important Papers . . . . . . . .53 6 Visiting the Ports of Call . . . . . . . . . .57
4 Getting to the Ship & Checking In . . .54 7 Tipping, Packing & Other
End-of-Cruise Concerns . . . . . . . . . .61
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iv CONTENTS
5 The Cruise Lines, Part 1: The Big Ships 64
1 Some Components of Our 7 Norwegian Cruise Line . . . . . . . . . .101
Cruise-Line Reviews . . . . . . . . . . . . .66 8 Oceania Cruises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .107
Weddings at Sea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68 9 Princess Cruises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .112
2 Carnival Cruise Lines . . . . . . . . . . . .70 10 Regent Seven Seas Cruises . . . . . . .123
3 Celebrity Cruises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74 11 Royal Caribbean
4 Crystal Cruises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81 International . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .127
5 Disney Cruise Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . .86 12 Silversea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .133
6 Holland America Line . . . . . . . . . . . .91
6 The Cruise Lines, Part 2: The Small Ships 138
A Note on Ship Ratings . . . . . . . . .139 3 Lindblad Expeditions . . . . . . . . . . .149
1 American Safari Cruises . . . . . . . . .140 4 Alaska Marine Highway System . . .152
2 InnerSea Discoveries . . . . . . . . . . . .144
7 The Ports of Embarkation 157
1 Anchorage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .157 3 Vancouver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .172
The Iditarod . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .163 4 Seattle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .181
Shopping Smart for Native Art . . . .166 5 Juneau . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .189
2 Seward . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .166 6 Whittier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .191
Ports & Wilderness Areas Along the Inside Passage 196
1 Victoria, British Columbia . . . . . . . .196 8 Baranof Island . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .213
2 Canada’s Inside Passage . . . . . . . . .200 9 Sitka . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .213
3 Prince Rupert, British Columbia . . .201 10 Juneau . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .219
Nanaimo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .204 11 Icy Strait Point, Icy Strait &
4 Ketchikan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .205 Hoonah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .226
5 Misty Fjords National 12 Glacier Bay National Park
Monument . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .211 Preserve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .228
6 Admiralty Island National 13 Haines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .230
Monument . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .212 14 Skagway . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .234
7 Tracy Arm & Endicott Arm . . . . . . . .212 Melting Glaciers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .238
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CONTENTS v
9 Ports & Wilderness Areas Along the Gulf Route 241
1 Petersburg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .241 4 College Fjord . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .246
2 Hubbard Glacier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .244 5 Seward . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .246
3 Prince William Sound . . . . . . . . . . .244
10 Cruisetour Destinations 247
1 Denali National Park & Preserve . . .247 4 Nome & Kotzebue . . . . . . . . . . . . .251
A Mountain by Any Other Name. . .248 Denali Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .252
2 Fairbanks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .248 5 The Kenai Peninsula . . . . . . . . . . . .253
3 Prudhoe Bay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .249 6 The Yukon Territory . . . . . . . . . . . . .253
First to the Top . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .250 7 The Canadian Rockies . . . . . . . . . .254
Appendix A: Alaska in Depth 256
1 A Short Gold Rush History . . . . . . .256 2 An Introduction to Southeast
Alaska’s Native Cultures . . . . . . . . .258
Appendix B: Alaska on the Wild Side 261
1 Whale-Watching 101 . . . . . . . . . . .261 2 Alaskan Wildlife . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .264
Index 269
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List of Maps
Alaska 10 Ketchikan 207
Anchorage 159 Sitka 215
Seward 167 Downtown Juneau 221
Downtown Vancouver 173 Glacier Bay National Park 229
Seattle 183 Haines 231
Whittier 193 Skagway 237
Victoria, British Columbia 197 Petersburg 243
Prince Rupert, British Columbia 202 The Kenai Peninsula & Prince William
Sound 245
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Acknowledgments
The authors wish to thank contributing writers Art Sbarsky and Nicola Hassapis.
About the Authors
Fran Wenograd Goldenis a well-known cruise and travel writer, and Travel News Columnist for
AOL Travel. Former travel editor of the Boston Herald,she also writes for numerous newspapers,
magazines and websites, including the Miami Herald, TravelandLeisure.com,and Porthole,and has
her own popular blog, www.getawaywithfran.com. She lives in Boston and is the proud parent of
Erin and Eli.
Gene Sloanwrites about cruising for USA TODAYand oversees USA TODAY’sonline cruise
site, The Cruise Log (cruises.usatoday.com). Sloan’s stories also are distributed by the Gannett
News Service to more than 80 other U.S. newspapers. He has written about travel for more
than 15 years and has spent more than 1,000 days on the road. Prior to writing about travel,
Sloan covered the television industry for USA TODAY,and he also has served as an editor in
the paper’s Life section.
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How to Contact Us
In researching this book, we discovered many wonderful places—hotels, restaurants, shops, and
more. We’re sure you’ll find others. Please tell us about them, so we can share the information
with your fellow travelers in upcoming editions. If you were disappointed with a recommenda-
tion, we’d love to know that, too. Please write to:
Frommer’s Alaska Cruises & Ports of Call 2011
Wiley Publishing, Inc. (cid:129) 111 River St. (cid:129) Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774
An Additional Note
Please be advised that travel information is subject to change at any time—and this is especially
true of prices. We therefore suggest that you write or call ahead for confirmation when making
your travel plans. The authors, editors, and publisher cannot be held responsible for the experi-
ences of readers while traveling. Your safety is important to us, however, so we encourage you to
stay alert and be aware of your surroundings. Keep a close eye on cameras, purses, and wallets,
all favorite targets of thieves and pickpockets.
Travel Resources at Frommers.com
Frommer’s travel resources don’t end with this guide. Frommers.comhas travel information on
more than 4,000 destinations. We update features regularly, giving you access to the most cur-
rent trip-planning information and the best airfare, lodging, and car-rental bargains. You can
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